Truck drivers play an essential role in the world economy, but life isn’t easy for them. Drivers face a wide variety of issues and challenges that affect both them and the industry as a whole. For example, trucker issues contributed to the driver shortage, as qualified drivers leave the industry because of low pay and difficult working conditions. Other truck driver challenges include issues related to health and wellness. Truckers must deal with a lack of exercise, poor diet, extended periods without bathroom breaks, eye strain, cramped conditions, poor sleep — not to mention the mental toll of being away from home and family for days at a time. Though many drivers earn good wages, the physical and mental stress isn’t always worth it to them.
Check back here for the latest news and insights on driver issues, or visit our Trucking Industry News archive to find additional information.
Routes, service and driver safety could be at risk if federal regulators allow California and Washington state laws to supersede federal work laws, according to FedEx.
Supreme Court considers that question and what it means for disputes taken to arbitration or to court.
Kimberly Fisk, the new COO of Triumph’s factoring group, sat down for an interview with FreightWaves as she begins the job.
Takeaways from the State of Freight webinar this month kick off with an “abysmal” February.
“Grabbing the Hammer Lane,” a one-actor show with trucking as a theme, is winning strong reviews.
The Teamsters, which have been mostly winning lately, saw their union kicked out by some workers in Wisconsin.
A federal task force wants contract details from truck drivers to help expose and combat predatory lease practices in the trucking industry.
Ryder has a plan in place to reduce its reliance on equipment leasing. Its progress could be seen in its earnings.
Texas leads the U.S. for the most traffic bottlenecks for truckers on ATRI’s 2023 Top Truck Bottlenecks list, with 13.
International Roadcheck through North America will take place in mid-May this year.
New Jersey’s leading insurance trade group says umbrella coverage is likely the way to go for fleets looking to meet the state’s new $1.5 million minimum.
The nation’s top truck safety regulator wants towing companies that overcharge truckers to be held accountable by the FTC.
There isn’t much sign of an upturn in Uber Freight’s latest earnings report.
Federal regulators are responding to complaints that the government is not doing enough to protect women and minority truck drivers.
A lawsuit that goes back to 2010 and opened the door for the ABC test in New Jersey has been settled.
U.S. Bank’s freight indices are down but at a rate that may suggest a balancing of capacity could be ongoing.
Tearing down the Interstate 81 viaduct in Syracuse, New York, and replacing it with an urban boulevard moved closer to fruition after a Friday court decision.
As the Bureau of Labor Statistics signaled in August, the annual revision of employment data shows fewer truck transportation jobs last year than initially reported.
Federal regulators are proposing to ease requirements for new truck drivers — but crash victim advocates warn safety will be compromised.
The latest agenda from DOT delays rules on truck speeds and automated driving systems.
Love’s plans on adding as many as 2,000 truck parking spots this year, less than in recent years.
TriumphPay came in at positive EBITDA in the fourth quarter, a full year ahead of schedule.
Drivewyze has launched a new service to push safety notifications live to ELDs and other devices.
The Haslam family has exercised its option to have Berkshire Hathaway buy the final 20% of Pilot Travel Centers it did not already own.
FMCSA is providing a rare glimpse into documents it will consider in formulating a significant safety rule.
The Teamsters had a good few months at the end of 2023 in their organizing efforts, racking up several victories.
The final Department of Labor rule on independent contractors was mostly unchanged but with some small wins for the trucking industry.
Berkshire Hathaway and the former owners of Pilot Travel Centers have settled their legal differences on the day trial was set to begin.
The Fair Labor Standards Act can be applied to team drivers for some of the time spent in the sleeper berth, according to a federal court.
The monthly BLS report showed a relatively modest gain for truck transportation jobs but another decline in warehouses.
Truckload carrier Prime is moving into the hopper business and took to YouTube to announce its expansion.
Relaxing CDL testing rules could get drivers on the road faster without risking safety, according to a training school group.
California won’t enforce its rule that only zero-emission vehicles can be registered as drayage trucks after the start of 2024.
It’s been a month since Sarah Schultz last saw her truck driver husband, David. “Any scenario you could run through your head is probably a possibility,” the Sac County sheriff said.
Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican presidential candidate, wants to address truck driver retention, broker fraud and parking.
A lawsuit challenging the waiver granted by the EPA to California for its Advanced Clean Trucks rule will be delayed.
There’s a new nuclear verdict against a trucking company and it comes out of a case in Georgia.
On this week’s Drilling Deep, we talk truck parking and weakening oil demand. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)
Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican presidential candidate, will speak at the World’s Largest Truckstop on Dec. 21.
Freight Ninja executives outlined ambitious plans to double locations by 2024, tackling the parking shortage with a focus on smaller trucking companies.
California has asked the Environmental Protection Agency for a waiver to implement the Advanced Clean Fleets rule.
GlobalTranz prefers the Supreme Court not review its appellate court victory in a case involving a fatal accident.
Freight brokerage Convoy shut down in October. Carriers say the brokerage didn’t pay them for loads they completed.
The small rise in truck transportation jobs in November contrasts with more recent big swings.
Two of the most significant plotters in the Louisiana staged accident scheme were to be sentenced Thursday but it’s been delayed.
Trucking regulator reminds states of federal laws disqualifying convicted felons from having a CDL.
The first deadline for a little-noticed environmental rule affecting all trucks traveling in California is Dec. 31.
Local opposition and divided attention in Washington are hurdles that must be cleared before the trucking industry can get parking legislation passed.
CDL testing in Florida could get easier if regulators grant an exemption to driver instructors.
A government system that leaves most of the trucking industry without a safety rating needs an overhaul, carriers and brokers tell regulators.
