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.
As 2022 comes to an end, it is time for trucking carriers to evaluate their driver drug and alcohol testing programs and make necessary improvements for 2023.
Federal regulators are considering changes to a 30-year rule that would affect the type of relief that drivers and carriers receive during highway emergencies.
A Teamsters local chapter in San Jose, California, that represents drivers at a Home Depot subsidiary has voted to decertify being represented by the union.
While safety is top of mind for fleet operators, addressing negative driver behaviors remains unpopular.
Netradyne’s Barrett Young explains why most fleet safety initiatives are counterproductive.
After months of quiet, the U.S. Attorney for Eastern Louisiana extracted two more guilty pleas in the Louisiana staged accident scam.
It wasn’t a large gain, but truck transportation jobs in November continued an almost unbroke upward trend of gains since the worst of the pandemic.
Senate lawmakers have introduced a companion bill to a House measure that sets aside grant money to expand truck parking at new and existing facilities.
Federal regulators say livestock drivers have not shown they can maintain safety if given an hours-of-service exemption.
A North Carolina trucking company owner said he wanted to buy a used truck but is now in a long legal battle to get back cash confiscated by police who thought it was part of a drug deal.
Family-owned Mid Continent Trucking of Denison, Iowa, notified drivers and employees recently that after 24 years, the refrigerated carrier was ceasing operations two days after Thanksgiving because of worsening economic conditions and tumbling freight rates.
A judge has halted the start of work on tearing down an Interstate 81 viaduct, a project that would reroute trucks around Syracuse, New York.
FMCSA’s unique ID proposal for trucks has safety group support but overwhelming opposition from the rest of the trucking industry.
Former employees of United Furniture Industries say they were caught unaware overnight after receiving word they were not to report to work Tuesday because their jobs were being immediately terminated “due to unforeseen business circumstances.”
Truck driver safety is an ongoing process that involves engagement, awareness and targeted training.
Golden State, often a trendsetter in regulation, lags behind on ELD requirement for trucks that stay within state borders; comment period open.
Brake Safety Week in the United States checked out a lot more trucks, but the out-of-service orders stayed flat percentage-wise.
Resonea Inc. and CPAPSupplies will integrate sleep apnea screening and testing services for commercial truck drivers.
Corrective action training may not prevent an incident but it will reduce the likelihood of one reoccurring.
Interstate Health Systems hopes to open 40 to 60 locations catering to the health care needs of truck drivers, motorists and communities over the next two years.
The Department of Labor is seeking comments on its proposed independent contractor rule, and the trucking world is stepping up.
CVSA is skeptical about whether third-party certification can alleviate delays encountered by roadside inspectors.
RoadSync and Fullbay have a deal that should assist in more rapid payments at repair shops.
The first meeting of federal panel aimed at promoting women in trucking includes shots taken at a study that one member asserted downplays the prevalence of rape.
“If this legislation were to pass, the big carriers would be able to pressure shippers and receivers to load their drivers who are on the clock sitting at the loading dock,” Lewie Pugh, OOIDA executive vice president, said.
Truck driver Leland Schmitt’s bid to be exempt from federal work rules was denied by regulators.
October hiring in the truck transportation sector took a surprising turn upward in October, according to BLS data.
Fleet growth will be held steady as the truckload carrier pivots back to a more traditional model.
Transfix’s head of product talks about the company’s new contract structure at F3.
Convoy’s co-founder said he’s seeing an increasing number of smaller truck carriers parking their vehicles.
Uber Freight and Transplace are now fully consolidated, and its leaders are touting the benefits.
In the first earnings call since its AB5-driven deal with the Teamsters, Universal CEO Tim Phillips speaks positively about its impact.
Driver-facing cameras are seen as intrusive and an invasion of privacy in the truck-driving community. Yet fleets are rapidly adopting them.
The American Trucking Associations puts the shortfall of truck drivers at 78,000 this year, down slightly from 2021 but still high.
Some numbers at the new network at TriumphPay were lower, but other key indicators were on the rise.
Two driver/warehouse worker strikes against Sysco are either over or likely to end soon.
Two key provisions in the Department of Labor’s proposed independent contractor rule could pose problems for transportation companies.
Federal regulators have not renewed a work rule exemption for truck drivers responding to the pandemic, a move supported by ATA and truck safety advocates.
A Cowen panel lends support to transitioning a trucking company to a brokerage company as a path to compliance with California’s AB5 independent contractor law.
Truck transportation jobs in September dropped by an amount exceeded in the last 10 years only by the start of the pandemic.
Workers, including truck drivers, have walked off the job at two Sysco facilities in the Northeast.
A proposal to allow regulators to review hair tests to screen truck drivers for drugs faces strong opposition from large groups of truckers.
The ABF subsidiary ArcBest began hiring days last year to help aid in recruitment; FreightWaves was invited to one.
Lone Star Dedicated of Haslet, Texas, will be closing its doors in October with nearly 90 company drivers losing their jobs hauling refrigerated food nationwide.
A new 80-page handbook from DOT gives local planners detailed information for planning and designing truck parking facilities.
The Federal Trade Commission plans on getting involved in questions of independent contractor status.
Federal regulators are considering loosening driver work-rule restrictions for propane haulers during periods of peak consumer demand.
Hurricane Ian came ashore in Fort Myers, Florida, just before noon Wednesday. Transportation is starting to feel the impact, with road and port closures in effect.
FEMA released a list of the first steps it is taking to prepare for relief efforts tied to Hurricane Ian.
Federal regulators are easing training requirements for UPS truckers who want to drive double trailers.
