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HOS Regulation Waivers Extended Once Again

December 6, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Because of COVID-19 continuing to wreak havoc across the United States, regulatory waivers are being extended by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regarding the permitted work time for truck drivers.

For commercial truckers driving property-carrying trucks, the maximum driving time has been extended once again–this time until February 28th, 2022.

“Although the number of COVID-19 cases began to decline in the U.S. following widespread introduction of vaccinations, persistent issues arising out of COVID-19 continue to affect the U.S., including impacts on supply chains and the need to ensure capacity to respond to variants and potential rises in infections,” said the FMCSA.

Because of this, commercial carriers and drivers are eligible for the hours-of-service regulation waiver, particularly those working to haul COVID relief-related medical supplies as well as any transportation regarding medical care services and other necessary pandemic response efforts.

“Therefore, a continued exemption is needed to support direct emergency assistance for some supply chains,” continued FMCSA in its waiver announcement. “This extension of the modified emergency declaration addresses national emergency conditions that create a need for immediate transportation of essential supplies and provides necessary relief from the [Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations] for motor carriers and drivers.”

Still, the hours-of-service waiver is limited to transporters of public safety-related goods such as masks, hand sanitizer, soap, medical gloves, disinfectants, vaccines, kits for the administration of vaccines, and vaccine-related ancillary supplies. Additionally, the waiver includes the transportation of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, ethyl alcohol, food, paper products, and the emergency restocking of any distribution hub, as well as the transportation of livestock and livestock feed. Commercial drivers and carriers with current out-of-service orders are excluded from this waiver.

This emergency regulatory waiver declaration was first announced by FMCSA this summer in an effort to provide regulatory relief in regards to the maximum driving time mandates for both passenger-carrying vehicles and property-carrying vehicles. This declaration was initially designed to ease the strain on the United States’ supply chain, while the White House worked to find additional methods of expediting freight movement.

To do so, the Biden Administration implemented a specific task force that brought about new ways of keeping the country’s freight moving efficiently during the pandemic era; COVID-19 has been blamed as the major factor in commercial supply chain disruption.

Previous hours-of-service relaxation efforts allowed truckers to extend their daily driving time by two hours when working in inclement weather and to drive a total of 14 hours instead of 12. Additionally, drivers were originally allowed to divide their mandatory 10-hour rest breaks into 5-5 or 6-4 hours periods with further control of that time usage–whether they decided to use that particular time to rest or not.

Many safety advocates have lamented these flexibility-boosted waivers, citing the issue of truck driver fatigue—an issue that has become more serious than what recent statistics have shown. In fact, the National Transportation Safety Board has focused heavily on fatigued driving, going as far as to add the overall reduction of fatigue-related traffic accidents to its ‘Most Wanted List’ of safety boosts for 2019 and 2020.

“Drowsy driving does not leave telltale signs,” said the board. “It is widely believed to be underreported on police crash forms.”

The trucking industry has also had a history of high levels of spending in regards to congressional lobbying and campaign contributions related to added flexibility for both truck drivers and their companies, explained FairWarning.

“These [proposals] are opportunities for drivers to be pushed to their limits further, to drive without resting,” said Truck Safety Coalition executive director, Harry Adler. “It’s more [of an] opportunity for a driver to operate while fatigued, which is really detrimental.”

If government proposals like these “are going to keep the highways as safe as–or safer than–they currently exist,” the American Trucking Association needs to dive deeper into the reality of trucker fatigue, said vice president of ATA safety policy, Dan Horvath. “We are not quick to give an immediate response. We really do take the time to do a thorough review, to work with our members.”

Driver Schools See High Numbers of Potential Drivers Amid Shortage, Some Offer Incentives

December 3, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

“It’s an exciting time to be a truck driver right now because there’s so much demand for drivers,” said director of the California Truck Driving Academy, Tina Singh. “Our yards are busy, and they’re very vibrant with a lot of activity.”

The truck driver school, based in Los Angeles, has seen more potential truck drivers walk through its doors recently than it has in quite a while, which can likely be attributed to the long-running truck driver shortage taking place across the country that has brought with it competitive pay and benefit offers from fleets desperate to onboard more truckers.

Since 2020, the California Truck Driving Academy has had a nearly 20% boost in enrollment and may even begin offering night classes to meet demands, according to Singh.

