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.
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.
Fraudulent medical certifications that can put carriers and drivers at risk of more accidents.are under scrutiny.
When Daimler Trucks North America introduced its 2020 model year Freightliner New Cascadia. all attention was focused on the eye-opening headline: it is a Level 2 autonomous truck. While that is the sexy part of the truck, an even sexier headline for fleets should be the advances in fuel efficiency in the new model.
The 2020 model year Freightliner New Cascadia features technologies that qualify it as a Level 2 autonomous, but drivers shouldn’t be scared off by that.
California and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have filed petitions with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit challenging the preemption of the state’s meal and rest break rules for interstate truck drivers.
An intersection in New Jersey has been deemed the worst for truck bottlenecks, plus Nikola Motor may be adding a purely electric truck; GM and Tesla are working together, and FedEx Express signs on to a new cargo terminal.
Recruiting and keeping drivers remains a difficult task for carriers, but several experts said that a strong social media approach improves both tasks.
Convoy, the powerful nationwide trucking network and platform for both shippers and carriers, is partnering with FreightWaves on the first-ever Shipper of Choice Award.
A new petition is seeking White House help to get two bills that would exempt most small trucking companies and owner-operators exempted from the ELD requirement reintroduced to Congress.
Convoy is now matching 100 percent of loads automatically in major markets, effectively eliminating the need for any person to call or communicate between the shipper and carrier.
The Commercial Vehicle Training Association is pushing for more states to adopt third-party testing to shorten wait times for those seeking to schedule CDL tests.
ELD’s were supposed to make headway into reducing crashes, but that may not be the case so far, according to academic research from supply chain experts.
Trucking law specialists Scopelitis says that state arbitration laws—and not just the courts—can still be used to settle disputes between trucking companies and employees.
The NLRB overruled an Obama-era litmus test defining independent contractors, giving trucking companies’ defense against unions a boost along the way.
As a slew of regulatory and tech changes hit the trucking and freight industries, the businesses that succeed will be the ones that are open to innovation — and surveillance.
One-quarter of carrier respondents to a new survey believe that driver pay will need to approach $100,000 a year before it makes a dent in driver turnover.
Port truck operators could potentially increase their wages by using a new service from NEXT that helps them run shorter runs and return to ports with empty containers. The company just secured $97 million in funding to help it expand.
The EIA becomes one of the first major forecasters to put a price per gallon estimate on what is going to happen to diesel prices when the new rule kicks in.
Container volumes remain strong, but delays mean fewer overall pickups; drivers also not pleased with new fees for flipping containers.
Facility has been frequent target of labor action and drew attention of local politicians, who tried to evict third-party logistics firm.
Only about 10% of drivers aren’t belted but as a share of fatalities it’s close to 50%.
Truck drivers hauling in the state of New York will not see ELD enforcement until state regulators finish getting the rule on the books.
Drivers most often commented on equipment issues, logistics, people, pay, and communication on the WorkHound platform in 2018. The platform compiles anonymous driver comments.
Everyone knew the quarter was weaker than it had been. The question is how much. Stock prices have reflected a significant slowdown.
Fleets are increasingly turning to video to help exonerate drivers of wrongdoing and finding that a side benefit is the coaching opportunity video provides to improve risky driving behaviors.
Hours of sleep are critical to truck driver safety and to driver retention. The “science of sleep’“ in the context of truck drivers is examined in this article.
Transflo used its slot during the MarketWaves 18 Demo Day to showcase how its app’s new user interface, along with the broader Transflo ecosystem can be used effectively to reduce time during the lifecycle of a load.
As administrators for the Black Smoke Matters group on Facebook worked to get a handle on the sudden explosion of members in the group, one administrator announced he is stepping away from the page and the group has posted what it is calling “Truckers Declarations for the 2019 Shutdown” on its website.
The states are at different points in their adoption of the program, but some of them are showing the way in what can be done.
What Northam supports is along the same lines as the recommendation of a recently-appointed commission on the heavily-traveled north/south highway.
Trucking companies could be exposed to increased liability while a challenge to FMCSA’s hours-of-service preemption in California is pending.
The udelv autonomous delivery vehicle, with an electric range of about 60 miles, will enter a pilot program with XL Parts in Houston.
While onboard with the group’s goals, not all truckers seem happy with the approach Black Smoke Matters is taking to achieve them.
Australian trucking continues to prove fatally dangerous to drivers with a death rate in Australian road transport nearly six times greater than the national industrial average.
A combination of tolls that a commission says will be cheaper than other states, plus an “auto pass,” are seen as providing enough revenue to fund the needed improvements.
Law aims to help shippers avoid potential liability; But in an industry with many fly-by-night operators, getting monies owed still a challenge.
