This is the TDMST Weekly Round-Up of news affecting professional truck drivers, written by Vicki Simons for the week ending September 10, 2022.
We welcome your comments, thoughts and feedback on the items of your choice below.
1. Regarding NTDAW:
We wish that professional truck drivers were appreciated year-round — not just one week out of the year!
Be that as it may, here are some of the most recent articles on this topic:
- 2022 National Truck Driver Appreciation Week
- Businesses Show Their Gratitude During Trucker Appreciation Week
- Celebrate this day that recognizes your hard work as a trucker
- Maine Professional Drivers Association, State Police to honor truckers
- National Truck Driver Appreciation Week filled with deals, recognition for drivers
- National Trucking Week kicks off with free coffee from Shell
- Protecting our most valuable asset: America’s truck drivers
- RaceTrac announces free hot dog lunch as part of Truck Driver Appreciation deals
- Sheetz Reduces Its Diesel Price for Truck Driver Appreciation
- Sheetz to offer truckers a diesel discount, free food and drink, for Truck Driver Appreciation
- Social media messages thank truckers during National Trucking Week
- Survey Finds Truck Drivers Feel Less Appreciated
- TA Petro to show drivers its appreciation starting Sept. 12
- Truck driver appreciation shown by Truck World, Sheetz
- Truck World gives free lunch to truckers for 3 days next week
- Truck World to offer three days of free lunches for truckers for Driver Appreciation
- Truckers feel nearly 30% less appreciated than during pandemic, study shows
- Werner kicks off Truck Driver Appreciation Week early
2. Regarding railroad strike, technology, and ELDs:
Railroad strike
There have been rumors that there could be a strike of the trains and railroad companies.
If so, this will put pressure on the trucking industry to help fill in the gap.
Of course, there are not enough trucks — or truck drivers — to fill in the gap, should this strike take place.
Please keep your eyes and ears open on this — and remember not to ever be so rushed that you make mistakes that could cost a lot of time, money, or your career…
- Economic impact from freight rail strike could total $2B per day
- Not enough trucks to mitigate effects of rail strike
- Railroads Say Strike Would Cost $2B a Day (link no longer online)
- Trucking group warns of ‘dire consequences’ for supply chain if massive railroad strike happens next week
Technology
There are points beyond which one should trust technology.
- CHP says truck driver followed ‘the old GPS’ onto dirt road
- Lane Keeping Assist Available on New Kenworth Class 8 Trucks
- New app aims to help drivers track weather while on road
- NFI to deploy ‘robot lumpers’ in U.S. warehouses
- NHTSA doesn’t see cybersecurity as barrier to 3rd-party repairs
- TomTom’s GO Navigation app introduces truck navigation
- Top 10 Things to Consider in a GPS Fleet Management Platform
ELDs
- FMCSA Alert: Truck drivers who use this ELD device should switch to paper logs immediately
- FMCSA revokes ELDorado ELD from register
3. Regarding issues, HOS, and personal conveyance:
Issues
If you are a professional truck driver, please feel free to provide requested feedback.
- Annual survey seeks industry input about top concerns for trucking
- ATRI collecting top concerns of trucking industry
- ATRI wants to hear your top concerns for trucking this year
- ATRI’s Annual Top Industry Issues Survey Underway
- Survey finds truckers level of appreciation down from height of pandemic
- Time to have your say as annual survey of top trucking issues opens
- Trucking survey of drivers to determine top issues News
HOS
It seems that the DOT/FMCSA are so eager to keep emergencies going.
But why?
If this issue affects you, please stay on your guard.
- COVID-related hours of service, CLP waivers extended
- FMCSA asks for comments on COVID related regs waiver use
- FMCSA Assesses Impact of COVID-19 Emergency Declaration
- FMCSA seeks feedback on carriers’ use of COVID hours waiver
- FMCSA wants feedback on emergency declaration
- FMCSA Wants Input on COVID Emergency Declaration
- FMCSA wants to hear from carriers on COVID declaration use
Personal conveyance
The caption under the top photo on this page reads:
In the age of electronic logging devices, personal conveyance is one of the few remaining ways unscrupulous carriers and drivers can hide HOS violations. But more often than not, it comes back to bite them in a big way.
