News, Interviews, and Happenings From The Trucking World
Sorted By:
State CDL agencies get reprieve from drug & alcohol clearinghouse deadline 12/16/2019
Friday Short Haul - JB Hunt's Wreaths Across America, Plus.ai butter run, states look for zero emissions 12/13/2019
Carriers muster to pick up Celadon drivers, employees 12/11/2019
Will Amazon's pay-per-day plan influence the industry? 11/27/2019
Freight volume and rates downturn turns into a 'bloodbath' 11/25/2019
Friday Short Haul - Independent contractors getting booted out of CA, winter weather resources, ransomware attack 11/22/2019
Knowing when to say goodbye to an unprofitable shipper 11/20/2019
Schneider donates trucks; Congress considers women-driver-friendly bill 11/18/2019
Friday Short Haul - CTA files lawsuit against California, Highway Hero nominations sought, video of "Move Over" crash 11/15/2019
Tesla announces new electric Semi model 11/13/2019
Not everyone happy with potential FMCSA clearinghouse delay 11/11/2019
Friday Short Haul - AI taking driving jobs, CRV scam, Truckers protest AB-5, ELDs quit working 11/8/2019
Investigators cracking down on truck accident fraudulent lawsuits 11/6/2019
So you want to start your own trucking company? 11/4/2019
Friday Short Haul - FMCSA emergency exemptions, snow plows, FedEx employee bribery charges 11/1/2019
Human smuggling via big rigs on the increase 10/30/2019
Carriers, drivers look at ways to deal with California's AB-5 10/28/2019
Friday Short Haul - Millennials and trucking, Truckers Christmas Group, Navistar settlement 10/25/2019
Too many drivers still don't know to "Move Over" 10/23/2019
Are trucker strikes a thing of the past? 10/21/2019
Friday Short Haul - Passenger car drivers, spotted lanternfly, women drivers 10/18/2019
OOIDA makes final push for better HOS rules 10/16/2019
Car-truck crash fatalities continue to increase 10/14/2019
Friday Short Haul - Amazon's fleet of day cabs, legislator's disclosure, WTA petition 10/11/2019
ATA chief takes on truck-accident lawyers 10/9/2019
Lonely on the road? Get a furry friend 10/7/2019
Friday Short Haul - Lab-grown meat, fraudulent freight brokering, FMCSA HOS committee, FMCSA Clearinghouse 10/4/2019
UPS takes giant leap in its drone delivery program 10/2/2019
Female drivers are safer bet for trucking companies 9/30/2019
Friday Short Haul - Embark gets financing, FMCSA announces safety grants, Covenant exits Mexico routes, and trucking statistics 9/27/2019
Emissions standards battle heats up between the EPA and California 9/25/2019
Smog checks in the future for California truck drivers 9/23/2019
Friday Short Haul - Volvo Dynamic Steering, Meals for 18 Wheels, speeding crackdown, OOIDA opposes legislation 9/20/2019
Telematics could be insurance-premium-saving boon for fleets 9/18/2019
54 percent of survey respondents still not impressed with telematics technology 9/16/2019
Friday Short Haul - Walmart video, it's churn, not shortage, California's independent contractor bill, hemp drivers plea 9/13/2019
TCA honors three Highway Angels 9/11/2019
Now they're talking about "smart" trailers 9/9/2019
Friday Short Haul - Detention-time comments, truck orders decline, diesel fuel shortage 9/6/2019
Berkeley study says reducing independent truckers can alleviate climate change 9/4/2019
Clearing up concerns about the drug and alcohol clearinghouse 9/2/2019
Friday Short Haul - Hurricane Dorian, Speed limiter bill, Thank a Driver campaign 8/30/2019
Georgia jury awards $280 million for truck-driver-caused multi-fatality 8/28/2019
Friday Short Haul - New eCascadias, Top cities for truck driver jobs, Push against driverless trucks 8/23/2019
Decision on California drivers' employee/contractor status coming down to the wire 8/21/2019
