This is the TDMST Weekly Round-Up of news affecting professional truck drivers, written by Vicki Simons for the week ending April 10, 2021.
We welcome your comments, thoughts and feedback on the items of your choice below.
1. Regarding accidents and GPS:
Accidents
It could be that reporting of truck accidents is simply better than it used to be — or it could be that there truly are more truck accidents happening.
Many of these accidents are preventable!
Please learn what you can from these articles and seek never to repeat what led up to the accidents.
- Amtrak train slams into tractor-trailer in western Michigan
- Driver assessing damage in two-rig wreck is promptly struck by third semi truck
- Driver watches his big rig rolls by, slams into truck stop
- Major Delays After Semi Rear-Ends Big Rig Parked Along Shoulder of Indiana Interstate
- Massive piece of equipment slips off truck bed during transport
- Questions Remain After Truck Driver Fatally Struck While Walking Near Broken Down Rig
- Several truckers killed in separate crashes, mishaps
- Trapped motorist perishes in car fire after rear ending semi truck
- Truck driver killed while tending to disabled rig
- Truck leaves messy cleanup after striking bridge
- Trucker survives after steel coil crashes into cab
GPS
To date, no one has even attempted to report that a GPS unit that is programmed for commercial motor vehicles has led them to a low clearance.
Is this situation of big trucks running into low clearances really as simple as using CMV-specific GPS units?
2. Regarding autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles and last mile:
Autonomous vehicles
This is the first time that I’ve seen medium-duty trucks being targeted for autonomous operation.
Today, medium-duty trucks; tomorrow, what?
- Isuzu inks partnership for medium-duty driver automation
- Isuzu partners with Gatik to build autonomous medium-duty trucks
Electric vehicles
- All-electric Freightliner eCascadia, eM2 now available for order
- DTNA begins taking orders for electric trucks
- European Manufacturers Race on Electric Vehicle Batteries
- EV Shift Becomes Life-or-Death Risk for Automakers
- EV-Battery Rivals Prod Biden With Rare Trade Veto in Balance
- GM to Build Electric Pickup at Detroit Plant
- Maine Aims to Accelerate Vehicle Electrification
- Transmission: Daimler’s new electric truck and Biden plans meeting to discuss chip shortage
- Why Remote Control Isn’t Required for Self-Driving Vehicles
Last mile
- EFS: How Trimble helped a large fleet navigate a last-mile problem
- Last-mile delivery firms AxleHire, Swyft secure $37.5M in combined funding
- Safeway delivery bot brings autonomy to contactless final mile
- Will e-cargo bikes take over last-mile delivery?
Over time and in some areas, I speculate that more and more driverless trucks will take care of the majority of miles that truckers are used to getting paid for today.
What do you think?
Please comment below. Thanks.
3. Regarding AB5, PRO Act, young, parking, and fatigue:
AB5
- AB5 not preempted, state court says; Ninth Circuit ruling awaits
- Another Calif. court opinion says A.B. 5 should apply to trucking
- Second California court rules key federal law doesn’t preempt AB5
- Though trucking remains exempt, another court favors A.B. 5 applying to trucking
PRO Act
- Democrats Score Big Win in Fight to Pass Bill Trucking Groups Warn Will Wipe Out Many I/Cs
- Teamsters Cheer Plan to Pass Controversial PRO Act With Infrastructure Bill
Young
Parking
- Iowa DOT to reopen rest stop shuttered since November
- Parking-only rest area to reopen on Interstate 35 in Iowa
- Safe truck parking legislation emerges as businesses, states work to help curb shortage
- Short-term parking pain for truckers as planned projects promise relief
- The truck parking impact of Jason’s Law, after nearly a decade
- Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act picks up more support
Fatigue
4. Regarding economy, ecommerce, and infrastructure:
Economy
- March another record grain volumes month for CN
- March US rail volumes up 14% amid uneven year-over-year comparisons
