TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2025.05.10

TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2025.05.10 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers for the week ending May 10, 2025, written by Vicki Simons.

I welcome your comments, thoughts and feedback on the items of your choice below.

TDMST Weekly Round-Up

1. Regarding foreign and language:

Personally, I am glad to see that these combined topics are now getting the attention they deserve!

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There is not only the issue of people from other countries driving commercial motor vehicles in the United States who are not proficient in English, but also the issue of people from other countries taking trucking jobs that Americans could fill.

Someone might say, “But, Vicki, if Americans had wanted those jobs, they’d be in them.”

Well, that may boil down to the issue of pay. What if someone from another country is willing to work for less than an American would?

These posts on my website address how trucker wages have not kept up with inflation:

Furthermore, the issue is complicated by the continual churn of truckers within the trucking industry (not a true trucker shortage, as OOIDA has said for a long time).

And the issue is further complicated by the autonomous trucking situation.

Foreign

Language

2. Regarding tariffs and trade:

Tariffs

Trade

3. Regarding autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, emissions, fuel, and oil:

Autonomous vehicles

I wholeheartedly oppose the operation of self-driving, autonomous, or driverless commercial motor vehicles on the same roads as the motoring public — but I share articles on this topic with our readers to help us stay current on the topic.

Electric vehicles

Before you buy an all-electric Commercial Motor Vehicle, please do your due diligence by asking some questions and getting answers.

Emissions

Fuel

Oil

4. Regarding bankruptcy, congestion pricing, economy, inflation, rates, taxes, and truck excise tax:

Bankruptcy

Congestion pricing

Economy

Inflation

Rates

Taxes

Truck excise tax

5. Regarding inspections and securement:

Inspections

If you keep yourself and your rig in perpetual readiness for an inspection, you’ll never be caught off-guard.

Securement

If you are not sure how to secure your load, you must ask before you start hauling the load.

Do not risk a crash!

6. Regarding border, business, containers, Maersk, OOIDA, recalls, and supply chain:

Border

Business

Containers

Maersk

OOIDA

Recalls

If your tractor or trailer is under a recall, please have the work attended to as soon as possible.

Supply chain

7. Regarding crashes, death, drugs, DUI, fatalities, fire, theft, and violence:

Crashes

Please look through these articles to see if there is anything you can learn to help you prevent being involved in a similar crash.

Death

I express my deep sympathy — and offer my condolences — to the families of those whose loved ones died as described in these articles.

Drugs

Never ever haul or take illegal drugs.

DUI

Never ever get behind the wheel of any vehicle after you’ve been drinking alcohol or taking mind-altering drugs.

Fatalities

I express my deep sympathy — and offer my condolences — to the families of those whose loved ones died in these crashes.

Can you learn anything from the articles below that would help prevent being involved in a fatal large truck crash?

Fire

Why have there been so many truck-related fires recently?

Could reasons include:

  • arsonists among us;
  • directed energy weapons;
  • electric vehicles undergoing spontaneous combustion; or
  • some other reason?

Please share your thoughts through the form below.

Theft

Never take something that doesn’t belong to you unless you have permission from the owner.

With as much surveillance equipment as in place in the 21st century, it’s only a matter of time before the thieves are apprehended.

Violence

It is never right to perpetrate violence upon someone in an unprovoked manner.

All perpetrators of violence must be dealt with in a just legal manner.

8. Regarding DOT physical, employment, independent contractor rule, shortage, truckers, and veterans:

DOT physical

If you received a DOT physical in Houston, Texas, please pay attention to these two articles!

Employment

Independent contractor rule

Shortage

Truckers

Veterans

9. Regarding infrastructure, legal, politics, regulations, roads, and speed limiter:

Infrastructure

Legal

This article is particularly troubling:

Trump, in a new interview, says he doesn’t know if he backs due process rights

According to Cornell Law School:

The Constitution states only one command twice. The Fifth Amendment says to the federal government that no one shall be “deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law.” The Fourteenth Amendment , ratified in 1868, uses the same eleven words, called the Due Process Clause, to describe a legal obligation of all states. These words have as their central promise an assurance that all levels of American government must operate within the law (“legality”) and provide fair procedures.

Here are other articles in this section:

Politics

Regulations

Roads

Speed limiter

10. Regarding insurance, parking, rescue, and towing:

Insurance

Parking

Rescue

Towing

11. Regarding emergency and events:

Emergency

Events

12. Regarding technology and weather:

Technology

Weather

I wish you — and all professional truck drivers — safe travels and lots of money saving opportunities on the road.






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