Trucking Industry Update January 11, 2019

By Jeremy Feucht

Did you Know?

What is arguably the most popular song about truckers, “Convoy” by CW MCCall reached #1 on the pop charts in the US on January 10, 1976.

Trucking tip of the Week

The beginning of a new year means preparing for tax season. Staying organized should always be a top priority. Make sure to collect your medical expenses, your statements from your brokers and/or factoring company if you do not have them already.

Autonomous Trucking

TuSimple, one of the first autonomous startups in the US has begun its commercial trips. Running mainly in the regulation-lite Arizona, TuSimple is running three to five trips per day with 11 trucks. Their desire is to have 40 trucks by June and to be running into Texas within the next couple of months. While they claim to be fully autonomous, their vehicles always have two people in the cab. The first is behind the wheel and the second is going over the data the truck provides from the trip.

Regulations

The FMCSA ruled that the state of California could no longer require drivers to take a half hour break every five hours on duty. The federal rule is a half hour break after 8 hours on duty. A petition created by the ATA and the Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association challenged the California ruling and won a victory however, it may not last long. The Teamsters Union is appealing the decision.

Technology

Daimler announced this week at the big technology conference, CES, that they will be selling semis that have the capability to keep the truck from drifting out of their lane beginning in 2019. Much like passenger cars and SUVs have adopted over the last couple of years, Daimler feels the same technology would be beneficial to truckers as well. Like we have stated several times in the past couple of months, CEO of Daimler Trucks North America Roger Nielsen, states that fully autonomous vehicles are a long way from becoming a reality.