Regulations

Here are the drivers on FMCSA's new advisory panel

The new panel will provide feedback to FMCSA on issues of safety, hours regulations, training, parking, and more. And other news: New front air suspension available for W990; Melton doubles tarp pay; construction on I-11 in Henderson, Nevada.

January 15, 2021

Optional AG130 front air suspension available for W990 | The Kenworth W990 is now available with a front air suspension rated at 13,200 pounds. The manufacturer's proprietary AG130 front air suspension is also available for the Kenworth T680 and T880. Kenworth’s family of proprietary suspensions includes the AG380, AG400, AG400L, AG460 and AG690 rear suspensions for Class 8 models.

New study using 'STOP-Bang' protocol finds half of truck drivers could need sleep apnea evaluation

A 2020 study reveals that by applying the 'STOP-Bang' screening method to truck drivers, nearly 47% are screened for apnea evaluation.

January 13, 2021

Sleep Apnea Trucker

Glider kit market hits fatal nosedive with latest emissions regs

There’s seemingly no option on the market for owner-operators or small fleets to purchase a new glider kit. That includes buying straight from truck manufacturers for truckers who want to build and assemble their own glider truck.

January 13, 2021

The glider market grew from a few hundred sales a year in 2010 to upwards of 10,000 as recently as 2017. Gliders sported pre-emissions-regs engines -- no exhaust gas recirculation or selective catalytic reduction components and, thus, no need for DEF. With simpler technology and refurbished engines, the products were much cheaper than new trucks with new engines, making them attractive buys for small-business truckers.

Inspectors told not to slow COVID vaccine loads for inspections

CVSA advised truck inspectors to not hold up trucks for inspection that are transporting the COVID-19 vaccine. And other news: The second round of PPP loans is now open for applications; Navistar is recalling approx. 17,000 trucks; and more.

January 11, 2021

Trucking trends to watch in 2021: Speed limiters, insurance regs and more

What's on deck for trucking in 2021? Potentially, revival of regs like speed limiters and new mandatory insurance minimums. Also, the freight recovery rolls on -- but for how long? Those issues and other trends to watch in 2021...

January 8, 2021

Speed Limiter Speeding

DOT Secretary Chao resigns, citing ‘troubling’ events at U.S. Capitol

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, who has been part of President Trump’s cabinet since his first weeks in office, will resign in wake of the riots at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

January 7, 2021

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced Thursday she would is resigning her position in President Trump's Cabinet.

From expected Biden DOT, owner-operators look for parking, highways, FLSA reforms

This trio of items adds to those familiar yet newly prominent in Overdrive's reader polling on priorities for an expected new DOT Secretary under Biden.

January 6, 2021

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Overdrive Radio

Brass tacks, bad brokers, big loads to count down the hours with a long run into 2021

Business brass tacks, bad brokers, big loads -- and plenty more in this year-in-review in audio. Join us to listen in with Overdrive Radio to ring in 2021.

December 31, 2020

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Overdrive Extra

2020 through the rearview: From hours reforms to rates chaos and stories from the road, unwinding a tumultuous 12 months

HOS reforms. How COVID changed drivers' day to day. Managing money amid the chaos. Stories of truckers weathering the storm. Rights on the road. Custom trucks.

December 30, 2020

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Here’s how to do the required self-check in FMCSA’s Drug Clearinghouse, due soon

Independent owner-operator Debbie Desiderato walks through the steps of performing the required self-check in FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse. First checks must be performed by Jan. 5.

December 28, 2020

As the notice states in the bottom right-hand corner, independent owner-operators will need to register as employers within the Clearinghouse. Prompts are intended to help owner-operators establish their accounts as both employers and drivers within the Clearinghouse.

Overdrive Radio

Back to the ‘Biggest Tailgate in Trucking’ — and Germann Soeth’s 1976 KW K100

The coproduction of Overdrive and Radiotopia brought the reality of working haulers to all audiences. Plus: Germann Soeth's restored 1976 Kenworth K100.

December 23, 2020

Also in the podcast: A taste of an interview I did with owner-operator Germann Soeth out of Frederick, Maryland, with mostly dump work and principally in a 1998 Kenworth W900 that was featured in past at OverdriveOnline.com When we caught back up with owner-operator Soeth in October, though, he was showing a 1976 vintage Kenworth cabover. He was, interestingly enough, getting ready to put it into service hauling loads after a long retirement, given a significant breakdown with his 1990s conventional. Find out how he took the rig from scrap yard to working order over the course of a few years here.

