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Don’t miss Oz Pearlman and Jermy Gutsche during Truckload 2025: Phoenix!

Linda Garner-Bunch - March 12, 2025

Are you ready? The Truckload Carriers Association’s (TCA) annual convention kicks off Saturday, March 15, in Phoenix! Join more than 1,500 industry leaders at the Phoenix Convention Center March 15-18 to explore strategies, solutions and technologies that will shape the future of trucking. For more information (or to snag a last-minute seat) click here. You won’t want to miss this year’s keynote and featured speakers. Keynote speaker Oz Pearlman will address convention attendees during the afternoon general session at 3:45 p.m. Monday, March 17. Featured speaker Jeremy Gutsche will share insights on Tuesday, March 18, during the 8 a.m. general session. OZ PEARLMAN Truckload 2025’s keynote speaker excels as a mentalist, magician — and athlete For Oz Pearlman, what began as a childhood fascination with magic evolved into a lifelong passion — he is now the most renowned and sought-after mentalist and magician in the United States — as well as an accomplished athlete. After working on Wall Street for a few years, Pearlman left the financial market to pursue his dream of becoming a full-time entertainer. The rest is, as they say, history, and he has now been dazzling audiences with his mind-reading ability for nearly three decades. In 2015, he competed on TV’s “America’s Got Talent,” captivating the nation with never-before-seen mentalism routines. He quickly became a fan favorite, finishing in third place out of thousands of acts. In 2018, he became part of an elite few — including David Blaine and David Copperfield — to have their own TV special on a major national network. “Oz Knows” aired on NBC multiples times to rave reviews. The following year he won an Emmy Award for that special. He has made more than 100 other television appearances on both national and international networks, including dozens of appearances on the “TODAY Show,” the “Ellen DeGeneres Show,” “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” the “Harry Connick Jr. Show,” “Rachael Ray,” “Dr. Oz,” “CNBC Squawk Box,” “ABC World News,” ESPN, CNBC, the NFL Network, Bravo, Fox Business and many more. Pearlman’s client list reads like a who’s who of politicians, professional athletes, A-list celebrities, and Fortune 500 companies. When he isn’t blowing the minds of audiences around the world, Pearlman is an avid marathon and ultra-marathon runner, having completed such grueling races as the Badwater 135 Miler, Hawaii Ironman World Championships, Western States 100 and Spartathlon. He takes great pride in his marathon personal record of two hours, 23 minutes, and he has won dozens of races throughout the country. In April 2022, Pearlman was featured on the cover of the “New York Times” for breaking the world record for most miles ever run around Central Park in a single day (116 miles) while raising over $100,000 for Save The Children’s Ukraine Relief Fund. Later that year he broke the record for the fastest-ever crossing of Long Island by foot, running from Montauk to Manhattan in 21 hours — on the hottest of the summer, no less. Oz Pearlman’s natural charisma and charm make him the perfect choice for corporate events and private parties alike. His unique blend of mind reading and mentalism create an interactive experience that redefines the very nature of a magic show — one that truly needs to be seen to be believed. JEREMY GUTSCHE Innovation for the future is the name of the game for featured speaker Innovator. Author. Futurist. Businessman. Disruptive thinker. These are only a few words that describe Jeremy Gutsche, this year’s featured speaker at the Truckload Carriers Association’s Annual Convention, slated for March 15-18 in Phoenix. When he’s not touring the globe as a futurist and sought-after innovation speaker, Gutsche is hard at work as the CEO of Trend Hunter, the world’s largest trend-spotting platform driven by artificial intelligence. Can you imagine the insight from a focus group made up of 100 million people? That’s the Trend Hunter AI platform. For the better part of a decade, Gutsche has delivered AI workshops, advisory services and thousands of trend reports based on the Trend Hunter platform. He’s been incorporating AI into his innovation since before almost anyone else, and he can show others how to do it too. With Gutsche at the helm, Trend Hunter has grown into a powerful innovation engine and global showcase for what’s next — attracting 3 billion views in the process. The site has been featured or cited in over 40,000 articles, and Gutsche is routinely sourced by the media, including The Economist, CNN, WIRED and The New York Times, to name a few. Gutsche has been described as “a new breed of trend spotter” by The Guardian, an “Oracle” by the Globe and Mail, an “intellectual can of Red Bull” by Association Week, and “the rockstar of keynote speakers” by Meetings Professional International. Since the release of his award-winning first book, “Exploiting Chaos,” Gutsche has become a world-class expert on innovating through times of uncertainty. His latest book, “Create the Future,” features a foreword by Malcolm Gladwell; the book won a 2021 Axiom Business Book Award in the category of business disruption and reinvention. In “Create the Future,” Gutsche teaches readers how to think disruptively and implement real change when it’s needed most. The handbook features strategies that have been employed in projects with the world’s most powerful brands. Gutsche’s talks regularly go viral, and his landmark innovation keynote has surpassed 10 million views, making it the most watched in history. Gutsche is also the author of New York Times bestseller “Better and Faster,” which shows how to grasp opportunities to lead through change, destroy complacency and realize the potential of individuals and teams. Insights from “Better and Faster” led to a workshop for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, helping the organization integrate AI, become “lean, agile, responsive and adaptive to change” … and one day get human beings to Mars. Gutsche is the winner of The Cisco Innovation Excellence Award and the BDC’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Before founding Trend Hunter, he was one of Capital One’s youngest business directors, where he grew a billion-dollar portfolio of market-leading products at the age of 28.

Top 5 legal issues facing trucking: New presidential administration could bring about changes in regulations

Linda Garner-Bunch - March 11, 2025

There’s no question that the landscape of trucking will change as Version 2.0 of the Trump administration takes shape in Washington. Many analysts believe hope is on the horizon following what could well be one of the longest-running economic downturns in the industry’s history. As the Truckload Carriers Association and other industry organizations continue to push for change in federal laws and regulations, trucking stakeholders hope for improvements in the legal arena. Recently we had a chance to visit with the team at Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary, P.C., about some of the top legal issues facing motor carriers today. Their Top 5 concerns, in no particular order, include the following: Accident Liability “The trucking industry continues to be in the grips of a relentless trend of excessive verdicts in accident liability cases,” said Prasad Sharma, a partner at Scopelitis. “A combination of aggressive plaintiffs’ attorneys’ tactics, impassioned juries and failure to keep out testimony and evidence that is more prejudicial than it is relevant to, or probative of, the cause of an accident has led to more frequent excessive or disproportionate verdicts,” he continued. According to Sharma, the increased frequency of such verdicts makes it riskier to try cases and, in turn, drives up settlement amounts. In addition, he says, plaintiffs’ attorneys may refer clients to medical providers for unnecessary — and overpriced — treatment following an accident. In addition, he notes, some attorneys resort to “anchoring” tactics — planting a number or formula for damages in the minds of the jury that is “divorced from any economic calculation.” “Carriers are facing a difficult legal environment that has translated to ever-increasing insurance costs,” he said. “Fortunately, the last couple of years have seen the trucking industry make progress in fighting back with civil justice reform measures that seek to bend the curve, and 2025 promises to be another active year for civil justice reform measures in state legislatures throughout the country,” he concluded. Independent Contractor Classification In recent years, the independent contractor (IC) business model has come under fire, both at the state and federal level. Many in trucking fear that a Biden-era ruling will effectively force companies to classify owner-operators as company employees. Greg Feary, a partner at Scopelitis, believes IC classification will remain a top issue in trucking this year. “We are likely to see the U.S. Department of Labor return to the more entrepreneur-centric view of owner-operators in trucking as compared to the Biden-era Independent Contractor Test rule under the Fair Labor Standards Act (aka the ‘Biden Rule’),” he said. The path back to the 2020 Trump rule is most likely through one of the five pending court challenges to the Biden Rule, which Feary says should face less opposition under the Trump Administration. “(However), we already see evidence of activity at the state level with California’s multiple portable benefits bills and Iowa’s transportation network company initiative,” he noted. “While these state law efforts are at the periphery of the trucking misclassification legal agenda, they signal that focus remains on the issue in the transportation space.” Feary points to President Donald Trump’s nomination of Lori Chavez-DeRemeer to lead the Department of Labor as a sign that the administration could take a more pro-union tack than during his first term. “Tension remains at both the state and federal level, albeit the threat of the proliferation of pro-employment ABC test at either level remains lower during this current legal environment,” he said. Potential FMCSA Regulatory Changes Changes at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and its agencies, including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), are also top of mind, says Chris Eckhart, a partner at Scopelitis. “The FMCSA could potentially issue proposed rulemakings or procedures on a number of important issues (this year),” he said, pointing to previously proposed changes to the agency’s Safety Measurement System used to identify carriers for safety interventions. Similarly, Eckhart says, the agency is considering changes to the safety fitness determination procedure. In addition, the FMCSA announced modifications to its crash preventability determination program that should start in 2025. Finally, he says, the FMCSA previously indicated it was considering implementing a formal appeal process for requests for data review (Data Qs). “Under the proposal, eligible Data Qs could be appealed to FMCSA if they ‘pertain to significant matters of legal interpretation or implementation of enforcement policies or regulations,’” Eckhart said, adding that it’s possible the FMCSA could finalize the appeals process in 2025. Drug and Alcohol Testing Issues Motor carriers could face legal challenges regarding drug and alcohol testing in 2025, particularly with the evolving landscape of state laws and federal regulations, Eckhart says. “One key issue is the interplay between state laws that prohibit adverse action against employees for off-duty marijuana use and the DOT Drug and Alcohol Regulations,” he said. “Although the DOT Drug and Alcohol Regulations prohibit any marijuana, they technically do not require motor carriers to terminate the driver’s employment if the driver completed a substance abuse program and the return-to duty-process.” Some carriers also drug test drivers who operate mid-size commercial motor vehicles. While these drivers aren’t subject to the DOT’s drug and alcohol regulations, under 49 C.F.R. Part 391, they can’t qualify physically if they test positive for marijuana. “Carriers who terminate non-CDL drivers for testing positive for marijuana may face legal challenges under state law,” Eckhart said. “The Department of Justice’s recent decision to reschedule marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act could further impact these issues.” Broker Issues According to Sharma, many motor carriers also maintain property broker operations — and as plaintiff’s attorneys continue to seek additional sources of money in accident cases, property brokers are all too frequently named in litigation. These claims are often under theories that the broker negligently hired or retained the carrier involved in the accident. There has been some success in defending such state law claims as being preempted under a federal deregulatory statute, 49 U.S.C. 14501(c) (also known as the FAAAA). The U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Seventh and Eleventh Circuits have found such claims preempted, he says. However, the Ninth Circuit found that they are not; such claims fall within a safety regulatory exception to preemption. “The Supreme Court has turned down the opportunity to resolve this difference in opinion, including just this past January,” Sharma said. “We will be watching the other Courts of Appeals to see how they decide this important issue and whether the Supreme Court will ultimately decide the issue.” In addition, he notes, to the chagrin of many brokers, the FMCSA has threatened to dive back into the pool of economic regulation with a proposed rule on broker transparency. The comment period for the proposal closed in late January. As it stands at the time of this writing, brokers are required to keep records of transactions that include the amount paid to the broker and the amount the broker pays the carrier. Both the shipper and the carrier have the right to review the records — but that right is often waived in the broker’s contracts. “The FMCSA has proposed making it a non-waivable regulatory obligation to disclose such information within 48 hours of a request by a carrier or a shipper,” Sharma said. “If FMCSA’s dive back into economic regulation is finalized, brokers will have to revisit their agreements to better protect their shipper clients’ confidential information.” This story appeared in the March/April 2025 edition of Truckload Authority, the official publication of the Truckload Carriers Association.

