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.
Women drivers wait longer to load and unload their freight than their male counterparts because they are less prone to pitching a fit over delays.
Ruling considered a win for trucking companies.
There isn’t a driver shortage. In fact, there is a glut of capacity on the road, and not enough freight to haul.
Roughly 3,580 drivers will be affected by the FMCSA’s exemption
The gruesome deaths of five family members leads to what may be a record-breaking award.
Various predictions of doom are sprinkled through a document
Employers can choose $1.25 bundling option or $24,000 annual fee.
If theres going to be an exception for trucking, its going to be next year or through the courts.
Experts say revisions could help fix long-term market inefficiencies.
Reaction is mixed among stakeholders to hours-of-service rule changes proposed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Safety, labor advocates register early opposition to rule changes.
30-minute rest break, split sleeper berth requirements among five major revisions.
Wisconsin-based Schneider National recently announced it is building a new operations center in Dallas, where the company will manage up to 500 truck drivers. The new facilities will include a […]
Trucks are omitted from a study analyzing congestion pricing options; YRC scraps satellite radio in cabs; FedEx drops Amazon in dollars-and-sense decision
Parking and technology will both be featured on this weekend’s edition of FreightWaves Radio on SiriusXM Road Dog Trucking. Co-hosts John Kingston and Timothy Dooner will be joined by Sarah […]
Agency will not comment on new publication date until review is finalized.
Jack Cooper Ventures says it will be “business as usual” as the auto hauler undertakes a restructuring.
The company itself is silent so far, but the union spelled out some of the developments.
The USDOT and USDA are seeking comments on a revision to hours-of-service and electronic logging device regulations for the agriculture and livestock industries.
In Australia this week… new tunnels and roads to eliminate trucks; cattle and driver nearly burned alive; human remains found after truck explodes; controversial logistics software company vows to fight class action and the regulator; I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow… you off the road!
Idle-reduction technology is still not being used by all fleets, despite laws and clear benefits of such systems.
A federal grand jury indicted three Texas men – two truckers and a state worker – in connection with a scheme to sell commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) without the drivers […]
Long before sunrise, Molly Sizer starts her day in West Texas as a professional frac sand hauler. She gets dressed, drives her Peterbilt truck to one of the dozens of […]
New equipment will allow U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents inspect up to 50 trucks per hour along the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico.
Report asserts industry needs to hire 1.1 million new drivers over the next decade.
Proposal would make it easier for drivers to take test from out of state.
A federal court puts the retroactive question back in the hands of the court that first made the A-B-C test.
Study would bolster steps undertaken in the private sector to address the problem.
Labor Department says drivers do not have to be paid for time spent in sleeper berth.
FMCSA, USDA to standardize definitions for HOS exemption enforcement.
The data on truck company failures is pointing to a rocky period for shutdowns, and the prospect of higher diesel prices isn’t going to help. That’s the message of Seth […]
ATA concerned that extending deadlines could affect proper enforcement.
A truck driver who was convicted and sentenced for dangerously driving his truck in a way that caused grievous bodily harm and severe brain damage to a young woman has escaped a much more severe sentence owing to bureaucratic failings.
Sandeep Kar has written a thought-provoking article about changes in trucks and how those changes affect truck drivers. He also writes about what the future may hold for truck drivers in the coming years.
Denial to SBTC follows last year’s denial to OOIDA.
Groups claim teen drivers carry more risk resulting in more fatalities.
It can be a rough business doing freight and logistics in Australia. And now, in the Australian capital city of Canberra, it looks like the last-mile drone delivery business has gotten a fair bit more… dangerous!
Freightliner Team Run Smart Pros are being tasked with talking up trucking careers as part of industry ambassador role.
Drivers of 18-wheelers, tractor-trailers, delivery trucks, freight trucks and tanker trucks hauled more than $671 billion in goods across the United States-Mexico border in 2018. However, there are around 50,000 […]
The next steps in turning the heart of last year’s Dynamex court decision on independent contractors into the law of the land in California takes place this week in the […]
The driver of a tractor-trailer died during a deadly accident on July 3 after his truck was cut off by another vehicle and fell off the Houston Ship Channel bridge, […]
With IMO2020 just around the corner, FreightWaves Radio this weekend takes a look at how it might impact fuel markets. J. Scott Susich, the director of data analytics and advisory […]
Eliminating delays is source of pride for the beef processor and retailer
FMCSA head advises firms to get a move on in shift from AOBRD to ELD. Ford enters healthcare transport market; Indian-Americans make a lot of money
Ray Martinez said truck users will benefit from better data from CSA scores to make carrier selections i
The numbers of robots in use around the world is forecast to reach 20 million by 2030…. automation is also forecast to displace tens of millions of people from their jobs.
Agency wants to reduce time and costs for driving schools and applicants
Air cargo wait times really vary between airports
Brought to you by EROAD… FMCSA says no transition period, but carriers are waiting until the last minute.
Ease of doing business ranked high with drivers serving over 40 facilities.
The FreightWaves radio team of John Kingston & Chad Prevost will also be discussing the status of the trucking market. Three chances to listen in!
Ray Martinez concedes finding enough drivers aged 18-20 with military experience could be difficult.
Award winner is taking on new driver partnerships as it expands into last-mile delivery.
White House receives guidelines but DOT, FMCSA still must sign off.
