Equipment
Business
Regulations
Life
Custom Rigs
Gear
CSA's Data Trail
CSA's Data Trail
The toughest states for brakes violations: 2022 update to get prepped for Brake Safety Week blitz
The brakes-enforcement blitz's focus this year on hose/tube chafing yields plenty in the way of tips for preparing. What states are most likely to issue violations during the August 21-28 event? Find out here.
August 2, 2022
CSA's Data Trail
'Man v. machine' comes to the roadside: Mitigating rising 'false log' risk
Five years into the ELD mandate, inspectors have the tools to catch improper use of PC, resulting most often in the "false log" violation as punishment. But faced with the choice of PC or an 11/14 violation, taking the latter on the chin might be best.
July 22, 2022
CSA's Data Trail
A sharp rise in moving violations, as inspection numbers inch back toward pre-COVID levels
A very small number of states in 2021 show inspection levels at or above 2019, as a new emphasis in some on Level 3 driver inspections following traffic stops pushes moving violations to new heights. Download the 2022 CSA's Data Trail update for more.
July 19, 2022
Channel 19
The five most-common reasons wheel seals fail -- and other Roadcheck-ready wheel-end resources
Roadcheck's focus next week? Wheel end components. Expect closer scrutiny of hubs. Among the first indicators of a problem is a leaky wheel seal. FMCSA consistently names leaky hubs/seals one of the most common violations found in inspection.
May 12, 2022
Overdrive Extra
DataQs reform: A 10% violation error rate should not be acceptable
When a noticeable sidewall cut in a trailer tire was determined to have been marked as a violation in error, this small fleet owner did the math on his successful DataQs challenges over the past years. Here, his ideas on needed DataQs/CSA reform.
March 29, 2022
Don’t Miss Out
Get the business tips, industry insights and trending news every owner-operator needs to know in the
Overdrive
newsletter.
Email
Sign Up
Regulations
FMCSA's safety ratings trend negative: A majority issued in 2021 were Conditional
In 2021, in stark contrast to most recent years, a majority of all audits that concluded with a safety rating ended with the carrier getting a Conditional rating. Ratings and audits continued to decline, with Satisfactory ratings in ever-shorter supply.
February 10, 2022
Equipment
An assist for avoiding brake adjustment violations
Though the national rate for brake-adjustment violations has been decreasing in recent years, small fleet owner Bryon Stoll found (the hard way) a state where that's definitely not the case. That led him to this simple adjustment indicator assist device.
February 3, 2022
Regulations
FMCSA updates warning-letter protocol to hit more carriers | Expect I-35 delays in southern Okla.
FMCSA now sending more warning letters for Unsafe Driving BASIC scores. In other news: I-35 will be narrowed to one lane in each direction near mile marker 8 in Oklahoma; Cummins/Rush now joint natural gas developers; more ELD data in Trucker Tools.
January 18, 2022
CSA's Data Trail
The intensity of brakes, other vehicle enforcement is highest in these states
What's your guess for the state most prone to hand out the highest rate of violations in any inspection? What about brake violations, a big focus of next week's nationwide brake-blitz? Find out what the numbers say here.
August 20, 2021
CSA's Data Trail
The hours enforcement 'black hole' out West
Nationally, hours of service violations were issued in smaller numbers in 2020, continuing a long-term trend. Yet looked at another way, the intensity of focus on hours in inspections has increased, particularly so in these contiguous states.
July 29, 2021
CSA's Data Trail
The 14-state truck speed trap
Find here the jurisdictions that most heavily prioritize speeding violations, based on the inspection reports filed by truck-enforcement jurisdictions in 2021. Also: Toughest states for moving violations overall, and broad enforcement trend data.
July 6, 2021
CSA's Data Trail
Roadcheck hotspots: States with highest inspection and lights/hours violation intensity
Overdrive's latest CSA's Data Trail update, bringing in 2020 data: States ranked high for inspection intensity show high likelihood of inspecting a truck in normal times, and more so when inspection-blitz season heats up annually in Spring and Summer.
April 30, 2021
Channel 19
Roadcheck inspections: To avoid or not to avoid, or both?
Updated results show more than a fourth of readers planning to sit this one out, yet intentions are not the same as actual action, as past Roadchecks indicate. Find data here on likely May 4-6 inspection hotspots, perspectives on enforcement and more.
April 8, 2021
Overdrive Radio
CSA's Achilles' Heel: Exposed carrier data
In this Overdrive Radio podcast, views on unintended consequences that continue to be big problems for carriers. The entire trucking, enforcement and regulator community should do a lot better, two panelists contend, working together to solve issues.
April 23, 2021
Channel 19
The power of video evidence in fighting tickets, DataQs challenges
Courtroom crash dissembling and drama can be cut as with a sharp knife by good video evidence that proves your case, as this example from a Virginia bulk hauler shows clearly. It helps a speedy DataQs challenge, too.
April 1, 2021
Overdrive Radio
Roadcheck preps in a mobile-heavy state, where inspection numbers continue up
In today's Overdrive Radio, an Alabama captain explains his state's continued emphasis on inspection screening via "virtual weigh stations" with weigh-in-motion and/or other technologies for inspection screening. Also: Plenty Roadcheck tips for May 4-6.
March 26, 2021
Channel 19
Colorado coops are open: Hours enforcement trending up in the Centennial State
Heads-up north-south on I-25 in Colorado, driver. Hours of service violations are clearly on an upward prioritization trend in the Centennial State. Also: Pro tip on I-70 in Indiana for good eats "like homecooking" you might otherwise overlook.
March 24, 2021
Regulations
Despite shifts in DOT policy, safety ratings for owner-ops still hard to come by in 2020
Though FMCSA believes its off-site audit experiment, accelerating plans laid prior to the pandemic, is a success, dramatically reduced safety rating numbers tell a different story.
March 11, 2021
Page 1 of 5
Next Page
Top Stories
Regulations
ACA subsidies, IRS on offensive: What's to know about the Inflation Reduction Act
The Inflation Reduction Act has lots of moving parts, but as it nears passage, for owner-ops and small fleets, the most impactful provisions are likely extended changes to Affordable Care Act subsidies and an influx of 87,000 new IRS agents.
Custom Rigs
Inside the spectacular '86 vintage 359 of an Arkansas-based grain hauler
Small Fleet Champ
Meet the 10 Small Fleet Champ semi-finalists
Business
Fuel dips below $5 | Driver uninjured in on-highway shooting
Sponsor Content
ToughTested Mammoth Windshield Mount
Overdrive Radio
Latest Episode
Trucker-songwriter Coby Langham delivers musical catharsis
More episodes »
The Business Manual for Owner-Operators
Overdrive
editors and ATBS present the industry’s best manual for prospective and committed owner-operators. You’ll find exceptional depth on many issues in the 2022 edition of Partners in Business.
Download