“Everything in this country runs by truck at some point or another,” she said. “And so, you know, you need truck drivers to move goods.”

Because the COVID-19 pandemic brought about a major increase in e-commerce and online shopping habits, consumer spending has risen 15% over the last year, with production numbers reaching numbers of 5% more than before the start of the pandemic as manufacturers step up to meet the demand for goods as efficiently as possible.

Additionally, many employees in a variety of industries decided to leave jobs during the pandemic that caused them to frequently come into contact with other people. Because of this, goods transport worker, retail staffer, and ship-unloading worker shortages skyrocketed, as did the overall shortage of truck drivers–which has reached about 80,000, noted University of Southern California’s Marshall Center for Global Supply Chain Management’s executive director, Nick Vyas.

The California Truck Driving Academy has also seen boosts in potential drivers showing up for training due to a clearly stretched-thin supply chain at ports in Long Beach and Los Angeles, where many ships are often waiting off the coast for unloading for long periods of time (the average wait is currently at 17 days, although port efforts are operating 24/7).

By filling these vacant roles, “you’re kind of helping the community out, and you’re making money at the same time,” said Academy student Thierno Barry. “It’s a win-win situation.”

Driving schools in other states are also doing their part to ease the exacerbated driver shortage. FleetForce Truck Driving School is now working with the Florida Trucking Association in an effort to bring more truckers into the industry.

FTA-affiliated companies are currently offering to pay full tuition for new truck drivers working to enter the trucking world and obtain their commercial driver’s licenses. Additionally, some students will be able to receive sign-on bonuses along with a full paycheck from the FTA-affiliated company once they’ve received their CDL and are continuing training.

“Trucking is a central part of growing and maintaining a strong economy, but it’s also a life-changing career opportunity for so many people,” said Tra Williams, CEO of FleetForce. “This new program is offering free training and guaranteed employment for applicants who meet the qualifications.”

Williams echoed Barry’s sentiments about how mutually beneficial entering the industry at this time really is for both the economy and the truckers themselves.

“There’s excellent earning potential in this industry right now, and there’s a dire need for entry-level drivers,” Williams said. “It’s a win-win.”

Covering these kinds of costs for new truckers is especially important, as training costs can often deter potential truckers from even beginning the road to employment.

“FTA is always looking for creative solutions to solve industry challenges,” said FTA President, Alix Miller. “The driver shortage limits capacity for trucking companies, and directly impacts the economy and Floridians’ daily lives. This collaboration matches some of the most well-respected companies in the state with well-trained drivers eager to get on the road.”

Right now, FleetForce is working on pre-hire screening checks to make sure incoming applicants are indeed qualified for this particular program. As for the California Truck Driving Academy–what’s currently needed the most is more truck driving instructors.

Industry Experts Focus on Workforce Updates as Supply Chain Struggles, Jay Stefani Weighs in on Safety Concerns

December 1, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

At the recent U.S. House of Representatives transportation panel, President of American Trucking Associations, Chris Spear, explained that finding solutions to current nationwide supply chain concerns should come primarily from trucking industry workforce improvement policies.

Federal transportation policymakers were urged to consider supply chain improvement proposals at the hearing by a variety of leaders in the transportation industry. Some of these potential initiatives brought to light during the discussion included an industrywide workforce development project and other methods of combating the ongoing truck driver shortage.

In fact, ATA’s Spear noted that training-focused funding throughout the most important sectors of freight would be paramount to overcoming the shortage of 80,000 drivers–especially with these problems so exacerbated by the pandemic era and the boom of e-commerce and accessibility issues that came with it.

“The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it the temporary closures of state [departments of motor vehicles] and truck driver training schools, which dried up the already-fragile pipeline of new drivers entering the trucking industry,” he said in a push for funding from the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “This pipeline is still slow and inefficient today. As a result, companies working throughout the nation’s supply chain are facing higher transportation costs leading to increased prices for consumers on everything from electronics to food.”

President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act includes an apprenticeship pilot program that has been strongly supported by ATA, as it will allow trained drivers under the age of 21 to operate commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce. The initiative also allows for the implementation of a training program for even younger drivers (between 18 and 20 years old) to drive Class 8 trucks across multiple states.

“The driver shortage is a looming threat that, if unaddressed, could destabilize the continuity of trucking operations with ripple effects across the supply chain that will be felt by everyday Americans,” lamented Spear, emphasizing the need for these apprenticeship programs.