Definition from the article:
Personal conveyance (also called PC) describes time spent by regulated drivers operating commercial vehicles for personal use in off-duty status.
4. Regarding economy, rates, closure, UCR fee, and tolls:
Economy
- 2022 CCJ Top 250: Carriers boost revenues in a tight market
- Class 8 bookings rebound in August as OEMs crack open orderbooks
- Class 8 orders rebounded in August
- Despite economic headwinds, truck orders persevere
- How will the European energy crisis affect freight markets?
- Transportation market loosens again in August
- Transportation, logistics M&A not slowing down
- Trucking job growth slows down in August
- Unusual Christmas shopping expected for Target, Walmart
- Viewpoint: Unpredictable markets, fluctuating demand, and a space shortage: The case for building better, not bigger
Rates
- Daily Infographic: 10 steps to lower shipping rates
- Carriers weigh in on peak season and contract rates
Closures
There may be more of these closures in the days to come, not only because of fewer workers, but because of less consumer income with which to buy things.
I think that it is very interesting that Amazon.com — of all large companies — has been affected by the economy.
- Amazon to Close Two Maryland Facilities in October
- Trucking students left untrained, broke after trucking school closes without warning
UCR fee
Tolls
Although you may not like having to pay a toll to travel on a road, do the decent and honest thing by paying any all tolls you owe.
- Amount of uncollected tolls grew by 50% on the PA Turnpike last year, study shows
- ‘Free rides’ create $155 million in lost revenue for PA Turnpike, audit shows
- Tri-State Tollway’s remaining ramps to open ahead of schedule
5. Regarding accidents, fatalities, and drugs:
Accidents
Please review these articles and endeavor not to repeat the circumstances that led up to the accidents:
- Big rig fire closes lanes of I-95 in North Carolina
- Driver rescued by boat after second truck in three months plunges off NC bridge
- Fiery explosion from blown tire destroys luxury vehicles mere hours after driver’s tire check
- Tires break loose from 18-wheeler, crash into elderly woman’s home
- Tractor-trailer overturns, spills cinder blocks on highway
- VIDEO: Driver can barely keep it together before crashing into bridge support
- VIDEO: Georgia DPS blames truck driver’s rear-end crash on distracted driving
Fatalities
Our deepest sympathies go to the families of those who died.
This may sound depressing, but one author wrote on September 1, 2022, that it has been observed that once someone has been “jabbed,” it is taking an average of 5 months for them to pass away.
I have a feeling that that is part of the reason why we are seeing so many more accidents on the road these days.
The phenomenon of people having “d!3d suDD3nly” appears to be real.
Please keep your wits about you.
- 2 drivers die when their trucks collide on I-43 in Wisconsin Thursday
- 9 dead, 16 injured after semi crashes into food vendors in Mexican town
- Fiery crash with tractor-trailer leaves one dead on I-695 in Maryland
- Homicide investigation underway after 2-month-old found dead in semi truck
- Kentucky coroner confirms truck driver found dead inside cab of parked truck
- One dead, 21 injured, in nine vehicle crash in Ohio
- Seven killed when semi truck barrels through line of burrito stands
- Sheriff confirms two truckers killed in fiery wrong-way crash in Wisconsin
Drugs
Never, ever haul illegal drugs, no matter how big of an incentive you are offered.
- FBI arrests alleged ringleader in $9.8 million Los Angeles to Canada big rig drug trafficking ring
- ‘Largest seizure in port history’ — $11.9 million worth of meth seized from big rig in Texas
6. Regarding autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, and blackout:
Autonomous vehicles
I totally oppose the operation of autonomous, self-driving, or driverless commercial motor vehicles on the same roads as the motoring public — but share these articles to help you stay current with the topic.
- Autonomous freight testing lags in California. Why?
- Kodiak Robotics CEO on advanced self-driving technology
- Lessons learned from multiple partners in autonomous powertrain integration
- Mullen to step down from TuSimple amid securities lawsuit
- Paving the way for autonomous trucking with Uber Freight
- Policy changes on horizon for autonomous and electric trucks
- Stevens Trucking Selects Locomation to Deploy its Autonomous Truck Service
- Upgraded testing may be key to advancing self-driving evolution
Electric vehicles
- Electrifying the last mile
- Mercedes, Rivian Partner on Electric Vans in Cost-Saving Bid
- Public Comment Mixed on FHWA’s Electric Charging Infrastructure Proposal
- Trucking companies see not-too-distant future for battery-electric trucks
Blackout
Quote from the first article listed in the section immediately below:
In an ironic twist, California officials are encouraging ocean-going vessels not to plug into shore power for several days to reduce demand on the electric grid during a record heat wave and instead use dirtier energy sources for power at berth because the electric infrastructure installed to cut pollution, including climate-warming greenhouse gasses, is now under threat.
