Profile For DaveW

In truck driver lore it was common for truckers to be thought of as Knights of the Road. That sobriquet might not be so common these days, but drivers are increasingly being enlisted to aid damsels in distress by spotting and reporting instances of human trafficking.

More states signing on to enlist truckers against human trafficking

In this Friday Short Haul top shippers are named, insurance rates increase, wheel spikes are questioned and Women in Trucking seeks candidates.

Friday Short Haul - Shippers of Choice, insurance rates, wheel spikes, WIT award

The $800 billion U. S. trucking industry, considered by many insiders to be the canary in the coal mine in regard to the health of the nation's economy, is getting some worried glances by some of those insiders. According to recent figures, freight rates and loads on the spot market, were down by 62.6 percent in May compared to previous years' May numbers.

Freight numbers not holding up to 2018's highs

In a move that might at first glance appear to be counter-intuitive in light of the driver shortage, a trucking group is calling for the purging of at least 300,000 drivers -- but their main concern is public safety, as this is the number of drivers they estimate are un-caught illicit drug abusers.

Truck safety group urges purges of drug abuse drivers

In this Friday Short Haul a community college offers a first-ever self-driving driver certificate, engineers look at truck platooning, and SoCal ports are stacked up with cargo.

Friday Short Haul - Self-driving certificate, truck platooning, trade war stacking up cargo

A specific segment of the trucking industry is just two weeks away from enjoying the benefit of a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration waiver mandating the use of electronic logging devices and observance of the 14-hour rule.

HOS waiver coming soon for fireworks haulers

Driver detention time is coming under the scrutiny of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and drivers and other interested parties are being asked to submit comments regarding this important area of the truck freight-hauling industry.

FMCSA takes a further look at detention time

In this Friday Short Haul Boxbot steps up the game with autonomous last-mile deliveries, FMCSA updates HOS rules changes progress, hundreds forced to retake CDL tests.

Friday Short Haul - Autonomous delivery, HOS rules changes, CDL retest

During the annual compliance event called International Roadcheck 2019 being conducted Tuesday through Thursday this week commercial vehicle drivers throughout North America will find themselves undergoing Level I inspections – at the rate of nearly four trucks every minute during the 72-hour period.

Roadcheck 2019 in effect this week

In response to the large amount of publicity given to a truck driver being arrested in Idaho for legally transporting a hemp load the United States Department of Agriculture released a statement last week clarifying that hemp is no longer subject to the Controlled Substance Act and thus can be legally transported.

Hemp arrest prompts USDA memo

In this Friday Short Haul Waymo announces Phoenix test of self-driving big rigs, Iowa troopers conduct a "move over" sting, and comments continue for FMCSA's under-21 pilot program proposal.

Friday Short Haul - Waymo big rigs, Move over sting, Under-21 comments

In response to the extreme weather, particularly flooding, that has continued to plague the central part of the United States, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has extended its Regional Emergency Declaration of March 19 to July 2.

Severe weather prompts renewed emergency declaration

Memorial Day weekend is something to look forward to for a large segment of the United States population, including truck drivers, but it's that time that drivers are away from their trucks and their loads that makes Memorial Day weekend prime time for cargo thieves.

Memorial Day holiday is prime time for cargo thefts

In this Friday Short Haul a driver is arrested for hauling hemp, carriers lose a $26.5 million lawsuit, and FMCSA is looking at new rules for autonomous vehicles.

Friday Short Haul - Hauling hemp, road rage fatality, new rules for autonomous vehicles

I live in Phoenix, the city where many of the TuSimple autonomous truck trips originate. So, I emailed the company with a request to do a ride-along. They replied and said they are not doing media ride-alongs just yet, but I'm definitely being considered when they begin to offer that.

It will be extremely interesting to experience an autonomous vehicle ride first hand. I have a million questions to ask the "drivers" as well. I'll keep everyone posted when to expect an expanded article on the experience.

I hope it goes better than the time I did a media ride-along in a KC-135 tanker doing a refueling. On the way back they did a bunch of touch-and-go landings just for me. I would have been just fine with just the first one, losing-breakfast-wise.

TuSimple, a San Diego-based self-driving truck company, announced on Tuesday that the United States Postal Service will be a test bed for a first-ever, long-haul regular delivery route across state lines.

Autonomous trucks on USPS test run

A Swedish company named Einride that defines itself as, "The intelligent movement company -- part commercial enterprise, part revolutionary movement," says it is "bent on a complete transformation of the transportation industry." And May 15 marked a milestone in that company's mission as it is the day the first cab-less electric truck was allowed to drive on a public road.

Future era of cab-less trucks will be the end of HOS rules

In this Friday Short Haul FMCSA's under-21 comments open with a bang, a Tesla crashes under autopilot, and 24,000 drivers sign contract with YRC

Friday Short Haul - FMCSA under-21 comments, Tesla autonomous car crash, 24,000 drivers sign contract with YRC

BTW, the proposal published today and is online now. The comments page is up. So far, there are no comments.

DaveW, your son is a rare young man and I can understand why you are proud. But how many 18 year old men/boys are even close to your son? I've seen many 18 or 19 year old's come to the job site and have been hesitant to let them use a simple power tool.

If an 18 year old wants to get into trucking, I think they should start out as an apprentice mechanic or in some related job in trucking. Then when they turned 21, they would have a head start. There are exceptional young men, but they can't be individually evaluated, hence the need for an across the board standard like the 21 year old rule.

Bruce, I agree with everything you said. I think what it comes down to is the maturity level and responsibility rather than the physical ability to handle a big rig.

My son said something interesting about when he was in flight school. He said the Army aviation program prefers young men who have a lot of experience with gaming. It's something about the hand-eye coordination and the ability to think quickly with a lot going on. That takes care of the physical aspect. Any number of kids could do that.

On the other hand, because Army aviation is so elite, and so few can make it through all of the rigorous testing to get to flight school they have already weeded out those who don't have the maturity and responsibility to cut it. I can see where the trucking industry would have a hard time pulling that off with the average high school graduate.

I like the idea of an apprenticeship program, with enough close supervision to weed out the ones who need to be more mature and responsible.

This is going to be a very interesting thing to keep an eye on.