Trends in Trucking Archives

Retaining training: Make sure your team takes skills, information from the classroom to the highway

Dwain Hebda - May 3, 2024

If it feels like your company’s driver training and other educational programs are falling on deaf ears when participants leave the classroom and return to

Know what you’re paying for: Predatory towing fees are a growing issue in trucking

Kris Rutherford - May 2, 2024

Predatory towing. It’s a term with which all too many motor carriers and drivers are uncomfortably familiar. It’s possible your company has been a victim

Will FMCSA’s latest study of driver detention generate results?

Kris Rutherford - May 1, 2024

When it comes to the topic of driver detention, Ed Nagle, president and CEO of Ohio-based Nagle Companies, is direct when expressing his displeasure with

TCA’s Profitability Program helps carriers survive, even thrive, regardless of market conditions

Kris Rutherford - April 30, 2024

There’s no doubt about it: The cost of trucking is on the rise. While increasing prices are pretty much par for the course, recent cost

Future Driven: Autonomous trucks are closer to reality but safety, economy still in question

Cliff Abbott - March 7, 2024

There is little doubt that the implementation of autonomous trucks will increase the efficiency of freight operations once the technology is widely available and legal

Pursuit of a Dream: Fleet operators striving for lower costs, lower emissions now and in the future

Cliff Abbott - March 6, 2024

The pursuit of a zero-emissions fleet of transport vehicles is relentless. Hardly a day goes by without another government push to further reduce greenhouse gas

Be prepared: Is your fleet ready for International Roadcheck?

Cliff Abbott - March 5, 2024

Even though the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) International Roadcheck inspection and enforcement initiative is still a couple of months away, it’s not too early

TCA’s David Heller says lack of truck parking is industry’s No. 1 issue

Cliff Abbott - February 1, 2024

WASHINGTON — It’s difficult enough to keep track of the myriad regulations that impact the trucking industry, but monitoring the status of proposed legislation and

Sneak Attacks: How can carriers, drivers guard against fuel card skimmers?

Kris Rutherford - January 5, 2024

It’s a sunny day in Fort Worth, Texas. A driver pulls up to a diesel island at a favorite interstate truck stop and swipes a

Toll Control: What invoicing method works best for your fleet?

Cliff Abbott - January 4, 2024

There’s no question that technology has changed the trucking industry in numerous ways, including payment methods for toll roads and bridges. Gone are the days

Red Flags: When hiring drivers, dig past obvious signals on MVR

Cliff Abbott - January 3, 2024

Background checks are an essential part of the driver qualification process, whether the driver will be a company employee or an independent contractor. There are

Close the Gaps: Fleets with blemished safety records have tools to turn things around

Linda Garner-Bunch - January 1, 2024

For most fleets, safety is a top priority. After all, reputable motor carriers don’t operate under the assumption of, “Well, if they don’t catch us,

Secrets to Success: These tips can help carriers survive, maybe even thrive, during a freight recession

Cliff Abbott - November 3, 2023

For months, from the latter part of 2022 until at least midway through 2023, warnings of an economic recession remained in the nation’s business headlines.

Keeping Clean: Testing methods, regulations falling behind new drugs, legalization efforts

Cliff Abbott - November 2, 2023

There are new tools available in the fight to keep impaired drivers from behind the wheel of commercial vehicles, but development and implementation are being

Vicious cycles: Many factors impact drivers’ job performance and quality of life

Kris Rutherford - November 2, 2023

What impacts can lack of sleep and job stressors have on a truck driver’s job performance and overall quality of life? The question seems to

Higher and Higher: Fuel prices top contributor to surge in operations costs

Kris Rutherford - September 6, 2023

Inflation is hitting all sectors of the economy, and the latest statistics from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) indicate the trucking industry has not

Help Wanted: Demand for diesel techs remains high even as engines evolve

Kris Rutherford - September 5, 2023

As motor carriers continue to seek and retain qualified drivers, there is another personnel shortage impacting their ability to keep trucks on the road —

Looking to the Future: Automated tech already commonly used in passenger, freight vehicles

Cliff Abbott - September 1, 2023

Throughout history, humans have adapted to new technology as it became available. In most cases, innovations involved refinements to familiar products — but every so

A matter of focus: Trucking research group releases list of top priorities for 2023

Linda Garner-Bunch - July 1, 2023

Earlier this year the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) released its top research priorities for 2023. The final list, compiled by ATRI’s Research Advisory Committee

Ask the right questions: ELDs are designed to ensure compliance with HOS, not for use as life-saving devices

Cliff Abbott - July 1, 2023

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) 2023 Evaluation Plan, determining the effectiveness of electronic logging devices (ELDs) is top of mind for the