TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2022.07.02 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers, written by Vicki Simons for the week ending July 2, 2022.
We welcome your comments, thoughts and feedback on the items of your choice below.
1. Regarding AB5 and smuggling:
AB5
In my April 16, 2022, TDMST Weekly Round-Up, I stated:
I still hope that AB5 is overturned for all independent contractors statewide in California.
In my opinion, no government entity has the right to force workers to not be independent.
Well, the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear the case, meaning that the new state law is going to “stick,” at least for now.
So, if I’m seeing this situation correctly, the power-hungry bureaucrats in charge of the state government in California has just disrespected every “gig economy worker” in the state who wants to work independently of being a company employee.
And the gig economy workers — numbering about 400,000, according to a Sept. 2019 article — have a big decision to make:
- Either put up with the situation;
- Or leave the state.
This may include owner-operator and independent truckers.
If a significantly-sized and determined group of truckers decide not to put up with the state law, California may have just bitten the hand that fed it (at least in part).
Now, is this the last word?
Absolutely not!
Those who implement state law change it all the time.
Perhaps this situation will give rise to a change in the California State Assembly and a reversal of this law, which I believe is ill-conceived.
- AB5 ruling enters trucking into the inferno
- AB5 will be enforced on California’s trucking industry after Supreme Court denies hearing
- California Trucking Prepares for AB5: Supreme Court Won’t Hear Appeal
- California trucking prepares for shake-up under independent contractor law AB5
- How AB5 decision will immediately affect trucking
- Is AB5 Armageddon for 70,000+ independent truckers?
- Supreme Court decision on AB 5 remains on hold
- Supreme Court decision on AB 5 remains on hold
- Supreme Court Declines to Hear AB 5 Appeal
- Supreme Court denies California Trucking Association’s AB 5 case
- Supreme Court denies California Trucking Association’s AB 5 case
- Supreme Court denies California Trucking Association’s AB5 petition
- Supreme Court rejects California Trucking Association’s appeal
- Supreme Court stays silent on trucking under California’s AB5
- Trucking industry awaits Supreme Court decision on AB5
Smuggling
How many times do I have to say that it is never right to treat human beings like they are cattle or cargo?
The reason for this is because human beings were created in the image of God, while animals and inanimate objects were not.
The driver(s) responsible for abandoning these people and letting dozens of them die may face a severe punishment.
Do not aid in the transport of illegal aliens.
If people want to enter the USA, let them do so through legal means.
Our condolences go to the families of those who died.
- 3 arrested in connection with deaths of 51 people in Texas tractor-trailer
- 3 arrested, including truck driver, in San Antonio migrant deaths
- 50 migrants die in big rig trailer abandoned in San Antonio heat
- 50 migrants found dead in tractor-trailer in San Antonio, Texas
- At least 46 found dead in semi trailer in San Antonio
- At least 50 people found dead inside tractor-trailer in San Antonio
- Big rig migrant deaths: Toll rises to 53 in San Antonio as families wait for answers
- Death toll in San Antonio rises to 50, trucking company says vehicle was ‘cloned’
- Dozens of migrants reportedly die in Texas semi-trailer
- Driver in Texas human smuggling operation faces possibility of death penalty
- Driver who abandoned truck in San Antonio deadly human smuggling attempt arrested, was ‘very high on meth,’ police say
- Fifty migrants confirmed dead in suspected human smuggling plan
- Four dead, three injured after attempted human smuggling ends in crash with semi
- Houston truck driver pleads guilty to transporting 145 in trailer
- SA to hold vigil for 50 deceased migrants
- Suspected driver in human smuggling operation faces life in prison
- Suspected driver of truck in San Antonio fatal human smuggling case may face death penalty, fourth suspect is charged
- Texas expands truck inspections as death toll rises in migrant smuggling case
- Texas truck driver pleads guilty to transporting 145 people in hot trailer
- Three arrested for suspected involvement in grisly human smuggling attempt
- Three arrested in connection to deadly Texas human smuggling attempt
2. Regarding accidents, railroad crossings, fatalities, fire, and near miss:
Accidents
Please review these articles and seek to avoid being involved in similar situations.
- I-84 closed for 9 hours after rig hauling crane blows tire
- Second semi overturns on WA bridge in three days
- VIDEO: Driver runs over bike on Jamaica highwayI’ve watched this video several times and read the description of what happened.