Elizabeth Nicholson looks forward to the future as TCA’s director of education

Dana Guthrie - March 7, 2025

Whether she’s scuba diving in the Galapagos Islands or creating a new educational program in her position as director of education for the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), Elizabeth Nicholson gives her whole heart into her endeavors. Nicholson says she had early aspirations of being a marine biologist. “I’ve always had a love for animals and nature,” she told Truckload Authority. I’m an avid scuba diver.” She hails from Tivoli, New York. “If you spell the city backwards, it spells ‘I lov(e) it,’ which is always a funny little tidbit,” she said with a laugh. In 1996, Nicholson moved to Virginia to work for an aviation association. After accepting a position at a different aviation association, Nicholson made a friend who would be instrumental in her path to the TCA. “Funnily enough, my first boss at the National Air Transportation Association was Diane Gleason,” she said, adding that Gleason is now TCA’s director of meetings — and the reason Nicholson made the move to the association. “I’ve known Diane for 25 years,” she said. “Coming here, it has been kind of a full circle.” Although the two don’t work together directly, Nicholson says she’s thrilled to work for the same company as her former boss. In her role at TCA, Nicholson creates new educational opportunities for members and works with associate members to provide content. She says she particularly enjoys working with TCA’s Veterans Resource Work Group. “We are working on a webpage for our members where they can grab resources to help them become more veteran-friendly,” Nicholson said. “It’s really important, and something that everyone can agree on.” Nicholson also thrives as a frontline support person for TCA members. “I really enjoy developing content and taking slideshow or a PDF document and turning it into an interactive educational piece that is interesting to our members,” Nicholson said. “I’ve always enjoyed the creativity of the job.” Nicholson has a number of passions in her life including her partner Joel and her two children, along with their beagle, Coco. Family is her top priority. “My dad lives just 4 miles from me; my mom passed away a couple years ago,” Nicholson said. “My family is No. 1 in my life. “I know so many people say that,” she continued. “To give you an idea of who I am … when people die, their tombstone doesn’t say ‘Greatest Employee Ever.’ It says, ‘Greatest Mom,’ Greatest Spouse,’ ‘Greatest Daughter’ or ‘Loving Daughter.’ “When you get older, you don’t ever look back and think, ‘I wish I’d gone to more meetings,’” she added. Nicholson lives by this code, and she takes every opportunity she can to explore the world. With an upcoming trip to Africa, Nicholson will be one step closer to visiting every continent — only Antarctica will remain on her checklist. “I strive for a good work/life balance,” she said. “I love to travel, and I do play golf and of course, I mean, I’m not great at it, but I do play. “I just got back from Bali, and I loved it! I also went to the Galapagos last year, and next year I’m going to Africa,” she continued. “This year I’m going to Canada to the Hockey Hall of Fame and some other places. I can just explore the local parks and driving around and just getting lost and finding new things and meeting new people.” As a memento of each place she visits, Nicholson has a collection of souvenir spoons, a tradition she says was started by her aunt. “I have probably a little over 200 of them on my dining room wall,” Nicholson said. “My aunt started when she would travel, and then I continued it as I traveled around the world.” Nicholson says she loves that her role TCA leaves her both professionally and personally fulfilled and still allows her to indulge her wanderlust. “I love the collaborative environment at the TCA,” Nicholson said, adding that she’s looking forward to growing in her role as director of education. “I can see my future here,” Nicholson said. “It’s exciting to pull together brand-new programs for our members,” she continued. “I have high hopes for these different programs. I plan to continue to grow our offerings, to improve what we already have and keep it going.” This story was published in the March/April 2025 edition of Truckload Authority magazine, the official publication of the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA).

First alternate: What’s the most viable replacement for traditional diesel fuel?

Bruce Guthrie - March 6, 2025

The long-term future of emission standards is still up in the air after President Donald Trump’s election to the Oval Office, but the trucking industry continues to work toward better efficiency and lower emissions. And while the emissions mandates that were looming over the entire vehicle industry have been stopped — at least for now — there’s no denying that viable, more eco-friendly alternatives are needed. While battery electric motors have been the primary focus of manufacturers and government agencies, renewable diesel, hydrogen and natural gas are also on the radar. With that in mind, it’s a great time to check out alternatives to traditional diesel fuel. ICE technology evolving Strides are being made in the field of internal combustion engines (ICEs) powered by alternative fuels. In an unveiling by Cummins executives in August 2024, the Cummins X15 engine was touted as a platform that would be a force for alternative fuels. The X15 series has three models — including one for advanced diesel, natural gas and hydrogen. The goal is to achieve peak performance over the long haul, which includes increased fuel economy, lower emissions and more time on the road. “I think a lot of what we are trying to do … is improve the overall CO2 performance of the engine, make the engine lighter,” said Tom Marsh, who serves as Cummins VPI leader for the X15. “Improve in all of those areas, but at the same time, maintain the robustness of the product, but also adopt the global platforms.” Field testing shows promising results In July 2024, Allison Transmission announced a partnership with Cummins to test and validate the new Cummins X15N 15-liter natural gas engine paired with the Allison 4000 Series fully automatic transmission. Sandman, a bulk-cement hauling fleet based in San Jose, California, successfully completed over 50,000 miles of vehicle testing in the field and reported significant improvements in fuel efficiency and performance. According to press reports, the test vehicle — a Peterbilt tractor equipped with the X15N engine and Allison 4000 series transmission — demonstrated “impressive” performance and productivity. Victor Landaverde, fleet manager for Sandman, describes the 50,000-mile field testing of the natural gas-powered tractors as “flawless,” noting that the company’s drivers haul 80,000-pound loads through stop-and-go traffic between San Jose and San Francisco multiple times each day. He also says the fleet of more than 100 trucks achieved “excellent” fuel efficiency. “As the industry continues to evaluate electric vehicle technology and works to overcome the hurdles facing this technology adoption, more customers are expected to adopt alternative fuel engines as a solution to meet increasing emissions stringencies,” Landaverde said. Alternative fuel infrastructure progresses Infrastructure for natural gas is also starting to emerge with Clean Energy as its leader. In 2024, Clean Energy Fuels Corp. announced a significant increase in its renewable natural gas (RNG) footprint as it opened two additional stations in San Bernadino and Perris, both in Southern California. “There’s a growing realization that the other much-hyped technologies aren’t living up to their promises of availability, fueling infrastructure or cost of ownership,” said Chad Lindholm, senior vice president at Clean Energy. “The RNG solution is here and now, providing fleets with incredible emissions reductions affordably.” Clean Energy manages more than 600 stations throughout the U.S. and Canada, 200 of which provide tractor-trailer access. In addition, travel stops — including Loves, Travel Centers of America, Pilot and others — are working to integrate alternative fuels into their sites. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), hydrogen, when used in a fuel cell to provide electricity, is a zero tailpipe emissions alternative fuel produced from diverse energy sources. Currently, drivers of light-duty fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) can fuel up at retail stations in less than five minutes and obtain a driving range of more than 300 miles. Research and commercial efforts are under way to expand the limited hydrogen fueling infrastructure and increase the production of FCEVs in the freight industry. While battery-electric fuel cells may be the future of freight, that future is not now, say most stakeholders in the trucking industry. The tried-and-true ICE remains king, and innovations in fuel and engine production are making it more eco-friendly as well. This story was published in the March/April 2025 edition of Truckload Authority magazine, the official publication of the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA).

Poised for recovery: Mergers & acquisitions on pace for normalization in 2025

Kris Rutherford - March 6, 2025

The freight recession that gripped the transportation and logistics (T&L) industry for the past 32 months is fading, and analysts in the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) sector are focusing on one word in 2025: Normalization. According to the M&A experts at Tenney Group, the market appeared to loosen in late 2024. During a recent webinar hosted by the Truckload Carriers Association, attendees were cautioned that freight recovery is not complete. The process is ongoing and slower than many analysts anticipated. The good news Early 2025 trends are promising, and a positive trajectory is evident. “I think (recovery) is still yet to be determined fully,” said Beau McGinnis, a senior associate at Tenney Group. “But from a freight perspective, a rate perspective and an M&A perspective, things are trending in the right direction.” A lot of deals made headlines during 2024 the year; however, most of those M&As occurred in the second half of the year following a sluggish start, and much of the activity focused on diversification. “When a company’s trying to diversify their service offerings and get into a new sector … it helps to have clear evidence the company is differentiated,” said Spencer Tenney, CEO and President at Tenney Group. The freight recession has had a major impact on the trucking industry over the past year, as have interest rates and record inflation. In addition, the residual effects of what analysts refer to as “traumatic activity” had a profound influence in the M&A sector during 2024. However, that began to change in the second half of the year. The profit/loss factor One of the major barriers to finalizing deals earlier in 2024 was the profit and loss (P&L) margin. While P&L was on course for stabilization, it had to reach the point buyers and sellers aligned on valuation and structure. “Sellers and buyers self-elected out of the M&A process until conditions began to normalize,” Tenney said. The point is evident in data indicating M&A activity of $39 billion in the first half of 2024 as compared to nearly $52 billion in the second half, McGinnis noted. As profit and loss normalized, company earnings strengthened, leading to higher deal enterprise values and volume increase. Elevated operating expenses also impacted 2024 trends. For instance, the cost of non-production staff positions increased over 2023. These and other expense categories made comfort among buyers and sellers rare. “There’s a direct correlation to rising operational costs and new buyers getting into the game using acquisitions as a way to expand their growth playbook,” Tenney said, adding that a “new formula” is needed to create profits. Companies that specialized or fit into a specific niche fared better than traditional OTR carriers when it came to M&A. These firms survived the volatility of the freight market and were better positioned for involvement in acquisitions. General OTR carriers were not excluded from the M&A process, but they didn’t fare as well as those offering specialization. “There’s a difference between being specialized (just) to be specialized and being specialized to present value-added services for customers in the marketplace for other companies,” McGinnis said. M&A outlook for 2025 So, what does all this mean for M&A activity in 2025? Once again, the industry is looking forward to “normalization.” Promising trends from 2024 are expected to carry over to the current year. However, there’s still call for caution in the M&A sector this year. First, analysts caution about the new presidential administration and the costs of change. Overoptimism is a concern. “I think it’s positive knowing where we stand from a political standpoint,” Tenney said. “Most people think there will be a favorable political and regulatory environment. There will be specific losers, but most (carriers) will probably perform pretty well and be insulated.” Another concern focuses on smaller carriers whose business is tied up in assets. Many of these companies hope to ride positive movements brought on by the new administration with hopes they will advance or enhance a future exit from the industry. If too many of these types of operations double down on expectations, there will be losers. For those seeking acquisitions, losers will be converted to a positive return. Expect a volume spike Analysts expect 2025 market conditions to drive a volume spike. McGinnis says he doesn’t believe conditions have to get considerably better on the freight market because everything else is leveling out. “We don’t need perfect conditions; we just need stable conditions. That’s what we have right now,” he said. “We can move forward with the understanding that we have, and buyers and sellers can align on deal activity.” This “rush of inventory” will be accompanied by an anticipated increase in freight volume, something that will further encourage M&A activity. With improved M&A conditions, financial buyers — those who are not in the T&L business — may enter the fray when they see opportunities to diversify. McGinnis notes that interest from private equity and other financial buyers has been substantial of late. However, it’s important to note that 80% of interest in M&A comes from buyers purchasing strategically within the existing space. This statistic is a positive one for those considering an exit from the T&L sector. Innovation and “deal fatigue” will also impact the sector in 2025. The progression of innovation in the industry is going to allow some firms to be more successful than others, and for those who want to exit, deal fatigue is often an issue. When combining the costs of nuclear verdicts, cargo theft and fraud, smaller carriers are going to want to leave the industry and stand ready to be acquired following a three-year recession when selling out didn’t seem possible. Finally, both McGinnis and Tenney agree that 2025 will bring some big winners on the M&A front. “One thing I have taken away from the last year is that trends that started in 2024 will continue in 2025, particularly in terms of specific sub-verticals within the industry,” McGinnis said, referring to the specialized market. “We are poised to have a lot of activity.” This story was published in the March/April 2025 edition of Truckload Authority magazine, the official publication of the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA).