Regardless of a shortage, keeping safety the priority is imperative when bringing these new and young potential truckers to the industry.

“There is nothing wrong with trying to increase the number of truck drivers to meet the needs,” said Levinson and Stefani’s Jay Stefani. “But along with the push to hire more people, there needs to be an equal increase in safety and training programs. Bringing in new drivers means bringing in inexperienced drivers–drivers who don’t have a lot of miles behind them.”

It should also be common sense that allowing these truck drivers to enter the industry in the midst of the winter season’s inclement weather is something to be avoided, as well, Stefani added.

“That is especially critical when you consider hiring inexperienced drivers right when winter is upon us,” he continued. “Driving a tractor-trailer in snowy, icy conditions is not the same as driving your four-door sedan in that same weather.”

Still, many industry experts made clear their desire to focus on efforts that would work to boost the supply chain as it stands.

“[Transportation Intermediaries Association] members continue to be industry leaders in the technology space, as they must constantly innovate to address an ever-evolving and growing industry,” said CEO and president of TIA, Anne Reinke. “For example, our members utilize the latest technology to facilitate the movement of freight from one point to another. These solutions include maximum freight visibility with real-time data, automation in the back-end office, and utilizing artificial intelligence.”

It’s also important to look toward the supply chain’s relationship with the current environmental regulations at hand, according to Association of American Railroads’ president and CEO, Ian Jefferies. At the panel, Jefferies asked Congress to make sure federal regulations set forth through the National Environmental Policy Act won’t hinder any new infrastructure coming about.

“Federal agencies should promulgate regulations that allow for careful, thorough consideration of the environmental impacts of proposed projects but in a time-limited manner that does not cause unnecessary delay,” he said. “Such an approach would expedite projects that enhance supply chain fluidity but would not prevent comprehensive, effective environmental reviews from taking place.”

These upcoming infrastructure projects are part of Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure bill.

“The bipartisan law will modernize our ports, our airports, [and] our freight rail to make it easier for companies to get goods to market, reduce supply chain bottlenecks–as we’re experiencing now,” said Biden, “and lower costs for you and your family.”

Truckers Go Above and Beyond to Bring Giant Christmas Tree to US Capitol

November 30, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

With the help of many transportation workers, the Capitol Christmas Tree, an 84-foot white fir, has arrived at the U.S. Capitol Building.

This year’s giant tree made its way across the country in late October, beginning in the Mad River Ranger District of the Six Rivers National Forest in California. Then, System Transport began trucking the tree across the United States as the official designated carrier for the Capitol Christmas Tree.

The 84-foot tree is one of the largest firs ever chosen for the event and was transported by a Next Generation Kenworth Truck Co. T680. This is the eighth year in a row a Kenworth big rig has hauled the capitol’s special tree.

“It’s been quite an honor for us to be a part of this,” said Kenworth’s director of marketing, Genevieve Bekkerus. “It’s something that we definitely look forward to every year.”

Scheduling and preparation for this tree-hauling typically begins about a year before the start of its trek, and a new location from which a tree is selected is chosen every year. The Capitol Christmas Tree tradition has lasted for 51 years now as a collaboration between the United States Forest Service and its partners. Of course, the tree has become affectionately known as the “People’s Tree.”

“This project would not be possible without partners and without partnerships,” said Choose Outdoors director of communications and sponsorships, Jodi Massey. “It’s a Forest Service project, but really, truly where the magic happens is [in] partnerships, and in particular, [with] those in the trucking industry that help us bring this project to life every year.” Choose Outdoors works closely with the Forest Service and its partnership initiatives.

Two teams stepped up to the plate to get this tree to Washington, and System Transport made sure six different drivers were available to handle each necessary segment of the journey. One such driver included Jeremy Bellinger, who has driven 2.5 million miles with System Transport over the last 21 years. When he heard his company would be hauling the tree, he called his supervisor right away to get involved.

Still, transporting this holiday cheer is a whole different ball game for most truckers, and this particular trip included 25 separate stops for the people within both rural regions and at large events to catch a glimpse of the tree–especially around the state of California where the tree originated.

“A lot of [the areas we stopped in] were small communities,” said one of the Capitol Tree’s drivers, Bill Brunk. “It was really cool to see the small communities come out–they were really excited about the tree.”