UPS jumps on autonomous bandwagon with TuSimple investment 8/19/2019
FMCSA publishes proposed HOS rule changes 8/16/2019
Fleets, drivers coming to like automated manual transmissions 8/14/2019
CVSA asks for new truck crash study 8/12/2019
Friday Short Haul - HOS revisions delayed, AEB mandate proposed, Koch sued for sex discrimination 8/9/2019
Kodiak Robotics takes lead in autonomous truck industry race 8/7/2019
New York City combats rash of cyclist/truck clashes 8/5/2019
Friday Short Haul - CRST wins lawsuit, OOIDA opposes insurance hike, UPSNav 8/2/2019
Mechanics shortage equals driver shortage in intensity 7/31/2019
DOT announces almost 1$ billion in grants to fix infrastructure 7/29/2019
Friday Short Haul - DOL on sleeper pay, UPS drone delivery, Geowiz ELDs 7/26/2019
FMCSA takes a look at assault, harassment of female and minority drivers 7/24/2019
It's hot out there, what's a trucker to do? Can't idle. 7/22/2019
Friday Short Haul - Utah truck rollovers, aging truckers, lifetime CDL bans 7/19/2019
Truck-mounted LED billboards coming under fire 7/17/2019
Trucker 'drones on' with unique approach to teaching driving skills 7/15/2019
Friday Short Haul - Rhode Island tolls, human smuggling, contractor vs employee status 7/12/2019
ELD mandate deadline looming, many still not compliant 7/10/2019
New "boot" device being deployed to threaten Walmart overnighters 7/8/2019
Friday Short Haul - Prime Inc vs Amazon, mother fights HOS changes, truck drivers appreciation week 7/5/2019
Proper way to fly the American flag on your truck this Fourth of July 7/3/2019
Roundabouts are becoming popular; but are they best for trucks? 7/1/2019
Friday Short Haul - Skills test proposal, driver shortage, hemp sentencing, driverless trucks 6/28/2019
Experts warn of active wildland fire season 6/26/2019
More states signing on to enlist truckers against human trafficking 6/24/2019
Friday Short Haul - Shippers of Choice, insurance rates, wheel spikes, WIT award 6/21/2019
Freight numbers not holding up to 2018's highs 6/19/2019
Truck safety group urges purges of drug abuse drivers 6/17/2019
Friday Short Haul - Self-driving certificate, truck platooning, trade war stacking up cargo 6/14/2019
HOS waiver coming soon for fireworks haulers 6/12/2019
FMCSA takes a further look at detention time 6/10/2019
Friday Short Haul - Autonomous delivery, HOS rules changes, CDL retest 6/7/2019
Roadcheck 2019 in effect this week 6/5/2019
Hemp arrest prompts USDA memo 6/3/2019
Friday Short Haul - Waymo big rigs, Move over sting, Under-21 comments 5/31/2019
Severe weather prompts renewed emergency declaration 5/29/2019
Memorial Day holiday is prime time for cargo thefts 5/25/2019
Friday Short Haul - Hauling hemp, road rage fatality, new rules for autonomous vehicles 5/24/2019
Autonomous trucks on USPS test run 5/22/2019
Future era of cab-less trucks will be the end of HOS rules 5/20/2019
Friday Short Haul - FMCSA under-21 comments, Tesla autonomous car crash, 24,000 drivers sign contract with YRC 5/17/2019
Under-21 interstate drivers getting serious look by FMCSA 5/15/2019
Trucker Buddy program matches drivers with a classroom; everyone wins 5/13/2019
Friday Short Haul - Driver awarded $80 million, ODFL driver wins, loading dock black hole 5/10/2019
Storm breaks out from Rockies, slams into Midwest, South 5/8/2019
Capacity issues have shippers looking at private fleets 5/6/2019
Friday Short Haul - HOS rules, dark skies, Falcon drivers 5/3/2019
'Bug' permits now required for four eastern states 5/1/2019
Simulator use is catching on for schools, carriers 4/29/2019
Friday Short Haul - Thinking electric, Penske opens charging station, border crossing crisis, railroads taking trucking business 4/26/2019