ELDs have been required for the majority of the industry for more than a year now, but there are still some that do not have to comply until Dec. 16, 2019. A look back at ELDs, and what the next deadline means.
Chassis management and appointment times seen as targets for fixes as Los Angeles grapples with container delays.
Riverside Transport is making strides toward helping drivers achieve better health in 2019. The carrier, which prizes itself on its driver first culture, offers drivers access to gym memberships and nutrition education to help them make better food choices.
Black Smoke Matters, a group formed by truckers, is planning a nationwide shutdown on April 12 to protest several issues facing truckers.
But President Trump still hopeful a deal can be done; tariffs costing both sides billions, and truckers plan one-day labor action for April.
Telematics provider seeks to integrate data into easily consumable format for driver coaching.
Fatigue is a big driver-safety issue. SmartCap is wearable technology that helps drivers to monitor and manage their fatigue levels.
FMCSA has ruled that California can’t dictate meal and rest break requirements that conflict with federal hours-of-service regulations.
States will soon be able to give would-be drivers more time to get their CDLs at the same time potentially lowering knowledge exam costs.
The vote, with one council member abstaining, took place at 1:05 a.m. this morning.
Load matching app keeps focus on drivers as it includes detention charging, terminal feedback ability.
Jurupa Valley, CA is building a badly needed truck stop. The locals don’t seem to want it.
Technology proponents see automation as aid to driver, not replacement, in short-term as challenges persist for driverless truck.
The federal guideline is “hearsed, nursed and towed,” and that will be the rule in Pennsylvania now.
Non-compliant trucks will be turned away.
Basic amenities such as snacks and a bathroom rank high among truck drivers as improvements shippers can implement at their locations to improve the driver experience.
Livestock haulers are relying on the fate of the federal budget to determine how long their ELD exemptions will last.
Rising driver wages can’t slow driver shortage plus a Boston-based company receives funding for autonomous technology development for cargo vessels and more empty containers are leaving U.S. ports
FMSCA Administrator Raymond Martinez comments on his first nine months, and the potential for an early rollout of revised HOS rules.
The vision for truck video systems goes beyond reducing one-time accident claims to creating more efficient, less risky fleets.
“The biggest takeaway is we’ve got a systemic labor problem. We don’t see a simple solution.”
Information about that data is more needed; box moves strong at Port of Los Angeles, but peak season in rearview mirror.
Pilot tests are being run now on the most basic aspect of platooning technology, but there’s more to come.
But container volumes still going strong this quarter as U.S.-China hash out deal; but first quarter likely to see slowdown.
KeepTruckin continues to expand its leadership team as it works to build out new solutions for drivers, taking advantage of the data now available to it.
Main U.S. maritime agency’s probe into practices of ocean carriers and terminals winds down, but no changes yet seen.
FMCSA has made public the denials of 10 exemption requests from its ELD rule, including OOIDA and nine smaller groups that were formally rejected earlier this year.
Canadian province tackles stricter driver training and Chinese goods to Europe move along the world’s longest freight route. Plus Uptake takes innovation award and improving truck driving jobs.
Using the power of the crowds to create a successful mapping tool.
App allows drivers to review facilities, fostering better dialogue between two sides of freight transaction.
Also in the pickup: Morgan Stanley index, and a move back to sailing across the ocean.
As any driver knows, parking is at a premium at truck stops, even during the middle of the day. A new survey is being conducted to get an update on the current parking situation.
The numbers from the Black Friday-Cyber Monday period are seen as supporting the company’s projections of a 17% increase
A driver incentive program, which not only prompts drivers to make smarter and safer driving decisions, but also promotes driver happiness, is one way to increase driver retention.
We posted a story yesterday profiling an iconic truck stop in Portland. In Part II we talk to drivers who stopped at Jubitz for fuel, a bite and well-earned rest.
The strikes would end the day after the Governor General signs the legislation.
The Swift program will offer courses through Southern New Hampshire University.
Canada is working to finalize an ELD rule for truckers in that country. The rule would closely mirror the U.S. regulation, with a few significant differences.
The Canadian Parliament is still considering legislation but the union is pushing back.
Drivers at Swift Transportation, a subsidiary of Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc. (NYSE: KNX), now have the opportunity to earn college degrees online through Southern New Hampshire University’s College for America program.
The government signaled a day earlier it was prepared to take such a step.
A Connecticut DOT study found that tolls on the state highways could generate $1 billion a year. Despite that, the incoming governor is focused only on adding tolls for trucks.
How much of the strength is pre-tariff purchases? How much of the talk of weakness is “on the other hand” economics?
A Goldman Sachs report several months ago laid out the strengths of the app that matches loads, but does a lot more than that.
