6 Quart Instant Pot Pro 10-in-1 Pressure Cooker, Slow Cooker, Steamer, Mini Oven, and more. Over 800 Recipes. Buy now. #ad 1200 watts. Perfect for truckers!

TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2025.02.01

TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2025.02.01 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers for the week ending February 1, 2025, written by Vicki Simons.

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

TDMST Weekly Round-Up

1. Regarding emergency, future, and weather:

Emergencies

As I’ve done in the past, I am going to question why the FMCSA:

DAT TruckersEdge - Most Loads. Best Rates. Serving Owner-Operators Since 1978. 10% off your first 12 months. New customers only.

  • is willing to “waive” Hours of Service regulations for some truckers during so-called emergencies,
  • but isn’t willing to trust truckers regarding Hours of Service “the rest of the time.”

Hmm…

Future

The article in this section says:

The Bloomberg | Truckstop semi-annual freight broker survey shows brokers are optimistic about this year as demand and spot rates improved significantly in the second half of 2024, according to a recent release.

Do you agree or disagree?

Please share through the form below.

Thanks.

Weather

2. Regarding politics – appt – Duffy, politics – appt – EPA, politics – CDL, politics – FLSA, politics – fraud, and politics – states:

The sections under this point all have something to do with politics.

Politics – appt – Duffy

Politics – appt – EPA

Politics – CDL

Politics – FLSA

Also see the section on “Pay” below.

Politics – fraud

Politics – states

3. Regarding crashes, death, distracted driving, drugs, fatalities, fraud, smuggling, theft, vandalism, 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.

Death

I express my deep sympathy — and offer my condolences — to the family of the trucker who died.

I hope that this situation can be analyzed so that a procedure can be created so that no one else ever dies like this.

Distracted driving

You may wish to read my article:
Distracted Driving: Beware of Attention Diverters That Can Be Fatal.

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.

Smuggling

Never ever transport people made in the image of God as if they were cattle or cargo — no matter how large of an incentive you’ve been offered.

Theft

Never take something that doesn’t belong to you unless you have permission from the owner.

With as much surveillance equipment in place in the 21st century, it’s only a matter of time before the thieves are apprehended.

Vandalism

One source defines vandalism as:

willful or malicious destruction or defacement of public or private property

That’s exactly what stabbing and slashing tires is: vandalism.

I hope that the perpetrators are caught and dealt with to the fullest extent of the law.

The third article in this section provides real numbers regarding:

  • the amount of time wasted; and
  • the estimated money lost due to vandalism (at least in the case described).

I urge my readers to be on the lookout for the vandals.

Will finding and apprehending the vandal(s) require more than just a truck cam?

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.

4. Regarding autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, and emissions:

Autonomous vehicles

With every fiber of my being, I oppose the operation of driverless, autonomous, or self-driving 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.

Electric vehicles

Before you buy an all-electric Commercial Motor Vehicle, please do your due diligence by asking some questions and getting answers.

According to the fourth article in this section:

Kendra Hems, president of the Trucking Association of New York (TANY) testified on Jan. 23 before the New York State Assembly Standing Committees on Transportation and Energy’s public hearing to review the status of charging stations available to the public for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) on roadways across the state.

…

“Currently, the lack of charging infrastructure in New York for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles is a significant hurdle to the adoption of battery electric trucks,” Hems said. “In fact, there is not a single, publicly available on-highway charging station built for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. For regional and over-the-road operations, the lack of charging stations makes it impossible for trucking fleets to transition to battery-electric vehicles. While there are applications for local and last-mile operations that utilize smaller cargo vans and delivery trucks, the capacity of the grid, the cost of the charging station and the time it takes to install can also create impediments to transition to electric vehicles.”

This is a classic “Which came first: the chicken or the egg?” scenario.

In this case, “Do we build the electric vehicles first or build the electric charging infrastructure first?”

Well, without the electric charging infrastructure in place first, electric commercial motor vehicles will not have a place to charge, which means that they go nowhere.

