TDMST Weekly Round-Up: 2022.04.30

This is the TDMST Weekly Round-Up of news affecting professional truck drivers, written by Vicki Simons for the week ending April 30, 2022.

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

1. Regarding limiters, politics, and transportation:

Limiters

I most definitely oppose mandatory speed limiters on commercial motor vehicles!

The first trucking company for which my husband Mike and I drove -- as a professional husband and wife truck driving team -- our trucks were governed at 57 miles per hour.

Just about everything near us passed our truck on the parts of the interstate highways where speed limits were at 65 mph or higher

Hasn't it already been proven that there are more accidents on parts of roads with split speed limits than there are on those parts of roads where the speed limit is the same for all vehicles?

If you also oppose speed limiters on large trucks, too, please speak up whenever and wherever you can to those who can do something about it!

• Federal regulators revive proposal to require speed limiters in heavy trucks
  
  
• FMCSA again plans to explore speed limiters for heavy-duty trucks
  
  
• FMCSA draws ire, support with proposal to limit CMV speed limits
  
  
• FMCSA Issues 'Notice of Intent' to Require Speed Limiters on Heavy Trucks
  
  
• FMCSA will move forward with controversial speed limiter mandate
  
  
• How do you feel about mandatory speed limiters?
  
  
• Speed limiter mandate would do more harm than good, OOIDA says
  
  
• Speed limiter proposal back again
  
  
• U.S. takes another step in march to mandatory speed limiters
  
  

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Politics

The price of fuel is market driven based on many factors, including the buying power of currencies.

If the buying power of any one currency goes down, the prices appear to go up.

All you have to do is go to the CPI Inflation Calculator and put in the following figures --

• $1.00 in March 2022; and
  
• January 1913;
  

-- to find that the buying power of the US dollar has dropped by 97% (to a paltry $0.03) since 1913 through "legal plunder," courtesy of the Federal Reserve Act.

I have responded a number of times with a comment to one of our two US Senators, who complained about inflation under Mr. Biden, part of which is as follows:

-----

...here's a great definition for inflation:

"Undue expansion or increase of the currency of a country, esp. by the issuing of paper money not redeemable in specie. A substantial rise of prices caused by an undue expansion in paper money or bank credit."

So, let's look at the official numbers to see what's really been happening.

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis,
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/M1SL

the money supply in the USA went:
- from 4,779.8 Billion in April 2020 (Trump);
- to 16,232.9 Billion in May 2020 (Trump);
- to 18,107.1 Billion in January 2021 (Trump);
- to 20,694.5 Billion in February 2022 (Biden).

So, of the increase in the money supply (15,914.70 Billion) in the USA since April 2020:
- 13,327.30 Billion (83.74%) was under Trump; and
- 2,587.40 Billion (16.26%) has been under Biden.

-----

Of course, those numbers change as time goes on, but you can see the trend.

Meanwhile, how else can the cost of fuel be decreased, except perhaps by abolishing the unconstitutional Federal Reserve and tying the US dollar to the gold standard (as once it was)?

• Dems Consider Legislative Moves to Cut Gas Prices
  
  

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Transportation

According to this article:

"The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (HR 3684) grants control over what and when you drive to the transportation system. It will control the type of vehicle you can use and when you can drive. It will control the vehicle-to-grid 5G technology and its kill switches (which will be built in). The bill also includes an integrated payment system and a per-mile driving fee"

This is very disturbing!

What does the bill actually say?

Text - H.R.3684 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress

This became law on 11/15/2021:

Public Law No: 117-58.

This must be overturned!

 

2. Regarding lawsuits, staged, border, and inspections:

Lawsuits

Please review the articles below to see what led up to these lawsuits so that hopefully, you'll never be involved in one.

• Groups That Want to Electrify USPS Fleet File Suit
  
  
• How trucking fleets can mitigate risks of a nuclear verdict
  
  
• Illinois trucking company files for bankruptcy after $10M verdict
  
  

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Staged

Hopefully, all of the people who were involved in this fraudulent scheme have been found (or soon will be) and all of them will be dealt with according to the full extent of the law!

