FMCSA looking to expand under-21 military trucker pilot program The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is accepting comments on a proposal to expand its pilot program that allows 18-20-year-old drivers who have received heavy vehicle training in certain Military Occupational Specialties (MOS) while in the military. The agency in its July 6, 2018, notice finalizing […]
The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season to-date has produced 26 tropical or subtropical cyclones, 25 named storms, nine hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes. With 25 named storms makes 2020 the most active Atlantic hurricane season in 15 years, and the second most active on record. Hurricane Delta – the fourth named storm since the National Hurricane Center was […]
Drivers can sign up for settlement payouts in Prime, Inc. case More than 40,000 truck drivers are eligible for at least a $100 payout from Prime, Inc., as part of its settlement over driver misclassification and other wage claims. A court approved the Springfield, Missouri-based fleet’s proposed $28 million settlement that was announced in July. Though that […]
A lot has happened in the trucking industry since a surge in freight volumes outpaced the supply of drivers in 2018. A different group of factors have now combined to create a repeat scenario. The American Trucking Associations (ATA) two years ago estimated the driver shortage at 60,000 in the over-the-road truckload market – a segment that has a […]
Flatbed carrier announces driver appreciation bonuses Alabama-based flatbed carrier Montgomery Transport announced a fourth quarter bonus pay program to show appreciation to its drivers. The two-installment “Appreciation Pay” program will reward drivers based on all miles driven and is timed to give them extra cash for the holidays. As part of the program, company drivers […]
Plaintiff attorneys put a lot of effort into painting truckers in a negative – if not outright violent – light, but among the defense tools carriers have at their disposal is their own reputation and how their companies are perceived. One of the things a carrier can do to sculpt its public perception is refine […]
Trucking companies targeted in staged-accident insurance fraud scheme Twenty-eight individuals have been charged over the course of the last 11 months for intentionally staging automobile accidents to defraud trucking companies and their insurance providers, according to press releases from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Seven of the 28 individuals charged […]
Labor Dept. aims to clarify federal ‘independent contractor’ definition The Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is proposing to better define independent contractor in the context of the Fair Labor Standards Act. That law has long governed employer wage and hour rules, such as minimum wage and overtime, and has defined employer/employee relationships for the purposes […]
An overhauled hours of service rule that takes effect at 12:01 a.m. ET (9:01 PT) tonight, Sept. 29, will make changes to the 30-minute break requirement that could, many days, render the break somewhat of a moot requirement. At the very least, drivers will be able to fulfill the 30-minute break requirement in a much more utilitarian […]
