TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2024.09.21

TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2024.09.21 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers for the week ending September 21, 2024, written by Vicki Simons.

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

TDMST Weekly Round-Up

1. Regarding collapse, NTDAW, and Yellow:

Collapse

According to this article:

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By court order, all persons alleging claims against the owner and manager of the Dali must file their claim on or before September 24th,” [Darrell Wilson, a spokesperson for Grace Ocean Private Ltd and Synergy Marine Group,] said, adding, “The owner and manager will have no further comment on the merits of any claim at this time, but we do look forward to our day in court to set the record straight.

According to Wikipedia, the Francis Scott Key bridge collapsed on March 26, 2024.

The earliest media mention that I’ve seen about the U.S. Department of Justice suing is dated September 18, and yet the article quoted above said that all claims need to be made on or before September 24.

So, it has taken about 176 days for the Dept. of Justice to sue the owner/manager of the Dali and yet give only 6 days to file a claim!

Why such a short period of time?

Have others already generated the numbers needed — or can they get that info generated that quickly?

Will any trucking companies, trucking organizations, or truckers file claims?

Please share your thoughts through the form below.

NTDAW

NTDAW is an acronym for National Truck Driver Appreciation Week.

Yellow

According to the second article in this section:

Shares of Yellow (OTC: YELLQ) fell 90% on Friday to 50 cents per share as stockholders realized their bet that the company’s asset value would exceed amounts owed to creditors may not come to fruition.

This does not bode well for those who invested in Yellow’s stock.

This is also the worst case of devaluation of a trucking company’s stock that I have ever seen.


2. Regarding alcohol, clearinghouse, crashes, drugs, fatalities, fraud, theft, vandalism, and violence:

Alcohol

Never ever consume alcohol prior to driving a vehicle of any kind.

Clearinghouse

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 or take illegal 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?

Fraud

Never attempt to deceive, misrepresent something, intentionally pervert the truth, or pretend to be someone else for the purpose of trying to get something valuable.

Theft

Never take something that doesn’t belong to you, unless you have permission.

In our day, there are many types of surveillance cameras, so be on guard!

Vandalism

It is never right to damage or destroy the property of someone else without his/her/their permission.

This “Ice Pick Bandit” must be caught and brought to justice.

I am speculating that with him moving around between states that he may be a trucker himself, but that remains to be seen.

Surely with video evidence of his face, someone will know who he is and be able to take action quickly!

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.


3. Regarding border, brokers, business, leasing, and operations:

Border

Brokers

Business

Leasing

There are numerous mentions regarding truck leasing on this site.

One article is entitled:

Commercial Truck Leasing: Beware of Designed-to-Fail Schemes

Operations


4. Regarding carbon, electric vehicles, emissions, explosion, fuel, hybrid, and idling:

Carbon

Electric vehicles

According to the second article in this section:

On September 16, Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilbert led a 24-state coalition of Attorney’s General asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to block what they describe as California’s overreach of authority in imposing increasingly stringent emissions standards on commercial vehicles.

The Attorneys General have asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to maintain a federal legal block on California’s Advanced Clean Fleets regulation that they say would amount to an electric truck mandate and an eventual ban on diesel-powered commercial vehicles.

This is a classic battle between individual states:

  • being able to set their own standards under the Tenth Amendment; and
  • appealing to the U.S. government to quash another state’s right to set their own standard.

According to the Tenth Amendment, California can set their own standard; however, California would have to face the consequences of their actions.

Emissions

Explosion

Fuel

Hybrid

Idling


5. Regarding detention, ELDs, parking, and truckers:

Detention

ELDs

Parking

Truckers


6. Regarding economy, overtime, payment, rates, and rebates:

Economy

The fourth article in this section describes that the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by a half-point for the first time in 4 years.

Please note that the U.S. Constitution never authorized the creation of the Federal Reserve and that “The Fed” needs to be ended.

Overtime

According to the first article in this section:

The GOT Truckers Act would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to require that truckers receive overtime compensation when they work more than 40 hours in a week. The exemption was created to prevent truck drivers from being encouraged to work excessive hours. However, the opposite has happened. It is common for truck drivers to work 70 hours in a week while receiving a base pay similar to what someone would make in a 40-hour week.

If you are in favor of the “Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act” or “GOT Truckers Act” — H.R.6359 and S.3273 — please contact your U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and ask them to support the bills and ask them to vote in favor of them.

Payment

Rates

Rebates


7. Regarding legal – California, legal – Daimler, legal – emissions, legal – price gouging, legal – verdict, legal – Wabash, and legal – whistleblower:

Legal – California

Legal – Daimler

Legal – emissions

Legal – price gouging

Legal – verdict

Legal – Wabash

According to this article:

Wabash contended that, despite precedent to the contrary, the jury was prevented from hearing critical evidence in the case, including that the driver’s blood alcohol level was over the legal limit at the time of the accident. The fact that neither the driver nor his passenger was wearing a seatbelt was also kept from the jury, even though plaintiffs argued both would have survived a 55-mile-per-hour collision had the vehicle not broken through the trailer’s rear impact guard.

An owner-operator I know responded to my post of that quote on Facebook as follows:

This seems to be a huge issue. Why was evidence not allowed?!?!?!

Indeed!

Legal – whistleblower


8. Regarding bridges, infrastructure, and roads:

Bridges

Infrastructure

Roads


9. Regarding inspections, permitting, politics, ports, and recalls:

Inspections

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

Permitting

Politics

Ports

Recalls

If your tractor or trailer is currently under a recall, please have the repair(s) made as quickly as possible.


10. Regarding recruitment, regulations, reputation, safety, technology, and weather:

Recruitment

Regulations

Reputation

Safety

Technology

Weather


11. Regarding Fireside Chat:

Fireside Chat

I could be wrong, but I think this past week was the first time that I had seen any “Fireside Chat” articles on Freightwaves.com.

The subtitle of the fourth article in this section reads:

Solar may someday replace diesel as alternative to keeping food cold in transit, says CEO of Advanced Energy Machines

Is this reasonable or sustainable?


12. Regarding awards and value:

Awards

Congratulations to all professional truck drivers who accomplished achievements in safety or skill — including those who were recognized in these articles!

Value

Truckers, if you ever doubt that you are filling a vital role in our economy, please see the infographic in this article:


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








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