Hey everyone! It’s time for your Wednesday Daily Trucker News Update!
We have a lot of news to cover today, including:
- More news on the Volvo UAW strike
- Border Patrol agents make another discovery
- Is TikoTok the new, hip way to advertise for more drivers? You’ll see coming up!
So, let’s get trucking!
Britnee: First, we start with more on the Volvo and UAW saga…
Then United Auto Workers Union rejected a five-year labor agreement with Volvo Trucks North America and covering approximately 29-hundred employees at Volvo’s New River Valley truck assembly plant in Dublin, Virginia.
You’ll remember that initial negotiations began in February after an April 17 strike by members of the union at the Dublin plant.
The two groups then reached a tentative agreement on April 30, and the employees went back to work.
Members of UAW Local 2069 are continuing to work, and as the UAW goes back to the bargaining table.
There are 33- hundred people employed at the Volvo New River Valley plant and 29-hunred are UAW members.
Carlin: Here’s an update to a story we covered last week…. The closure of a bridge connecting Arkansas and Tennessee could cost the trucking industry more than $2.4 million a day.
The Hernando de Soto Bridge on I-40 shut down abruptly last week when inspectors discovered a “significant fracture” in one of two 900-foot horizontal steel beams that are crucial for the bridge’s integrity.
According to Tennessee DOT repairs could take months and says the closure of the I-40 bridge creates bottlenecks and delays impacting around 26,500 trucks who rely on the major freight corridor that connects east and west.
The hefty $2.4 million per day price tag could ultimately be passed onto the consumer.
Officials say the bridge could remain closed between 6 to 8 weeks, but the good news? Boat and barge traffic under the bridge, on the Mississippi River near Memphis, resumed quickly after being closed for three days.
Britnee: Border Patrol Agents discovered over half a ton of marijuana hidden in the floorboards of a semi truck’s trailer crossing into the US from Mexico.
Agents working at the Pharr International Bridge came across the empty tractor trailer and decided to take a closer look.
What did they discover? the trailer’s floor was loaded with 300 packages of alleged marijuana, with a street value of $250 thousand.
Border Patrol agents seized the drugs and the tactor trailer and turned the case over to Homeland Security.
Carlin: SelecTrucks, is celebrating its expanding network with the opening of SelecTrucks of Los Angeles in Carson, California and renaming the current location, SelecTrucks of Fontana.
The North American retailer of used trucks says with two locations serving the greater Los Angeles area, customers have more opportunities to find the truck to fit business needs.
For over 50 years, SelecTrucks Centers have offered a selection of used trucks, warranty packages, financing terms and business support.
SelecTrucks of Fontana and SelecTrucks of Los Angeles are members of the Velocity Truck Center family of dealerships.
SelecTrucks of Los Angeles is located at 21107 Chico St. in Carson, California. SelecTrucks of Fontana will remain at 13750 Valley Blvd. in Fontana, California.
Britnee: Amid the truck driver shortage, one Maine Industry group thinks they have a way to fix it!
The Maine Motor Transport Association is targeting the Gen Z and young millennials with the “Go, Your Way” campaign using TikTok, YouTube and Instagram to educate and attract workers born in 1997 or after.
The campaign educates on the importance of the trucking industry as a path young workers should think about by discussing its: steady work, good wages, as a way for college students to pay off school debt, and high school students to have a career without going to college.
Maine has more than 53-hundred trucking companies, and more than 84 percent of its communities depend exclusively on trucks to move their goods, according to the ATA.
In Maine, drivers can make from $49 thousand to $58 thousand annually plus bonuses.
In most states you must be 18 years old to obtain a Commercial Drivers License. However in Maine you only have to be 16 to operate “Intrastate” and “Interstate” regulations require all CDL drivers to be 21 years of age nationwide.
Carlin: Well check this out! Last week, Nevada drivers came to a standstill at an unusual sight…
A dust devil made for an awesome sight along Interstate 15 near Palace Station while drivers slowed to take a look.
The calm, clear, and warm conditions made for the perfect weather conditions for the dust devil to touchdown.
Dust devils are pretty quick-lived and rare, forming in an upward motion from the ground to the sky.
That does it for today’s update!
Tune in tomorrow for all the trucking news you need!
The Truck Boss show is about all things trucking. Truckers can find us on Facebook, YouTube and at trucking events nationwide. Our goal is to improve the lives of motor carriers with easy to access, entertaining and informative content that makes life on the road more productive and enjoyable. We know truckers and are passionate about bringing original content into your home away from home – your cab. From news, gear reviews, hot rigs and accessories, events, health and exercise tips and ideas to share with other drivers.