- Pandemic Upends Logistics Market
- Tender volumes fall back this week
- Trucking gets another shot in the arm from quarantined consumers
Ecommerce
- E-commerce cybercrime jumped 50% in 2020
- How Logistics Firms Are Handling the Pandemic’s E-Commerce Boom
Infrastructure
- Report: Trucking jobs account for 20% of Biden’s infrastructure plan
- Top Democrats Float Alternative to Biden’s Corporate-Tax Plan
5. Regarding CARB, carbon, emissions, equipment, and recall:
CARB
Carbon
Emissions
- Fleets reduce emissions and DPF regens on 100% biodiesel system
- Tracking transportation-related emissions just got easier
Equipment
- Class 8 Production Dampened by Component Shortages
- NTSB Most Wanted List recommends speed limiters
- NTSB’s ‘Most Wanted’ Covers Collision-Avoidance Systems, Distracted Driving
- NTSB’s ‘Most Wanted’ List Calls For Mandating Speed Limiters, Collision-Avoidance Systems
- NTSB’s Most Wanted list includes speed limiters, collision avoidance technology
- Speed limiters, automatic braking on NTSB Most Wanted List
- Speed limiters, crash avoidance systems among NTSB’s ‘Most Wanted’ safety improvements
I could be wrong, but it seems to me that the powers-that-be keep trying to load increasing regulations on trucks and truckers in order to protect non-professional motorists from the repercussions of their own distracted driving.
Do you agree or disagree?
Please comment below. Thanks.
Recall
- Clutch issue prompts recall of more than 6,000 semi trucks
- Daimler Trucks recalls thousands of trucks for clutch assembly issue
- Freightliner Cascadia and Western Star 4700 recalled for clutch issue
- Over 11,000 trucks recalled in two separate orders
- Risk of Engine Stall and ‘Clutch Disengagement’ Prompts Recall of Freightliner and Western Star Trucks
6. Regarding employment:
- Daily Infographic: Tackle the Driver Shortage
- Does Your Business Belong on Our List of Top 100 For-Hire Companies?
- Poll: When job hunting, how do you research fleet you’re interested in?
- Truckers suing company for fraud after alleged lies allowed them to hire foreign workers over American drivers
- US Jobless Claims Jump, Showing Choppy Labor Recovery
- Viewpoint: A wish list based on Biden’s American Jobs Plan
7. Regarding drugs, smuggling, fuel, and IFTA:
Drugs
Don’t haul illegal drugs, no matter how much you’ve been promised.
- Family settles for over $4.6M in death of man killed by drunken truck driver
- Skeptical judge acquits trucker caught with heroin at Canadian border
- Truck driver could face life in prison after guilty plea in fentanyl distribution case
Smuggling
Don’t treat human beings like cattle or cargo, no matter how much money you’ve been promised.
Fuel
Is the price of fuel going up or down?
Yes, but it depends on the source of information and over what time period.
- Americans Expect Fuel Costs to Keep Rising As Average Diesel Price Hits 22-Month High
- Diesel Slips 1.7¢ to $3.144 in Second Straight Drop
- DOE/EIA diesel price falls for second consecutive week
- Oil, diesel prices expected to stabilize to pre-COVID levels
- Reports show lower diesel prices for second week in a row
- US Forecasts Highest Summer Fuel Prices Since 2018
IFTA
8. Regarding bottlenecks, inspections, litter, roads, safety, AND testing:
Bottlenecks
Inspections
Be prepared for an inspection at any time and you won’t be caught off-guard.
- CVSA Announces Dates and Focus of Upcoming Week-Long Enforcement Blitz
- CVSA Schedules Operation Safe Driver Week for July 11-17
- CVSA unveils area of emphasis for week-long driver blitz
- Georgia Continues Crackdown on Truckers as Blitz Nets More Than 150 Citations and 1 DUI
- More then 250 trucks inspected during 3 day distracted driving blitz in Georgia
- What will CVSA inspectors be checking during annual safety blitz?
Litter
Some jurisdictions assess very heavy fines or other punishment for littering (including urinating in public).
Please dispose of your waste products in approved receptacles.
Roads
Compete?
Have they ever done that before?
Won’t the “big dogs” win?
