This is the TDMST Weekly Round-Up of news affecting professional truck drivers, written by Vicki Simons for the week ending June 5, 2021.
We welcome your comments, thoughts and feedback on the items of your choice below.
1. Regarding beef processor cyberattack:
In response to a post of this article on Facebook on June 1, 2021:
Cyberattack Hits Major Meat Processor and Parent Company of Large Trucking Fleet,
I wrote the following comment on June 2:
“I no more believe this ‘narrative” than I believed it about Colonial Pipeline.
I think this was planned by insiders in order to spook people and make them panic, which is right where the elites want us.
Do not give them that power over you!”
Even so, the following is a list of articles from trucking industry sources about a so-called beef processor cyberattack.
- Cattlemen seek emergency declaration because of cyberattack on beef processor
- Cyberattack Hits Major Meat Processor and Parent Company of Large Trucking Fleet
- JBS cyberattack: Livestock haulers feel brunt of plant shutdowns
- JBS Poised to Reopen Most Meat Plants Hobbled by Cyberattack
- Livestock haulers ask FMCSA for relief following cyberattack on meat processor
- Livestock haulers urge FMCSA action in wake of JBS cyberattack
- Livestock Haulers Warn of ‘Major Supply Chain Disruption’ in Wake of JBS Cyberattack
- Meat Plant Shutdowns Spreading After Cyberattack on JBS
- Prep your payment method, and other advice on dealing with a cyberattack
- U.S. Cattlemen’s Association seeks relief from FMCSA after cyberattack
Those things having been said, here are a couple of articles worth your time to read:
- Are These Cyber Attacks Live Drills for What is Coming Later this Summer?
- CCP planning major attack on USA this year: Bioweapons, cyber war, kamikazee drones and infrastructure sabotage
2. Regarding accidents, death, and ATRI:
Accidents
For each of the articles listed below, I have provided some commentary:
- Medical incapacitation’ caused fatal 2019 Florida crash, NTSB saysPlease be very careful regarding the medication you take while you’re driving, especially when you’re driving a large truck.
- Truck driver was watching porn when he fatally struck an officer, evidence revealsThere is absolutely no excuse for this!
- Trucker fatally shocked when trailer made contact with power line, police suspectThe article and photo don’t show how or where the “live wire” was when the trucker hit it.
Please pay attention to low hanging wires — and if you drive a truck that has a raisable bed, make sure you always lower it before you leave the place where the truck’s load was dumped.
- Trucker killed in crash caused by another truck driver striking and downing a highway signAs of the time this article was written, there was no indication as to why the one trucker veered out of the lane of travel.
Was he distracted, drowsy, or what?
- VIDEO: Car hauler has a no good, very sad dayIt’s difficult to see in the video, but it looks like there may have been two things going on:
– Not giving sufficient room to make the turn; and
– Not having secured the car that came loose!
- VIDEO: Trucker makes a helluva save after a jackknifing truck busts across the medianThis is the first time that I’ve seen a trucker “swerve” and not wreck his/her truck. That takes a lot of skill!
Death
- Traffic Deaths Rise at Alarming Rate in 2020 While Large Truck-Involved Fatalities Decrease
- Traffic Deaths Up 7% in 2020
- Traffic fatalities up across the board in 2020, except large trucks
ATRI
3. Regarding AB5, lawsuits, employment, and future:
AB5
Lawsuits
Employment
- Did trucking jobs rise in May? It depends
- Driver Opinion Survey Shows Drivers Are Not on the Job Hunt
- Economists Brace for Another Volatile Monthly Jobs Report
- Employment in trucking industry takes a hit in May
- Jobless Claims Dip Below 400,000 for First Time in Pandemic
- News alert: Truck jobs down seasonally in May but up on nonseasonal basis
- US Adds 559,000 Jobs in May
Future
4. Regarding politics, infrastructure, insurance, and regulations:
If you don’t like what has been proposed on the federal level — as has been listed in this section — please get in touch with your federal elected officials to let them know!
Taxing businesses for this is not a good idea, in my opinion.
