News, Interviews, and Happenings From The Trucking World
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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
Experts warn of active wildland fire season
Last Updated: Tue, June 25, 2019
The world watched in horror last year as some of America's worst wildfires in history took a record number of lives, cost billions of dollars in damages, destroyed one whole town, closed highways and disrupted commerce.
Now government agencies responsible for predicting wildfire potential are saying the West Coast this year should be preparing for a repeat of last year's devastation.
Already, barely one week into official summer, wildfires are breaking out throughout the Western United States, notably in Alaska, California, Colorado and Arizona. The wet season is over, grasses and other combustibles are drying out in unusually hot weather, and the stage is set for another extreme fire season.
Senators with the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee got an earful recently from U.S. Forest Service and Interior Department officials.
“It’s hard to imagine a repeat of this experience [last year's fires], but this is the potential reality that we face again this year,” said Jeff Rupert, director of the Office of Wildland Fire for the Interior Department, told Senators on June 20.
“So it’s difficult for me to sit here this morning and say that a challenging year is ahead of us because the wildfires that we’re now experiencing are consistently more destructive than they’ve ever been,” Rupert added.
As far as how the coming fire season affects truck drivers the National Weather Service provides up-to-the-minute alerts called "Red Flag Warnings" on its Weather.com website that are similar to snow and ice warnings for winter driving. Drivers planning routes through affected areas should be aware of extreme fire danger potential.
Pictured here is an example of the information provided in a Red Flag Warning.
The National Interagency Fire Center issued its Wildland Fire Potential Outlook on June 1 covering the period of June through September, and drew from information from regional and national predictive services units.
The report noted that there will be above-normal wildfire potential this summer in western Washington, Oregon and California. But they also warned that as the summer progresses most of the forested lands in those states, and even portions of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas will have enhanced potential.
According to the NIFC:
"As June progresses, the fine fuels will begin to cure and dry from south to north across the West. Lingering high elevation snowpack should be lost. Wildfire activity should begin to increase by late month as peak of the fire season begins to arrive as July and August approach.
"As is the case with the lower elevation fuels, the high elevation heavy fuels will also experience a delayed entry into the season except along the Canadian border in Washington State where overall dryness will lead to an average start with a potential for above normal activity. Alaska will reach its peak in June and begin to wind down in July.
“Looking ahead to August and September the fire potential and resulting activity should increase to normal in most areas except along the West Coast where above normal significant large fire potential is expected due to fuel loading and preexisting dry conditions. A traditional winding down of the Western fire season is expected in mid-September as fall moisture begins to arrive.”
Beyond what government officials are predicting for the immediate wildland fire potential, some scientists say that wildfire risk will continue to increase in the coming decades because of climate change leading to higher temperatures and less precipitation.
Long-range predictions say that North America wildfires could double in the next 25 years and burn two to 5.5 times more by the end of the century.
Sources: FreightWaves,
Weather.gov,
Wildfire Today,
Wildfire Potential Outlook
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Adverse Conditions
Dealing With The Weather
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Truck Driver Safety