ELDs might not be the panacea that was hoped for 4/24/2019
Truck drivers may soon see "phantoms" driving yard trucks 4/22/2019
Friday Short Haul - Nikola big rigs, WIT welcomes Peterbilt, Oregon crashes, Border crossings 4/19/2019
Carriers claim financial benefit of putting up drivers in hotels 4/17/2019
Uber's IPO application reveals interesting data about its freight brokerage business 4/15/2019
Friday Short Haul - CDL examiner arrested, tolls proposed for trucks, marijuana use on the rise 4/12/2019
Smart Load Board will get carriers the loads they need 4/10/2019
Huge lines and long wait times greet carriers at Mexico border 4/8/2019
Friday Short Haul - Marijuana, ATA campaign, personal conveyance rules 4/5/2019
Over-the-air downloads revolutionize parameter updates 4/3/2019
Don't get scammed by skimmers 4/1/2019
Friday Short Haul -- New Cascadias honored, motorist survey, U.S, Xpress awarded, rest stop parking 3/29/2019
Legislators address underride collisions, propose more underguards for trucks, trailers 3/27/2019
Motorists soon may encounter a different kind of truck convoy 3/25/2019
Friday Short Haul -- Women in Trucking, irate motorist, FMCSA eases HOS, Safe-Cap 3/22/2019
Recent survey shows cost of roadside repairs is rising 3/20/2019
FMCSA announces drug and alcohol clearinghouse website 3/18/2019
Friday Short Haul - Swift settlement, driver shortage myth, TCA Best Fleet award 3/15/2019
The hidden danger of looking but not seeing 3/13/2019
Accident scammers target trucks for financial payout 3/11/2019
Friday Short Haul - Snow on the roof, bypassing toll road, Waze under fire 3/8/2019
Retailers blame driver shortage for price increases 3/6/2019
Drivers' smartphones may be clue to road roughness 3/4/2019
Friday Short Haul -- Freight rates, HOS changes, tonnage reports 3/1/2019
New tax changes hit drivers hard 2/27/2019
FMCSA to implement under-21 interstate driver program for former military 2/25/2019
Friday Short Haul -- Connecticut tolls proposed, hydrogen fuel-cell trucks, cell phone use 2/22/2019
Congress committee looks at state of America's highways 2/20/2019
Number of cargo thefts is down; but dollar value about the same 2/18/2019
Friday Short Haul -- Crossing the border, CA sues FMCSA, Lobbying against larger trucks 2/15/2019
Detention - A problem still in search of a solution 2/13/2019
February Highway Angels honorees named 2/11/2019
Friday Short Haul -- C.R. England announces pay raises, eCommerce impact on trucking, TCA announces best fleets 2/8/2019
Is a guaranteed minimum pay the solution to the driver shortage? 2/6/2019
Long CDL testing wait times cost economy billions of dollars; not helping driver shortage 2/4/2019
Friday Short Haul -- Walmart hiring, Uber Freight App, Speed-limiter Law, America's Road Team 2/1/2019
Cranking -- The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly 1/30/2019
California survives challenge to its low-carbon fuel standards 1/28/2019
Friday Short Haul - Highway robbery ... autonomous trucks ... new trailers 1/25/2019
LithiumHub enters jump-starter market with Jumpbooster JP30 1/23/2019
2019 Looks Good For The Transportation Industry 1/21/2019
Raymond Burt named TMC Trainer of the Month for February 2018 3/28/2018
TMC Transportation Announces Recipient of Prestigious Wheel Master Award 3/7/2018
TMC Transportation Named The Home Depot’s Flatbed Carrier of the Year For Fourth Straight Year 2/28/2018
Pay Raises & New Peterbilts for PAM Drivers 2/26/2018
New DOT Drug Testing Rules Effective Jan 1, 2018 1/11/2018
Amtrak Derailment: Trucks Haul 270,000 Pound Locomotive Engine During Cleanup 12/21/2017
Pepsi Places Largest Order Yet For Tesla Electric Trucks 12/12/2017
