Truck drivers play an essential role in the world economy, but life isn’t easy for them. Drivers face a wide variety of issues and challenges that affect both them and the industry as a whole. For example, trucker issues contributed to the driver shortage, as qualified drivers leave the industry because of low pay and difficult working conditions. Other truck driver challenges include issues related to health and wellness. Truckers must deal with a lack of exercise, poor diet, extended periods without bathroom breaks, eye strain, cramped conditions, poor sleep — not to mention the mental toll of being away from home and family for days at a time. Though many drivers earn good wages, the physical and mental stress isn’t always worth it to them.
Check back here for the latest news and insights on driver issues, or visit our Trucking Industry News archive to find additional information.
Also on this week’s podcast: Conflicting info about the US oil upstream that might actually be in sync.
The Teamsters call it a strike, but it is more of a protest. Still, it did garner support from another union on Wednesday.
The Department of Energy’s SuperTruck 3 earmarks $100 million to expand electric heavy-duty truck concepts to lower emissions.
Coyote Logistics is adding an integration with truck parking reservation platform TruckPark that allows drivers to access parking locations through the CoyoteGo digital freight platform.
The think tank report sees the funding coming from the service centers as a means to help rebuild interstate highways.
Biden has picked former New York City regulator Meera Joshi to be administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The Teamsters called it a strike even though no employed workers were believed to be on the picket line.
The lead trucking industry lobby has come together with insurance-focused groups to fight two vexing problems of fraud.
An off-duty trucker charged with smuggling 13 bricks of cocaine from the U.S. to Canada via car was acquitted after maintaining that the drugs were planted while he was aiding a fellow driver with a repair at a rest stop.
Rob Hatchett, president of SeatMyTrucks, discusses why fleets are struggling to find truck drivers because of COVID-19 pandemic, with Marilyn Surber, transportation adviser for Tenstreet.
NTSB again highlights the need for automated safety devices in trucks in its latest top 10 list.
A. Bailey Wood reveals his vision and goals as the new head of the Commercial Vehicle Training Association.
The latest increase raises the question: Are we nearing the end of the cycle of increases or just kicking off yet another one?
It’s the third vote in just a few months to push the union out. But contracts at all 3 locations had not ever been finalized.
CVSA inspectors will focus on lighting and hours of service during the annual 72-hour safety blitz throughout North America on May 4-6.
The decision in a suit brought against drayage company East Coast Transport affirms a finding in the earlier Cal Cartage case
FMCSA hours-of-service exemption weighs heavily in a court decision rejecting wage claims against XPO Logistics.
The March report may be the last for a while in which a comparison to last year is meaningful.
Other highlights from the monthly report: Soaring employment in warehouses is starting to moderate.
Also on this week’s podcast: Why return to air travel could have impact on diesel prices.
The announced increases this month are a small sliver of the pay rises that companies are needing to hand down to stay competitive.
Trucking companies cite safety concerns in their request to FMCSA to allow limited use of hair testing to screen for drugs.
Drivers often take the blame for roadside violations, but remaining in compliance with regulations is a team effort that includes maintenance personnel and safety operations in a fleet.
Investors plow more money into Plus, which expects to commercialize Level 4 self-driving technology in China this summer.
The vote to decertify the union in New Jersey was 16-2 and comes soon after a similar rejection of an in-place union in Southern California.
The president of the trade group says he expects a new CEO after “fierce” competition.
As International Roadcheck 2021 quickly approaches, truck drivers need to prepare for the inspection process. Here are five tips J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc. recommend drivers follow to make the process easier.
As a federal definition of an independent contractor moves toward resolution, ongoing litigation could be affected by what the Biden administration finally announces.
The loan size shrinking across the board but the amount of money going to transportation and warehousing sector grew more than $1 billion last week.
Driver pay continues to step higher as truck capacity remains very tight and consumer spending high.
Also on the podcast: Why retail diesel prices don’t drop as fast as declines in wholesale.
Lured by the promise of better pay and the American dream, some foreign drivers found themselves trapped in an alleged human-trafficking scheme.
Stimulus checks and the timing of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout are seen as factors in a lower number of searches for driver jobs.
Peter DeFazio, a top transportation lawmaker, wants the Federal Communications Commission to rethink adopting rules that experts say would hinder trucking automation.
Also on the podcast: Did Joe Biden help boost the price of oil?
The NLRB action is a gathering of earlier Teamsters actions against Universal, now pulled together in one filing by the government agency.
A GAO report links accurate data collection to motor carrier costs.
Hiring and retaining drivers is an art more than a science.
No details disclosed, but Fourshore generally looks at companies valued at $10 million to $75 million
After raising pay earlier in the year, Cargo Transporters has implemented a flexible pay package, allowing company drivers to earn paid time off and bonus payments on a prorated basis.
An American Transportation Research Institute study finds the cost to deploy and collect a vehicle-miles-traveled tax would be 300 times more than the current fuel tax.
A DOT autonomous trucking technology study downplays concerns raised by the FMCSA.
Reports of problems in the application process are widespread, but the PPP loans given out total more than $160 billion.
The new rules approved by the NLRB could be overturned by the Biden administration but only after a formal rulemaking.
West Coast carrier Cheema Freightlines announces a pay bump for drivers and plans to expand its fleet in 2021.
A former car hauler claims he was forced into hiding after blowing the whistle on his trucking company’s alleged illegal business practices.
After a fresh round of pay increases at the beginning of the year, some carriers are continuing to raise rates further. Bay & Bay Transportation announced effective immediately it has raised pay for independent contractors by 20 cents per mile.