2025 freight outlook: Slow economic growth expected, but hazards remain

Cliff Abbott - February 28, 2025

The U.S. economy remained strong into the first quarter of 2025, but most economists are predicting growth to slow for the remainder of the year and through 2026. However, opinions vary regarding the new administration in Washington: It may enact policies that could either dampen growth in the Real Gross Domestic Product (RGDP) or spur further growth, depending on the information source. Even U.S. government agencies disagree on predictions, with the Congressional Budget Office forecasting RGDP growth of 1.9% by the end of 2025 and the Federal Reserve Board predicting 2.1%. In contrast, Deloitte calls for 2.4%, Goldman Sachs forecasts 2.5% and the International Monetary Fund anticipates 2.7%. All of these sources predict further slowing in 2026. Inflation is still a key concern for the Federal Reserve, which made its third cut of 2024 to the federal funds rate in December. The interest rate range is now 4.25% to 4.5%. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), which sets the rates, is expected to consider another adjustment in March. What about trucking? Whether anticipated economic growth will translate to more freight — or higher rates — for the trucking industry is even harder to predict. Analysts at ACT Research predict modest growth in freight demand for 2025, at a pace of 1.8% over 2024 levels. In a January 9 webinar, analysts at FTR Transportation Intelligence forecast similar growth. Jason Miller, professor of Supply Chain Management at Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business, is concerned about manufacturing startups. In a recent LinkedIn posting, Miller noted that the number of new manufacturing plants opening in the U.S. has declined; in 1988 there were more than 30,000, and in 2022 that number dropped to about 15,000. “There is little reason to think we will see a huge increase in manufacturing plants over the next few years,” Miller wrote. “Despite all the talk of reshoring over the last decade, we haven’t seen new plant openings get back to pre-GFC (Global Financial Crisis of 2007-2008) levels, let alone 1990s levels.” An increased demand for shipping would serve to push freight rates higher, but it doesn’t appear that demand will come from increased manufacturing. The other side of the supply-demand equation is capacity — and that side is problematic too. U.S. sales of new Class 8 trucks remained strong in December 2024, despite declining from the previous December. Throughout North America, more than 22,000 trucks were bought, and another 36,800 were ordered, according to ACT Research. The number of carriers has been shrinking. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has reported more authority revocations than new carrier registrations for most of the past two years. That number is nearing equilibrium. Both contract and spot rates are beginning to see upward movement, but weak manufacturing numbers combined with strong truck sales create a considerable headwind. Carriers should see some rate relief this year, but it will be a slow process. Impact of a new administration If there’s good news for the coming year, it’s in the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA’s) Short-Term Energy Outlook. The agency expects global oil production to grow faster than demand, increasing stocks. The agency forecasts U.S. crude oil production to grow to a new record of 13.5 million barrels per day, with prices for both diesel fuel and gasoline dropping. These EIA predictions were compiled prior to President Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20. Part of Trump’s campaign platform was to increase production and achieve energy independence, and he signed executive orders that open up drilling and fracking within hours of his inauguration. Those actions won’t increase production immediately, but the news can impact market prices. Another Trump promise, to impose tariffs on U.S. trading partners, has the potential to severely disrupt the trucking industry if enacted. Threatened tariffs increases on Canada and Mexico could curtail trade, especially if those countries enact retaliatory measures. The supply of trucks, as well as their pricing, could also be impacted. All of the major Class 8 manufacturers have manufacturing facilities in Mexico, with the Volvo plant in Monterrey not yet completed. Since the OEMs sell in Canada, Mexico and South America, production for most might be shifted to ensure that trucks sold in the U.S. are manufactured here — but changes to production could add cost and delay delivery, even if tariffs are avoided. The tariffs could also impact products hauled by trucking. According to a Brookings article by Douglas A. Rediker published in December, “The consequences of Trump’s tariff threats,” the auto industry would be severely impacted. Tariffs would violate the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), Rediker wrote, and greatly increase vehicle prices. “Each vehicle produced under the USMCA framework crosses the border an average of eight times during production, meaning the tariffs would be compounded at each stage,” Rediker wrote. Truck parts manufactured in China would also become more expensive, pushing up the price of new trucks and aftermarket parts for repairs. Another possible consequence of tariffs is a trade war, which would deny products to American consumers as well as decrease import freight volumes. “If we have tit-for-tat retaliation, whether it’s 25% tariff (or) 60% and we go to where we were in the 1930s, we’re going to see double-digit global GDP losses. That’s catastrophic. Everyone will pay,” Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director general of the World Trade Organization, said during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Some of Trump’s threatened tariffs that were to have gone into effect in February were temporarily placed on hold, with both Mexico and Canada taking steps to improve border security and reviewing trade agreements. However, on February 24, Trump announced plans to forge ahead with enacting tariffs against these nations in March. Other Trump actions, such as deporting illegal immigrants, halting incentives for electric vehicles and prohibiting leases for windmill farms are among those that could impact freight markets. Most of the trucking industry was looking forward to an improving freight market in 2025. Unfortunately, with all of the factors in play, the road to recovery could well be bumpy.

The voice of truckload: TCA looks ahead to legislative goals under Trump 2.0

Dwain Hebda - February 27, 2025

The return of former President Donald Trump to office in January touched off a flurry of executive orders on everything from government spending to the military to securing the U.S. southern border. Recently we had a chance to visit with David Heller, senior vice president of safety and government affairs for the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) about what Trump’s second term in the White House could mean for trucking. While Trump’s actions so far, at least at the time of this writing, are not directly aimed at the freight industry, Heller says he looks forward to a good working relationship with the White House — and Congress in general — over the next four years. ‘A friend to trucking’ The previous Trump administration was often viewed as favorable toward the industry. “It’s no surprise that President Trump is friendly to trucking. He understands the business, and he’s involved in the business,” Heller said. “Quite frankly, his personal business outside of being president of the United States has relied on trucking for all of its existence, just as any business in this country does. “Judging by his presence in his last administration, I think we can expect an ear,” he continued. “That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be a good ear or a bad ear, but he has control over the House, and he has control of the Senate through the Republican Party.” Even though most of the executive orders signed during Trump’s first couple of weeks in the Oval Office don’t specifically address the priorities of the trucking industry, Heller believes some do apply to trucking by extension. The meatier issues that will directly affect trucking will likely come later, he says. “I think you’ll see it as a ‘next wave,’” he said of the trucking industry’s legislative agenda. “When you start looking at some of the infrastructure aspects of what President Trump has signed, there have been side impacts.” Environmental issues One executive order that will ultimately benefit trucking is Trump’s cancellation of environmental mandates requiring vehicle manufacturers to phase out the use of diesel engines for electric motors in both passenger and commercial vehicles, Heller noted. “We, as an industry, were faced with rules coming out of the Environmental Protection Agency that we had to start adopting electric vehicles for our fleets by as soon as 2030,” he said. That short of a timeline is unrealistic, according to Heller. “Right now, the equipment just doesn’t work for us. It doesn’t hold water to its diesel-powered counterpart,” he said. “How are we supposed to effectively deliver freight productively in a manner which we do today with equipment that doesn’t work as well as the equipment that we’re using? “I think everybody wants to improve upon the environment, but we have to do so in a way in which we can accomplish it, not ways that are pipe dreams and unicorns,” he continued. “Let’s really have some common-sense discussions on what really makes the most sense for our industry so that we can keep America in toilet paper.” Infrastructure improvements As for other industry priorities, Heller says that continuing the work on the nation’s infrastructure is of primary importance. Over the four years of the Biden administration, $1.2 trillion was spent on the effort. While this was a good start, Heller says, the work must continue. “Not enough has been done,” he said. “For instance, the one thing that was left out of the last infrastructure bill was truck parking.” The availability of safe, secure parking for commercial drivers has long been near the top of most lists of trucking industry issues for years. “We as an industry desperately need more spaces for our drivers to park while they’re out on the roads, specifically in the truckload segment of the industry,” Heller said. “This is not a secret,” he said. “The fact that there is one parking spot for every 11 trucks on the road today shows a tremendous need. These drivers should have an adequate amount of safe, secure places to park their vehicles so that they can get the rest that they need as required by hours-of-service regulations.” The Biden administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is set to expire in September 2026. “That means it’s going to be within this Congress’ purview to start laying the groundwork for what the next infrastructure bill,” Heller noted. Rolling back regulations Heller views Trump’s continued rollback of regulations as a good sign of things to come that will help American industry in general — and the trucking industry specifically. “We can’t forget the regulatory ‘noise’ the Trump administration is going be responsible for overseeing, things like speed limiters, automatic emergency braking,” he said. “These are issues that are kind of hanging, waiting to see what comes down the pike. “At the very least, we want to see what could effectively come in on the future of rulemaking on the testing of autonomous vehicles,” he continued. In effect, Heller says, the previous Trump administration removed the regulatory burden of two regulations for every one issued — a trend he expects will continue in version 2.0 of the Trump administration. “Certainly not all regulations are bad,” he said. “There are some good and needed regulations out there. But our expectation is that (the administration) will indeed take up the mantle on some of these things.” Protecting the independent contractor model Heller also expects the federal government to become more involved with protecting the process by which many Americans enter the trucking industry — a proposition that has become more complicated as various state laws call into question the definition of independent contractors. Certain laws in states like California, as well as rules and regulations that came from the Department of Labor during the Biden administration effectively instituted an economic realities test for determining whether an independent contractor is an independent contractor or not. “We expect the president to support that American Dream of becoming your own business owner. That’s what the (independent contractor) business model represents. It’s been around for as long as trucking has,” Heller said. “Most of your major truckload carriers that operate today were founded based on that independent contractor business model: Go buy one truck, start hauling freight and grow your fleet from that point,” he noted. “That’s ‘Business 101,’ and we certainly expect the president to ease that burden in bringing the independent contractor model back into the fold.” No matter what Trump 2.0 brings to the table, TCA will continue to be the “voice of truckload” on Capitol Hill, working to ensure the success of its members and the trucking industry as a whole. This story was published in the March/April 2025 edition of Truckload Authority magazine, the official publication of the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA).

TCA Scholarship applications are now open through March 21

Dana Guthrie - February 6, 2025

The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) TCA Scholarship Fund application period is officially open and will run through March 21. “The lasting success of TCA’s scholarship program, coupled with the generous support from donors and their dedication to giving back, highlights an additional benefit of TCA membership,” said Joey Hogan, board member at Covenant Logistics and chairman of the TCA Scholarship Committee. “We are truly grateful to the donors, and the inclusion of Junior Colleges in the program emphasizes the vital role trades play in our industry. I encourage all TCA members to share this scholarship opportunity with their employees as we look forward to another successful year.” Two and Four Year Scholarships Available The program will again accept applicants from full-time students attending accredited two-year programs at junior colleges as well as four-year accredited colleges. Scholarship monies will be awarded for 2025-2026 academic year. “This scholarship program is such a great TCA member benefit, and I encourage all TCA members, carriers and associates, to engage here and get your employees excited about this opportunity,” said Zander Gambill, TCA vice president of membership and outreach. Legacy of Learning For nearly 50 years, the TCA Scholarship Fund has been helping students with connections to the truckload industry. The Fund awards up to $6,250 per year, per full-time four-year college student and then up to $2,000 per full-time two-year college student. In the current 2024-2025 academic year, the TCA Scholarship Fund’s Board of Trustees awarded 60 students scholarships totaling overing $168,000. “Much of the program’s support comes from within the truckload TCA family—companies and individuals who are committed to our truckload community’s future,” the TCA said in a press release. “Any student in good standing (minimum grade point average of 3.0) who will be attending an accredited, four-year or two-year college or university as a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior, and who is either the child, grandchild, or spouse of an employee or is an employee of a TCA member company or is the child, grandchild, or spouse of an independent contractor or an independent contractor affiliated with a TCA member company is encouraged to apply.” More information and the application are located at this link: TCA Scholarship Fund — OFIC. Please reach out to OFIC directly at [email protected] with any inquiries on the application process.

TCA reveals division winners for annual TCA Fleet Safety Awards competition

Dana Guthrie - January 17, 2025

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), along with presenting sponsors Great West Casualty Company and Assured Partners, have unveiled the 18 division winners in the 49th Annual TCA Fleet Safety Awards competition. “Every year, these submissions and ratios are growing tighter and tighter as a testament to the programs and technology that motor carriers are using to improve upon their safety performance,” said Dave Heller, TCA’s senior vice president of safety and government affairs. “Involvement in TCA and other industry associations have demonstrated and proven the very notion that there are no secrets in safety and our industry’s fundamental goal of eliminating fleets vehicle accidents and fatalities on our roadways is an objective that we are ultimately striving for. I congratulate these 18 motor carriers that have led the way this year and the tireless efforts of every motor carrier in our industry that constantly strive to improve upon their operations by continuously placing safety first.” Safety at its Best The yearly awards recognize truckload carriers that exhibit an exceptional dedication to safety by achieving the lowest accident frequency ratios per million miles within six mileage-based divisions. The 18 division winners are now invited to compete for one of two grand prizes – one for carriers with a total annual mileage of less than 25 million miles, and the other for carriers with mileage greater than 25 million miles. Grand prize winners will be announced at Truckload 2025 in Phoenix, AZ – TCA’s 2025 Annual Convention – set for March 15-18 at the Phoenix Convention Center. All winners will also receive recognition at TCA’s 2025 Safety & Security Meeting on June 8-10 in Louisville, KY. 2024 TCA Fleet Safety Award Division Winners Division I Winners (less than 5 million miles) 1st Place Liberty Linehaul West, Inc. – Montebello, Calif. 2nd Place Meyers Brothers Trucking – Pioneer, Ohio 3rd Place Next Logistics – Marshfield, Wis. Division II Winners (5-14.99 million miles) 1st Place Stallion Transportation Group – Beebe, Ark, 2nd Place B.R. Williams Trucking – Oxford, Ala. 3rd Place Transpro Freight Systems – Milton, ON, CA Division III Winners (15-24.99 million miles) 1st Place Unlimited Carrier Inc. – Bolingbrook, Ill. 2nd Place Loblaw Transport, Inc. – Calgary, AB 3rd Place Lion Force Transport Inc. – Brampton, ON Division IV Winners 25-49.99 million miles) 1st Place Erb Transport Ltd – New Hamburg, ON 2nd Place Johnson Feed Inc. – Canton, S.D. 3rd Place Trans-West Logistics – Lachine, QC Division V Winners (50-99.99 million miles) 1st Place Challenger Motor Freight Inc.- Cambridge, ON 2nd Place Nussbaum Transportation – Hudson, Ill. 3rd Place Decker Truck Line Inc. – Fort Dodge, Iowa Division VI Winners (100 million or more miles) 1st Place Bison Transport – Winnipeg, MB 2nd Place CFI -Joplin, Mo. 3rd Place Prime Inc. – Springfield, Mo. For more information about TCA’s Fleet Safety Awards, including eligibility requirements and rules, visit the Fleet Safety Awards page.

TCA Highway Angels: Providing shelter and saving lives in the midst of a storm

Linda Garner-Bunch - January 15, 2025

On Thursday, September 26, 2024, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 4 storm. It was the first storm of such magnitude to strike the region since recordkeeping began in 1851. But the storm went on to make even bigger history as it cut a swath of destruction from the Gulf Coast up through Atlanta and into the Western Carolinas, Eastern Tennessee and even further. The devastation was horrifying, and hundreds of people lost their lives across six states. Through it all, the nation’s truck drivers “kept on truckin’,” working to protect themselves and their families and to provide life-saving supplies. Countless drivers stepped up to provide food and shelter for others caught in the storm. Some of those drivers have already been honored as TCA Highway Angels, including Andrew Inlow, George Maxwell and Michael Dorsey. Here are their stories. ANDREW INLOW Maverick Transportation, North Little Rock, Arkansas On September 27, Andrew Inlow was one of several truckers parked at the TA travel center in Chandler, North Carolina, just outside Asheville. Inlow lives in Booneville, Mississippi, and drives for Maverick Transportation. The entire region had been severely impacted by Hurricane Helene. Roads were shut down because of flooding and damage, and residents and travelers alike were stranded with no cell service or electricity. Stores were shut down, and food was scarce. The drivers went into action. “We had a driver who was delivering hamburgers to restaurants in the area, so he actually opened up his unit and pulled out a box of hamburgers and started cooking for all the truck drivers,” Inlow said. The next day, Inlow drove a group of truckers into Asheville in search of food. When they arrived, they decided to buy another grill and start handing out food to members of the community. “The food’s gonna go bad anyway, so that kind of kicked everything into motion,” Inlow said. Drivers went to a nearby motel and went door to door, knocking and asking guests if they needed food. One of the guests, Dianna Sains, was helping her son, daughter-in-law and young grandchildren move across the country. The entire group was stranded at the motel with no electricity. “They had no food and no real water for almost three days,” Inman said. After hearing about the drivers’ kindness, Sains traveled to the Chandler TA and connected with Inlow, who made sure her family was taken care of. “She got all excited because these big scary truck drivers were trying to give away food,” he said. Inlow also bought chips, snacks and drinks from the TA for the others, spending about $1,000 of his own money. In all, he thinks he and the other truckers fed about 150 stranded people over the four and a half days they were in the Asheville area. “I hardly ate,” Inlow said. “I actually had drivers that I had become friends with who forced me to eat because my mind was on everybody else.” Without the help of Inlow and the truck drivers that also volunteered time and resources, this small community would have felt the impact more significantly in those initial hours and days. “I always tried to stay on the positive side, because there’s no reason to be negative and cause anybody to be negative,” Inlow said. “I just did what anybody else should do.” GEORGE MAXWELL TransAm Trucking Inc., Olathe, Kansas George Maxwell of Tampa, Florida, earned TCA Highway Angel wings after rescuing a couple in the midst of Hurricane Helene. Maxwell drives for TransAm Trucking Inc. At about 3 a.m. on October 10, as Hurricane Helene approached, Maxwell decided to drive his pickup truck to the lot in Plant City, Florida, where his tractor was parked. He planned to move his rig to higher ground before the floodwaters hit. His journey soon took an unexpected turn. Conditions were worsening as he arrived at the lot and headed toward his semi. “I’m in the (pickup) truck,” Maxwell said. “I’m watching the water come up higher, and it’s getting bad.” As the water levels began to surge, Maxwell quickly realized he had no time to save his personal vehicle. Without hesitation, he abandoned the vehicle and focused on getting his tractor to safety. As he was preparing to leave the lot, Maxwell noticed something alarming. The owners of the truck parking lot were trapped in their nearby home, surrounded by rapidly rising floodwater. “They said they thought they were safe there — but it’s not safe,” he said, noting that at this point, the water was chest-deep. “The rain was pouring nonstop, and the wind was blowing like 100 mph.” Wading through the dangerous waters, Maxwell made his way to the house, where the couple were fighting to stay safe. He led them back to his semi, providing shelter and transportation, and then drove them to higher ground, ensuring their safety. Thanks to Maxwell’s quick thinking and fearless actions, the couple was saved from what could have been a catastrophic situation. Maxwell’s personal vehicle was not so lucky. “It’s totally gone,” he said regarding his pickup, which was ruined in the flood. Looking back, he says he knows he did the right thing by moving the couple, the semi and himself away from the flood waters. “I would do it again,” he said. “I just did what I’d hope anyone would do for me.” MICHAEL DORSEY Mercer Transportation, Louisville, Kentucky At about 10 a.m. on September 26, Michael Dorsey was at an industrial park in Erwin, Tennessee, loading his flatbed trailer with piping, when he was told that floodwaters were rapidly approaching. Dorsey, a resident of Porter, Texas, drives for Mercer Transportation. The town of Erwin was hit by flooding that devastated the region after Hurricane Helene made landfall, unleashing historic levels of rain. The industrial park is just a few hundred feet from the Nolichucky River, which swelled with a rush of water comparable to nearly twice what cascades over Niagara Falls, according to USA Today. As Dorsey finished loading up his flatbed, water was rising. A group of 10 people from a neighboring business approached Dorsey and asked if they could climb atop his truck to find refuge from the flood. “I said, ‘Sure!’ So, I let everybody get on my trailer,” Dorsey said, adding that he also offered shelter to a frightened woman he calls “Miss Bertha,” allowing her to sit in his truck. “She sat in the cab with me, and like 15 or 20 minutes later, we were overrun by water,” Dorsey said. “It flipped my truck. I ended up having to lift her out of my truck.” As the water rose quickly, Dorsey and another man helped get Miss Bertha onto the flatbed trailer with the others. The floodwaters were so strong that they separated the trailer from the truck and carried the 12 terrified hangers-on downstream. At one point, the trailer capsized, and Dorsey and the others floated in the water hanging onto the materials that had previously been strapped to the flatbed. Just before the trailer capsized, Dorsey says, he was struck in the head by debris and lost consciousness. “When I fell in the water, I guess it was so cold that it brought me back,” he said. Dorsey and others rode the current until they were able to grab a bush in the flood and hang on. Eventually, a few members of the group were rescued by emergency personnel. Of the dozen people attempting to ride out the flood on his trailer, Dorsey, only six survived. Miss Bertha’s body has not been found, he noted sadly. “The most terrifying part was just watching the water come, rise as we were just sitting, not knowing what to expect,” he said. Dorsey, a former Marine, says he lost everything in the flood. In addition, he struggles with pain in his head, neck and numbness in his legs and feet. “I can hardly sleep because I keep thinking about Miss Bertha and all of the people that died,” Dorsey said. “If I wouldn’t have been there, those people that survived wouldn’t have made it — it would have been impossible. God had me there for a reason.”

Avoid the big ‘oops’: A proactive safety culture can protect your company in case of a major accident

Kris Rutherford - January 13, 2025

If you operate a commercial trucking company, you’ve been there — getting that call from a driver or law enforcement agency alerting you to a big “oops!” No matter how seasoned your driving force is, there comes a time when an accident occurs. This is why safety is the No. 1 concern in the trucking industry. Accidents are a major expense — and not just in terms of insurance premiums. Accidents cost property damage, bodily injury and even lives. A proactive approach to safety and accident mitigation is the best way to stay ahead in what is much more than a game. This requires carriers to consider their comprehensive accident response — and it’s what insurers look for when they consider your premiums and make decisions about underwriting your company. Primary concerns for insurers According to Sarah Goodwin of the Marsh McLennan Agency, when considering a motor carrier and its claims, insurers are concerned about three primary factors — claims uncertainty, auto claim settlements, and market appetite and capacity. “Claims uncertainty is simply that claims continue to grow more complex in nature and cost more to resolve,” she said. “In other words, it’s difficult to predict the outcome and the cost of claims.” This factor alone makes insurance underwriting a complicated process. Add to that auto claim settlements that are notoriously high due to “creative plaintiff attorneys” and a market in which insurance companies are more selective and limiting in how much exposure they want to insure, and you have a situation that creates a volatility in the insurer-carrier relationship. The good news? This volatility can be reduced when a carrier employs an accident response system that emphasizes documentation. “You should never get a call from your insurance company saying, ‘Hey, this third party called in and said there was an incident,’” Goodwin said. “You should be reporting any and all incidents to your agent or broker, and your drivers should do the same.” Note that she said ALL incidents — not just the big ones. After all, being proactive means taking hold of the situation before it takes hold of you. Accidents don’t happen on a schedule. Circumstances always vary, and each driver will react to a given situation differently. A driver’s ability to obtain the type of documentation both you and your insurance company need will also vary. The K.I.S.S. principle While training is important, all the training in the world isn’t going to prepare a driver for an unknown event bringing an unknown set of circumstances. This is where the K.I.S.S. (“keep it simple, silly”) principle can be your greatest ally in determining what information is most important in a given situation, according to the experts at the Marsh McLennan Agency. For carriers, a primary part of the accident response process is to provide drivers with the tools they need BEFORE an accident occurs. Each truck in your fleet should be equipped with an accident response kit. The most important part of this kit is a checklist of what information and paperwork is needed to accurately document and report the accident. Keep in mind that the details a driver might remember clearly immediately after the accident will begin to fade and shift as days pass. A carrier needs to ensure their personnel are skilled in analyzing both types of reports. Set up an accident hotline Post-accident response from a carrier standpoint should emphasize 24/7 coverage of an accident hotline. Someone should always be available to take a call from a driver who needs to report an incident. It’s also important that the person answering the hotline is trained to handle drivers when they’re caught in stressful situations. A driver’s frame of mind following a property damage accident is going to be far different from one involving a bodily injury — or even worse, a fatality. Some counseling instincts are necessary if the person answering the driver’s call is going to handle diverse circumstances. Accident response kit An accident response kit should be designed to streamline the documentation process for the driver and to help them accurately record what happened. Typically, this is presented as an accident response form, often a two-sided document. On the front of the form you should provide a clear list of the do’s and don’ts all drivers need to follow in the event of an accident. Before you start on that list, keep this in mind: The list should always start with reassurance. Make sure the first thing your driver realizes is that you are concerned about them and that you care for their physical and emotional well-being. Following those words of encouragement, provide a set of tips. Despite training, don’t expect your drivers to have these tips memorized. Again, the stress of the circumstances will tax both nerves and memories. Tips for drivers in the event of an accident include: Get a photo of the accident scene from the driver’s seat, especially if no vehicle has been moved. Check on the well-being of other people involved in the accident. DO NOT render medical aid unless you are certified to do so. Call 911 and provide the exact location of an accident and information regarding property damage or injuries. DO NOT take responsibility for the accident. In fact, avoid apologizing and even talking to others involved about what happened. Limit information to comments such as “EMS is on its way.” Call accident response support, and expect someone to answer the phone with a checklist of questions you may have to answer. Secure the scene. With the tools at your disposal, put on your hi-resolution vest, place flares or triangles, and await first responders outside your vehicle (if it’s if safe to do so). DO NOT speak to anyone about the accident other than your company representative and law enforcement officials. Once law enforcement clears the scene, obtain paperwork. Do not leave the scene until you are advised to do so by the authorities. Before leaving the scene, send all documentation to the accident response staff member with whom you have been communicating. Await further instructions. On-scene photos An important part of the documentation process is photographs. Every accident response kit should include a disposable camera a driver can use to take photographs of all angles of the scene, just in case the driver’s smartphone is lost or damaged in the accident. Instruct drivers to take photos from each corner of the accident site, as well as both sides, a front and a rear view, at minimum. This is a total of eight photographs per accident. Do not ignore obtaining photos at all angles just because only one side of your vehicle was involved. Both your insurance company and your staff will need copies of everything the driver prepares at the scene — and all drivers should be ready for follow-up discussions soon after the accident occurs. If your trucks are equipped with forward-facing cameras (if they’re not, it’s time to seriously consider making the investment), any footage preceding and during the incident can be of great value to law enforcement and your insurer. This footage can often clear a driver who was not at fault. In any event, don’t wait too long to complete documentation about any accident. Being proactive is the key to accident mitigation and showing due diligence is something your carrier will look toward when considering how to respond to the individual accident as well as set premiums for your carrier in the future.

Jim Ward: Happy New Year from TCA

Truckload Authority Staff - January 10, 2025

A message from Truckload Carriers Association President Jim Ward The holiday season reminds us of the importance of gratitude, collaboration and a shared commitment to driving our industry forward. One of the highlights of this season was the Annual Wreaths Across America Driver Appreciation Dinner, held on December 13 in Arlington, Virginia. This special evening brought together volunteers, professional drivers and industry partners to honor the men and women who dedicate their time and resources to delivering wreaths for the annual wreath-laying ceremony. TCA and longtime partner Pilot Flying J were honored to present the drivers delivering wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery with a commemorative challenge coin. The event was a poignant reminder of our industry’s dedication to honoring those who have served. As we look to the new year, I’m excited to spotlight the first-ever TCA Profitability Program (TPP) Best Practices Summit, taking place on January 22, 2025, at the McLeod Software Headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama. This one-day meeting will provide carriers with actionable insights to enhance profitability, streamline operations and strengthen workforce management. It’s an unparalleled opportunity to learn from industry leaders and peers who share a commitment to excellence. I encourage all members to join us for this transformative event, which promises to set the tone for a successful 2025. This season also brought us the magic of the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree’s journey all the way from Alaska’s Tongass National Forest to Washington, D.C. TCA was honored to host a community Whistle Stop event in Hagerstown, Maryland, and we were especially excited by the amazing community turnout and recognition for the veteran drivers hauling the tree. We were happy to have FMCSA Deputy Administrator Vinn White speak at the event and celebrate our industry’s contributions while promoting road safety. As we venture into 2025, we also look ahead with great anticipation to our TCA Annual Convention in Phoenix that’s set for March 15-18. This must-attend event promises to bring together the best in our industry, offering unparalleled opportunities to network, learn and celebrate our shared successes. From dynamic speakers to engaging discussions, the annual convention is where ideas take root and grow into actions that shape the future of trucking. As we close out the year and embark on a new one, I want to express my deepest gratitude to TCA’s members. Your hard work, dedication and unwavering commitment to advancing our industry inspire everything we do at TCA. Together, we have achieved so much in 2024, and I am confident that 2025 will bring even greater opportunities. May this holiday season bring you joy, peace and time to reflect on the accomplishments we’ve shared. Here’s to a bright and prosperous new year for our TCA community.

TCA outlines top industry issues to address with new administration, upcoming Congress

