Tag: Truck Driver Jobs

Categories
Trucker News

Driver hiring, turnover increase

Trucking industry hiring and driver turnover surged in the fourth quarter of 2010. According to American Trucking Associations’ quarterly trucking activity report, large truckload fleet turnover rose to 69 percent in the fourth quarter, its highest level since the second quarter of 2008. Trucking industry hiring and driver turnover surged in the fourth quarter of 2010.According to American Trucking Associations’ quarterly trucking activity report, large truckload fleet turnover rose to 69 percent in the fourth quarter, its highest level since the second quarter of 2008.

DRIVER

Turnover at small truckload fleets increased to 49 percent in the fourth quarter from 44 percent in the third quarter, and LTL turnover remained low at 6 percent. Also, truckload and less-than-truckload carriers increased payrolls in the fourth quarter. Small truckload companies increased employment by 0.8 percent, while large truckload companies boosted total employment by 0.3 percent.Less-than-truckload employment rose 0.4 percent, according to the survey.ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said the increased hiring, coupled with rising turnover, indicated fleets are responding to a growing economic recovery.

Categories
Freight Factors Trucker News

FMCSA opens utter period on EOBR

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on April 12 requested additional public comment on its Feb. 1 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding mandatory electronic onboard recorders for commercial motor vehicle operators who must keep records of duty status.In its latest EOBR proposal and in a previous EOBR rulemaking published on April 5, 2010, FMCSA advised it is required by law to ensure that electronic devices are not used to harass CMV drivers resulting from invasion of their privacy, although they can be used by motor carriers to monitor productivity.

EOBR

FMCSA said in light of recent litigation brought by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association challenging the agency’s treatment of driver harassment in the first EOBR rulemaking, it wants to ensure that interested parties can comment on the issue in the current EOBR rulemaking.
The first EOBR rule is a final FMCSA action and remains under review by the Seventh Circuit, but FMCSA argued the rule properly protects drivers from harassment. The agency also will continue to accept and consider comments on all other issues within the scope of the proposed rule.

Categories
Trucker News

Diesel soars

The national average retail price of diesel surged past $4 a gallon, increasing 10.2 cents to $4.078 a gallon during the week ended April 11, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration.
All regions reported prices above $4. California climbed 7.4 cents to $4.323, the nation’s highest. The West Coast, excluding California, gained 9.9 cents to $4.308. The Midwest increased 10.8 cents to $4.04, while the East Coast rose 10 cents to $4.082. The biggest increase was 11.2 cents to $4.204 in the Central Atlantic region.

Beautiful Sunset

The national average price is at its highest level since Sept. 1, 2008, when it was $4.121 and more than $1 a gallon higher than the same week last year.

Categories
Lifestyle Trucker News

Drugs and Driving

Drug abuse remains a scourge. It affects every level of our society and no one is immune from the threat of being killed or injured in a crash involving a drug-impaired driver. When drugs are taken and a person drives the likelihood of becoming a road toll statistic increases dramatically If you think drug-taking has little, or even a positive, impact on your driving you could be tragically mistaken. It’s important to bear in mind that it can be hard to determine exactly how a drug will affect your driving ability – impairment caused by drugs can vary according to the individual, drug type, dosage, the length of time the drugs stays in your body, or if the drug has been taken with other drugs or alcohol.

Among certain related drugs (narcotics), tolerance built up to the effects of one drug will carry over to another drug.This is the result of discontinuing the intake of a drug after developing physical dependence. With alcohol this may cause such reactions as mild disorientation, hallucinations, shaking, and convulsions.

Categories
Trucker News

Truck shortages rates kick in

Truckload capacity shortages will gather momentum this year and continue through 2013 as the economy recovers and regulatory restrictions will limit the driver pool, an FTR Associates economist said Wednesday in an online seminar.Noel Perry, an FTR senior consultant, estimated that because of the economic upturn and the federal government’s push for improved safety “a couple hundred thousand drivers will be taken out of the marketplace between now and the end of next year.” He acknowledged that forecast shortages have been slow to occur and now will likely hit the market in 2012.

Worried Truck Shortage
Perry said trucking is typically slow to respond to an economic recovery. He said if the market doesn’t respond by ordering more equipment to improve productivity, “There will be a bunch of loads that don’t get delivered. That means there will be supply chain failures,” although he does expect the industry to meet the challenge.To date truckload rate increases haven’t materialized as anticipated, Perry said, because the industry achieved productivity gains last year, which enabled companies to absorb additional freight without adding equipment and drivers. That period has passed and the market has tightened.In response to a question, Perry said current strong new truck orders are primarily to replace aging equipment and not adding to capacity. However, he said if his forecast of higher rates is accurate, he anticipates a “considerable expansion by the industry in 2012 and 2013.”

Categories
Lifestyle Trucker News

Avoid Getting Hit by a Car for Pedestrians

With so many vehicles on the road, pedestrians need to be aware of their surroundings and the “rules of the road” to avoid being hit by a car or other motor vehicle. Nighttime is a particularly dangerous time because visibility is reduced, and both pedestrians and drivers may be more likely to have been drinking alcohol. The best way for you to avoid getting hit by a car when you’re walking is to be aware of the situations that most often lead to pedestrian-vehicle accidents.

