The trucking industry has been hit hard by COVID-19. The pandemic-fueled economic crisis put nearly 93,000 truckers out of work between February and April. Less than half of those jobs have since come back. By contrast, companies that sell health insurance to trucking firms are doing rather well. UnitedHealth Group, the country’s largest insurer, just announced that its profits […]
Short-term freight contracts between shippers and motor carriers (and brokers) remain en vogue, as supply chain stakeholders continue to try to balance the recent run-up in truckload demand with the lingering uncertainties surrounding the longer-term outlook for the market and the broader economy. While contract rates have been steadily climbing since the economic recovery began in […]
TIA announces new leadership The Transportation Intermediaries Association, representing brokers and other third-party logistics providers, has named a new leader in the wake of its longtime head Robert Voltmann stepping aside in early June and Douglas Clark filling in on an interim basis. Washington, D.C., native Anne Reinke has been named President & CEO effective […]
Volvo Trucks to put $21.7M EPA grant behind battery-powered Class 8 tests Volvo Trucks North America was awarded $21.7 million in grants to deploy 70 VNR Electric trucks in Southern California for regional freight distribution and drayage. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Targeted Air Shed Grant Program is providing $20 million in funding, supplemented […]
Hours waiver extended for wildfire relief haulers in California, Oregon The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Western Service Center has extended the emergency declaration for wildfire relief haulers in California and Oregon, thus extending the hours of service waiver for qualifying truck drivers. Declarations were first issued by the governors of each state in August, […]
Please keep the family of Charles Eugene Pearce Jr. in your hearts and prayers. Tragically the Autohauler community lost Mr Pearce last week during an accident in Birmingham, AL. More details to follow regarding how we might be able to assist his family in their hour of need.
Kenworth launches battery-electric T680E Kenworth announced Wednesday the launch of the Kenworth T680E, the company’s first Class 8 battery-electric truck. The truck is now available for order from Kenworth dealers in the United States and Canada and will enter production in 2021. It is available as a day cab as either a tractor or straight […]
A proposal issued by the Department of Labor in late September would provide motor carriers with long-sought clarity on how to properly classify company employees vs. independent contractors, at least under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, whose gray areas often are used as a sword against fleets in lawsuits alleging driver misclassification. A considerable drawback, […]
FMCSA grants waiver allowing additional brake light on trailers The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration granted a waiver to the National Tank Truck Carriers to allow fleets to install a red or amber brake-activated pulsating lamp in the upper center position or in an upper dual outboard position on the back of tanker trailers, in […]