Linda Garner-Bunch - January 8, 2025

With the swearing in of Donald Trump as President of the U.S. scheduled for January 20, the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) plans to continue to advance the priorities of the truckload industry with a new administration. In a November 15 press release, TCA issued this statement: “The Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) congratulates President-elect Donald J. Trump on his election victory. We look forward to collaborating with his administration and the upcoming Congress. Together, we aim to advance the critical priorities of our truckload membership, which are essential to keeping America moving. “With a commitment to promoting a balanced regulatory and legislative framework, TCA will continue to advocate for policies that support a sustainable and robust trucking industry. As the new administration and Congress begin their terms, TCA is dedicated to fostering collaboration and driving solutions that strengthen the industry’s ability to deliver essential goods, enhance safety, and contribute to economic growth. “TCA looks forward to working with policymakers to address these pressing issues and advance legislation that empowers our members to keep America moving forward.” Following are the association’s top legislative issues, along with predictions about what the future might hold under a new administration. Independent Contractor Status In January 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor officially announced its final rule regarding the classification of independent contractors under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The new ruling under the Biden Administration featured six critical factors for which Independent Contractors must qualify. Due to its intricacies, the ruling jeopardizes the freedoms of those businesspeople who have chosen to become entrepreneurs. Prediction: The previous rule under the Trump administration was straightforward, establishing two primary factors to determine independent contractors or employment status; TCA predicts that Trump and his administration will reinstate the original rule. Environmental Regulations In March of 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a final rule, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles-Phase 3,” which sets stringent standards and timelines to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heavy-duty vehicles from model years 2027-2032. The ruling itself relied heavily on battery-electric and hydrogen-electric power systems. However, new battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) present significant challenges. They cost approximately $450,000 each, compared to around $180,000 for a diesel tractor. Additionally, the 16,000-pound batteries in these electric trucks reduce their cargo capacity, potentially requiring carriers to increase the number of trucks on highways to comply with the federal 80,000-pound weight limit while meeting shipping demands. Prediction: In a letter drafted by U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa), the TCA along with more than 150 GOP members of Congress, urged Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan to withdraw the agency’s final rule “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles-Phase 3.” Expectations suggest that the standards may be revised to levels deemed achievable for internal combustion engines, extending compliance timelines, and exploring alternative pathways to reach emissions targets, such as the adoption of renewable diesel. Infrastructure In 2021, the Biden Administration signed the $1.2 trillion Investment & Jobs Act (IIJA) for transportation and infrastructure spending, putting aside $110 billion for roads, bridges and significant projects. Prediction: Just as President Joe Biden played a large impact of the IIJA, Trump could similarly influence the 2026 infrastructure bill, potentially by reducing environmental provisions and allocating additional funds for expanding highway and bridge capacity. Truck Parking Although the Biden administration did not set aside specific funding for truck parking initiatives in the IIJA, funding for infrastructure projects was generalized. Prediction: The Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act (S.1034/H.R. 2367) calls for $755 million over the next three years to expand commercial motor vehicle parking throughout the country. The bill itself has been quite favorable for both Republican and Democratic parties, as it shows bipartisanship in both houses of Congress. Vice-President Elect J.D. Vance is a co-sponsor of the bill and has been an ally to the trucking industry. Speed Limiters During the Biden-Harris administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration sought to release a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking on speed limiters for commercial trucks. However, the proposed rule has been delayed throughout Biden’s time in office. TCA has supported this safety technology as many of its carrier members have speed limiters in place. Prediction: The speed limiter rule could be delayed, as many Republicans in Congress are not in favor of this technology. With a Trump administration and a prominently Republican Congress, a speed limiter ruling may never come in place. Lawsuit Abuse The Biden-Harris administration supported labor law legislation to broaden the scope of violations and increase monetary damages, similar to those seen in truck accident lawsuits. Prediction: The Trump-Vance administration is expected to support legislation that would allow lawsuits to be brought into the federal court system. This move could help curb “nuclear verdicts” (awards exceeding $10 million) against trucking companies. It would also advance tort reform efforts championed by the trucking industry, building on the momentum these reforms have gained at the state level. Size and Weight Limits Historically, Congress has consistently opposed raising size and weight limits for semi-truck because of worries about public safety and potential damage to infrastructure. In 2015, the House of Representatives voted on a bipartisan basis to maintain the current federal limits. However, Republicans have always favored increasing a tractor-trailer’s size and weight limits. In the 118th Congress, Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-South Dakota) introduced multiple bills that had language increasing the size and weight of commercial trucks, such as the Move Act (H.R.7496) and a 10-year pilot program that would increase the maximum weight of tractor trailers to 91,000 pounds. Prediction: With a Republican administration and a Republican majority in Congress, legislation increasing federal tractor-trailer size and weight standards could likely be introduced into Congress.

Bennett Family of Companies’ Allison Hughes excels after ‘crash course’ in logistics

Dwain Hebda - January 7, 2025

When Allison Hughes — a graduate of the Truckload Carriers Association’s 2024 Elevate Young Leadership class — joined the Bennett Family of Companies six years ago, she had zero experience in trucking or logistics and even less of an idea of how she would excel in the field. Today she’s a valued member of the company’s management team, having risen to contractor relations manager in the retention department. In her current role she leads the team in serving the company’s fleet of owner-operators across a wide range of issues. “We call our department the one-stop shop. We’re an owner-operator based company, and my department deals with anything and everything that we can do to keep our contractors leased onto us,” she said. “We are an agent-based company as well, and we really have to target specific agents and customers to keep our guys moving.” Building solid relationships with independent drivers is key to success. “That’s probably the biggest thing; this new generation of truckers, a lot of them, want to be home more. They want to do more regional freight versus the typical model of over the road,” she said. “Even though we are predominantly an over-the road-company, we are trying to target more regional work.” The “people” aspect of Hughes’ job is just one side of the coin — the other is gathering and presenting data to her superiors that track and guide her department’s efforts. “I handle all the turnover numbers, revenue numbers, that kind of stuff,” she said. “It’s a very analytical position — just trying to figure out kind of where our shortcomings are and what we can do to improve to keep these guys leased on.” A native of Indiana, Hughes graduated with a degree in criminology from Ball State University. Following graduation, she didn’t have a clear career path. That’s when a friend who was working for Bennett suggested that she give it a try. Despite knowing nothing about the trucking industry, she packed up, moved to Georgia and reported for duty in the safety department. From there, she moved into the claims department as part of Bennett’s self-insurance program. As a claims adjuster, she worked specifically on Bennett Truck Transport, getting an up-close-and-personal look at the trucking industry on a daily basis. While she quickly adapted and thrived in the trucking industry, she says the trickiest part of the job was familiarizing herself with the Bennett Family of Companies’ many divisions. “Bennett is so diverse! We’ve got about 12 different operating companies,” she said. “We’ve got crane and rigging, we’re in the oil fields, we’ve got heavy haul. We haul all sorts of different commodities. “That was the biggest learning curve for me — just learning all of these different entities and how they function, and what they mean, and what they do, and how that all culminates,” she continued. “But I also think that’s why we are so unique; we have such a large footprint, and we do so much.” When Hughes stepped into the job of contractor relations manager three and a half years ago, she got her first taste of managing people, in addition to other new expectations that come with being a leader. “When I took on this role, I had a lot of life changes going on,” she said. “I found out I was pregnant with my first son right as I took this role — so that was a big adjustment. I knew that I was taking on this role and I wanted to be as present as I possibly could. “It was also definitely an adjustment gaining the confidence to go in front of upper management and speak and all that kind of stuff,” she continued. Managing other people isn’t necessarily the hardest part of the job, she says, even though it was challenging to learn to deal with different personalities and work relationships. “The most difficult part was finding my confidence, learning how to interact with upper management and senior level positions,” she said. In addition to these personal skills and attributes, Hughes’ various roles with Bennett have given her a “crash course” in the multi-faceted transportation industry, as well as a deep-rooted respect for what truckers have to deal with day in and day out. “The logistics industry is consistently changing. It’s never the same — every day is different, with a different problem, a different environment,” she said, adding that this variety is what she likes best about her job. “I never thought I would be in the logistics industry,” she said. “Growing up, I always heard the typical stigma of logistics and truckers and the trucking industry as a whole. I had no idea what all that encompasses and what all goes into it. “I’m consistently amazed at everything these truckers have to know — not just with their trucks, but the law and rules of the road and their loads,” she continued. “That’s the kind of stuff that the general population has no idea about.” Despite her “crash course” in the logistics industry, Allison Hughes has risen to the top of her class, and she couldn’t be happier. Photo courtesy of Allison Hughes

Need drivers? Make the most of new technology to navigate the driver recruitment funnel

Kris Rutherford - January 4, 2025

For years, motor carriers have searched for a secret formula to attracting and keeping the best drivers. Conversion Interaction Agency reports that driver recruitment advertising increased by 51% from April to September of 2024. That’s the highest increase since tracking began in 2020. In fact, no job in the United States is advertised more often than that of “truck driver.” Motor carriers should understand that they’re competing against other companies at the regional and local level for new drivers — and some long-time over-the-road (OTR) drivers are even turning to gig positions during their job searches. In short, the experts say, the old way of recruiting drivers is no longer effective. To recruit in an increasingly competitive market, hiring managers and recruiters must make the most of new technologies. The use of artificial intelligence is no longer a novel idea, either for business or in everyday life; it has become a necessity. When recruiters consider factors involved in encouraging drivers to enter their recruitment pipeline — or “funnel” — several factors should be considered. Online ratings matter First, when it comes to online reviews of carriers on a 1-5 scale), most employee reviews fall to the extreme — they either “love” you (4-5) or “hate” you (1-2). You may be surprised to find that the same factors are noted as top concerns at both ends of the scale — pay, equipment and management. While some carriers tend to ignore bad online ratings, writing them off to disgruntled employees or “troublemakers,” the truth is that these ratings are vital to a carrier’s ability to attract quality drivers and other employees. Consider this: According to recent surveys, more than 40% of existing drivers say they’re currently searching for a new job — and another 20% say they plan to look for a new job once the economy improves. When researching motor carriers, job seekers tend to believe online ratings (whether they’re accurate or not) over a company’s “party line.” While setting an online “rating goal” isn’t necessarily a good strategy, carriers that consistently fall below 3 on a 1-5 scale should take notice. Low ratings mean reviews don’t reflect the carrier in a positive light. The ever-increasing use of AI in the recruitment process is an excellent strategy to begin improving the recruiting process. But how? Honesty truly is the best policy Today’s drivers are interested in two things when searching for new employers — pay and operations planning. In addition, they want an honest and transparent recruitment process. Rule of thumb: Never promise anything you can’t deliver. All too often, carriers place emphasis on the recruiting process over retaining the good drivers they already have — and making empty promises is about the fastest way to lose drivers (and don’t forget, those “lost” drivers could well leave an online review of your company). When seeking to attract new drivers, having a reputation as an open, honest and transparent employer is vital. Keep in mind that drivers are no longer limiting their job searches to just one or two carriers. With online job postings so plentiful and easy to find, drivers can apply to multiple carriers at once with just a click of a button. Don’t be afraid of AI Carriers that use AI in recruiting see 10% to 30% more completed applications than those using the traditional method — and they see them quickly. The use of AI enables a recruiter to immediately contact a potential applicant and encourage them to complete the application process. With an “early bird gets the worm” mentality in recruiting, it’s easy to see how using AI tools can outshine the traditional recruitment process. The “machine learning” (data-driven improvement) of AI allows carriers to pinpoint their search for drivers geographically, provides recommended hiring budgets, offers analytics to improve online recruitment campaigns, and provides insight into improving job descriptions as recruitment tools. The advantages provided by AI lead to improvements in the recruiting process, resulting in more qualified applications and reduced lead-to-hire time. In addition, IA can provide insights for smarter recruiting. This all adds up to financial savings for company recruiting and hiring departments. Carriers using the AI process report that the cost of filling a driver position can be reduced by as much as two-thirds of the cost of traditional recruiting. Brad Vaughan, vice president of recruiting at Maverick Transportation, notes that AI helps channel applicants through the recruitment process. “You have to utilize top of the funnel advertising to develop your brand and develop your reputation,” he said. That’s just the beginning. “Then you’ve got to maintain your reputation by finding where you’re being rated on these various sites, from Google and Glassdoor to Facebook,” he said. “You have to respond (to these ratings) and acknowledge that you’re actively watching and listening.” Vaughan also notes that the use of social media in recruiting is increasingly important, sharing that, depending on the time of year, as much as 30% of Maverick’s hires are made through social media recruiting. The importance of creating a brand As Vaughan suggests, among the most promising aspects of AI is the ability to promote your brand in a market filled with carriers, most of which are potential employers. As noted earlier, for most job seekers, the top source of information about a potential employer is a carrier’s online reviews. Higher reviews not only benefit the carrier in terms of attracting more and better applicants, but they also save money. Conversion Interaction Agency statistics indicate that carriers receiving reviews of 3 or greater on the 1-5 scale save 48% on the cost of recruiting per application. In addition, the agency says, 57% of applicants want to be familiar with a carrier’s brand before applying to them. To succeed in today’s fast-paced, technology-heavy climate, carriers must diversify their recruiting marketing strategies. The recruiting funnel The recruiting funnel begins with a company pouring general brand marketing into the top and ends with good applicants being converted into employees at the bottom. At the top of the funnel is information one will find on search engines such as YouTube and Facebook. Videos are among the most effective methods of increasing your company’s brand recognition and improving recruiting at all levels of the funnel. “Video is just compelling, and you can use it in a lot of different places,” said Priscilla Peters, chief marketing officer for Conversion Interactive Agency. Today, almost anyone with a smartphone can record and create video clips to use in marketing and recruiting. “Video is vital, and I would use it across a lot of different channels — in your digital advertising, on your social advertising, on your website, in an email campaign,” Peters said. “You can make it translate a lot of different ways.” The recruitment funnel also helps carriers strategize and move quality leads from top to bottom much more quickly than traditional recruiting. Properly utilizing AI and the recruiting funnel may decrease the overall number of applications received — but recruiters will find that those emerging at the narrow end of the funnel are quality applicants who have the best chances of becoming good, long-term employees. The use of the recruitment funnel also allows a carrier to grow its online community, develop the type of community wanted, and encourages referrals through various channels. Of course, a carrier should never forget that its existing drivers are often the best source of information for prospective employees. If your drivers know and trust your company, they will often respond to negative comments and set the record straight. For most applicants, this carries much more weight than a similar response issued by the company’s recruiting department. For many carriers, the idea of implementing AI in the recruiting department may seem a bit overwhelming. The technology is new, and it is growing quickly. Fear that AI will replace existing systems leaves some within a company unwilling to give it a try. But when used properly, AI will supplement existing recruiting systems, not replace them. There will always be a need for the human element in human resources.