Safety
- Enforcement teams to target speed amid surge in traffic deaths
- Operation Safe Driver Week 2021 to emphasize speed
- Operation Safe Driver Week to Focus on Speeding
- Roadside drug testing pilot program results fall short Land Line
- Six-State Enforcement Crackdown to Focus on Distracted Driving
- Speeding to be focus of July’s Operation Safe Driver Week
Testing
This article is about testing hair for drugs.
The article says the following:
NTSB reviewed the truck driver’s toxicology results from drug tests taken after the crash. The driver had a history of drug abuse. …
The truck driver had previously passed a pre-employment urine test, the only method DOT requires. But studies have found a urine test can miss nine out of 10 actual drug users.
My first question is: If the trucker had a “history of drug abuse,” why didn’t the trucking company that hired him know about it?
My second question is: What would prevent someone from shaving his/her head bald in order to prevent having his/her hair tested?
Hmm…
9. Regarding lottery, operations, stalking and soliciting:
Lottery
I hope this trucker has financial discipline in order to spend his winnings wisely.
Operations
When you’re approaching your exit, watch your mirrors at regular intervals to help prevent an accident.
Stalking and soliciting
- Female trucker calls on fellow drivers to spotlight creepy motorists
- Trucker accused of soliciting sex from minor in exchange for marriage
Protect yourself.
10. Regarding technology, tires, tolls and TOP 50:
Technology
- License plate readers under review at statehouses Land Line
- Schneider offers digital tools to help shippers compete in tight market
Tires
Tolls
- Government privilege center of ATA truck-only toll lawsuitQuote from article: “The state is challenging a district court’s ruling that Raimondo and other high-ranking state officials are exempt from the subpoenas because of government privilege.”
Wow! I don’t recall anything in the Constitution — or the Declaration of Independence” — that allows for “government privilege.”
- Texas bills would end toll collection; others would expand tolls
Top 50
- A Fresh Look at the 2021 Top 50 Logistics Companies
- About Us: Transport Topics Top 50 Logistics Companies
- Interactive Map: Where The 2021 Top 50 Logistics Companies Are in North America
I know a trucker who once got a job working for one of the “top” trucking companies of the day.
Part of their business model — which they had not told him — was that they didn’t get truckers back to that home terminal on weekends when they were doing a 34-hour restart.
That one business model ended up costing him a lot of unpaid time away from home and family.
So, he ended up leaving not long after hiring on.
It was really a shame because except for one other recurring problem, he really liked the company!
So, does having a list of the “top companies” like those listed above help you at all?
Please comment below. Thanks
11. Regarding video, violence, theft and weather:
Video
- How On-Board Video Can Mitigate Liability
- Truck driver’s dash cam video of his ‘cozy underground dock’ will make you sweat
- VIDEO: Trucker puts a stop to murder suspect fleeing from California cops
Violence
Please take appropriate steps to protect yourself.
- FBI says truckers kidnapped women, demanded ransom
- Truckers Accused in Alleged Kidnap-For-Ransom Scheme, FBI Investigation Ongoing
- Trucks, busses, businesses targeted in string of Easter arson attacks
- VIDEO: Trucker on 10 hour break has tense confrontation with cops kicking him out of lot
Theft
- Man sentenced to federal prison for hijacking interstate freight shipment
- Peel cargo theft volumes down, but losses hit records
Weather
12. Regarding legal, orders, and refund:
Legal
Always do the right thing.
- Texas Bill Seeks to Reduce Large Crash Verdicts
- Trucker arrested for providing false account of fatal 2019 crash
- Trucker’s Split-Second Decision Ends High-Speed Police Pursuit of Murder Suspect
Orders
- Daimler Opens Orders for Freightliner eCascadia, eM2
- March Class 8 orders of 40,000 add to dizzying industry backlog
- March Class 8 truck orders continued to outpace production levels
- North American Class 8 Orders Up 424% to 40,000 in March
- Order books open for Freightliner electric Cascadia, eM2
- Record-setting demand for Class 8 trucks over past six months
Refund
My husband Mike and 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: 2021.04.10 to our TDMST Weekly Round-Up Trucking Commentary or our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips home page.