• Convict in staged-crash fraud scheme gets probation
  
  
• Three More Sentenced for Roles in Staged Crashes
  
  
• Women ordered to pay $4.7 million for staged semi truck crash scheme
  
  

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Border

• Texas border delays cost U.S. an estimated $9 billion, owner-ops canceled loads | Border vax mandates extend
  
  

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Inspections

If you and your entire rig are always ready for an inspection, you'll never be caught off guard.

• Dozens of drivers and trucks sidelined by Wyoming troopers during I-90 blitz
  
  
• The nation's biggest trucker blitz is just a couple of weeks away
  
  
• Wyoming Highway Patrol hold crackdown on CMV safety
  
  

 

3. Regarding autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, fuel, emissions, and idling:

Autonomous vehicles

I oppose with every fiber of my being the operation of autonomous, driverless, or self-driving commercial motor vehicles on the same roads as the motoring public.

That being said, here are some of the most recent articles on this topic to help keep you current.

• Autonomous vehicles lane coming to Michigan Land Line
  
  
• Autonomous, long-haul trucking stands to grow California economy
  
  
• China Grants First Driverless Taxi Permits to Baidu, Pony.ai
  
  
• Driverless trucks tech echoes the big tech frenzy of two decades ago -
  
  
• Loadsmith aims to fully automate middle mile by 2024
  
  
• Report: 1.2M automated trucks, buses expected globally by 2032
  
  
• Self-driving vehicle lane planned for major Michigan interstate
  
  

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Electric vehicles

• BrightDrop electric van sets range record
  
  
• Daily Infographic: 260 miles on a single charge
  
  Wow! So what happens to trucks that travel 400, 500, or more miles in a day?
  
  
• States, localities sue Postal Service over EV plans
  
  
• The Big EV Charging Mystery: How Long Does It Take?
  
  

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Fuel

Please see the section named "Politics" above.

• D.C. officials discuss high fuel prices as diesel sets record
  
  
• Diesel futures show signs of fierce market squeeze, driving prices higher
  
  
• Diesel now more than $2 higher than this time last year
  
  
• Diesel prices back on the rise | Overnight I-10 lane closures
  
  
• Diesel prices continue to pinch trucking industry, nation
  
  
• Diesel prices soaring above crude, gasoline -- and likely to stay that way
  
  
• Diesel Rises Again, Up 5.9¢ to $5.16 a Gallon
  
  
• High Diesel Prices Do Little to Speed Adoption of Alt-Fuel Trucks
  
  
• How Fleets Can Better Manage Fuel Costs: Fast Ways to Save on Fuel
  
  
• Natural gas continues to post sales gains
  
  
• The 'fuel that moves the economy' hits an all-time high average price
  
  
• Top Democrats Push for FTC Crackdown on High Gas Prices
  
  
• US Earmarks $504 Million for World's Largest Hydrogen Hub
  
  
• Weekly Fuel Report: April 26, 2022
  
  

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Emissions

• EPA, don't make truckers guinea pigs, OOIDA says
  
  Quote: "On Friday, April 29, OOIDA sent a Call to Action email to its more than 150,000 members, asking them to provide the EPA feedback on proposed nitrogen oxide emission standards for trucks beginning in model year 2027."
  
  If this concerns you, please speak up to those who can affect the kind of change you desire.
  
  

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Idling

• Daily Infographic: Why care about idling?
  
  We have an entire 9-page section on our site dedicated to the topic of idling and welcome your feedback.
  
  

 

4. Regarding economy, recession, revenue, rates, and tolls:

There seems to be some contradictory information in the sections under this point.

That's because different entities experience different things in the trucking industry.

Please make preparations for an economic downturn -- now.

If it happens, you'll be ready.

If it doesn't happen, you can rest easy knowing that you were prepared.