Overdrive Radio

Log annotations to avoid hours of service violations — and more from FMCSA Q&A

Listen to Overdrive Radio to learn more about log annotations to avoid hours of service violations and other topics covered by the FMCSA's recent G&A here.

December 18, 2020

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FMCSA extends CDL, med cert COVID waivers through February

The former December 31 deadline of prior waivers has been extended two month, and other news: Love's add three new truck stops to its network.

December 18, 2020

Love’s Travel Stops opened new locations this week in Big Cabin, Oklahoma, and Elkhorn, Wisconsin.

POLL: What should be the next DOT secretary’s No. 1 priority for 2021?

Truck parking? Regs efforts around broker oversight? FMCSA's driver advisory panel? More hours flexibility? ... What's your advice for an incoming DOT chief?

December 18, 2020

Former South Bend, Indiana, mayor and presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg will reportedly be nominated to lead the DOT under the Biden Administration.

Trucking’s exemption from Calif.’s owner-operator test still in place, despite state court opinion

"Regardless of what the state court says," the federal injunction against California's A.B. 5 law as it relates to trucking still applies. More on Overdrive.

December 7, 2020

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DataQs: A ‘small victory’ amid ongoing difficulty in fighting errant roadside violations

It's the most common sort of DataQs challenge. It's also the least likely to be successfully changed, yet here's an example where persistence paid off.

December 7, 2020

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Overdrive Radio

Time to account for independent dispatch services in regulation?

TIA wants limits on independent dispatchers to work for just one carrier, and if more, registration as a broker. Here, owner-ops weigh in via Overdrive Radio.

December 4, 2020

Owner-operator Bent’s 2015 Peterbilt

POLL: Is it time for a national review panel of industry/enforcement to decide DataQs appeals?

In carriers’ violation/crash-info challenges through the federal DataQs system that are appealed, it’s often the case that the original jurisdiction/personnel that issued the violation or handled the crash is the final arbiter. Should a new system be devised for appeals?

December 2, 2020

Preps for Roadcheck by Overdrive readers include a variety of equipment inspections and third-party checks, plus just “business as usual” for the largest share — the nearly as large number of recent poll respondents who noted they scheduled vacation highlights how many view the cat-and-mouse approach to roadside inspections, as little more than a nuisance. | Photo by Tom Quimby

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Analysts optimistic on trucking after chaotic year

2020’s strong second half and prospects for continued high freight demand bode well into 2022, FTR says. However, several factors will affect the timing and intensity of further recovery.

“Wreck on the Mountain Road” is about the death of a trucker on Bent Mountain, just southwest of Roanoke, Virginia.

Fatal wreck remembered in first recorded trucking song

The trucker cap in teacher Amy Watson’s selfie from the day she was tested for COVID-19 later inspired her choice of “long-haulers” to describe COVID survivors with persistent symptoms. “My school’s mascot is a squirrel,” she said, which she finds appropriate, given that her pre-school students, with their short bursts of activity, are “very squirrel-like.”

Trucking’s bit part in the 'COVID long-haulers’ name

Small-fleet owner Jesse McGinness was going for originality with the look of this 2021 Peterbilt 389, spec'ing the black Alcoa rims from the factory. After his maiden voyage in a Class 8 tractor years ago, in a Peterbilt 379, he fell in love with the classic square-hood series. He plans to modify the stacks, the grille and more to all-black finish -- committing sacrilege, says the operator who took him on that first 379 run. McGinness'll maintain plenty in chrome/stainless accents, not to worry. The flattop with lift-axle is powered by the X15 Cummins at 605 hp, with an 18-speed transmission. 'I wanted this truck to be a truck that I thought was cool,' McGinness said, in addition to doing the tough over-dimensional/heavy hauling he'll require of it.

'WTF' stresses service for long-term success

The glider market grew from a few hundred sales a year in 2010 to upwards of 10,000 as recently as 2017. Gliders sported pre-emissions-regs engines -- no exhaust gas recirculation or selective catalytic reduction components and, thus, no need for DEF. With simpler technology and refurbished engines, the products were much cheaper than new trucks with new engines, making them attractive buys for small-business truckers.

Glider kit market hits fatal nosedive with latest emissions regs

Beware: Human smugglers luring truckers along the border

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 2021 edition of Partners in Business.

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