Last month, the FMCSA announced an extension of its pandemic-era restrictions exemption for motor carriers. The latest extension only affects the amount of time a driver can drive in one shift. Under the extension, drivers can skip breaks and drive for more than eight hours in one go. The original emergency declaration was announced in March 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The FMCSA recognized a need to…

The US transportation sector continues to show encouraging signs of recovery. Last month, transportation sector unemployment dropped to 3.6%. This rate represents a return to pre-pandemic levels. In April 2019, the unemployment rate in this sector was 3.7%. Transportation unemployment peaked when it reached a shocking 15.7% during May and June of 2020. Since then, the unemployment rate has seen a steady decrease. Last year at this time, the unemployment…

A controversial policy enacted by Texas Governor Greg Abbott has created massive gridlock at various Texas-Mexico border crossings. The policy calls for inspections of commercial trucks from Mexico to check for migrants. Experts have raised concerns that the policy will slow the import of produce to the point that American consumers will start to feel the effects soon. On Wednesday, Abbott announced that a deal had been made with the…

Locomation’s autonomous vehicle technology is about to expand. Christenson Transportation just finalized their agreement with the tech company. Christenson plans to implement the technology in their trucks as soon as possible. The roll out will begin on their Nashville routes that line 500 miles along the 40, 24, and 65 highways. Christenson can expect a slew of benefits, but truckers everywhere are taking note, afraid their jobs may become obsolete.…

AT&T, the mega telecommunications company, began the sunset of its 3G network on February 22. It was at this point modules and the devices that request 3G voice. Also data-only services from the AT&T network no longer worked. It was a wind-down that affected more than 350,000 Class 8 vehicles. AT&T and Verizon - Rollout of 5G Wireless Services On January 19th, AT&T and Verizon have begun the rollout of…

Lawmakers have chosen to advance with legislation drafting a hefty response to a weather incident. This left hundreds of drivers stuck on the I-95 for a whole day last month. Because of the snowstorms. The Virginia Senate Transportation Committee advanced a Senate Bill of 706 by a popular vote of 10 to 5. As a result, the bill would totally restrict CMVs to the right of any road with two…

EV start-ups and charging companies are helping fleet owners navigate the challenges of ordering electric vehicles. This is part of the strategies to decarbonize over the ensuing years. Though, converting to EVs is not as simple as swapping out gas pumps for chargers. EV Start-Ups and Transition to Electric There has been a transition that requires financing heavy upfront costs. Plus optimizing vehicle routes and schedules, installing and also maintaining…

Owner-operators do know that each day on the road does represent a test. Also, roadside inspectors and other law enforcement, electronic logging devices, employers, dash cams, and all kinds of tech under the hood do constantly record thousands of data points. They are about even the smallest details of a driver's performance. Owner-Operators - Driving Facilities by Report Drivers get to grade the facilities is what happens. It is where…

House of Representatives in the U.S. this December did pass the Ocean Shipping Reform Act is that it would among things seek to end abusive detention and demurrage practices at U.S. ports. House of Representatives - Updated Laws The bill is the first major update for laws that govern U.S. maritime port operations in more than 20 years. It was introducing by Representatives John Garamendi (D-California) and Dusty Johnson (R-South Dakota).…

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has listened to leaders from across the freight industry in a hearing titled “Industry and Labor Perspectives: A Further Look at North American Supply Chain Challenges.” It truly laid bare some of the hard truths of today's supply chain nightmares. House Transportation Committee: Bottlenecks and Backlogs in the U.S. Economy Opening the hearing was Committee Chair Representative Peter DeFazio of Oregon. He detailed some…