Economy

• A spot market volume boost, owner survey shows optimism | Operator shut down by FMCSA after crash
  
  
• ATA Truck Tonnage Index jumps 2.4% in March
  
  
• Canada's spot market load volumes remain at record levels
  
  
• Carrier survey shows continued optimism despite rising costs
  
  
• CPGs still consider freight costs to be 'headwinds'
  
  
• CTA says latest StatsCan data paints dire labor picture
  
  
• Despite rising risks, shipping lines on track for another record year
  
  
• Despite strong March, truck builders struggle to get parts, materials
  
  
• Economy Posts Surprise Contraction, Belying Solid Consumer Picture
  
  
• Employment Costs in US Increase by More Than Forecast
  
  
• Freight market shows signs of strength despite headwinds
  
  
• GDP, contract, spot slide downhill
  
  
• How a Midwest Food Distributor Approaches Sustainability
  
  
• Industry Leaders React to Soaring Used Class 8 Prices
  
  
• March's Average Used Class 8 Retail Price Breaks $100,000
  
  
• New survey shows carriers remain optimistic about demand despite obstacles
  
  
• Pent-up Demand Bolsters Industrial Freight Volumes
  
  
• Research firm: 'Sky isn't falling' in transportation industry
  
  
• Schneider sees 'healthy' contract freight market
  
  
• Trailer orders reach 15 month high
  
  
• Truckload market only in early stages of easing
  
  
• US trailer net orders jumped in March, with strength dry van-centric
  
  
• Used Class 8 retail sales volumes, average price higher in February
  
  

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Recession

• Trucking demand near recession levels: Bank of America
  
  
• Why a trucking recession won't affect all truck drivers
  
  

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Revenue

Some publicly traded companies have announced their first quarter (Q1) numbers.

I do not endorse or recommend any of the companies in this section, but merely list them for your convenience and to give you a snapshot of what has happened in the recent past.

Bear in mind that "past performance is no guarantee of future results."

• ArcBest blows past Q1 expectations; margins to improve further
  
  
• ArcBest sees 'record profitability' in Q1
  
  
• Exxon Profits Surge
  
  
• Hogan: Strong quarter for Covenant, but costs of trucking keep rising
  
  
• Q1 sales and earnings post records at Paccar
  
  
• Ryder's strong quarter boosted by used truck, tractor sales
  
  
• Schneider Reports 68% Jump in Earnings for Q1
  
  
• Strong Trailer Demand Grows Wabash Q1 Profits
  
  
• Truckload carrier Covenant's Q1 net income sets record for any quarter
  
  
• UPS beats profit estimates despite weakening demand
  
  
• USA Truck sees sustained growth amid uncertain market forces
  
  
• Volvo Group Reports Higher Revenue, Record Q1 Deliveries
  
  

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Rates

• Shippers are back in the driver's seat on rates
  
  
• What goes up must come down: Falling rates and rising fuel prices point to a downcycle for trucking
  
  

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Tolls

• Pennsylvania Turnpike toll collection
  
  

 

5. Regarding smuggling, drugs, and alcohol:

Smuggling

No matter how lucrative it may seem, never, ever treat your fellow human beings like cattle or cargo through smuggling!

• Border Patrol sniffs out human smuggling scheme after noticing truck driver was 'nervous' and 'in a rush to leave'
  
  

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Drugs

No matter how much money you may have been promised, never, ever haul illegal drugs!

• $35 million of meth found in shipment of strawberry puree
  
  
• $35 million worth of meth seized from truck hauling strawberry purée
  
  

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Alcohol

Never, ever drink alcohol of any kind before you drive -- and make sure that any alcohol that you have consumed has comepletely left your body before you drive.