In my opinion, it seems that ever since Donald Trump was sworn back into office as President of the United States:

  • there has been less focus on the so-called “green agenda” (which I believe is all about control); and
  • there has been renewed concern about utilizing abundantly plentiful oil (which I believe can be generated in numerous ways).

Here are the articles:

Emissions

5. Regarding energy, fuel, hydrogen, oil, and solar:

Energy

Fuel

Hydrogen

Oil

This section covers two different kinds of oil.

Solar

This is the first mention of solar power that I’ve seen connected with commercial motor vehicles in some time.

6. Regarding best fleets, border, brokers, business, containers, insurance, leasing, and recalls:

Best fleets

Sharing the articles in this section is not an endorsement of any of the companies mentioned in them.

Border

Brokers

Business

Containers

Insurance

Leasing

Recalls

If your tractor or trailer is under a recall, please have the work attended to as soon as possible.

7. Regarding economy, efficiency, employment, inflation, pay, rates, and tariffs:

Economy

Efficiency

Employment

Inflation

Pay

According to the first article in this section:

Driver pay remained a top concern in recruiting and retention, with 59% of drivers reporting they earned less in 2024 than in 2023. Transparent and predictable pay structures were the most common reasons drivers sought new opportunities, while inconsistent miles and non-competitive pay rates continued to be leading causes of voluntary turnover.

I would like to hear from you.

How was your pay in 2024 compared to 2023?

Please comment through the form below.

Rates

Tariffs

8. Regarding bridges, infrastructure, lottery, roads, and tolls:

Bridges

Infrastructure

Lottery

Let’s hope that this trucker has financial discipline.

Roads

Tolls

Never use devices designed to prevent the legitimate collection of tolls from a commercial motor vehicle.

Traveling on a toll road without paying for it is equivalent to theft.

9. Regarding inspections, operations, and ports:

Inspections

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

Operations

Without knowing any of the details, I am going to hazard a guess that some procedure was not followed fully in order to keep the man from falling into the tanker.

Before you start doing hazardous work, always ensure that you read and abide by the procedures in place.

Ports

10. Regarding parking, truck stops, and trucking:

Parking

Truck stops

Trucking

11. Regarding legal, MVR monitoring, and technology:

Legal

MVR monitoring

This article states:

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations require motor carriers to review all of their drivers’ MVRs on at least an annual basis. Carriers hoping to create a culture of safety and safeguard their businesses against potential litigation should go above and beyond this regulatory requirement.

By establishing an ongoing MVR monitoring program, carriers can protect themselves from risky actions like unknowingly dispatching a driver without a valid license.

Over the years, I’ve read articles about truckers being involved in crashes, who had a “record” of risky behavior, which made me wonder how they got hired in the first place.

I dislike the “surveillance” angle of this so-called “MVR monitoring” procedure, but I do wonder how else trucking companies (especially small ones that don’t have the resources to do heavy research on their own) can protect themselves legally and financially from job-hopping risk-taking truckers.

Technology

12. Regarding awards:

Awards

Congratulations to all professional truck drivers who demonstrated skill and safety on the job!

Recognition

I recognize those who helped their fellow human beings in a time of need.

Training

According to Next Generation In Trucking creates two new industry awards, Next Generation In Trucking has created two new awards:

  • “Student of the Month Award, which celebrates outstanding students who show dedication and perseverance in their journey toward a trucking career”; and
  • “Career Catalyst Award[, which] honors companies that create exceptional pathways for young people entering the trucking industry, whether as technicians, drivers, or office professionals.”

What are your thoughts on these?

Please comment through the form below.

Thanks.

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: 2025.02.01 to our TDMST Weekly Round-Up Trucking Commentary or our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips home page.


Men's Winter Military Casual Jacket with Removable Hood Warm fleece lining, functional pockets, windproof collar, high density fabric, chest pocket, heavy duty brass zipper, ribbed cuff. Small to 4XL. Buy now. #ad