Industry News

5 Tips for New Semi-Truck Drivers While being the owner-operator for a semi-truck can be hard work, it can be equally as fulfilling. If you’re new to the industry, you may be asking yourself a lot of questions about what success looks like as an owner-operator. First...

How New Legislation May Impact the Commercial Trucking Industry As we finish out 2019, we gain some additional insight as to how we can expect the transportation industry to look going into 2020. This year was an especially busy year, with a significant uptick around...

The holiday season is immensely busy for the trucking and transportation industry. With the drastic focus on consumerism that's associated with this time of the year, retail sales soar in preparation for holiday gift-giving. While most people don’t think twice about...

    As we wrap up 2019, we’re left reflecting on the progress made in the industry this year. With the exponential rise of online commerce and ever-growing demand for immediate product fulfillment, the transportation industry is becoming more integral to the American...

While conditions for drivers are constantly improving, there is still a variety of nuisances that have yet to be worked out. While it can be profitable and fulfilling, being a commercial truck driver is still a demanding and difficult job with its own set of hurdles....

According to industry experts, the United States trucking industry has been experiencing a massive driver shortage. The shortage is causing ripple effects and creating consequences for suppliers, carriers, and drivers alike. While the situation has worsened in recent...

Semi-truck maintenance can be expensive and unpredictable, but it’s a necessary evil that comes along with ownership. It’s tempting to put off repairs until damage occurs, but regular maintenance is crucial to preventing more serious problems down the road....

Finding the right insurance can be difficult, as the process can be excessively complex and sometimes confusing. There are many factors to take into consideration when insurance agencies give you a quote; some of them in your control and some of them not. Knowing how...

Photo Credit: Wired As artificial intelligence increases in modernity and practicality, its usage increases across all industries and fields, and trucking is no exception. Society is slowly warming up to the idea of self-driving cars, but self-driving semi-trucks is...

  Uber recently announced that it would be funding a new Freight Business Headquarters in Chicago, Illinois. They revealed plans for office space in the famous River District taking up residence in a historic Post Office that has been uninhabited for years, until now....

  There are countless factors to consider when purchasing a semi-truck, and it’s important to carefully consider them all. In the complex and dynamic world of trucking, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with all of the various facets. One of the most important decisions...

Image Credit: Tesla   In the wake of the popularization of electric cars, scooters and bikes, sustainability is one of the most controversial buzzwords in the transportation industry. Reducing air pollution and fuel consumption is a worldwide obsession and the biggest...

According to the United States Bureau of Transportation Statistics, as of March 2019, trucks traveling between the United States and Canadian borders and between the United States and Mexican borders carried 62.8% of all transborder freight, representing a value of...

  2018 was a booming year for the trucking industry’s spot market. A corporate tax cut unleashed a strong demand for all types of freight services, creating tighter capacity, higher volumes, and stronger pricing power throughout the trucking industry. The U.S. tariff...

  While you may find the picture above amusing, there’s nothing amusing about spending more money for fuel than you need. Your fuel prices are high enough without them receiving any extra help. While many ways exist for you to lower your fleet’s fuel costs, let’s look...

  Commerce giant Amazon is no stranger to disrupting industries. From its early years of disrupting the book retail industry by making new and used books more accessible than ever, to changing the way people grocery shop with its purchase of Whole Foods, Amazon has...

  At the beginning of 2019, there was a wide range of speculation as to how new tariffs against China would affect the U.S. economy, the price of goods, and trucking demands. Now that the year is half over, tensions are heating up even more. As a trade war between the...

Trucking: A Supply Chain Workhorse   What image comes to mind when almost anyone thinks about moving palettes of product from a manufacturer to a distribution center or to a store for purchase? Trucks, and rightly so. The American Trucking Association reported that...

  Choosing a trucking school is the first big step to starting your career as a commercial driver. You want to make sure you pick a school that will prepare you and deliver the proper training for life on the road. This includes proper accreditation, experienced...

  Now is a great time to enter the commercial trucking industry. With the demand for drivers higher than ever, you can expect job security, great pay, and plenty of stories to tell from your time on the open road. While trucking is an excellent and prevalent career...

  Bad credit can leave people feeling stuck. Without a good credit score, buying a house, a car, or paying for school can feel difficult or even impossible. Additionally, making a big purchase with bad credit can mean you pay more in the long run. In fact, when...

  With the start of the new year, the commercial trucking and freight industry faces many obstacles. The trucker deficit continues to increase, and the high tariffs against China are projected to have great implications on exports in many parts of the U.S. However,...

  The U.S. is suffering a severe shortage of truck drivers. In fact, the industry is now facing a deficit of over 53,000 qualified truck drivers. Over the next decade, the shortage is projected to skyrocket to 898,000. Actions are being taken around every corner to...

  No matter how much experience a driver has, harsh winter conditions can present a range of challenges on the road. From slick road surfaces to limited visibility, commercial truck drivers have to be ready for anything. Winters in the Northeast and Midwest are...

  Choosing healthy snacks on the road can be a tedious task. From over-processed snacks at truck stops to greasy fast food, finding a healthy snack that also tastes good may seem impossible. However, eating healthy on the road is imperative to living a long, happy...

  Overnight drives can be a blessing or a curse. On the plus side, you have the whole road to yourself. You don’t have to worry about traffic holding you up as you pass through cities, and you can go at whatever pace you please. However, overnight drives also mean...

  So, you’ve decided to become a commercial truck driver, and now it is time to choose a truck driving school. It may be tempting to choose an inexpensive or quick trucking school to get you out on the road as fast and easily as possible, but you have to be careful....

  If you’ve been on the road for long, you may remember that the driving age for interstate commercial transportation is 21 years old. According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, a potential driver can obtain their commercial driver’s license (CDL) at 18 today, but...

                                                                                                                                                                                                          You don’t often hear about high profile trucking cases gracing the...

    This year, hurricane season rocked the coast as we’ve grown to expect. This September, Hurricane Florence swept the Carolinas at a category 4, leaving destruction in its wake. When natural disasters arise, our focus shifts to families in need. When survivors need...

If you’re a veteran of the open road, you probably know as an owner-operator just how expensive it is to maintain a semi truck. But how exactly does that cost break down? It’s no secret that truck driving can be a lucrative career. But how do the costs of repair...

So, what is the Cass Freight Index, and how does it affect the daily lives of commercial truck drivers and owner-operators every day? Most people haven’t heard of the Cass Freight Index, but it’s actually directly relevant to the everyday lives of truck drivers across...

There are many understandable reasons why you may have decided to get your commercial driving license. Having your CDL opens your career options to a wide range of public service professions and prepares you to become a truck driver as an owner-operator or with...

Autonomous Vehicles: What Does it Really Mean? Autonomous vehicles are on the cutting edge of technology. Vehicles equipped with autonomous capabilities and technology are even available today for regular citizens with the purchasing power. But what about commercial...

  “Commercial vehicles” is an umbrella term that includes any large vehicle used for vocational transport or a service. This means dump trucks, box trucks and vans, semi trucks, tractors and even fire trucks. What makes a commercial truck loan unique? Banks commonly...

A semi truck is a worthwhile investment that has the potential to bring in lots of income. But how can one even think of purchasing a semi truck when they have bad credit? One thing we must first acknowledge is that the credit climate in the semi truck financing world...

Bad credit – it's the iron bars on your gateway for freedom. Bad credit prevents you from opening credit cards, getting a good deal on your mortgage, and more importantly – bad credit prevents you from securing the loans necessary to fund your business. Whether you're...

XPO to Buy Con-way for $3 Billion XPO Logistics said it has agreed to acquire Con-way Inc. for $3 billion to broaden its supply chain offerings into less-than-truckload and U.S. truckload freight and create a company with annual revenue of $15 billion. Spot Van,...

  Average Per Mile For Independent Truck Drivers Finally being able to buy your own truck and become an owner-operator rather than working for someone else is a dream come true for most people in the transportation industry. However, with being your own boss, setting...

IN THIS ISSUE: Rep. Peter DeFazio Introduces Grow America Act, House Passes Two-Month Highway Trust Fund Patch; Senate’s Turn to Act, Rural America Needs Road, Bridge Overhaul, Report Says.