Clearinghouse Phase II: Make sure your team understands the latest FMCSA testing requirements

Cliff Abbott - January 3, 2025

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse has unquestionably achieved much of its intended purpose. The burden of chasing down former employers of drivers in an effort to obtain drug and alcohol testing results has changed drastically. The required information is now just a query away in the Clearinghouse. No more playing the system One key benefit is that drivers who failed drug or alcohol tests are no longer able to apply to carrier after carrier in an attempt to find one that won’t perform background checks before making a hire. Clearinghouse regulations specify that those drivers shouldn’t be eligible to perform safety-sensitive functions until they undergo a return to duty (RTD) program administered by a substance abuse professional (SAP) — but without a sound reporting system, states that issued CDLs to those drivers remained unaware. All of that began to change in January 2017, the effective date of rule that established the Clearinghouse. Carriers are now required to report testing results to a central entity and query the same entity to review the records of prospective drivers. Of course, it took a few years for the Clearinghouse database to build, but carriers could now determine if a driver was in a prohibited status with a few mouse clicks. Phase II now in effect A second final ruling, known as “Clearinghouse II,” took effect on November 18, 2024. Under the provisions of the ruling, state driver’s licensing agencies (SDLAs) are now required to downgrade the licenses of any driver in a “prohibited” status until they’ve completed an RTD program as recorded in the Clearinghouse. Before Phase II went into effect, state agencies had the ability to submit queries; however, the individual computer systems in each state weren’t always able to communicate with the Clearinghouse to receive status changes in a timely manner. Now, all that’s changed. Oral fluid testing is close Another Final Ruling, effective December 5, 2024, clarifies training requirements for Oral Fluid Testing collectors. The ruling may seem irrelevant, given the long wait for the DOT to certify laboratories to test specimens, but it’s an important clarification. The original ruling specified that those who train the collectors have at least a year of experience performing collections, but until the program actually gets underway, no one will have ANY experience. The laboratory issue may be sorted soon as well. “We feel that testing should be able to begin by the end of the 1st quarter in 2025 and should definitely be going by the 2nd quarter,” said Jo McGuire, executive director of the National Drug & Alcohol Screening Association. “All of the labs are in validity testing with the approved device now.” McGuire remarked that it’s important for carriers to be ready when the testing becomes official. “We are continuing to train trainers and are ready to train collectors as of December 6. Devices are now available to order from Abbott.” Abbott Toxicology will be a supplier of testing supplies and a provider of laboratory services. The delay in certification, it appears, occurred because labs didn’t want to invest in supplies and process until testing cut-off levels were established in a Final Rule. Once certain that the levels had not changed from the original proposed rule, progress was made quickly. Benefits of oral fluid testing Besides offering another option for testing, Oral Fluid collection eliminates some of the issues around urine testing. Since the need for observed tests is gone, questions of gender and who is qualified to observe are mute. Oral fluid collection does away with shy bladder incidents as well as dilution or alteration of specimens. Collection facility regulations are reduced as well, since the need for a private bathroom is eliminated, as are requirements to restrict access to water. Impact on carrier policy During the 2024 Accelerate! Conference and Expo hosted by the Women In Trucking Association, a distinguished panel of drug and alcohol policy experts moderated by McGuire discussed the need for each carrier to have a strong policy that is clearly communicated. That policy should include the carrier’s right to use Oral Fluid testing at its discretion. “It needs to be in the policy for pre-employment,” said Mia Hicks, manager of risk and compliance at DISA Global Solutions. “We’re going to do this and if it escalates, we’re going to do that.” Don’t wait to update policies Even with constantly shifting processes, motor carrier policies need to be clear and must be shared with everyone concerned prior to actual testing. Prospective drivers should be informed that they will be subject to any form of testing for drugs and alcohol that the carrier deems appropriate, within the laws and regulations in effect at the time of testing. Still waiting for hair follicle testing A long-awaited ruling about another form of testing still hasn’t happened. The use of Hair Follicle Testing for DOT supervised employees, included in the FAST Act that became effective in December 2015, has still not been approved for use. In fact, the Spring 2024 Unified Agenda published by the Department of Health and Human Services called for a proposed rulemaking by October 2024 to include hair testing in Mandatory Guidelines for Federal Workplace Drug Testing Programs. It didn’t happen. “I recently heard a great quote that summarizes this slow walk in a nutshell,” said David Heller, senior vice president of safety and government affairs for the Truckload Carriers Association. “Innovators will beat regulators every time, which is evidenced by the success stories of motor carriers across the country that have adopted hair follicle testing for their own programs.” While hair follicle testing results are not currently shared in the Clearinghouse, some carriers have been using the technology as a supplement to the USDOT’s testing regimen. Hair follicle testing has proven superior to urine testing for identifying drug use much farther in the past, and it provides many of the benefits of oral fluid testing, such as gender issues and elimination of the need for bathrooms. “TCA has not been quiet on this issue,” Heller said. “This topic has been discussed with both regulators and legislators in DC, and it will continue to be brought up until our industry has guidelines that will allow for this alternative measure.”

Build, baby, build! Grading of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law still murky

Dwain Hebda - January 2, 2025

As the Biden administration winds down and the Trump administration prepares to take office, numerous industries are working to score the effects of the policies of the old ahead of the new. In one particular instance — the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) — the scorecard is mixed. Signed into law by President Joe Biden in November 2021, the BIL allocates hundreds of billions of dollars for federal infrastructure including public transit, passenger rail, highways, roads and bridges. The BIL also contains more controversial measures, such as investment in clean energy transmission and electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure. The push to phase out internal combustion engines in favor of EVs is a key sticking point for many in the freight industry. BIL expenditures Depending on the category, BIL expenditures have resulted in an undeniably impressive spate of improvement projects — more than 66,000 projects in all according to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT). These have continued as recently as a couple of months ago with the announcement of two major awards totaling almost $3.6 billion for various projects. On Nov. 15, the third anniversary of the enactment of the BIL, the Biden administration announced $3.5 billion in grants addressing passenger rail, highway improvements and investments in ports — all projects billed as part of a larger effort to strengthen the nation’s supply chain. Also announced were grants totaling $172 million to be awarded to more than 250 communities to make local roads safer, part of USDOT’s Safe Streets and Roads for All program. Missed opportunities Unfortunately, even with all this windfall spending there have been missed opportunities to correct issues that have long plagued the U.S. transportation system, particularly for those who make their living on the highway, according to David Heller, senior vice president of safety and government affairs at Truckload Carriers Association (TCA). “A major component of (the BIL) was $110 billion aimed at highways, bridges, roads and improvements,” he said. “Certainly as you drive on the interstates across this country, you’ll see signs of projects that are funded through that infrastructure law — which has been a good thing. The money is circulating where it needs to go; the country’s using those dollars to fix roads and bridges.” But roads and bridges aren’t the only parts of the infrastructure that need work. “The one thing that was left out of those dollars that should have been included was truck parking and that continues to reach epidemic proportions in this industry,” Heller said. “It’s a real problem that will take real dollars to solve.” The problem has been compounded by inflation — another hallmark of the Biden Era —making it very unlikely that under currently available funding such missed items will be paid for due to the increased costs just since 2021, Heller says. “You know, 2020 prices are not 2024 prices — and those prices aren’t going away anytime soon,” he said. “Projects come down to the most important things for the American public, not necessarily just trucking. All traffic uses both roads and bridges, for instance, but the American public probably isn’t going to use truck parking.” The TCA is taking steps to remediate the issue through the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, which calls for $755 million over three years to address the problem. Heller says the association is hoping to get the measure into the next infrastructure bill, which will follow the current BIL’s expiration in September 2026. EV infrastructure Easily the most embarrassing outcome of BIL has been the $7.5 billion gambit to build an electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure that would make electric vehicles — including over-the-road Class 8 trucks — more practical for everyday use. The Biden Administration’s stated goal was to construct a nationwide network of 500,000 ports, including high speed chargers, placed no more than 50 miles apart along highways. However, as of June 2024, only seven charging stations were operational under the program, offering a combined few dozen ports. Heller says the laughable lack of progress should indicate that widespread adoption of electric vehicles in long-haul trucking is likely quite a way off. However, he’s quick to point out that lingering Biden regulatory time lines and state-level mandates for phasing out internal combustion engines in favor of electric still represent a thorny issue for the industry. “Trucking is a vast industry. Transitioning over to electric vehicles with charging stations is going to take a heavy lift — and that heavy lift hasn’t happened,” he said. “We can’t base our future on rainbows and unicorns. It has to be real dollars that are spent in real ways to develop an infrastructure and a power grid to sustain an industry that delivers.” Right now, he says, the infrastructure to support widespread use of heavy-duty electric trucks is simply not there. “It does call into the question the reality of the timelines and stringent rules that the EPA and California have put into place and how achievable they actually are,” Heller said. “I’ll tell you right now they’re not achievable. It can’t happen. The work hasn’t been done, and it won’t be done any time soon,” he continued. “What becomes the bigger question is this: Why as an industry are we still facing these time lines through EPA and through California that just aren’t achievable?” The incoming Trump Administration has been vocal in its intention to reduce burdensome regulations and eliminate previous mandates regarding EVs. Heller is hopeful that such moves will happen under the new administration, as well as additional infrastructural spending — even if it’s not all resolved in the first 100 days. “As an industry we probably can fully expect they’ll be examining any rule the industry’s put out,” he said. “I think President Trump recognizes the shortcomings of all these electric vehicle rules, and they will be taking that under consideration.” Road and bridge investments Heller notes that roadways and bridge investments are a statistical reality. “It has to happen. You can’t turn your back on it. If you turn your back on it, then the economy suffers and the American public suffers,” he said. “The clock has already started ticking in terms of what the next highway bill looks like. As an industry, we have to step up and explain and communicate our concerns to those that regulate and those that legislate,” he concluded. “It’s up to us to tell them how things work — and the more we do that, the better off we are as an industry.”

