TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2022.07.23 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers, written by Vicki Simons for the week ending July 23, 2022.
We welcome your comments, thoughts and feedback on the items of your choice below.
1. Regarding AB5, authority, labor, limiter:
AB5
It appears as though the fight over AB5 is not over!
Please be careful about getting involved in a “rally” that could turn violent or during which you may be charged legally with a crime.
I suggest making calls, writing texts, and sending hard copy mail to every state level elected official who can undo the damage that AB5 has wrought in the state, namely those in:
- the California State Assembly,
- the California State Senate, and
- the Governor.
Let them know that you’re unhappy and why.
And don’t give up after just one or two contacts with these people.
Your liberty is worth more than just a few minutes of your time!
- AB 5 Trucker Protest Leads Oakland Port to Close Terminals
- AB5 protests cause disruptions at Port of Oakland
- AB5 Protests Hit Port of Oakland
- California Congressmembers call on Gov. Newsom to repeal AB 5 for trucking
- California lawmakers in D.C. call on state to repeal AB 5
- Hundreds of truckers block Oakland terminal access to protest AB5
- Oakland cargo operation shut down as trucker protest continues
- Oakland O/Ops plan walkout in protest of bill making them employees
- Port of Oakland urges owner-ops to end AB 5 protests
- Port of Oakland urges truckers to end AB5 protest
- SONAR Sightings for July 21: Indianapolis volume surges; Oakland port protests cause spike in local outbound rejections
- Trade Groups Ask Newsom to Delay Enforcement of AB 5
- Trucker AB 5 Protest Hampers Operations at Port of Oakland
- Trucker protest shuts down operations at California port
- Truckers’ AB 5 Protest Fueled by Lack of Clarity
- Truckers at Oakland protest say ‘cargo won’t flow until AB5 goes’
- Truckers Concerned AB5 Laws Could Destroy Owner-Operator Industry
- Truckers Decry AB 5 Labor Law at Oakland Port
- Truckers Protesting AB5 Close Down Port of Oakland
- Unionized workers refuse to cross truckers’ AB5 protest line at Port of Oakland
Authority
Labor
Quote from article:
“I think companies need to invest more in their workforces, their potential workforces,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh. “This is an opportunity to create a workforce that works for them.”
In my opinion, having companies invest in their workers is a decision that the companies must make themselves and does not need to be proposed by an unelected, unaccountable bureaucrat.
Limiter
- Commenters Divided on FMCSA Plans to Mandate Speed Limiters
- Cutting MPH: FMCSA seeking to dial down speed on commercial trucks
- FMCSA’s speed limiters: Unsafe at any speed?
- Speed limiter proposal incites nearly 16,000 comments
- Speed-limiter mandate: Opposition eclipses government goodwill
Quote from the last article linked above, from North Carolina-headquartered owner-operator William McKelvie:
A device that limits speed does not train you to avoid accidents, nor any other basic driving skills. It also does not teach you one of the most important tools that a driver has at their disposal, to always leave a way out.
Excellent points!
2. Regarding fuel, fuel economy, fuel prices, fuel surcharges:
Fuel
- Daily Infographic: Fossil fuel sources accounted for 79% of US consumption of primary energy in 2021
- EIA outlook sees higher consumption, production
- Fuel savings require a basis in science
- Gas Demand Stalls at Height of Summer Driving Season
- Portland to consider banning the sale of diesel
- US exports of crude oil and diesel are climbing even higher
- Weekly Fuel Report: July 19, 2022
Fuel economy
Fuel prices
- Average diesel prices down for fourth consecutive week
- Diesel Plunges 13.6¢ to Settle at $5.432 a Gallon
- Fuel prices put pressure on trucking conditions
- Low Rates, Rising Fuel Costs Threaten Independent Drivers
- Sky-High Diesel Prices Squeeze Truckers, Farmers, Consumers
- Sky-high diesel prices squeeze truckers, farmers, consumers
- Weekly decline in DOE/EIA diesel price largest since 2014
- What goes up must come down: Trucking industry hopes maxim applies to fuel costs, not rates
A July 13, 2022, article stated:
“Rising energy prices accounted for half the total inflation, with the gasoline index rising an incredible 11.2%.”