Kavin Hallett named Trainer of the Month for October 2017 12/8/2017
Over 100,000 Truck Drivers Likely Have Undiagnosed Sleep Apnea And More Testing Is On The Way 8/10/2017
Drivers Share Their Best Tips, Tricks, And Secrets For Life On The Road 7/18/2017
Drivers Are Losing Money By Taking The Wrong Approach 7/13/2017
Truckers and Guns: What Is and Is Not Legal 7/6/2017
Preparing To Go Solo For The First Time? Experienced Drivers Share Their Best Advice 6/29/2017
The Truck Stop Survival Guide: Advice From Experienced Drivers 6/15/2017
The Worst Cities For Traffic In The U.S. For 2017 6/8/2017
We Ask Drivers How They Would Make The Logbook Rules Better 5/30/2017
Self Driving Trucks Are Not Coming Anytime Soon 5/25/2017
11/30/-0001
-
Trucking News
-
Friday Short Haul - CDL examiner arrested, tolls proposed for trucks, marijuana use on the rise
Friday Short Haul - CDL examiner arrested, tolls proposed for trucks, marijuana use on the rise
Last Updated: Mon, April 15, 2019
Proposed PennStart Test Track
CDL test examiner arrested, 142 drivers retested
The Pennsylvannia State Police Department arrested third-party CDL examiner Michael Anthony Jordan, 51, of Larksville, for charges including issuing licenses without proper testing, and called back 142 commercial vehicle operators for CDL retesting.
Of those 142 who were issued licenses fraudulently because of Jordan's actions, 67 failed the retest to assess their abilities and to recertify them as qualified CDL operators.
Jordan, who was an examiner at Luzerne County Community College, faces numerous charges including 25 counts each of violations concerning licenses, risking a catastrophe and tampering with public records. He is also charged with one count of theft.
Troopers suspected Jordan back in 2017 and opened an investigation into his actions in October 2017.
The CDL applicants whom troopers interviewed were tested by Jordan at the college in 2016 and 2017. The investigation showed that Jordan falsified PennDOT reports and failed to properly test applicants and conduct proper safety tests.
He is also accused of receiving cash payments from applicants, resulting in the charge of theft of revenue from the college. Personnel at the college apparently had no knowledge of Jordan's activity.
Truckers should pay tolls to rebuild Interstate system
The Interstate infrastructure is crumbling. Rebuilding costs money. Increased fuel taxes won't cut it. Construction bonds can be issued. Somebody has to pay back those bonds.
Trucking companies are the golden goose that lays the bond egg every time they go through proposed new toll pay stations.
In a nutshell that is the recommendation of a recent 650-page report by the Transportation Research Board.
The report determined that to rebuild and rewiden the interstates would require $57 billion a year for the next 20 years. Increasing fuel tax to pay for that would require a 360 percent increase in present taxes; which many consider to be improbable.
Besides the fear that all that new revenue would get sucked up into 100 different federal programs involved in highways, and that also would include sidewalks, bikeways and mass traffic, the report stated that fuel tax revenue will be declining over the next 20 years as manufacturers develop more fuel-efficient vehicles and begin to rollout electric vehicles.
Also, even given a $57 billion a year infusion of new revenue it would only be enough to rebuild and widen existing interstates. It won't be able to address the 100 bottlenecks that cost the transportation industry some $74 billion a year in expenses and lost revenue, or adding truck-only lanes along widely traveled commercial corridors.