• Drunken propane hauler declared an imminent hazard
  
  
• FMCSA orders propane truck driver off the road for alcohol violation, crash
  
  
• FMCSA sidelines trucker who had a 0.21 BAC after collision
  
  

 

6. Regarding theft, predatory towing, and violence:

Theft

• Borderlands: Cargo theft increases 18% in Mexico during March
  
  

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Predatory towing

• Bill to End Predatory Towing Goes Before Maryland Governor
  
  

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Violence

• Man arrested for 'throwing everything they could find off the bridge at tractor trailers'
  
  Regarding a related article being posted on Facebook, I wrote this comment:
  
  Quote from article:
  -----
  Chester County Sheriff’s deputies quickly located and apprehended a 26- year-old male from York, South Carolina. He, as well as another uncharged suspect, were interviewed and admitted to throwing the objects. He was charged with Malicious Injury to Property over $2,000 (three counts), Malicious Injury to Property under $2,000 (two counts). He is now in the Chester County Detention Center.
  -----
  OK, folks, this happened in my home state, so it stings even more. I've written about objects thrown from overpasses on our truckers website.
  Other than putting some kind of fence, guard, or restraint on both sides of every bridge, what can be done to stop this kind of behavior?
  Also, since one trucker got glass in his eye, I don't think the charges were severe enough.
  Thoughts?
  
  The article to which I referened is here:
  Items Thrown From Overpasses Smash Windshields and Hurt Truckers
  
  
• Trucker arrested on felony burglary of vape shop after tire-check hammer bounces through shop glass
  
  
• VIDEO: Semi truck surrounded and looted during street takeover
  
  

 

7. Regarding supply chain and technology:

Supply chain

• Avoiding supply chain disruption
  
  
• Driving out supply chain inefficiencies key to eliminating food waste
  
  
• Shanghai Covid Lockdown Sideline Truckers as U.S. Braces for Supply Chain Disruption
  
  
• Will China's lockdowns cause a logistics crisis or just a hiccup?
  
  
• Xi's lockdowns will pull the rug out from under US truckers this summer
  
  

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Technology

• Video telematics help decrease crash fatalities
  
  

 

8. Regarding HOS, shortage, training, morale, and pay:

HOS (Hours of Service)

• D.C. Circuit hears arguments in hours-of-service lawsuit
  
  
• Foes of hours-of-service changes make arguments in federal appeals court
  
  

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Shortage

Please bear in mind that no one on the federal level of government has the authority -- per the Constitution of the United States -- to do anything about the so-called trucker shortage.

According to the Tenth Amendment, this matter is reserved to the States and the people.

• Buttigieg: 300,000 truckers leave industry every year
  
  
• Crowdsourcing offers a solution to truck driver shortage
  
  
• Drilling Deep: Getting young people into trucking nice and early
  
  
• Driver shortage problem can be solved by fixing driver utilization and trucking cost structure
  
  
• Driver turnover driven by different factors depending on tenure, gender
  
  
• How a trucking company embraced Biden's call to train more drivers
  
  

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Training

• Back to school: Would-be drivers should carefully consider options for CDL training
  
  
• Bill providing CDL training to inmates a 'win-win,' says senator
  
  
• Robust commercial vehicle training programs help reduce over-the-road incidents
  
  
• Truckers Respond to Plans for Apprenticeship Pilot Program
  
  

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Morale

• Video breaks down why U.S. truckers feel frustrated and unappreciated
  
  

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Pay

• Drivers want input into tech decisions, to be paid for all their time
  
  
• Fighting the trucker shortage: Higher pay and incentives lead to influx of trucking students
  
  
• OOIDA vocal in its support of GOT Truckers Act
  
  
• Walmart's Driver Pay Boost Goes Beyond Miles Driven
  
  

 

9. Regarding chips, containers, last mile, and maintenance:

Chips

• Raimondo Urges Congressional Passage of Semiconductor Bill
  
  

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Containers

• Daily Infographic: Ever Forward finally moves on
  
  This isn't the first container ship to get wedged -- recently -- so as to prevent other vessels from moving through a water channel.
  
  It makes me wonder if these situations are deliberate.
  
  Hmm...
  
  

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Last mile

• Daily Infographic: Voice of the customer: On time rules in big and bulky last mile
  
  
• Last-mile delivery firm AxleHire expands along East Coast - Modern Shipper
  
  

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Maintenance

• The ins, outs and woes of diesel engine aftertreatment
  
  

 

10. Regarding truck stop, fire, and food processing plant:

Truck stop

Truckers are using a residential area as a truck stop.