First, this took place in Jamaica where the laws are different than in the USA.
Second, this driver may have understood that the “set-up” of throwing a bicycle in the path of a commercial motor vehicle was an attempt to get the trucker to stop and rob, which may have been why he didn’t stop.
Third, it is not known what happened to the bicycle and/or what damage it did to the truck later on.
Please be on your guard for stunts like this.
Railroad crossings
Please review our article about Railroad Crossing Accident Prevention for Semi Tractor Trailers.
Fatalities
It seems as though a lot of people are dying in accidents involving large trucks recently.
Our condolences go to the families of those who died in these accidents.
- 2 dead in California after big rig veers into oncoming traffic
- 3 killed when Amtrak train hits dump truck, derails in Missouri
- Driver killed by own truck when part comes loose
- Man buried in grain silo collapse while unloading semi truck
- Motorist facing vehicular homicide after crashing into disabled semi truck
- Several dead after passenger train derails in crash with dump truck
Fire
Please be careful where you operate your truck and how.
- Semi-truck catches fire at Maine business
- Tractor-trailer hauling fireworks catches fire in New Jersey
- Trailer fire closes lanes of I-24 in Kentucky
- Watch as a truck hauling thousands of pounds of fireworks catches fire on a New Jersey highway
Near miss
Bravo to the train engineer for preventing a collision!
- Freight train stops inches from big rig stuck on tracks
- Train stops mere inches ahead of stuck semi truck
3. Regarding fuel, emissions, autonomous vehicles, and electric vehicles:
Fuel
The price of diesel and gasoline is at record highs in the USA.
There are probably many reasons for this.
Do not be fooled into thinking that if the trucking industry simply changes to all-electric power that things will be fine.
The following articles are some of the most recent on this topic.
- 3 Steps to Implement a Polyfuel Strategy for Your Fleet
- A good fuel economy test gets real results
- American Power Group pitches dual fuel engine
- Average Gas Price Drops 4 Cents to $5.05 a Gallon
- Benchmark EIA diesel prices delayed again as futures prices plummet
- Cummins, Hyliion to Optimize Natural-Gas Engine for Hypertruck ERX
- Daily Infographic: U.S. Gas Prices Continue Historic Surge
- Daimler Truck Tests Fuel-Cell Truck with Liquid Hydrogen
- Did corporate greed fuel inflation? It’s not biggest culprit
- East Coast regions report lower diesel prices
- EIA Delays Fuel Price Release for Second Week
- EIA Diesel Prices in Limbo Going Into Third Week
- Federal government to delay clean fuel standards
- Fuel tax holidays and IFTA Land Line Fuel prices
- How the Jones Act affects gas prices
- How to Coach and Motivate Drivers for Fuel Savings
- Meet Cummins’ New Natural Gas Truck Engine [Video]
- No weekly diesel price yet as EIA still deals with tech issues
- Record Drivers for July 4th Weekend to Boost Gasoline Demand
- Refueling Milestone to Bring Fuel-Cell Hydrogen Trucks Closer to Reality
- Renewable diesel beats conventional on cost, performance
- Renewable hydrogen viewed as true fuel alternative
- RNG is decarbonizing trucking today
- Road Fuel Demand to Peak by 2027
- Save fuel and optimize fleet productivity
- The Future of Fuel & Driver Satisfaction: View from the Truck Stop [Podcast]
- US Gasoline Market Dips in Peak Season as High Prices Slow Demand
- US Will Face High Gas Prices ‘as Long as It Takes,’ Biden Says
- Weekly average US diesel stats temporarily unavailable as EIA works through technical issues
- Weekly Fuel Report: June 28, 2022
- Weekly NTI Update: June 27, 2022
- White Paper: Facing Down Fuel Costs
- Why diesel is more expensive in California than the rest of US
Emissions
- Convoy targets prevention of 3.8M pounds of trucking emissions
- Standardization could be key for advancing emissions data tracking
Autonomous vehicles
I most definitely oppose the operation of self-driving, driverless, or autonomous commercial motor vehicles on the same roads as the motoring public, but I share this information to help you stay current on the topic.
Also, I expressed my opinion on Facebook about a video contrasting a human truck driver with an “machine-driven” truck — and the comments that I have received have been varied, just about all of them agreeing with me or giving more depth to my understanding than I had before.
Although I have no documentation to this effect, it has been said that insurance companies are unwilling to insure autonomous trucks, meaning that the companies using them are doing so from a “self-insured” perspective.
