TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2024.04.27

TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2024.04.27 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers for the week ending April 27, 2024, written by Vicki Simons.

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

TDMST Weekly Round-Up

1. Regarding collapse, inspections, missing found, and Tesla:

Collapse

This collection of articles covers a wide spectrum of topics following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore, Maryland.

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Inspections

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

It is imperative that all truckers do thorough pre-trip and post-trip inspections on their trucks.

When an inspection event is announced, it is even more important to be mindful of potential violations on one’s truck.

Missing found

I have listed this group of articles because I believe that it is important for truckers to stay in touch with their home support team members.

Tesla

I have included this group of articles in my trucking commentary to highlight the fact that technology may not be as fully developed as some people think.

Before you invest in high-end technology, please do your due diligence.

2. Regarding border, brokers, business, deliveries, insurance, repairs, and shut downs:

Border

Brokers

Business

Deliveries

Please be aware of changes to regulations on the federal, state, and local levels.

For example, just because the Hours of Service regulations may be relaxed for “emergency” purposes does not mean that you should ignore the need to get good, deep, restorative sleep.

Also, be aware of times when it is appropriate and inappropriate to deliver freight in certain jurisdictions.

Insurance

Repairs

Shut downs

3. Regarding economy, employment, pay, and shortage:

Economy

Employment

Pay

From the first article in this section, we read:

In his paper titled “Follow the money: Trucker pay incentives, working time, and safety,” Dr. Michael Belzer, economics professor at Wayne State University, expanded on his more than 25 years of studying truck driver pay. His latest research sends a familiar message to carriers: You get what you pay for.

Now for the articles in this section:

Shortage

According to the article in this section:

Over the years, OOIDA has continually pointed to numbers that show about 400,000 new CDLs are issued every year.

The reality is that there is no shortage of individuals who are willing to give the truck driving profession a try, but there is a shortage of people who want to stay in an extremely difficult and stressful job for low wages. Conversely, large fleets would rather pay entry-level wages than do what it would take to reduce turnover rates and retain their drivers.

4. Regarding autonomous vehicles, carbon, electric vehicles, emissions, fuel, and fuel economy:

Autonomous vehicles

I am decisively against the operation of self-driving, driverless, or autonomous 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.

Carbon

Electric vehicles

Before you buy an all-electric Commercial Motor Vehicle, please do your due diligence.

Emissions

Fuel

According to this article:

Renewable diesel (RD) is more beneficial than battery electric vehicles (BEVs), the latest report by American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) reveals.

While both RD and BEV pathways have implementation costs, the report concludes that relying on BEV to decrease CO2 emissions is nearly six times more expensive than using RD.

Now for other articles on this topic:

Fuel economy

5. Regarding ports, rates, truck parts, truck stops, and trucks:

Ports

Rates

Truck parts

Truck stops

Trucks

6. Regarding crashes, drugs, fatalities, fire, fraud, theft, violations, 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.

Drugs

Never ever haul drugs in your commercial motor vehicle, no matter how big the reward you’ve been promised.

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

It seems to me that more fires are breaking out at trucking companies than there used to be.

So, I am left to wonder…

Are these fires being set by people, by lightning, or by something spontaneously breaking out in a fire?

If the last option, what triggered this?

Fraud

Theft

Do not take something that isn’t yours without first asking for permission.

Violations

Do everything in your power to obey all laws, rules, regulations, etc., regarding the operation of your truck and related actions.

Violence

7. Regarding defensive driving, idling, parking, and towing:

Defensive driving

Idling

I wrote a 9-page section about idling on our website some time back.

Parking

Towing

8. Regarding AEB, HOS, legal, politics, regulations, and speed limit:

AEB

HOS

Legal

Politics

Regulations

Speed limit

9. Regarding operations, routing, and securement:

Operations

Routing

Securement

10. Regarding bridges, roads, and weights:

Bridges

Roads

Weights

11. Regarding statistics, technology, and tolls:

Statistics

According to the article in this section:

The percentage of fatal large truck and bus crashes involving new-entrant carriers has climbed from 4.6% to 7.4% from 2017 to 2022, according to a snapshot of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data taken at the end of 2023.

Technology

Tolls

12. Regarding awards and recognition:

Awards

I extend my heartiest congratulations to all who accomplished an achievement as listed here:

Recognition

Thanks to everyone who helped his/her fellow human beings in a time of need.

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






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