Pedestrian Lane
To avoid getting hit by a car you need to look both ways before you cross the street. We all agree accidents happen, but stupidity happens as well. I see children disobeying the rule of look before you leap even adults as well. Taking the time to look both ways will save you money on medical bills, incident claims, and a few broken bones. Another importantsafety step that will keep our head attached to our necks instead of attached to a window shield is often missed as well. Do not go jogging on a busy street with headphones blasting in your ears. How can you hear if a car behind you is swerving? If you do go running try to run against the flow of traffic so you can see what’s in front of you.

Like I said before unless you know something the rest of the world doesn’t know you can not outrun a car. Why do grown men try to race a car, and why in the world does the driver even accept this foolish challenge. A quick way to get hit by a car, is to try outrunning one. If you do this please stop embarrassing yourself, and grow up.

Even though pedestrians’ routes are often the same every day (to and from work, the grocery store, school, etc), it is important to remember to be aware of what is going on around you and to follow these simple safety suggestions.

Categories
Trucker News

1,600 Trucking Jobs Reported

The U.S. economy added 216,000 non farm jobs on a seasonally adjusted basis during March, and trucking companies accounted for 1,600 of those jobs, according to the preliminary estimates released April 1 by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Happy Driver
Total employment in trucking in March was more than 1.267 million – down 186,000, or 12.8 percent, from peak trucking employment in January 2007. The BLS numbers reflect all payroll employment in for-hire trucking, but they don’t include trucking-related jobs in other industries, such as a truck driver for a private fleet. Nor do the numbers reflect the total amount of hiring since they only include new jobs, not replacements for existing positions.Although the economy added 216,000 jobs in March, the unemployment rate was little changed, dipping one-tenth of a point to 8.8 percent, as the number of people seeking employment rose at almost the same level as the number of new jobs added.

Categories
Trucker News

Con-way Expects Full E-log Implementation

Con-way Truckload announced that 71 percent of its 3,000-driver fleet is using electronic logs (e-logs), with full integration of the technology expected in June 2011.The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is expected to make the adoption of e-logs mandatory for all carriers by 2014.

Electronic Onboard Recorder
E-logs, also known as electronic onboard recorders or EOBRs, automatically capture hours-of-service data, reducing the potential for inaccuracies and risk of violations associated with paper logs, which negatively impact safety, on-time service, operational efficiencies and CSA scores, among other issues. Because satellite-based mobile communications units have been installed in Con-way Truckload tractors since 1994, the company was able to integrate e-logs at a minimal cost. And, as a result of reduced costs associated with providing and managing traditional paper-based log books, the company has achieved 59 percent savings to date.
Con-way Truckload began testing e-logs in February 2010 and started integrating the system in its trucks fleet wide in November. Currently 2,145 drivers are using e-logs, with another 75 drivers transitioning to the system each week, on average.One of Con-way Truckload’s long-time drivers, Gary Sorell, was selected to use e-logs first.”When I started using e-logs in March 2010, I wasn’t sure what to expect; now, I wouldn’t give it back,” said Sorell. “With a computer to do all of the work, a driver doesn’t need to spend time filling out a paper log or calculating hours manually. There is no way to make a mistake, which eliminates log violations and makes it easy to work with the Department of Transportation.”

Categories
Lifestyle Trucker News

Volvo to recall 700 truck plant workers

Volvo Trucks North America in Pulaski County, Va., will recall approximately 700 employees between May 2 and June 13, according to a March 30 announcement.The New River Valley plant, which employs about 1,500 people, is facing a surge in orders for heavy-duty trucks, the Roanoke Times newspaper reported. Volvo’s U.S. and Canadian sales grew 46 percent in 2010 and were 47 percent higher through February compared with a year earlier.


Trucks sales boost has company adding a second shift back at Pulaski County plant.

Unionized production workers recently agreed to a two-tier compensation plan that requires recalled workers to be paid less than those currently working in the factory, the newspaper reported. It is a provision of a recently signed 5-year contract that runs through March 2016.

Categories
Trucker News

Is Freight Transportation makes you Profitable?

When deciding if freight transportation might be a profitable business, the first thing you must do is take a look throughout your residence. Look at your garage, kitchen or office and find something that didn`t get transported as freight. Once you realize the fact that transportation services is about the most wide reaching industry you can think of, it`s time to decide if you want to attempt to start your own freight transportation business. Being as the industry is so huge, there are plenty of opportunities for even a small start-up to build business and make a realistic profit. The decision you must make is which sector of the industry would be most valuable to you. This created an outburst in the business of organizing the shipments via inter-modal transportation. Tertiary logistical organization of freight shipping is key to the existence and growth of the transportation services sector. Because the sector is so enormous, there is a diverse range of different businesses that all profit and have a role in the inter-modal transportation services sector.

Freight Transportation

The key player in every shipment involving freight transportation is a freight broker. This individual or firm performs as a middle man to link shippers with freight carriers. They organize the process and figure out how the items will get form point A to point B. The person who sends the freight is the shipper. He operates with a broker to get the cargo picked up and on their way. A motor carrier is the company that supplies truck transportation. These individual positions open up a massive amount of different opportunities that definitely make the freight transportation commercial enterprise to be profitable business venture.The only thing to understand about the inter-modal freight transportation services industry is that it is a consistently altering entity. While each different type of business may seem unassociated, each step of shipment overlaps. Thereby certain entities may direct many of these positions.