One particular stop for the giant tree was in Chillicothe, Ohio, the home of the Kenworth plant where the tree-hauling truck was manufactured.

“The folks there, at the Chillicothe plant, were really, really impressed with the event,” said Bekkerus. “They were really happy to see their project on the road. There’s so much passion and so much pride that goes into every build.”

An especially heartwarming stop for the tree was at the CoxHealth Dee Ann White Women and Children’s Hospital, added System Transport’s Bellinger.

“[At] the children’s hospital in Springfield, Missouri, we backed up in front of the hospital and the kids were coming out to the windows,” he recalled. “They were happy to see the truck.”

Each year’s Capitol Christmas Tree has a specific theme–this year’s is “Six Rivers, Many Peoples, One Tree,” in reference to the Six Rivers National Forest from which the tree was chosen. The tree’s public display also includes a banner for visitors to sign their names as they learn about the tree’s trip across the U.S.

“We brought a small piece of a California national forest that’s famous for its redwoods, famous for its sequoias,” said U.S. Forest Service spokesperson, Samantha Reho. “And we brought it to each community that we went to.”

The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree will be lit at a ceremony on the building’s West Lawn tomorrow, December 1st.

As for the truckers who worked those long hours to make sure the tree reached its final destination?

“They’re kind of our Santas,” said Reho.

Vaccine Mandate for Transportation Workers Likely, Industry Experts Worry

November 29, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

The trucking industry is facing concerns that a federal vaccine mandate for truck drivers may exacerbate the long-lasting truck driver shortage. Now, the worry lies with mandating vaccines among all transportation workers.

“We are encouraging the vaccinations and we are working–corporate America in general–is working aggressively to try to protect their workforce and work with their workforce to make vaccines available,” said Derek Leathers, CEO of Werner Enterprises at the 51st annual Baird Global Industrial Conference. “We’ve done on-site vaccination clinics, we’ll continue to do that. But the mandate was a great concern to us.”

Early in November, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a mandate that private companies with 100 or more workers would need to require employee vaccination or weekly testing. However, the rule has been challenged and subsequently stayed by a federal court, although it was scheduled to go into effect in January.

American Trucking Associations, along with other industry groups, have challenged the legislation, even though the rule would offer exemptions for those working remotely or who have minimal contact with other people. This rule would indeed apply to solo-working truckers.

“When we saw the final rule come out, our interpretation right away was that, clearly–minimum contact and remote work is excluded–you just described the American truck driver,” said Leathers. “We do believe they should be excluded.”

The argument here, according to Leathers, is that truckers typically have lower infection rates than the rest of the country, although testing and vaccinations should be required for large groups of truck drivers gathering for meetings or events.

Additionally, the driver shortage may worsen should a mandate be implemented, as many truckers entered the industry due to the autonomy available in that particular career path. The trucking demand following the pandemic era’s e-commerce boom has also boosted demand to unprecedented numbers, furthering the shortage itself.

“Demand is obviously strong,” said Leathers. “If you go back to the summer of 2020 and, really, through now, we’ve seen volumes that, more often than not, mimic what a traditional peak season has looked like. Certainly, by [Quarter] 2 of this year, we saw pre-load levels and volume levels that were very close to what a traditional peak would look like. The network can only handle so much more.”

Therefore, retaining the truckers the industry still has is of the utmost importance.

“We also know there’s a group that chose to be truckers because of an independent spirit,” Leathers added. “Mandating things for groups like that can be disruptive at a time when the supply chain can ill afford any more supply chain disruptions.”

The current high demand in overall freight will likely continue deeply in 2022, allowing the current obstacles to continue on–especially given a probable strong peak season coming soon.

“On the supply side, I think the driver shortage is here.,” said Leathers. “It’s real, it’s not getting better, it’s as difficult as I’ve ever seen. The OEM manufacturing issues are probably more real than I’ve ever seen. It’s a bit of a different ingredient to the cycle that we haven’t seen in past ones.”

The federal infrastructure bill will also likely bring about higher freight demand, although the industry doesn’t expect to see change due to the new legislation until later in 2022.

Additionally, many trucking companies haven’t been able to meet demands for truck replacement levels as the supply chain disruptions, along with the truck driver shortage, have led to a semiconductor chip shortage, as well.

