Archive: April 2024

Although the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s efforts in streamlining the driver verification process are helping fleets reduce their risk via the Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse, it also has reduced the pool of qualified drivers, which could shrink further when new requirements take effect Nov. 18.

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The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) North American Roadcheck inspection spree kicks off next month (May 14-16). Inspectors will be on watch for various equipment and driver violations – like brake and tire wear issues, and hours of service – but tractor protection controls in the air system and alcohol and controlled substance possession will get special focus this year.

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Professional truck drivers Tony Blunnie of Knight Transportation, Dawna Jacobsen of Erb Transport, and Terry Reavis of Maverick Transportation have been named the 2023 TCA Highway Angels of the Year by the Truckload Carriers Association.

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More students are getting behind the wheel of trucks as dozens of high schools across the U.S. offer classes to help them obtain their CDLs. The driving force behind the trucking classes is the desire to expand career opportunities for high schoolers and bolster the professional driving field, teachers told FreightWaves. The American Trucking Associations reports that the industry will need to recruit 1.2 million drivers over the next decade to meet demand, though some in the industry dispute whether there is a truck driver shortage.

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Regulators received heavy opposition from truck owner-operators and safety advocates on a proposal aimed at making it easier to test and employ new drivers. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s proposed rule, “Increased Flexibility for Testing and for Drivers after Passing the Skills Test,” would loosen current CDL testing regulations by allowing commercial learner’s permit (CLP) holders who have passed the CDL skills test to operate a truck without having a CDL holder in the passenger seat, expanding CDL applicants’ ability to take a skills test in a state other than the state in which they live and eliminating the requirement that an applicant wait at least 14 days after being issued a CLP to take the CDL skills test.

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A common misconception about driver vehicle inspection reports for truckers and other commercial drivers is that one is required at every pre-trip inspection. How often must a walk-around pre-trip inspection be conducted? Before every trip. How often is a post-trip inspection required to be performed? After every trip.

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The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration says only 113 motor carriers have applied for its under-21 truck driver apprenticeship program since the agency began accepting applications in July 2022, a dismal sign for an initiative that had been expected to recruit up to 1,000 carriers and 3,000 drivers.

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When Tom Bray was in charge of safety at a motor carrier, a frustration was seeing drivers leave the yard with an easily correctable problem that could result in a violation or worse — but should have been found in a driver vehicle inspection and fixed.

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In anticipation of this year’s announced International Roadcheck, many motor carriers will undoubtedly be making sure their trucks are in top condition as inspectors will be checking common — and not so common — equipment problems. As usual, law enforcement personnel will inspect commercial motor vehicles and drivers at weigh/inspection stations, temporary sites and mobile patrols in the U.S., Canada and Mexico to verify compliance with federal, state, provincial or territorial regulations. Data from Roadcheck will be collected, and the results will be released this summer.

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Retail diesel fuel costs (DTS) are up 33% versus April 2019, while the National Truckload Index (NTI) that measures all-in spot rates are only up 16% over the same time. The implication is that carriers are in a far worse position on the spot market than they were in 2019 as they are unable to fully pass along operating costs.

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