Algorithm-driven insights help fleets strategize their operations better when faced with rapidly changing weather conditions.
Just a few days after the state of California tried to keep OOIDA out of the ongoing AB5 case, a judge has let the group in.
Federal regulators will use a simulator experiment to assess driver distraction in automated trucks.
FMCSA requires annual checks on a truck driver’s motor vehicle record. But doing that can leave gaps and potentially allows drivers to remain on the road when they are no longer eligible to drive a CMV.
Drivers and trucking companies seeking flexibility from work rules can expect full attention from federal regulators.
A nationwide rail strike has been averted as the railroads and unions have reached a deal.
AB5 was the topic of an IANA panel discussion, with compliance through brokerage seen as a leading option for trucking companies.
In a Thursday conference call with analysts, U.S. Xpress CEO Eric Fuller turned his focus away from the Variant initiative and toward a return to basics for the truckload carrier.
Truckload carrier U.S. Xpress announced staff cutbacks, capex reductions and reorganization of its operating units.
Two top officials from Universal Logistics used the occasion of a Wall Street conference to defend its AB5-related Southern California deal with the Teamsters union.
Truck drivers from around the world will soon be eligible for participation in Canada’s Express Entry immigration program.
Federal regulators release new data and ask for public comment to help determine whether to end the nationwide trucking hours-of-service waiver.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has ruled — again — that UPS has not shown it can maintain safety levels if it were exempted from new driver-training requirements.
The warehousing and storage sector continues to see declines in employment.
Truck safety regulators have renewed until Oct. 15 a national exemption from hours-of-service rules for drivers supporting pandemic relief efforts.
A contract agreement between Universal Logistics and the Teamsters union will bring a group of Southern California drivers in compliance with AB5.
A Michigan trucking company owner is seeking major relief from driver work-rule restrictions to help his customers avoid costly shutdowns.
Loomis Express workers have called off a strike after reaching a tentative agreement on a new contract.
Using the economic realities test, an appellate court backed a lower-court ruling that a group of drivers were independent contractors, not employees.
The injunction that has kept California’s AB5 independent contractor law at bay since the end of 2019 has been formally lifted.
Federal regulators have appointed 16 members to an all-female advisory board in an effort to boost the ranks of women in trucking.
Growing hemp has been legal since 2018, but transporting it across state lines remains a risky proposition for trucking.
Everybody thought the legal wrangling over California’s AB5 was done, but a court hearing Monday says otherwise.
Uber Freight and others announced LightningPay last fall, and the product’s philosophy and practices were presented at a key industry conference in Atlanta.
Trucking regulators will consider allowing hair drug test results to be reported into a federal drug clearinghouse — despite asserting a lack of authority.
New York City police have targeted overnight truck parking in a section of the city close to Kennedy Airport.
Federal regulators are inviting the public to comment on a truck driver’s request to be exempt from hours-of-service rules.
Love’s has killed plans to build a truck stop on Interstate 90 in Montana, with local opposition winning out despite government approval.
Federal regulators are issuing new guidance for truck driver medical qualifications, and sleep apnea regulations could be a next step.
An annual ATRI survey reflects the weakening correlation between retail diesel prices and actual trucking fuel costs.
Eric Sauer, who has worked for CTA for more than 20 years, has become its new CEO.
There’s a new report out that should concern diesel buyers.
A survey on truck driver compensation by the American Trucking Associations showed the scope of the gains in driver pay over the last two years.
Washington state is weighing options after agreeing not to appeal FMCSA’s preemption determination on the state’s truck driver meal/rest break laws.
An appellate court reversed a lower court decision and found that a one-time Schneider independent contractor was actually an employee.
A vote to be represented by the Teamsters at an STG facility in California has taken place but the ballots have been impounded.
A court-appointed receiver is working to get hundreds of truckers’ accounts receivable paid nearly three weeks after a legal feud between brothers led to the abrupt shutdown of CoreFund Capital, a Texas-based factoring company.
Jobs in the truck transportation sector have risen every month post-pandemic except one, but the pace of growth is slowing.
California’s PAGA law, which turns private citizens into mini-prosecutors, may become the key to enforcing AB5 in trucking.
Some 80 Houston owner-operators have been on strike against Hudd Transportation since Monday.
A federal appeals court upheld the FMCSA’s hours-of-service rules by rejecting a challenge filed by safety groups alleging the 2020 changes make the roads less safe.
TransForce, long a provider of drivers to carriers, is rolling out its proposal for independent contractor compliance with AB5.
As truckers protest for the fifth day, workers at the Port of Oakland have been busy setting up orange barricades at all four of the marine terminals in case demonstrations over controversial state law AB5 spill over into next week.
Public comments reveal most truckers believe a proposal to require engines to have speed limiters will make roads less safe.
Port of Oakland officials are imploring truckers to end their protest over AB5 as the independent contractors prepare to block the terminals for the fourth day on Thursday, bringing container movement at California’s third-largest port to a standstill.
Around 450 protesters opposing California’s independent contractor law, AB5, were blocking all of the terminal gates at the Port of Oakland, forcing TraPac and Oakland International Container Terminal, also known as SSA, to close operations on Wednesday.
California’s trucking sector is looking at numerous ways to keep in compliance with AB5, but is doing so without specifics on what’s right and wrong.
Truck transportation jobs recorded another increase in June, but the rate of growth was slower than recent months, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report.
California’s trucking sector is likely to be upended now that it will need to deal with AB5, the state’s more rigid independent contractor law.
California’s trucking sector must now brace for the imposition of AB5’s rules on independent contractors as the court rejects overturning pro-AB5 appellate decision.