If the state of California is having this much difficulty now, what are things going to look like when they outlaw fuel-powered vehicles?
- California asks shipping lines to avoid shore power during heat wave
- California Blackout Risk Spurs Diesel Demand for Generators
7. Regarding fuel: efficiency, hydrogen, natural gas, and prices:
Fuel: efficiency
Quote from this article:
While fleets may have little control over the price of a gallon of diesel, they have a great deal of control over the number of miles they get from it. In fact, if they spec and operate their vehicles correctly, they can get free fuel for some portion of the year.
Fuel: hydrogen
- Hydrogen Rises as Alternative Fuel, but Check the Feedstock
- Werner buying 500 Cummins hydrogen engines
- Werner signs for 500 Cummins hydrogen engines
- Werner to broadly deploy 15L hydrogen-fueled Cummins engines
Fuel: natural gas
Fuel: prices
- Briefly: PA chain lowers diesel price to show truckers appreciation
- Diesel Dips 3.1¢ to $5.084 a Gallon
- Diesel numbers back down
- Fuel prices see ups, downs, over past few weeks
- Fuel Prices? Parking? Truckers asked to rank their biggest concerns for 2022
- Small drop in DOE/EIA diesel price lags broader oil market declines
8. Regarding AB5, carbon, training, coaching, business, and recruiting:
AB5
- California to host AB5 webinar
- Universal defends AB5-related deal, notes higher costs but touts fact that it’s done
Carbon
Regarding a number of the initiatives that have been foisted on us in the 21st century, I found this quote to be spot on:
Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their consciences.
— C. S. Lewis
(1898-1963), British novelist
Source: “God in the Dock” (1948)Courtesy LibertyTree.ca
Watch out for all schemes that attempt to “tax” the building block of life.
Training
Coaching
Business
- Know the full extent of your costs before going independent
- Lamb Fuels’ recent growth fueled by business diversification
Recruiting
- Canada looks abroad to help ease trucker shortage
- Fleet recruiters can zero in on Gen Z
- Leveraging legal benefits to recruit and retain
- Perspective: Adopting a Driver-First Mindset
9. Regarding lawsuits: contractor, deaths, fraud, and reversal:
Lawsuits: contractor
Lawsuits: deaths
- CRM of Canada fined $125,000 in truck driver’s death
- Illinois truck repair company fined $326K for death of worker in tanker
- Lawsuit filed against trucker, company for oversize load that killed mother in crash with bridge
- Tractor-trailer driver facing manslaughter charges after fatal collision with motorcycle
Lawsuit: fraud
Lawsuit: reversal
This if the first time I’ve ever read of a situation like this, especially in the trucking industry.
- Court reverses ‘nuclear’ $7.4 million verdict against Texas trucking company in oversized load crash
- Even Better Logistics escapes nuclear verdict
- Texas court reverses $7.4M trucking accident verdict
10. Regarding maintenance, mechanic, oil, and tires:
Maintenance
Mechanic
Oil
In the USA, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is lower, in my opinion, than it should be.
Tires
11. Regarding operations, recall, and politics:
Operations
Never stop on a railroad crossing!
Recall
- 17 million CPAP masks recalled for ‘serious’ safety issue involving magnets
- Cummins recalls faulty engine control modules
- Over 4,000 Western Star trucks recalled for hood bezel problem
- Western Star trucks recalled 2nd time for falling trim pieces
Politics
- Daily Infographic: 4 ways the Inflation Reduction Act could impact supply chains
- How the Inflation Reduction Act will help fuel new generation of trucks
- What the Inflation Reduction Act means for your fleet
12. Regarding awards:
We recognize this trucker who helped his fellow human being in a time of need!
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: 2022.09.10 to our TDMST Weekly Round-Up Trucking Commentary or our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips home page.