Blaming the wrong entity for inflation of fuel prices distracts those in charge from correcting their mistakes.
Fuel surcharges
3. Regarding accidents:
Accidents
Please learn from these articles what you can do to help prevent being involved in a similar accident yourself.
- “Quick-arising dust storm” causes 21-vehicle pileup, killing six
- 2 kids among 6 dead in Montana highway pileup, 8 others hurt
- Police say that Montana pile-up was “really just panic” as victims identified
- Video walks you through the aftermath of the ‘mass casualty’ dust storm pileup in Montana
4. Regarding economy, inflation, pay, tolls, IFTA, rates, taxes:
Economy
- ACT Research: US used truck prices softening
- ATA Logs Truck Tonnage Increase in June
- ATA reports truck tonnage up 8% year-over-year
- Daily Infographic: E-commerce quickly becoming daily habit for many
- How Truck Freight Is Flowing in These ‘Crazy Times’
- June Trailer Orders Retreat to Year’s Low
- May Trucking Conditions Fell Due Mostly to Diesel Prices
- Mullen Group posts record Q2 results, sees no sign of ‘freight recession’
- Small carriers are facing pressure from multiple sources
- Trailer orders fall in June despite pent-up demand
- Truck Tonnage in June Soars 7.9% Year-Over-Year
- Truck tonnage jump reflects shift from spot market to contract
- Trucking conditions fell back negative in May
- Trucking lender ‘cautiously optimistic’ market won’t get worse in 2022
- Used truck prices up 31% in Q2: Ritchie Bros.
- Used truck retail prices falling along with auction values
Inflation
- How appliance, furniture sellers can weather inflation
- Inflation is not changing e-commerce return policies
- Inflation, interest rates, recession and supply chains still overarching themes of topsy-turvy economy
- Truckers are shutting down, citing low pay and high fuel
Quotes from the last article linked above:
Spot rates for dry van, which is what Dow Brothers Transportation specialized in, declined by 24% from the beginning of the year to the week of July 17, according to data from load board Truckstop.com. Expenses, meanwhile, have soared. The break-even cost to run a truck in 2022 is $3.27 per mile, significantly up from $2.16 per mile last year.
…
The three truck drivers all operated in different parts of North America and in different industries. But they shared one common fear: Big trucking companies are getting bigger, and it’s at the expense of the owner-operator.
Do you agree or disagree?
Please comment through the form below.
Thanks.
Pay
Quote from article (minus links):
Guess who opposes overtime pay for drivers, something that could attract more drivers to the industry?
The same people who cry about a driver shortage — big truckload carriers and their big club, the American Trucking Associations — that’s who.
The Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act, introduced in the House of Representatives in April, would right a wrong that has existed since 1938. The measure would simply delete the section of the Fair Labor Standards Act titled “Exemptions.” The section names all the workers excluded from the act, including truck drivers.
Tolls
IFTA
IFTA stands for International Fuel Tax Agreement.
Rates
Taxes
5. Regarding drugs, smuggling, theft:
Drugs
Never, ever agree to haul illegal drugs, no matter how big of an incentive you’re offered.
- $4.3 million worth of meth seized from semi hauling rubber product
- 300 pot plants found during Safe Driver Week inspection
Smuggling
Never, ever agree to treat human beings like they are cattle or cargo, no matter how much you’ve been offered.
- 11 out of 53 migrants killed in sweltering trailer had “serious criminal records in the US,” Congressman says
- Truck driver found guilty of conspiracy to transport 124 people in sealed trailer
Theft
Make it difficult for thieves to steal from you by locking up what is valuable.
6. Regarding HOS, insurance, inspections, safety:
HOS
- Emergency declaration raises questions about increased HOS flexibility
- Fuel-related hours or service exemption through mid-August
Quoting from the first article in this section, Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., posed this question to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg during a House committee hearing on Tuesday, July 19:
If America’s truck drivers have safely delivered relief loads under an emergency declaration waiver for more than two years, then why are strict hours-of-service regulations needed?
Exactly!
Insurance
The subtitle for this article is: “Rates are largely determined by factors within the control of the motor carrier”.
