Transport Topics

Almost half of all commercial motor vehicle drivers could be at risk for obstructive sleep apnea, according to a new study. Prior studies have estimated only 7-30% of drivers were at risk, but this new study by researchers at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute used a more comprehensive screening evaluation method. The new method concluded that drivers recruited for the study with undiagnosed and untreated sleep apnea were at greater risk of being involved in reportable crashes, moving violations and preventable crashes. About 20,000 drivers participated in the study. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ArcBest announced yesterday that the president of its less-than-truckload subsidiary fleet ABF Freight will retire later this year. Tim Thorne spent more than three decades with the carrier, joining first as a supervisor assistant in 1990 and becoming president in October 2014. Thorne will retire June 30, and he will be succeeded by Seth Runser, who currently works as the vice president of linehaul operations at ABF. Runser has been with the company since 2007. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The U.S. labor market lost jobs in December for the first time in eight months, even though transportation-related businesses showed solid growth, the Labor Department said Jan. 8. While for-hire trucking gained 7,300 jobs, nonfarm payrolls overall decreased by 140,000 from the prior month. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.7%. Transportation and warehousing jobs rose by 47,000 from the previous month, led primarily by a gain of 37,000 jobs in courier and messenger roles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced her resignation yesterday via her Twitter account. The news came a day after a mob of President Donald Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol Building, temporarily delaying the certification of electoral votes. Chao said in the release, “As I’m sure is the case with many of you, it has deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside.” She noted that her team would work with announced successor Pete Buttigieg during the transition, and the resignation will take effect on Jan.11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The U.S. Labor Department issued a final rule Wednesday revising its interpretation of independent contractor status under the Fair Labor Standards Act. The final rule explains that independent contractors are workers who are in business for themselves as opposed to being economically dependent on the potential employer for work. The agency said, “The rule sharpens this inquiry into five distinct factors, instead of the five or more overlapping factors used by most courts and previously the department.” The final rule says two of those factors — the nature and degree of the worker’s control over the work and the worker’s opportunity for profit or loss — carry greater weight in the analysis than any others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Daseke Inc. announced that Chris Easter has retired as CEO and as a member of the board of directors. Jonathan Shepko has been appointed interim CEO until a permanent successor is named. Shepko currently works as director for Daseke, a specialized transportation and logistics solutions company that ranks No. 23 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America. Easter cited family obligations in his decision to retire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is proposing to revise regulatory guidance related to how truck drivers record yard moves as part of their hours of service. According to a notice published in the Federal Register yesterday, FMCSA is looking to clarify when a driver may record time completing yard moves as on-duty, not driving time by offering examples of properties that qualify as yards. Movements of commercial motor vehicles that occur on these properties would be considered yard moves and recorded as on-duty, not driving status, rather than driving time. This guidance would pertain to all truck operators who are required to record HOS. Public comments are due to the agency by Feb. 3. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With 2020 squarely in the rearview, trucking experts are now looking to 2021. And, in large part, they’re feeling optimistic. Analysts believe the industry stands poised for a solid start in the new year, building on a challenging 2020 that saw the U.S. economy rely heavily on truckers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Sectors that are likely to see the biggest gains in 2021 include final-mile delivery, homebuilding and companies involved in and supporting the medical sector. But, as was the case throughout much of 2020, plenty of uncertainty still looms. American Trucking Associations Chief Economist Bob Costello noted that near-future economic performance depends heavily on how quickly COVID-19 vaccines are distributed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear said he believes the trucking industry has performed beyond expectations in a year defined by monumental challenges. In an interview with Transport Topics Radio that will air Jan. 2, Spear said that the industry’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a boost in public perception that will endure for years to come. And that improved opinion could support efforts to promote infrastructure policy on Capitol Hill. Spear noted, “It is so different than any other year. I believe we will be able to ride this crest into 2021.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nikola and Republic Services have discontinued their collaboration on refuse truck development and canceled Republic’s August order for at least 2,500 trucks. The deal had previously been viewed as the waste industry’s first large-scale commitment to fleet electrification. The cancellation marked the latest in a series of stumbling blocks Nikola has encountered as it expands from its startup roots to become a builder of electric trucks and provider of hydrogen fueling stations. The companies said their decision came after a collaborative review process found the order would take more time and money than initially anticipated. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Truck tonnage in November declined a seasonally adjusted 3.8%, according to an American Trucking Associations report published yesterday. That marks the eighth consecutive month of year-over-year declines. Still, the report wasn’t all bad. When measured month-to-month, the index increased 3.7% in November after falling 5% in October. ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello said the month-over-month increase was fueled by a rush in e-commerce sales, and he anticipates the economy will improve as COVID-19 vaccines are more widely distributed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pete Buttigieg, President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for transportation secretary, explained Sunday that his agenda would focus on climate change initiatives, expanding the workforce and maintaining safety. Speaking with CNN, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., emphasized the need to act urgently to ensure the country’s infrastructure is resilient to severe-weather events. That’s good news for the trucking industry, which for years has lobbied the federal government for infrastructure investment. Buttigieg said, “Look at what America is capable of on everything from electric vehicle production to what we could be doing with our power infrastructure. The opportunity is huge.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Trucking is responsible for 83% of the nation’s agricultural freight movement by tonnage, according to a report published this month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Trucks also accounted for 56% of agricultural freight ton-miles. Truck transportation is especially high for meat, poultry, fish and seafood, with each greater than 95%. The findings, presented in “The Importance of Highways to U.S. Agriculture,” also relied on input from researchers at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has published a final rule to increase flexibility in the commercial driver license skills test process. The final rule allows states to permit third-party test examiners to administer the CDL skills test to applicants they have trained. U.S. Department of Transportation leaders announced the final rule Dec. 17 as truckers were helping to transport initial loads of COVID-19 vaccines. One intended goal of the final rule is to reduce delays and help drivers obtain gainful employment sooner. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. hit its first speed bumps, officials said Dec. 16. First, four delivery trays of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were pulled back from delivery to California and Alabama this week and sent back to the company because they were colder than anticipated. Each of the trays likely can be used to vaccinate 975 people, so four trays equals 3,900 people. And second, the officials said about 2 million doses of the vaccine will be allocated for the U.S. next week, which is less than the 2.9 million available this week when the first shots shipped. No explanation was given for why fewer doses were going out. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pete Buttigieg, the former Democratic presidential candidate as well as former mayor of South Bend, Ind., will be nominated to lead the U.S. Department of Transportation under the Biden administration, according to sources familiar with the transition and published reports. The Biden-Harris transition team has yet to make an official announcement. As secretary, Buttigieg would be tasked with implementing President-elect Joe Biden’s climate change-centric infrastructure plan. The multitrillion-dollar proposal seeks to ease access to electric cars, promote renewable energy and modernize connectivity centers, such as freight hubs and commuter corridors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Toyota is developing a second-generation fuel cell system that it says is nearly ready for heavy-duty truck builders who are looking to build hydrogen-powered tractors. The new fuel cell stack is based on the system built for a new Toyota passenger sedan. Toyota says it is double the size required to handle the power needs of a Class 8 truck. The company says the new system will go into trucks driving drayage routes at Southern California’s ports to validate its performance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Daimler Trucks North America announced that its truck manufacturing plant in Portland, Ore., will be the first to achieve carbon-neutral production in the global Daimler Trucks network. The plant will meet green production this year through reduced energy consumption and the offset of on-site emissions. DTNA plans to incorporate CO2-neutral production at all of its remaining truck manufacturing plants in the United States and Mexico by 2025. The Portland plant is where DTNA produces all of its Western Star models, except for the 57X. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Class 8 U.S. retail sales in November reached 17,803, down 4% compared with 18,545 a year earlier, according to a report Thursday from WardsAuto.com. Sales were able to draw close to that year-over-year parity essentially on gains from two truck makers — Freightliner and International. Freightliner, a brand of Daimler Trucks North America, notched 7,709 sales, up 9.4% compared with the same period a year ago. International, a brand of Navistar, logged 1,847 sales, good for a sharp 45.1% increase over last year. All other truck makers in November posted year-over-year sales declines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

General Motors’ self-driving car company Cruise is sending out vehicles with nobody behind the wheel in San Francisco as it navigates its way toward launching a robotic taxi service. Cruise’s self-driving cars have been allowed on California public streets for several years with humans poised behind the wheel to take over in an emergency. Now, Cruise is confident enough to send out its self-driving cars without that safety net, although they still will be monitored by humans from remote locations instead of inside the vehicle. California regulators also recently approved new rules allowing ride-hailing services to pick up passengers in self-driving cars, but Cruise isn’t going down that road yet. Cruise’s employees most likely will be the only passengers initially riding in the fully driverless cars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices