The Pre-Employment Screening Program is a screening tool that allows motor carriers and individual drivers to purchase driving records from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS). Ok, so the Federal Government is maintaining information on truck drivers. That probably sounds terrifying to most drivers. I know it does to me. So naturally it raises a lot of questions and we’ll answer em here.
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Will Future Productivity Gains Come At The Driver’s Expense?
With new technology, tighter enforcement, and new legislation, it has become more and more difficult for drivers to cheat the logbook and run the miles they used to be able to run. So what will companies do in the coming years to get more productivity out of their trucks, and how much of it will come at the expense of the driver? The answers are not what truck drivers will want to hear.
Driver Wins Lawsuit After Being Fired Illegally – But There’s More To The Story
Driver Cynthia Ferguson was illegally fired for shutting down due to hazardous travel conditions and won a lawsuit against her company New Prime, Inc. A driver’s decision to shut down to due safety concerns should never, ever be questioned by anyone. But when you dig below the surface there are a lot of extenuating circumstances in this case that are critically important for drivers to understand, and many lessons to be learned by all.
Signs Show Improving Economy And Strength In Trucking Industry
A number of recent data sources, along with quotes from economic analysts and trucking industry leaders, all point to an improving economy and clear signs of an improved outlook for the trucking industry.
Cargo Theft Increasing: Highways Are Getting More Dangerous For Truckers
Truck and cargo thefts are on the rise in recent years according to a study done by Freight Watch International, a company that “actively tracks and records cargo theft activity around the globe” according to their report and website. Every year they release a report showing not only the number of cargo-related thefts, but they identify trends from year to year. The statistics are a bit scary, and getting scarier every single year.
Don’t Step On Your Dispatcher’s Toes (or other body parts!)
Outside of the driver’s own performance and attitude, a truck driver’s dispatcher is one of the most important factors influencing the amount of success and happiness a driver will experience at any given trucking company or truck driving job. So if you’re unhappy with your load assignments, how can you tell if the problems you’re experiencing are your own fault, your dispatcher’s fault, or the fault of someone else within the offices at your company? There are several things you can do to find out what’s really going on, and who is responsible when there is a problem.
CSA 2010 Will Not Assign Safety Ratings to Individual Drivers (yeah right!)
CSA 2010, as is typical of any government-run program, is already full of misconceptions, contradictions, and confusion. Trucker drivers are obviously concerned about their safety rating and how that will affect their current job, and prospects for truck driving jobs in the future. Well, oddly enough, the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration) claims there is not going to be a safety rating assigned to individual company drivers at all. And yet they clearly state that when a carrier gets audited, their driver’s safety records will be reviewed. They also have a pre-employment screening program in place to allow trucking companies to get driver safety information before hiring a driver. Will this pre-employment screening and safety rating system apply to owner-operators only? What effects will CSA 2010 have on company drivers? Let’s take a look.
Is Team Driving The Future In Trucking?
I hear a lot of people talking about how the trucking industry is moving heavily toward team operations and pretty soon we’ll all be running team. They say trucking companies aren’t making money with solo drivers, that in order to get more productivity out of the trucks they’re going to force us all to run team. Now that the economy has slowed there has seemingly been an increase in the number of trucking companies that are running more team operations or are requiring new drivers to team up when coming out of school. So is it true? Will teaming be the future of trucking? Let’s take a look at what’s going on.
Is Mileage Pay A Fair Way To Pay Truck Drivers?
Most truck drivers are paid by the mile, and most are not at all happy with the fact that they are performing a lot of job duties for free. Should drivers be paid by the hour instead? What about being paid for each duty performed? Here are some interesting issues to ponder and in the end I’ll give you my take on the fairest way to pay a driver.
A Glaring Flaw In The Logbook Rules And My (Great?) Solution
Congress, along with many trucking industry insiders, are claiming victory regarding the effectiveness of the new logbook rules that came out several years ago. I disagree with the conclusion that it’s the new logbook rules that have made things safer on the highways and I’ll explain why. Let’s take a closer look at some of the myths out there and bring to light some important facts that paint a much different picture of what’s really going on, and where we should go from here.