Politics
- Biden $6 Trillion Federal Budget Fueled by Higher Taxes
- Biden’s Budget Includes Boost for Transportation
- DRIVE-Safe Act unnecessary and dangerous, coalition says
- FMCSA priorities outlined in Biden’s 2022 budget
- Highway bill: The good news and the bad news
- Live From Exit 24′ provides update on highway bill Land Line
- Truck broker guidance, ELD data research rolled into highway bill
Infrastructure
Insurance
- Democrats Unveil $547B Highway Bill Including Massive Insurance Hike, $1B For Truck Parking
- House highway bill includes $2 MILLION insurance increase for truckers, but also $1 billion for truck parking
- Texas-based fleet uses tech to drive down insurance rates
Regulations
5. Regarding electric vehicles, emissions, fuel, and green:
Electric vehicles
- ACT: Third of Class 4-8 Vehicles to be Battery-Electric in 10 Years
- Bill to Boost EV Tax Credits to $12,500 Passes Senate Panel
- Cheeseburger While You Charge? Musk Pursues Tesla Restaurant Concept
- FMCSA’s $675M Budget Calls for ‘Transformational Investment’ in Automated and Electric Trucks
- Global EV Battery Sales Surge as Demand for Clean Cars Booms
- The Future is Now: Upcoming Hybrid and Electric Trucks and Vans
- Transportation Funding an Issue With Rise of EVs
Emissions
- Albertsons’ Zero-Emission Refrigerated Grocery Delivery Fleet
- Canada delays GHG rules for trailers to 2022
- Shell, Penske Collaborate on Emission-Reduction Plan
- Shell, Penske partner to reduce emissions across supply chain
- Volvo, Albertsons Complete First Zero-Emission Frozen Food Shipment
Fuel
- American Travel Spree Proves Market Right to Be Bullish on Oil
- Diesel Price Nearly Flat; Increase Is Only Two-Tenths of a Cent
- Diesel reports show mixed results Land Line Fuel prices
- DOE/EIA diesel price inches up as broader numbers move higher
- Fuel outlook: Availability and pricing should be stable through summer months
- IEA Says Oil Demand May Return to Pre-Crisis Levels in a Year
- Nearly half of U.S. commercial trucks today are clean diesel
- Oil Tops $70 a Barrel for First Time Since 2019
- Ottawa invests in Alberta hydrogen fueling station for trucks
- Weekly Fuel Report: June 1, 2021
- Will trucking face fuel shortages this summer?
Green
I plan to do more research on this topic in the days to come.
Meanwhile, here is one article about “green” trucking and then one perspective on the “Green New Deal.”
- Vision of green transportation faces business challenges
- Green New Deal a “Recipe for Mass Suicide,” Says Greenpeace Co-Founder
6. Regarding roads, bridges, capacity, LTL, and last mile:
Roads
Bridges
- I-40 bridge closure over Mississippi River to last several more weeks
- I-40 bridge not expected to be open until late July
- Pete Buttigieg Cites Importance of I-40 Bridge Repair
- Secretary Pete Tours I-40 Bridge as Closure Could Cost Trucking More Than $250 MILLION
Capacity
I’m going to modify the definition of “capacity” as is written on the website of DAT.com to be the following:
Capacity: “In the trucking industry, the availability of space in trucks that can be hired or utilized to haul freight.”
The reason why I say “space in trucks” is because Trucks With Room to Spare utilizes available space that isn’t filled up, to help deliver needed products.
- Capacity is the problem, not price — #WithSONAR
- Relative reefer capacity at loosest point since mid-September
- When will capacity stop crunching?
LTL
- LTL carriers see strong trends flow through second quarter
- The Daily Dash: Strong trends for LTL carriers
Last mile
- 3 Trends Pushing More Cooperation Among Last-Mile Carriers, Shippers, 3PLs
- Driving Efficiencies & Productivity for Last-Mile Delivery Fleets
7. Regarding routing, saving, shipping, technology, and China:
Routing
When you’re driving a commercial motor vehicle, please always use approved truck routes unless you’ve got a permit!
Do not rely on non-CMV-specific GPS units for routing.
We recommend using a good, old-fashioned truckers atlas.
Saving
Shipping
- Shippo reaches unicorn status with $50M raiseNote: According to Wikipedia, “In business, a unicorn is a privately held startup company valued at over $1 billion.”
Technology
- Dash cameras can provide inexpensive and effective protection to driversSee our article about using a truck cam.