I shudder to think that it is going to take a fatality to stop some of these companies from trying to chop out humans from driving trucks.
Electric vehicles
- Age of Electric Box Trucks Within Reach: NACFE
- Box trucks ideal for electrification: NACFE
- Cummins, Hyliion collaborating on battery electric, natural gas
- Keeping EVs green with battery recycling
- The Future Charging Standard for Heavy-Duty EVs
- Truck Electrification and Driver Satisfaction: View from the Truck Stop [Video]
4. Regarding maintenance, wheel offs, recall, and regulations:
Maintenance
- Proper wheel-end maintenance spins savings
- The Ultimate Guide to Upgrading Your Fleet Maintenance Strategy
Wheel offs
Recall
Regulations
- FMCSA Makes Exemption Permanent for Windshield-Mounted Cameras
- NHTSA defends new standard for truck trailer underride guards
- NHTSA moves forward with underride protections
5. Regarding economy, pay, road-use fee, taxes, tolls, rates, and UCR fee:
Economy
The U.S. economy is on shaky ground, particularly from a debt point of view.
If at all possible, please get out of debt as quickly as possible.
- Bridgestone Increases Prices For Bandag Products
- Durable Goods Orders Exceed Forecast
- Economy Slipped 1.6% to Start Year
- Fashion and apparel lead way in North America e-commerce sales
- Goods-Trade Deficit Narrows to Smallest This Year
- In the last week of Q2, freight demand rises only slightly
- July 1 deemed ‘Bloody Friday’ in shipping due to stock drops
- Key Inflation Gauge Remains a High 6.3%
- Manufacturing Growth Weakens to Two-Year Low
- Recession risks growing: ACT Research
- Shippers see improving conditions
- Soaring inflation and crashing rates are sparking trucking’s ‘Great Purge’
- Used Class 8 retail sales volumes, average age Higher in May
- Used truck prices from 2020-22 up comparable to the Dow
- White Paper: State of the Industry — July 2022
Pay
Road-use fee
Taxes
I stated on June 11, 2022,
The suggestion regarding freezing or eliminating taxes on fuel as a temporary measure to lower the overall price of fuel does two disadvantageous things, in my opinion:
– it removes the ability for a state to pay for road construction and repairs that would be paid for from the tax; and
– (more importantly) it does not address the root cause of the increase in fuel prices to begin with.
- 3 Reasons a ‘Gas Tax Holiday’ Is a Bad Idea [Commentary]
- Diesel sales tax holiday coming to California
- New Fuel Taxes Kick in July 1 in Number of States
- Sales tax holiday for diesel approved in California
Tolls
- PennDOT toll plan blocked
- Pennsylvania court blocks governor’s bridge tolling plan
- White Paper: Trouble With The Tolls
Rates
Quote:
Truckload spot rates have plummeted 20% since early January, but that is not the full story. Spot rates include fuel costs, which have increased 60% to 90% over the same period of time. This means carrier margins have eroded much faster than the nominal rate implies, thanks to inflation in operating costs.
UCR fee
UCR stands for Unified Carrier Registration.
6. Regarding drivers, shortage, employment, and lottery:
Drivers
My condensation of the article: Drink water, watch your electrolytes, and try yoga.
You may wish to look at our pages about:
- A Hot Truck: On Summer Heat, Truck Heat and Bake Oven Conditions
- Idling Alternatives for Truck Climate Control, Electrification
Shortage
- Companies must see drivers as human beings, not commodities
- World was short more than 2.6 million truck drivers in 2021, IRU says
Employment
- 6 ways to lower driver turnover
- Communication methods key to successful driver recruitment
- Is now a good time to get a job in freight?
- The trucker purge
Lottery
Unless a person has financial discipline, winning the lottery may land that person deeper in financial trouble than he/she was before winning.
7. Regarding first mile, last mile, operations, and safety:
First mile
I’ve heard of “last mile” and “final mile,” but this is the first time I’ve read about “first mile.”
Quote from article (where “drayage” is defined):
In today’s world of intermodal freight transport, drayage is generally considered to be the transport of containerized cargo by specialized trucking companies between ocean ports or rail ramps and warehouses or shipping docks. As generally practiced today, drayage specifically refers to short distance movements as part of the supply chain process.