“On the demand side, more workers are coming into the workforce each month,” noted Leathers. “You’ve got GDP growth that is still very strong, a lot of savings rates that have increased during the pandemic. You put all that together, and we think it’s definitely stronger for longer and certainly have confidence well into 2022. In my personal opinion, I think this goes through 2022.”

The mandate will also bring heightened strain as it would affect all transportation workers, in addition to many truck drivers.

“We have a lot of mechanics, a lot of warehouse folks–so, it’s going to cause a lot of disruption if that vaccine mandate stands,” said J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc.’s chief operating officer and president of dedicated contract services, Nick Hobbs. “We’ve been prepared in case the mandate came out and was going to stay effective.”

Truck Drivers Gear Up for Winter Weather, Industry Experts Offer Safety Tips

November 28, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

“As soon as you stop using the air conditioning, that is the time to start winterizing the vehicle. That will change year to year,” said the safety supervisor at Prime Inc., Dennis Davis. Typically, trucking fleets will begin the winterization process in early September.

These precautions come due to weather unpredictability with the fluctuating low temperatures and seasonal changes between September and March. Many truckers work along routes that are susceptible to blizzards, and early preparedness and winterization is the best method of making it through elemental obstacles in order to keep both truck and trucker as safe and operational as possible.

Driver safety training is typically offered by fleets year-round, but is doubly important at the start of the winter season. Still, this winterization process should keep truckers mindful throughout the entirety of winter and early spring.

“It’s probably not a surprise that many of our trucking cases involve crashes on snowy, slippery roads,” explained Levinson and Stefani’s Jay Stefani. “While truckers can’t control the weather, the rules say they must drive with ‘extreme caution’ during hazardous conditions. And, if the weather is really bad, they are required to pull off the road.”

Because of this, Stefani urges passenger drivers to leave plenty of space for heavy-duty trucks in any kind of inclement weather.

“It is a lot harder to maneuver or stop an 80,000-pound tractor trailer when the roads are covered in ice and snow,” he said. “So, when you are driving on the roads and highways this winter, be sure to give those trucks plenty of room–don’t slide into the lane in front of them thinking they can just slow down.”

Truck driver education is vital to a fleet’s overall safety, and drivers should continue working on their own training continuously, especially when it comes to working a block heater or implementing fuel additives to prevent gelling, explained senior vice president of equipment and properties at J.B. Hunt, Nathan Smith.

“Every week, we send messages out to drivers to tell them little tips, “ he said. “We have a maintenance tip every week–we start reminding them that winter is coming and to make sure they have the proper gear in their trucks.”

Drivers should always have the necessary items on hand for any winter-related situations or emergencies, such as blankets, hats, gloves, scarves, water, food, and a fully-charged cell phone battery. A driver should also have fuel additives, jumper cables, working wiper blades, salt and ice melt, an ice scraper, and a lighted extension cord.

“We have a fleet support team of over 150 people who are just dealing with breakdown situations for a driver, 24/7, with the goal of responding to any driver in under a minute and 10 seconds,” Smith added. “We check back with drivers every 30 minutes to make sure they’re in good shape and let them know when help is on the way and give them updates. We don’t want anyone left out in a winter situation without a lifeline.”

Drivers should always have a spare pair of wiper blades, in addition to newly-installed blades, for the winter season, added Day & Ross’ senior director of maintenance, Matt Trites. Wiper blades are often neglected, but keeping these working properly in the wintertime is of the utmost importance.

“If there is the slightest bit of cracking or wear, it is a good idea to change the blades,” he said. “You will need those in the wintertime to remove snow and ice from the windshield. If you can’t see clearly out your windshield, that puts you in a very, very hazardous place.”

Truck batteries also need to be working perfectly and holding a charge in the winter, as batteries often freeze when not fully charged. Additionally, drivers may turn their ignitions multiple times in cold weather to start the engine, which drains the battery.

Tires should also always be in decent condition any time a driver is on icy or snowy roads.

“Tires have to be a good tread depth,” added Trites. “We recommend an aggressive tread with respect to traction–a good traction tire that has a good amount of tread still left on the tire is imperative for traveling in the winter on snowy roads.”

Finally, truckers should make sure their air tanks are drained to rid them of liquid condensation, so they can avoid the condensation turning to ice.

“Yes, it’s a chore, but it is much easier to crawl underneath and drain tanks as opposed to sitting on the side of the road because it froze up,” Trites noted.