James Jaillet

James Jaillet was Randall-Reilly's executive editor of trucking, focusing on coverage of business and regulatory updates and trucking industry trends for the Commercial Carrier Journal and Overdrive, until the Spring of 2021.

Trump now calls for $1.5 trillion infrastructure package, but funding details remain fuzzy

Like Trump’s calls for high-price-tag infrastructure packages in the past, he seemingly envisions states, localities and the private sector picking up the bulk of that total, instead of the federal government. Critics have said Trump’s plans would lead to an expansion of highway tolling.

January 31, 2018

DU1yqgNU0AAz1aC-2018-01-31-07-39

Examiners fear bogus driver med cards could stem from FMCSA hack

FMCSA said earlier this month “there appears to be no evidence” of drivers’ or examiners’ information being stolen. But if any information regarding examiners was stolen, specifically their license number, there could be potential for bogus medical certificates to be issued, according to interviews with several DOT-certified medical examiners.

January 29, 2018

After hack, FMCSA mum on when medical examiner website will be restored

Overdrive has queried FMCSA repeatedly in the past week about the site’s outage. The agency has not answered questions about whether the site’s outage has disrupted the issuance of medical certificates and whether it can fully confirm that no private information about drivers’ medical records was stolen.

January 24, 2018

Taking aim at White House tolling plan, ATA calls for fuel tax increase to shore up highway funding

While its announcement doesn’t specifically mention President Trump’s ideas to use tolls and other privatized funding options, ATA calls tolls “a massive waste of taxpayer money.” It’s instead lobbying for a 20-cent increase in fuel taxes to be phased in over a four-year period.

January 24, 2018

truckstop truck stop hours of service evening parking hos fuel island20160526_0064

Court dismisses bulk of truckers’ lawsuit challenging FMCSA’s pre-employment reports

A now-six-year-old lawsuit brought by five truckers challenging the efficacy of the U.S. DOT’s Pre-Employment Screening Program reports has been mostly dismissed by a federal court. However, two drivers involved in the suit could be awarded damages for information contained with their PSP report, the court ruled.

January 23, 2018

Overdrive Radio

Podcast: What do state laws on marijuana mean for truckers?

States laws on marijuana use increasingly at odds with federal law. Some states, like Maine, have forbid employers from firing workers for testing positive for marijuana. Do these laws have any bearing on trucking and, specifically, drivers? Listen here to see what trucking industry reps say on the issue.

January 22, 2018

marijuana-2018-01-22-14-19

Overdrive Radio

Tax overhaul expands bonus depreciation to used equipment

The tax overhaul enacted in December now allows so-called bonus depreciation for used truck purchases. But the law also requires buyers to expense the assets in the year they bought them, rather than taking depreciation benefits over a multi-year period.

January 19, 2018

used-truck-lot-2017-09-11-08-17

As more states move toward legalizing marijuana, it remains off limits for truckers

In one of the first laws of its kind, Maine has enacted rules that forbid the state’s employers from firing employees or refusing job applicants for testing positive for marijuana use. Do these laws and broader marijuana legalization efforts have any bearing on trucking’s driver drug screening policies?

January 16, 2018

Rates shot up again in December in record-tight market

In addition to posting multi-year highs (again), rates in all three major truckload segments saw gains of about 40 cents a mile compared to December 2016.

January 12, 2018

Screen Shot 2018-01-12 at 8.52.12 AM-2018-01-12-09-17

Overdrive Radio

Podcast: Bird’s eye view of fleets’ initiatives on driver scoring systems

In this installment of Overdrive Radio, CCJ Tech Editor Aaron Huff provides a high-level overview of how fleets are using the influx of data from in-cab systems to monitor, coach and score drivers. Listen here…

January 11, 2018

Garmin-DriverAwarenessReport-2018-01-10-09-39-2018-01-11-16-10

Page 34 of 190

Mix Collage 03 Nov 2025 07 56 Am 7579

Roadside war stories, camaraderie, ownership advice: Small Fleet Champs deliver

This week's edition of Overdrive Radio drops into the Small Fleet Champ awards ceremony and a side roundtable talk with the four finalists: Clifford Hay Inc., Thomasville Furniture Xpress, Turnage & Sons, and Oberman Logistics. The owners traded war stories from hefty tow bills (how's $15K for four miles) and plenty tried-and-true advice for the move from one truck to many.

Indiana-headquartered owner-operator John Penn is making a name for himself amongst his peers for a drive to excel in fuel efficiency and management of customer relationships for steady business. Penn is the October Trucker of the Month, putting him in the running for Overdrive's 2025 Trucker of the Year award.

Trucker of the Month John Penn reaps 10-mpg-plus rewards of two decades learning, growing

Maxresdefault

'A Touch of Class': Greg Kiser Trucking's custom '08 Pete makes old-school style new

Highway Report Card Overdrive Crop

Get your 2025 Highway Report Card: Worst roads, state DOTs, parking deserts

HP/Poly Voyager Legend 30 and Voyager Legend 50

HP/Poly Voyager Legend 30 and Voyager Legend 50