The legal reason cited for the withdrawal is the elevation of two principles of “economic realities,” which the Wage and Hour Division says have not been used by courts in the past.
The lending given out so far in the third version of the Paycheck Protection Program is not on track to exhaust the funds that have been authorized.
The low number assigned to one of the key bills signifies it is a priority and is seen as a positive sign by the trade group.
The Great North is taking the slow road on implementation
Understanding trucking automation’s effect on the trucker workforce is a priority for the Biden administration, an FMCSA official asserts.
The PRO Act would impact only the regulatory power of the National Labor Relations Act and is mostly targeted toward making unionization easier.
A. Bailey Wood takes over as head of the Commercial Vehicle Training Alliance from Don Lefeve.
Senate-approved emergency pension relief covering Yellow, ABF Freight employees could hit President’s desk this week.
Pandemic heroes of the highway deserve mobile sites, NATSO says. Some drivers don’t think that’s a good idea.
Courier gains stood out as an upward trend while others were lower.
February generally shows an increase in the number of trucking jobs, but not in 2021
Old Dominion Freight Line said Thursday it would add 800 drivers and more than 400 dockworkers and clerical personnel to meet “robust freight demand.”
The size of the Variant fleet reached 900 this week, ahead of schedule. CEO Fuller is touting improvement in OR of 2,000 bps when fully implemented.
FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse data reveals 47,995 drivers are ineligible due to violations.
The Biden administration signaled on day one that it was going to roll back some late Trump administration rules; the independent contractor rule came out Jan. 7.
Carrier Averitt Express said it was raising pay for its newly hired regional truckload and flatbed drivers. The company becomes the latest to increase driver pay as the industry struggles to seat tractors.
Some people think the B2B exception is almost hopeless, but others see it as difficult but still the only way the independent contractor mode can survive in the Golden State.
XPO and port drayage are in the Teamsters Union target sights in backing the PRO Act.
Employees can be “your greatest liabilities if they’re not trained properly,” says Infinit-I Workforce Solutions CEO Jay Wommack. So he is offering a free training video for truckers.
Earlier debt concerns raised by ratings agencies should be eased by the 3PL paying back all the revolving funds pulled down at the start of the pandemic.
The founder of autonomous driving company Locomation talks about the future of that technology and the challenges it needs to overcome to make significant progress in reaching its promise.
Trucking fleets that conduct only yearly reviews of driver records may miss signs of risky driver behavior that ultimately could put lives in jeopardy.
George Washington Bridge approach in New Jersey tops the American Transportation Research Institute’s trucking bottleneck list for the third year in a row.
Jon Gold, the vice president of supply chain and customer policy with the National Retail Federation, sits down for a fireside chat withWeston LaBarof the Harbor Trucking Association to discuss the backup in the port of Long Beach/Los Angeles.
Loans so far in PPP round two that go to the trucking and warehouse sector are about the same percentage of all loans as in the first round.
Regulators give Wilson Logistics more flexibility for CLP holders participating in revenue-generating freight.
While the opinion letters don’t have the force of law, they do suggest which way the new administration will go in classification of compensation issues
Washington appeals court asked to place in abeyance HOS review for 60 days due to the new administration.
Uber recently sent out a white paper on its views of compensation and other benefits for its drivers in Europe.
Ryder CEO Robert Sanchez gets two opportunities to talk about the company’s outlook, in an earnings call and at a Citi conference.
On-demand driver platform Haul has attracted a diverse group of investors as it looks to disrupt the CDL staffing industry.
Ascend focuses on smaller carriers and shippers, which now will have greater visibility into what Uber Freight has to offer.
Fuel haulers are getting relief from hours-of-service rules as a winter storm moves into the Northeast.
Proposed mandatory guidelines to hair test for drugs could change — or see a lengthy delay.
State-by-state permission to park overnight at weigh stations isn’t consistent across the country.
Truck parking reservation platform TruckPark is adding more locations to its platform through a partnership with national parking provider ParkMyFleet.
Ongoing risks attributed to COVID-19 trigger a three-month extension to hours-of-service exemptions.
A judge denied the request by truckload carrier Western Express to dismiss a lawsuit brought by a driver seeking meal- and rest-break pay.
Doctors have been identified in the lawsuit, a truck driver was fired after one “accident,” and C.R. England paid out over $4 million in a case.
Two GlobalTranz employees whose job classification changed have filed suit for overtime, but the suit seeks much larger class certification.
A member of Congress bets on getting his truck parking expansion proposal included in the highway bill.
The size of Uber Freight’s “fleet” is about 71,000 carriers.
The former owner of Sisic Transport admitted to altering thousands of logbook entries for his drivers, using Omnitracs’ automatic onboard recording device software.
Charges against a newly minted trucker are dropped as prosecutors point to his “lack of involvement” in $2.8 million worth of marijuana found in a sealed trailer of pork at the U.S.-Canada border.
NFI driver Roger Daily credits his dad’s incredible work ethic and a man named Cliff Capps for his 30-year career and impressive 6 million safe miles.
A drop between December and January is normal, and the strong market did not reverse that.
The number of jobs in the warehousing and storage sector also fell from December to January.
OOIDA testifies on vaccine and truck parking concerns before the House transportation committee.
Also on this week’s podcast: Diesel gains back almost all of the pandemic losses
What suggestions would you give new Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg? Our reporters share theirs in this FreightWaves roundtable.
Trucks hauling COVID vaccines won’t get pulled over, says the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.
Compliance with record-keeping regulations is a time-consuming task that can easily fall through the cracks as busy fleet executives focus on day-to-day tasks.
CDC implements President Biden’s executive order on mask requirements at transport hubs.
