U.S. Court of Appeals decision puts independent contractor designation in question

U.S. Court of Appeals decision puts independent contractor designation in question

A recent ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals Ninth Circuit has put the trucking industry’s use of owner-operators in limbo, according to legal experts. The April 29 ruling by the Ninth Circuit ruled against the California Trucking Association (CTA) in a cased that argued California’s restrictive ABC test to classify a worker as an…

U.S. Xpress Safe Trucking Report outlines safety recommendations

U.S. Xpress Safe Trucking Report outlines safety recommendations

National trucking firm U.S. Xpress recently released its Safe Trucking Report, outlining a series of road safety measures the company endorses as well as industry best practices. The report includes results of a survey among more than 2,000 respondents. “Shippers entrust us with a huge responsibility and want to work with safety-conscious carriers who view…

ATA says trucking has kept America moving during pandemic

ATA says trucking has kept America moving during pandemic

American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) CEO Chris Spear told a recent Management Conference audience that the trucking industry’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has kept the nation’s interstate commerce rolling. “While others in DC panicked, the ATA led, giving direction and certainty to our members when it mattered most,” Spear said in his annual State of…

Einride launches next-gen autonomous electric transport vehicle

Einride launches next-gen autonomous electric transport vehicle

Sweden’s Einride, a freight mobility company, recently launched its groundbreaking Pod, a fully autonomous electric transport vehicle. In 2019, Einride became the first company in the world to drive a fully autonomous and electric heavy transport vehicle on a public road and has been testing and operating Pods at select customer sites in Sweden over…

Driver shortage and increased demand pushing driver pay higher

Driver shortage and increased demand pushing driver pay higher

For years, the trucking industry has been sounding the alarm about a driver shortage, talking about a deficit of drivers numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Those warnings have arrived at the industry’s doorstep. With a pandemic-induced rise in online shopping, trucking companies are seeing increased demand for truck capacity and are having to sweeten…

Owner-operators say freight volume and rates are biggest concerns

Owner-operators say freight volume and rates are biggest concerns

An early July survey conducted by American Truck Business Services (ATBS) found that falling freight volumes and rates have been the biggest impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey of more than 300 owner-operators was designed to shed light on how the pandemic has affected owner-operators. When it comes to financial aid, the survey found…

Online driver survey reveals COVID-19 challenges for truckers

Online driver survey reveals COVID-19 challenges for truckers

A May online survey conducted by Professional Driver Agency (PDA) found that 72 percent of the 1,600 trucker respondents are most concerned about bringing the COVID-19 virus home to family and friends. “For us, this was the key takeaway from the survey,” said Scott Dismuke, director of operations at PDA. “While risking personal exposure to…

ATRI research shows an increase in trucking operational costs

ATRI research shows an increase in trucking operational costs

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) recently released the findings of its 2019 update to “An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking,” a report that showed “considerable upward pressure on nearly every line-item cost center experienced by carriers.” ATRI used detailed financial data provided directly by motor carriers of all sectors and fleet sizes…