The numbers out of BMO’s transportation sector, which are heavily loans to trucking companies, showed deterioration in credit metrics.
The Pilot vs. Berkshire lawsuit in Delaware has gotten personal, with the recent Pilot chairman accused of secret payments to benefit a sales price.
Artificial intelligence will probably change everything about our lives. For truck drivers, it could wipe away their economic stability.
Polish truck drivers are blocking four key border crossings. They’re hoping to draw attention to a European Union regulatory change.
A request for the Supreme Court to review a lower-court ruling could bring clarity to conflicting decisions across multiple courts about broker liability.
With the U.S. mostly saturated with weigh station bypass technology, Drivewyze snagged a rare opportunity for new growth in Canada.
I went to Texas to learn about truck driver training — and learned that there’s a major disagreement in how to improve the industry.
Trucking and logistics companies are seeing a massive downturn. FreightWaves has reported on the biggest shutdowns and layoffs since 2022.
The Teamsters and crash victim advocates say claims that parking shortages will be made worse by California’s and Washington’s rest break rules are unfounded.
Two leading execs at Estes Express, including an Estes family member, have presented a recap of the hack that took the LTL carrier mostly offline.
Bipartisan lawmakers introduced a bill that requires employers to give America’s 2 million truck drivers overtime pay — for the first time ever.
A final rule issued by federal regulators aims to protect truckers from broker fraud.
Coyote Logistics won a legal battle over liability, but the victory may have repercussions beyond this particular case.
Dozens of truck drivers at 10 Roads Express, a major Postal Service contractor, have voted to join the Teamsters in recent months.
A federal advisory panel promoting women in trucking weakened its stance on removing an exemption that currently allows carriers not to pay overtime to their drivers.
It’s back to the courtroom for the CTA and OOIDA as they continue their legal battle against California’s AB5.
Reliance’s Thom Albrecht provided his company’s perspective on how fast capacity is disappearing from truck markets during FreightWaves’ F3: Future of Freight Festival.
Improving road safety and public health is the goal of a new push to help teen drivers learn to share the road.
A white paper by factoring company OTR Solutions highlights risks it sees from the combination of 3PL bankruptcies and asset-based lending.
Total employed in the sector now more than 30,000 fewer than at May peak
The family who founded Pilot Travel Centers and sold 80% of it to Berkshire Hathaway has filed suit over valuing the final 20%.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance has created a tip sheet and reporting guide to root out fraudulent carriers in the trucking industry.
CRST is making its first acquisition since 2020 by buying BCB Transport.
After the Great Shopping Spree of 2021, tens of thousands of truck companies will have to shut down to restabilize the industry.
Less-than-truckload carrier XPO Inc. (NYSE: XPO) says it has launched an over-the-road operation for team drivers. Only existing teams can currently qualify for the program, which has not been formally […]
Triumph Financial’s earnings saw a tighter EBITDA loss at TriumphPay and a largely flat average invoice price in its transportation factoring business.
The California Trucking Association has filed suit in federal court, seeking to block implementation of the California Advanced Clean Fleets rule.
Data reveals 2023 will be a record year — by far — for commercial carrier shutdowns ordered by the government for new carriers.
The shaky U.S. economy occupied the No. 1 spot for motor carriers in the latest American Transportation Research Institute survey of top trucking issues revealed by ATRI President Rebecca Brewster.
California says, once again, that the state’s trucking sector is holding up under AB5.
Truckers under age 21 serving the agriculture sector will continue to receive an exemption to avoid interference from law enforcement.
Uber Freight has rolled out new technology solutions for its TMS, procurement and use of generative AI.
Trucking companies and drivers will see shorter windows on regional emergency exemptions provided by the agency.
The September truck transportation jobs report, with revisions to August’s numbers, suggests some Yellow losses have been recaptured elsewhere.
In this month’s State of Freight webinar, FreightWaves CEO Craig Fuller reviews data that shows a stronger market than rates and rejections might suggest.
A broker that hired a carrier whose truck struck a teenager is not liable, according to an Illinois appellate court.
A new regulatory agenda sets dates for trucking sector rulemakings ranging from speed limiter mandates to automatic emergency braking.
The most widely used IRS rate for per diem payments will be held steady in 2023-24.
A former Texas Border Patrol agent pleaded guilty to hiring undocumented immigrants as drivers for Gonmor Transportation.
Two subsidiaries of trucking conglomerate TFI International have been sued by the EEOC over alleged discrimination against two gay employees who ultimately were fired.
One terminal of trucking giant Werner filed to join the Teamsters union. Teamsters said key organizers were terminated afterward.
What’s next for the three-headed beast of AB5 litigation in California? It might be whether the state’s Supreme Court takes up the so-called Olson case.
BNSF has reached a settlement in a lawsuit it lost earlier that threatened it with a payout of $228 million.
GAO recommends FMCSA improve its website so that it is more useful for truck drivers seeking remedies for alleged coercion by employers.
Orbcomm, a major provider of ELDs, has been hit by a ransomware attack, impacting its key product offering.
Truck drivers are pressed to find safe parking. A patchwork of entrepreneurs seem keen to expand options.
Complaints about transparency and accuracy of safety data that affects the operations of truck drivers and carriers has caught the attention of federal regulators.
In what is far from a nuclear verdict, a long-running suit against Knight Transportation in California was settled for $400,000.
Less than 2 weeks after representation election, UFCW already charging regional truckload carrier ECM with actions that may be retaliation. (Photo: LFCW)
There’s no perpetual, industry-wide truck driver shortage. The market quickly corrects any shortage of labor.