Working with over 100 outside carriers and brokers, Walmart (NYSE: WMT) is likely to be a shipper of choice for many already. But even one of the U.S. freight industry’s […]
Trucking could get hit “very hard” by an economic recession, ATA warns
FMCSA wants to fill “critical data gap” on loading dock wait times
The highways of Mexico continue to be risky for truckers as cargo thefts rose 6 percent for the first four months of 2019, according to the Mexico City-based National Chamber […]
Not all independent truckers are seeing those benefits
Truck drivers looking for a job will soon have to register with a new drug and alcohol clearinghouse.
The top-paying fleets continued to increase driver pay in the first quarter, with some now paying as much as 65 cents per mile in an effort to retain high-performing drivers.
Big things are happening right now in the world of freight. You might be wondering how you can position yourself to keep your fleets running, where you can find available […]
The highway and viaduct that now shoots truckers and others straight through the heart of Syracuse on interstate 81 might be no more under a plan making its way through […]
Trucks without mirrors are entering the testing phase, but they could soon become a reality.
Fuller says the new database on drug and alcohol tests will slice capacity by 10%.
Opus9 and FleetUp are offering Opus9 carriers access to a discounted ELD and the chance to become a Premium Carrier Partner with access to more freight.
Operating cost savings at stake as company deals with IPO expectations
The closure of the facility near Midland/Odessa will cost about 125 jobs.
A long-running lawsuit over leased vehicles appears to be reaching its conclusion. The lawsuit, Roberts, et al. v. C.R. England, Inc., et al, is scheduled for final approval by a […]
Uber and Lyft drivers are planning to strike on May 8 at 10 locations in the U.S. to protest low wages among other concerns. Organizer Rideshare Drivers United is planning […]
For the second time in less than a week, a trucking carrier has shut its doors with no advanced warning.
In partnership with Reliance Partners …
ELDs are not just about tracking the hours of service of drivers. The data they gather can be used by fleets to improve driver behavior and operational efficiency, and by insurance companies to understand accident history for evaluating fleet risk profiles.
Simulators to benefit training standards in Mexico and the U.S.
Bolt System has introduced a new driver app that is designed to streamline paperwork processes and improve the overall driver experience.
Four drivers were inducted into the National Private Truck Council’s Driver Hall of Fame on Monday and the organization also recognized the nation’s safest private fleet operations in a ceremony.
Hair follicle testing – once cleared for use in the federal database – could have the biggest effect on driver availability.
The two key new levies will be a percentage of wholesale prices, but with a floor tied to a particularly strong period in the diesel market.
Down Under Trucking: a round-up of trucking news from Australia. Top news this week: revealed – how trucks have accidents in Australia; a new in-depth government inquiry into trucking and transport. And, finally, how one truck driver thought he was being pranked… but, in reality, he was winning BIG!
Truck drivers with minor damage to their vehicle now have a speedier way to handle that claim if they are a Progressive Insurance commercial customer with a new photo inspection tool.
Big Apple’s traffic is rotten to the core thanks to rise of on-demand economy; congestion pricing may be cure, but uncertainties abound.
Becoming a Shipper of Choice requires many steps and processes, but it starts with communication, trust and building a relationship.
A new survey of small fleets and owner-operators found they would like to utilize many of the same tools larger fleets do to control costs, including more technology like predictive maintenance.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao announced that the Department of Transportation has sent an hours of service (HOS) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval.
What makes a commodity and agricultural commodity? That is one question that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrations hopes to answer soon, it said, during a regulatory update session at the Mid-America Trucking Show.
Cross-border drivers like new wage structure, carrier executive says.
Flip a switch. Seems easy enough, but for those fleets that think that’s all they have to do with their ELD come December 16, 2019, they may quickly find their truck driver sitting idle, which is why now is the time to start the transition from a legacy AOBRD.
Heavy snow melt and rains have caused historic flooding in 16 states and the FMCSA has lifted certain regulations as a result.
Authors controversial study miss key factors contributing to truck driver turnover and wages.
Study finds lagging response to demand surges makes managing driver recruitment and retention more difficult.
Bendix is now making its advanced safety systems available for retrofit for models where it was not factory-installed. Plus, U.S. finds little support for postal rate changes, detention time increasing and air cargo boom may be over.
10-year old lawsuit is win for contractors but driver classification issue remains largely unsettled.
Market expert Dean Croke writes about the impact of Daylight Saving Time (DST) on drivers (particularly truckers) and the pros and cons of the energy saving rationale behind DST.
With diabetes rates for truckers running 50 percent higher than the national average, industry and health advocacy groups are working to raise awareness about how drivers can manage the disease and ensure a high level of public safety.
Smaller fleets see best growth in driver capacity, but shippers only tap them once in a while, creating more volatility.
FMCSA estimates over 11,000 Class B truck drivers will save time and money using the new process.
Sentiment could be growing for lowering the driver age, but questions linger over safety and wages.
Compliance issues can result in large fines for companies, which is why some companies find outsourcing compliance programs to experts can be a financial win.
The Motiv EPIC all-electric chassis will be installed on Ford F-59 glider chassis at a Detroit Custom Chassis plant. Also, Colorado passes bill lowering the commercial truck driving age and the Port of Long Beach sees near-record volumes.
At least 40 percent of drivers are still using AOBRDs, and nearly 80 percent of those don’t plan to switch to ELDs until the second half of 2019, just ahead of the deadline.
Manual transmissions have almost disappeared from cars and light-duty trucks. But that isn’t the case in heavy-duty trucks. Read the pros and cons of manual and automatic transmissions in Class 8 trucks.