TCA to hold first ever Profitability Program (TPP) Best Practices Summit

Dana Guthrie - December 31, 2024

The Truckload Carrier Association will hold its first ever TCA Profitability Program (TPP) Best Practices Summit on Jan. 22 in Birmingham, Ala. According to a TCA press release, the exclusive event will bring together top-performing carriers, industry leaders and TPP experts for a day of actionable insights and peer-to-peer learning designed to help you drive profitability and operational excellence. “Whether you’re a seasoned TPP member or just learning about the program, this summit offers something for everyone looking to improve their truckload operations,” the TCA said. A welcome reception will be held on Jan. 21 from 5:00-7:30 p.m. hosted at the McLeod Software headquarters to allow for networking opportunities with fellow attendees and to meet industry leaders before the Jan. 22 summit. Refreshments will also be served. Agenda highlights for the Jan. 22 summit include: CFO & Financial Panel The CFO financial panel will discuss key takeaways learned and how they have adopted strategies discussed at their TPP group meetings. How the process changes have impacted various aspects of their business. Chris Kelly, Navajo Express Kayla Hasselmann, CFO, Grand Island Express Carl Svendsen, Chief Strategy Officer, Halvor Lines Maintenance & Equipment Panel The maintenance panel will cover how to measure your department for productivity, cost cutting methods used, technician handling, training, and many more. Highlight KPI’s used to benchmark your maintenance program. Panelists will explain their practices and spur on questions from the attendees. With the ever changing landscape of higher equipment costs and specialized training we will all benefit from the sharing session. Danny Abernathy, Maintenance Spokesperson, Cargo Transporters Tanya Morrow, President, Ploger Transportation Mike Eggleton, Raider Express Safety & Risk Management Panel During the Safety and Risk Management panel, panelists will discuss best practices with some of North America’s safest fleets. Diving into topics such as: Is safety & risk a philosophical discussion? How do you measure your results? What’s the correlation between Safety & People? Name your best practice for safety & risk? Pete Hill, Hill Brothers Transportation Garth Pitzel, Associate VP, Safety and Driver Development, Bison Transport Shawn Nelson, Director of Driver Profitability, RE Garrison Operations Panel In this session panelists will explore what drives operational excellence and profits. The term “operations” is often used as an all-encompassing term for the day to day, revenue generating activities in trucking. This discussion will include advice from expert panelists as they share how they have achieved success in four core components of Operations: Drivers, Fleet Management, Customer Service and Planning. Ed Nagle, Nagle Toledo John McLaughlin, CFO, Freymiller Steve Hitchcock, COO, Duncan Trucking, LTD People Management/HR Panel The most successful carriers in TPP recognize people as a key component in growth. This discussion will dive into hiring and developmental strategies that foster organizational success. Outline KPI’s used to ensure your headcount is balanced. We’ll share some insightful wisdom around developing and maintaining your culture. Industry leaders will share tips regarding their best practices for managing people while maintaining fiscal responsibility for your company. Nicky Morrison, Controller, Prime Roy Cox, CEO/President, Best Cartage Kyle Kristynik, President, Jetco A question and answer forum will be held following the final session. Registration is open to all for-hire carrier and private fleet representatives.

Trump, trucks & transportation: Industry waits to see what version 2.0 of the Trump administration will look like

Bruce Guthrie - December 31, 2024

As many expected, November 5, 2024, was a day that will, as they say, go down in history. In the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump soundly defeated Vice President Kamala Harris, following a campaign that will likely be the subject of scrutiny, analysis and dissection for decades to come. What does version 2.0 of the Trump administration mean for trucking? The answer to that question — and the many other questions related to it — could hold answers on both ends of the conservative-liberal spectrum. Changes at the USDOT To start, let’s look at Trump’s choice to lead the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). In November, he selected former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy, a Republican, for the role of Secretary of Transportation. According to reports from the Associated Press and other news sources, Duffy is a former reality TV star and Fox News personality, and he was one of Trump’s most visible defenders on cable news. He served in the U.S. House for nearly nine years and was a member of the Financial Services Committee and chairman of the subcommittee on insurance and housing. He left Congress in 2019. He was co-host of “The Bottom Line” on Fox Business when Trump named him as his choice for head of the USDOT on November 18, 2024. In his announcement, Trump noted that Duffy is married to a fellow Fox News host, describing him as “the husband of a wonderful woman, Rachel Campos-Duffy, a STAR on Fox News.” A spokesperson for Fox News Media wished Duffy “the best of luck in his return to Washington,” noting that Duffy resigned his position with the company following Trump’s announcement. Trump says Duffy will use his experience and relationships built over the years in Congress “to maintain and rebuild our Nation’s Infrastructure, and fulfill our Mission of ushering in The Golden Age of Travel, focusing on Safety, Efficiency, and Innovation. Importantly, he will greatly elevate the Travel Experience for all Americans!” In 2022, Duffy had ruled out a run for the governorship of Wisconsin despite pleas from Trump, saying he needed to care for his nine children, including his youngest child who had a heart condition. What about the surge of the EV market? Trump’s campaign was partially built on becoming energy independent, which was evident by his adoption of the “drill, baby, drill” slogan, referring to plans to increase the nation’s production of oil and petroleum products. However, the emergence of Tesla founder Elon Musk as Trump’s pseudo right hand has created a question of whether Trump and his administration will be more open than expected to the advancement of the electric vehicle (EV) market. The freight industry has been rife with controversy about looming emissions regulations and the use of EVs for long-haul trucking, as well as about autonomous driving technology. Beth Osborne, a former U.S. Senate staffer and USDOT executive who now leads the advocacy group Transportation for America, has had a front-row seat to transportation policymaking under every president since George W. Bush. Last fall, she sat down with David Zipper of Bloomberg News and answered a few questions about the transportation landscape under President-elect Trump. One of those questions related to Musk. “Trump has often disparaged electric vehicles, but his influential ally Elon Musk runs a company that manufactures them. Does that create an opportunity for electrification?” Zipper asked. “It does, Osborne replied. “With Musk as a shadow cabinet member, I don’t think Trump’s team will do anything that he doesn’t want. I think that Musk will be happy to see the federal government continue to build out EV charging stations, for instance.” Musk’s presence could be problematic in other areas as well. A November 21 report from the Associated Press posited that Musk could bring a Constitutional clash regarding government efficiency and balance of power. When Musk first suggested a new effort to cut the size of government, Trump didn’t seem to take it seriously. His eventual name for the idea sounded like a joke, too — the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, a reference to an online meme featuring a surprised-looking dog from Japan. But now that Trump has won the election, Musk’s dreams of government downsizing is closer to becoming reality, with the potential to spark a constitutional clash over the balance of power in Washington. Trump put Musk, the world’s richest man, and Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate, in charge of the new “DOGE,” which is really an outside advisory committee that will work with people inside the government to reduce spending and regulations. Musk and Ramaswamy have said they’ll encourage Trump to make cuts by refusing to spend money allocated by Congress, a process known as impounding. The proposal goes against a 1974 law intended to prevent future presidents from following in the footsteps of Richard Nixon, who held back funding from projects he didn’t like. “We are prepared for the onslaught from entrenched interests in Washington,” Musk and Ramaswamy wrote in an opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal. “We expect to prevail. Now is the moment for decisive action.” What will Trump 2.0 bring? That brings us to the question on the mind of pretty much every executive in the industry: What will trucking look like under the Trump Administration? The answer? “Different.” At least that’s what Bloomberg news gleaned during Zipper’s interview with Osborne. Questions included the subject of highways and how they might be funded in the next four years. One question regarding highway infrastructure asked how realistic it might be to terminate competitive grant programs like RAISE that “allocate billions of dollars to state and local governments for high-priority projects.” Osborne’s response: “I don’t think Congress will let the Trump administration get rid of competitive programs, because legislators get so much credit for that spending,” she said. “Federal formula programs just go to the states, and the states do what they want. But for the competitive grant programs, Congress gets a notification about new awards, and they have three days to do whatever event around them that they wish. “Basically, Project 2025 was suggesting that Congress never get credit for federal spending in infrastructure again,” she continued. “Maybe that sounded good to the Heritage Foundation, but there’s a lot of Project 2025 that is divorced from the reality of how anything happens in the real world.” Another question from Zipper’s interview: “Let’s talk about road and vehicle safety. Under the previous Trump administration, road safety seemed like an afterthought. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration didn’t get a Senate-confirmed administrator, USDOT said virtually nothing about surging crash deaths, and companies were encouraged to experiment with self-driving technology on public roads. Under Biden, issues like oversized cars and autonomous vehicle regulation have gotten at least some attention. I find it hard to believe that continues under Trump, but perhaps you believe otherwise.” In addition to noting that she doesn’t believe Trump’s policies on vehicle safety isn’t as different from Biden’s as it should be, Osborne issued a warning in her response. She believed the administration “will go after California, which now can set more stringent emissions standards than the feds.” “I think they’ll aim to kill that exception. In general, it’s a lot easier for a new administration to change vehicle regulations than to adjust how infrastructure is funded because that requires an act of Congress,” she added. Certainly, Donald Trump’s previous policies regarding trucking have been beneficial for the most part, but only time will tell what Trump 2.0 will bring.

TCA asks public to vote on Highway Angels of the Year

Dana Guthrie - December 24, 2024

Today marks the opening of public voting for the prestigious TCA Highway Angels of the Year award and the organization has posted has of the finalists stories to and can cast a a vote. According to the TCA, the annual awards program will take place at TCA’s 2025 Annual Convention this March 15 – 18 in Phoenix, Ariz. and will recognize three professional truck drivers who have demonstrated exceptional courage and courtesy on the nation’s roadways. This year, five outstanding finalists have been selected, and the public is invited to cast their votes to determine the top three drivers who will be crowned TCA Highway Angels of the Year. Andrew Inlow, Maverick Transportation Inc. Jason Corino, Melton Truck Lines. Michael Dorsey, Mercer Transportation Co. Joseph Carroll, Elgin Motor Freight. Daljit Sohi, Triple Eight Transport Inc. The TCA would also like to express its thanks to program Presenting Sponsor, EpicVue, and Supporting Sponsors, DriverFacts and Northland Insurance. To read each Highway Angel Story and place your vote, click here.