Inspections
- 6 ways to get ready for a roadside inspection
- North Carolina kicks off weeklong speed enforcement campaign
Safety
- Creating a Preemptive Culture of Safety, Compliance, and Preventative Maintenance
- Transforming Safety from a Cost Center to Cost Saver
7. Regarding maintenance, securement, tires:
Maintenance
Quoting from the article linked above:
…remanufactured parts that can be as reliable as new products, at a fraction of the cost.
If you need truck parts, see the Truck Parts Inventory section of our page here.
Securement
Don’t skip securing your load, no matter how much you may believe that it can’t move!
Tires
- Bridgestone, Pilot team up on tire monitoring service
- New program to add tire monitoring tech at 200 truck stops, tire data sent to fleet managers within 2 minutes
- Pilot, Bridgestone Create Fleet Tire Monitoring Network
8. Regarding recruiting, shortage, regulations:
Recruiting
Shortage
Regulations
- Arkansas State Police launching ‘Obey the Sign or Pay the Fine’ campaign
- Mover Over’ law enforcement effort in 6 states this week
- Troopers in six states join forces for high-visibility enforcement of ‘Move Over’ laws
9. Regarding roads, parking:
Roads
- Drivers warned that I-94 in Detroit to shut down for seven days
- Part of I-94 in Detroit to close for 7 days starting Friday
- Popular Louisiana I-10 detour closed indefinitely for repairs
- Troubled waters? New rule lengthens time frame between inspections for nation’s bridges
Parking
While I am totally in favor of more truck parking, this is not one of the few and defined enumerated powers granted to the legislative branch of the federal government, as listed in Article I, Section 8, of The Constitution of the United States.
Therefore, according to the Tenth Amendment, truck parking is a matter left up to the states and the people.
Just saying…
- $755 million truck parking bill advances in House
- 130 truck parking spots part of new Love’s in Pennsylvania
- Bill providing $755 million for safe truck parking advances in House
- House committee passes bill to boost truck parking availability
- House Transportation Panel to Debate Truck Parking Bill
- Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act advances to House
- Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act clears major hurdle
10. Regarding technology, supply chain:
Technology
- Federal HazMat Paperwork Could Go Digital
- FMCSA denies ELD exemption request made over internet issues
- Low-Tech Trucks in a High-Tech World
- Perspective: The Power of Cloud-Based Technology
- Police: GPS led to stolen Swift semi used by Arkansas bank robbery suspect as getaway vehicle
- Popular GPS tracker is vulnerable to hackers, risks include supply chain disruption and loss of life, group says
- Researchers: Chinese-made GPS tracker highly vulnerable
- Time is money: Smart compliance tech can help carriers take a proactive approach to issues
Supply chain
- Jim Tompkins redux: US supply chains receive F+
- Manufacturing dilemma: Supply chain constraints holding back production at truck OEMs while prices keep rising
- NYC Ports’ Saturday Hours Aren’t Helping Supply Chain Snarls
- Supply chains have a forecasting problem
- Supply Chains Inching Back to Normal, Brace for Headwinds of Softer Demand
- Viewpoint: Want to make your supply chain greener? Support emissions-reducing technologies
The last article in the section above got me to thinking about this topic.
So, I went looking for a definition for “carbon footprint” and found this:
“the amount of greenhouse gases and specifically carbon dioxide emitted by something (such as a person’s activities or a product’s manufacture and transport) during a given period”.
Just as a reminder:
- humans breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide; and
- plants breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen.
11. Regarding electric, emissions, incentive:
Electric
- California offers up to $500,000 for purchases of zero-emissions equipment
- Ford Secures Batteries to Build 600,000 EVs a Year by 2023
- Indiana’s EV deployment plan available for review, public comment
- Postal Service bumps up EV mix in delivery fleet order
- USPS to Boost Purchases of Electric Vehicles
- ZF Highlights Progress on Automated, Electric Vehicle Technology Future
Emissions
Incentive
12. Regarding recognition and award:
We honor these truckers for having helped their fellow human beings in a time of need.
- Hogan Transports driver honored for rescuing driver from burning vehicle
- Trucker honored for aiding victim of severe motorcycle crash
We congratulate these truckers for their achievements:
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: 2022.07.23 to our TDMST Weekly Round-Up Trucking Commentary or our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips home page.