Last mile
Operations
- Illinois Tollway urges holiday drivers to slow down in work zones
- New York DOT increasing use of flashing yellow arrows
- Study ranks top 10 states for irresponsible drivers, Mississippi sits at the top of the list
Safety
8. Regarding lawsuit, leasing, and supply chain:
Lawsuit
- $5 million lawsuit filed in the death of protester struck by truck at slaughterhouseI have a hard time believing that this situation has not yet been settled.
- Spouse of protester killed by a truck sues driver, companies
Leasing
Supply chain
- Complexities in Trucking Supply Chain Cause Shippers’ Logistics to Evolve
- Digital twins are helping supply chains gain control
- Drilling Deep: More on what drives a healthy supply chain
- FedEx, FourKites Partner on ‘Smart’ Supply Chain Platform
- General Mills expects supply chain disruptions to persist
- Logility to acquire supply chain network design provider Starboard
- Viewpoint: How scanning technology can unlock supply chain visibility
- Viewpoint: The jaws of trade squeezing the supply chain
- Where the Supply Chain Recovery Stands
9. Regarding inspections, parking, and politics:
Inspections
If you and your rig are always ready for an inspection, you’ll never be caught off-guard.
- Briefly: NH State Police special patrol places 8 CMVs out of service
- Fleet Focus: Preparation is key to passing DOT roadside inspections
- Georgia cops performed 2,298 CMV inspections in 72 hours, issued hundreds of out of service orders
- Texas to deploy new semi truck inspection checkpoints, ‘strike teams’, following San Antonio tragedy
Parking
I anticipate the day will come when a trucker parked in a vacant lot — just minding his/her business — is going to be ticketed for damage that he/she did not do.
The fine could be substantial.
Be careful where you park.
I suggest asking your driver manager for an approved, guaranteed spot.
Politics
- Daily Infographic: How much did Biden administration give to states to reduce truck crashes?
- Lawmakers want to favor carriers that prioritize US exports
10. Regarding technology, containers, and ports:
Technology
- CAT Scale Roll Out of Digitally Signed Scale Tickets
- Daily Infographic: Amazon Prime air drone deliveries finally getting off the ground in California
- Ticket cameras bill advances in New Jersey State
- T-Mobile shuts down its 3G networks
- Truck driver gets stuck in Smuggler’s Notch, tells police he followed GPS
- Zipline adds to US drone delivery footprint with North Carolina expansion
Containers
- Container ships still renting for $160,000 a day despite import fears
- J.B. Hunt to expedite delivery of new containers, customer freight
Ports
Going to work at ports is not all peaches and cream.
Know the ins and outs before you dedicate yourself to this kind of work.
- California ports piling up again: Too many containers sitting too long
- Port Automation Hurts Economy, Says Study
- Port Houston marks all-time container volume record
11. Regarding drugs, holiday, and theft:
Drugs
Do not use or haul illegal drugs.
- New York truck driver and SUV driver charged with conspiracy in international cocaine trafficking scheme
- Public comment on drug testing data on U.S. DOT website
- Still no charges filed against “very high” driver who pretended to be one of the surviving migrants
- Top FMCSA Drug & Alcohol Violations Bear Hefty Penalties
Although this is more for trucking companies than drivers, an article linked from the last one in the list just above states: “Here are some of the top FMCSA violations – as well as real-world examples of fines levied to companies like yours.”
Holiday
Be on your guard over the Independence Day holiday weekend.
- Pennsylvania Turnpike expects increased holiday travel despite high gas prices
- Summer holiday surge provides perfect use case for shorter RFPs
Theft
Consider the ways that your tractor, trailer, or the freight within can be stolen — and take active steps to protect everything!
12. Regarding awards:
We recognize and thank those who helped their fellow human beings in a time of need:
- Texas trucker recognized for helping fellow driver with medical issue
- Trucker recognized for stopping to help fellow driver during medical emergency
Congratulations to all truckers vying to win a driving skills championship contest — and those who have won or will win!
- 11 drivers, technicians qualify for national titles following Arkansas Trucking Championship
- Big rig operator awarded new Chevy Silverado for safe driving
- CPC Logistics recognizes drivers at NASCAR event
- Day & Ross driver wins championship in Pennsylvania driving competition
- Ohio Champ Woodrome Ramps Up Preparations for Nationals
- Tyson Foods driver wins Arkansas driving grand championship
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: 2022.07.02 to our TDMST Weekly Round-Up Trucking Commentary or our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips home page.