The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is asking for comments on seat belt use in commercial vehicles.  This is because of recent data showing a high number of drivers not using seat belts in fatal crashes.  The comment period will be open until August 12, 2024.  Existing data on the usage of safety belts and perceptions related to road safety do not capture the diversity of different types of Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) drivers in a post-coronavirus di...

Over the next two months the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will be seeking public comments on the development of a new methodology to determine when a motor carrier is not fit to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in or affecting interstate commerce. Before proceeding with next steps in the rulemaking process, FMCSA will host a series of one in-person and two virtual listening sessions to gather public comment. These listening sessions are open to ...

When beginning a new job, many people simply want to learn their role and focus on only what they were hired for. If they’re hired to pick up a phone to answer and make calls, then they’d make sure to just learn that job. That’s it. If they’re brought into a company to process paperwork, or maybe they’re a sales or tech specialist, then that’s what they do. Focus on the task at hand and only do what you were brought in for. Some folks out there excel at more than ...

In this economy, for many owner operators, it has been a struggle just to survive, let alone thrive. We all hear or read stories practically everyday about someone closing up their business....

Team Driving Living in tight quarters for weeks or months at a time can be very volatile. As a team, my husband and I have had our marriage and our business challenged many times. I am sure that is true for all teams. Whether you are spouses, siblings  or parent/child teams temperatures can rise from time to time. What do you do when this happens? How do you resolve conflict or reach a compromise? People who do not drive over the road have no idea what it is like to live in ...

A while back a friend asked me if my husband and I ever have a chance to sightsee while we are on the road. I replied that for the most part we do not. This conversation allowed me to reflect on how many drivers take the opportunity to get out of the truck to see and explore. Do you? Where do you go? What have you seen? We were on the East coast and were invited to see the sights with another team with which we are friends. We had a great time seeing things like the Liberty B...

The best thing about being an independent contractor is that there are an endless number of opportunities in the world that allow you to be your own boss. Some of those opportunities are certainly difficult to attain, while others are more easily accessible but sometimes far less enticing. Whether you’re an experienced owner-operator or an independent contractor looking to get into the expedite industry, choosing the right carrier to run for makes all the difference in the ...

Why are you so special? Do you offer anything different from all of the other truck drivers out there? If you can only provide basic services that any other truck or truck driver can offer, then you should only expect basic, bottom of the barrel rates. If you do have additional valuable skills to offer your customers, are they aware of them?...

Trying to reach our youth seems an ongoing struggle these days. But as I’ve observed many times throughout my recruiting career, ‘you’ve got to know your audience.’ By saying as much, the audience in this case may just be the young adults looking to find their place in the world. Specifically, the world of truck driving. As the ongoing driver shortage continues, many companies and carriers are attempting to turn their attention toward a somewhat untapped resource of t...

The 2024 International Roadcheck has come and gone. As many of you know, this year’s roadcheck, AKA Safety Blitz, took place May 14 - 16....