- ELD Technology Issues: Why a Bad Quality ELD Will Harm Your Business
China
8. Regarding tires, tolls, recall, and parking:
Tires
- Bridgestone launches fuel-efficient Ecopia steer tire
- Mexican trucking industry slowly adapting to ‘intelligent tires’
- Michelin introduces two new trailer retread tires
Tolls
Recall
- 72K Freightliners recalled for headlight defect that could spark a fire
- Certain Freightliner Cascadia Trucks Recalled for Fire Risk
- Daimler recalls Freightliner Cascadias after 36 headlamp fires
- Freightliner Cascadia trucks recalled for headlight issue
- Ram Trucks Recalled; Wheels Could Fall Off
- Two recalls hit 80k Freightliner, Western Star trucks
Parking
- A&M study aims to find out just how bad Texas truck parking really is and how to create a system for it
- PA Turnpike ramps to be temporarily closed for installation of truck parking sensors
- The Truck Parking Zone — May 2021
- Two rest areas on I-66 in Virginia to close to truck parking
- Virginia DOT to close two rest areas to trucks only starting Monday
9. Regarding trucking, smuggling, and inspections:
Trucking
Smuggling
Never offer to smuggle people or illegal goods — ever!
- Trucker sentenced to 46 months after attempting to smuggle ammo from US to Mexico
- Truck’s attempt at skipping inspection leads to discovery of 100+ immigrants
- Two U.S. Truckers and More Than 150 Migrants Arrested in Big Rig Smuggling Busts
Inspections
- CHP Cracks Down on Truckers Who Fail to Stop at Mandatory Brake Check Areas
- Meet the State Troopers Behind the Southwest VA Blitz
- More inspections, fines coming to Driver Inc. fleets
10. Regarding consumers, gig, postage, and economy:
Consumers
- Commodity price surge highlights American Express’ first B2B spend survey
- Does consumer behavior reflect the end of the pandemic?
- How changing consumer behaviors force retail supply chain innovation
- Inflation up, consumer sentiment down
Gig
- 15-minute grocery delivery is real – and in New York, it’s freeIt seems that consumer demand may soon be impossible to provide.
Postage
Economy
- Class 8 orders slow as 2021 build slots fill
- Class 8 Truck Orders Backlogged Until 2022
- Dry bulk ships generating 300%-plus more revenue today than 6 months ago
- Fall in May Class 8 truck orders masks underlying demand
- May Class 8 Orders Fall to 22,900
- Truck, trailer and freight demand all to remain strong: FTR
- US imports could stall as demand overwhelms trans-Pacific capacity
11. Regarding pay and retention:
Pay
- Why truckers move to guaranteed pay structures
- Trucker Pay Is Increasing, but a Driver Shortage RemainsIn response to that second article, I made the following comment on Facebook (links put in place here):
Back in 2018, I wrote a page on our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips website in which I found based on the CPI Inflation Calculator that based on the wages of truckers from May 1977 ($500 per week), that truckers were earning about 26% of what they should have, if wages had kept up with inflation.
The most current numbers available today for the CPI Inflation Calculator are for April 2021.
Using the $500 figure in May 1977, we find that that amount has the same buying power as $2,214.38 in April 2021.
$500 / $2,214.38 = 0.22
Multiply $2,214.38 x 52 weeks per year = $115,147.76/year.
$70,000 / $115,147.76 = 0.6
Based on these numbers, a salary of $70,000 is still only 60% of what truckers should be earning — just to keep up with inflation.
Given just the money angle, it’s no wonder that folks don’t want to enter the trucking industry!
References:
https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=500.00&year1=197705&year2=202104
https://www.calculator.net/big-number-calculator/?cx=500&cy=2214.38&cp=2&co=divide
https://www.calculator.net/big-number-calculator/?cx=2214.38&cy=52&cp=20&co=multiple
https://www.calculator.net/big-number-calculator/?cx=70000&cy=115%2C147.76&cp=2&co=divide
Retention
12. Regarding award:
Congratulations to all truckers who receive a reward for their excellence on the job!
My husband Mike and I wish you — and all professional truck drivers — safe travels and lots of money saving opportunities on the road.
Return from TDMST Weekly Round-Up: 2021.06.05 to our TDMST Weekly Round-Up Trucking Commentary or our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips home page.
