Trucking News

New regulations requiring the use of electronic onboard recorders (EOBR) for certain carriers has been challenged in court by the OOIDA (Owner Operator Independent Drivers Association).

As environmental concerns grow within the trucking industry, new innovations in equipment design are improving overall performance.  A new trailer design is expected to continue this trend within trucking companies.

A new intermodal chassis design, named EcoRide will debut this spring for intermodal container transport.  The new equipment is expected to reduce overall fuel consumption from 7% to 10%.

The overall economic outlook continued to improve as added 2,600 new employees were added to the trucking industry in the month of December. These positions include company truck driving jobs and owner operator jobs.  December was the third month in a row where employment grew on a year-over-year basis according to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The strength of the trucking industry continues to be demonstrated through increasing new truck orders. 

Orders for heavy duty trucks in December increased 15% above December 2009 according to a recent survey by ACT Research to a total of 25,000 orders for new trucks.  This is in addition to consistent increases in both heavy truck and trailer orders in recent months.  The US Bureau of Labor Statistics has also indicated the addition of new trucking jobs over 2009 numbers.

2010 proved to be an eventful year in the commercial trucking industry.  Here are the top stories that dominated the headlines in commercial trucking.

The Economy

The downturn in the economy caused a variety of concerns in all industries, and trucking was no exception to this rule.  The down economy resulted in lost jobs and the closing of many small to mid-sized trucking companies.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is considering legislation to add speed limiting equipment to commercial trucks.  The new rules would affect both large and small trucking companies as well as independent owner operators.

The FMCSA has officially published their proposed Hours of Service changes for the Commercial Trucking Industry.  The proposed changes include:

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) relaxed several regulations for diesel engines.  The move was an effort to help struggling trucking companies and other businesses that rely heavily on diesel engines. CARB worked over the past year to gather input and hold public discussions regarding changes that would affect commercial trucking industries.

Currently, Florida is one of the few states that does not regulate use of cell phones or texting while driving.  While no state legislation exists, many trucking companies in Florida and around the nation have taken it upon themselves to implement their own policies banning texting while driving. 

According to a recent survey of transportation based businesses and trucking companies, 66 percent of those surveyed expect volumes to increase over the next year.