So, the report recommended to the board that the nation needs an immediate long-term financing scheme to raise the revenue and get to work on the deteriorating infrastructure – the solution is a bondable revenue stream, a per-mile charge on vehicles; which means tolls of some kind.
The report recognizes the trucking industry's long-standing antipathy toward tolls, and recommends the following toll policies to be enforced by federal and state law. (Source: Reason Foundation via Trucks.com)
- Tolls would be collected electronically and charged per mile traveled. This would be a transition from per-gallon to per-mile and would capture the road use by electric vehicles.
- Tolls would be charged instead of fuel taxes on each rebuilt corridor. This would prevent double taxation.
- Toll revenues could be used only for the capital and operating costs of a state’s interstates. This would prevent tolled corridors from becoming cash cows.
- Tolls could be charged only after a corridor is rebuilt and widened. That means users would pay only for better value.
- Tolls would be required to apply to all vehicles using the rebuilt corridor. This would eliminate discrimination against trucks.
- For each category of vehicle, the same toll rate would apply to in-state and out-of-state customers. This would eliminate discrimination against out-of-staters.
The Reason study recommends that Congress enact testing of this funding system, and enact laws to prohibit states from trying to charge tolls that only target trucks or that give large discounts to in-state drivers. States must agree to the six conditions stated above.
The report also suggests that as plans are drawn up for this new revenue stream funds be allocated for:
Adding to and improving rest areas and truck plazas for trucks using the Interstate system. Electrical hookups should be provided to run sleeper heat and air conditioning.
Encouraging service plazas to bid for contracts to operate charging stations for electric vehicles.
Dedicated truck lanes for corridors with the greatest amount of commercial traffic, including allowing for longer combination vehicles in more states, and for safely facilitating truck platooning.
Increase in positive results for marijuana testing in the workplace
It probably comes as a big surprise to nobody but the results of a year-long 2018 study show that positive results for drug testing have increased dramatically over the past few years.
The study, conducted by Quest Diagnostics of almost 9 million workforce drug tests, found that in the United States workforce combined there was a nearly 5 percent increase in positive results in urine drug tests; which is 25 percent higher than the 30-year low of 3.5 percent seen between 2010 and 2012.
"Our in-depth analysis shows that marijuana is not only present in our workforce, but use continues to increase," said Barry Sample, PhD, senior director, science and technology, in a press release from Quest Diagnostics.
"As marijuana policy changes, and employers consider strategies to protect their employees, customers and general public, employers should weigh the risks that drug use, including marijuana, poses to their business."
What should be a concern in the trucking industry is that marijuana testing positivity increased in a category of federally mandated, safety-sensitive workforce – which includes the trucking industry – by 5 percent in one year compared to 2017, and nearly 24 percent since 2014.
The study found that positivity rates for both heroin and cocaine declined in general and also in the federally mandated safety-sensitive U.S. workforce.
The post-accident positivity rate has risen annually since 2011 in the general U.S. workforce and since 2010 in the federally mandated, safety-sensitive workforce.
"Increases in post-accident positivity among safety-sensitive workers should serve as a warning to employers that employee drug use may increase the risk of workforce accidents or injuries," said Kimberly Samano, PhD, scientific director, Quest Diagnostics.
"Our analysis suggests that employers committed to creating a safe, drug-free work environment should incorporate strategies that monitor drug use above and beyond pre-employment drug screening."
Finally, the study found that there has been an increase in the number of times those being tested, both in the general workforce and in the federally mandated segment, have tried to thwart the testing process by adulteration or substitution.
The percentage of inconsistency with normal human urine giving invalid results jumped by 80 percent in 2018 compared to 2017 in the federally mandated segment, and 40 percent in the same time period in the general workforce segment.
Sources: AP,
Trucks.com,
Reason Foundation,
PRNewswire
Tagged Under:
Background Checks
CDL Exam
DOT Physical
Drug and Alcohol Testing
Medical Certification
Truck Stops
Trucking Industry Concerns
Trucking News