My reading of the article puts the responsibility clearly upon the folks who should have been putting up signs about how to get to the new shipping facility.

Do you agree?

• New shipping facility prompts complaints, 'No Truck' signs along rural MO roads
  
  

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Fire

I wish that articles went into more detail about what led up to crashes like this.

• Semi's crash with low-rider sparks fishy fire
  
  

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Food processing plant

• Plane crashes into trailers at General Mills plant in Georgia
  
  The last time I checked on the "food supply incident map," there have been 20 fires at food processing plants in the USA alone -- and more fires in other places around the world.
  
  One article written in March 2022 says that "Global food shortage is part of Great Reset agenda."
  
  If you are a regional or long haul trucker and you have not been carrying food with you -- including an emergency kit -- I strongly encourage you to start now!
  
  

 

11. Regarding accidents, overheight, and securement:

Please at least glance through the articles in this section to see what led up the accidents and seek to practice things that will not lead to trouble.

Accidents

• Blow over leads to fatal ejection of driver
  
  
• Briefly: Truck's collision with stopped cop car caught on dash cam
  
  
• Dash cam video shows semi truck striking Michigan trooper's vehicle on I-94
  
  
• Driver dead after high winds blow tractor-trailer off I-40
  
  
• Driver hits disabled semi-truck, causing fiery explosions on Ohio Turnpike
  
  
• Ejected driver dies after being run over by tractor-trailer on New Jersey Turnpike
  
  "Being ejected" is usually an indication that a person in a vehicle was not wearing a seat belt.
  
  
• Hydroplaning four-wheeler sends two semis down embankment
  
  
• Kansas trooper performing roadside CMV inspection struck by another big rig
  
  
• Kansas trooper survives big rig strike on I-70
  
  
• Rainy double semi crash sends rig barreling over barrier
  
  
• Tractor-trailer reportedly kills Maryland man after running red light
  
  
• VIDEO: Ambulance comes loose from flatbed and drives itself
  
  
• VIDEO: Car driver in a hurry bangs into turning big rig
  
  
• VIDEO: Rainy double semi crash caught on dashcam
  
  
• WATCH: Wind puts an empty trailer right to sleep
  
  

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Overheight

• Debris from too-tall load sends motorist to hospital
  
  It is your responsibility as a professional truck driver to know the height of your rig and not take vehicles under places that are too short to navigate safely.
  
  See our article: Low Clearance Bridges and Overpasses: How to Watch for and Avoid
  
  

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Securement

• VIDEO: Unsecured load gives officer nasty surprise
  
  If you need it, here are Cargo Securement Rules that all professional truck drivers need to follow.
  
  

 

12. Regarding awards:

Congratulations to all truckers who have been recognized by their companies for their superior safety record or driving skills.

Also, we recognize every trucker who helped his/her fellow human being in his/her/their time of need.

• Highway Transport trucker named tanker driver of the year award winner
  
  
• Interactive Map: Grand Champions by State
  
  
• J.B. Hunt honors 69 company drivers with 2,3, or 4 million safe miles
  
  
• J.B. Hunt honors, awards 69 drivers for safely driving 2 million-plus miles
  
  
• J.B. Hunt recognized as a 2022 Best Employer for Diversity
  
  
• MTA Honors Autumn Transport's Jerry Stephens as Driver of the Year
  
  
• Truck driver avoids potential disaster with school bus
  
  
• Trucker honored for actions at scene of I-81 accident in NY
  
  
• Trucker named Highway Angel for rescuing family after rollover
  
  
• Trucker praised for getting driver, passenger out of overturned pickup
  
  

 

My husband Mike and I wish you -- and all professional truck drivers -- safe travels and lots of money saving opportunities on the road.

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Return from TDMST Weekly Round-Up: 2022.04.30 to our TDMST Weekly Round-Up Trucking Commentary or our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips home page.

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Recommended Trucker Accessories

• Portable Toilet
  
  
• Cold Food Storage Device
  
  
• Appliances to Cook in Your Truck
  
  
• Powering Your Appliances
  
  
• Navigation Tools
  
  
• Communication Tools

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