Experienced Truckers Understand Compliance and Safety

Experienced truckers, despite what some might think, are not old. There are plenty of truck drivers in their 30s and 40s who have years of experience under their belts. With guidance from the OOIDA to focus on safety, experienced drivers understand the rules and regulations of the road better than most.

They also understand compliance and why new directives come down from above from time to time. Experienced truckers not only know how to lower fleet expenses through safety, but they can also act as mentors to new and less experienced drivers to make sure guidelines are followed company-wide, which can have a cumulative effect on the whole company.

Ensuring Retention

Retaining experienced drivers can be challenging. Losing drivers with experience and understanding in an industry with growing turnover rates could make the driver shortage a very real challenge in the near future.

Trucking companies need to find a way to retain experienced drivers in a way that is meaningful and not just an afterthought. Obviously, monetary compensation is a good incentive, but trucking companies need to keep in mind that experience varies from driver to driver and that performance needs to reflect those years on the road.

Some trucking companies are even trying out hourly wages for experienced drivers to compensate for detention time because they add value to the company on and off the road. Other fleets have started mentoring programs to recognize experienced truckers and have them coach new hires or walk people through compliance and regulations with a small monthly bonus in addition to their regular pay. And sometimes, a simple “thank you” is all it takes.

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Guidance during the pandemic has cut many drivers off from off-hours social engagements, be it with friends, going out to have fun, or anything else.

Going from keeping long hours in the cab to spending time off under lockdown can take its toll. Fortunately, there are a few things truck drivers can do to maintain good mental health.

1. Mental Health Starts with Sleep

If our brains are overworked, we cannot perform well at our jobs. Truck drivers need to be alert when they are behind the wheel. Today’s truckers are not just paying attention to the road; they are also processing information from on-board devices, smartphones, and even laptops.

This requires the brain to function at higher levels, which means drivers need as much sleep as possible outside of their hours of service. Not getting adequate sleep can result in stress, fatigue, anxiety, and depression.

2. Stretch Your Body

Sitting still and gripping the wheel during long hauls can cause fatigue and cramped muscles. Muscle tension can lead to irritability and impact mental health. Taking time during breaks to stretch or do low-impact exercises can keep muscles loose, and the chemicals released by the body during stretches can go a long way toward improving overall mental health.

3. Eating Properly

Food options can be limited on the road, but what we eat can impact our health. Avoiding foods that are high in sodium and sugar is a good move.

Sugar, salt, and caffeine can cause peaks and valleys in our moods, and the inevitable mental crash can lead to much worse things than “being cranky.” Look for fresh fruit and vegetables for a snack instead of a bag of chips.

4. Keep Your Brain Stimulated

When the mind is not engaged, it can lead to poor mental health. While it’s true that truck drivers have to pay attention to an enormous amount of information during their shifts, that in itself can become routine.

Break up those patterns by reading books, playing games, and listening to audiobooks during off-hours. When your brain is engaged in something fun, it can stave off mental health issues.

Mental health affects everyone. By following these guidelines, truck drivers will be able to maintain a positive outlook and share tips with each other.

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Safety Fitness Determination

Back in 2017, the FMCSA threw out a rule for out-of-service orders and compliance interventions. The Invest in America Act would revive the rule of how carriers are rated for compliance. The provisions would require new scoring methods and for carrier ratings to be made public. If the bill is passed, the reform is slated to occur before the end of 2021.

Parking and the Invest in America Act

Parking has become a hot button issue as of late, and the new bill aims to help rectify problems with parking. The bill contains a provision for $250 million dollars to be allocated to building new parking areas for truckers. More rest areas, weigh stations, and larger lots would be built and expanded along major highways in conjunction with new tech to help truckers find parking more easily.

Detention Pay

The Invest in America Act would limit how long truckers can be detained at shipping and receiving points without pay. While the burden of pay would fall on the carriers, the bill would also give trucking companies more leverage with shippers to get them to cut the amount of time they hold up their drivers.

Leasing and Training

If the Invest in America Act is passed, the FMCSA would be required to create a task force to study predatory leasing agreements between carriers and independent contractors. Additionally, there would be a provision to generate quarterly reports on the rule for entry-level drivers, which was delayed earlier this year until 2022.

Hours of Service

One big item that stood out in the Invest in America Act was the provision that would delay the recently finalized hours-of-service ruling. This would stall the ability for drivers to split their time and avoid mandatory breaks.

Express Freight Finance will continue to follow this legislation when it is voted upon this September.

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Wind and Rain Are a Dangerous Combination

Even if a hurricane doesn’t make landfall in your area, the bands of wind can wreak havoc. Power lines snap, trees fall, and vehicles are vulnerable to being rolled over. More people lose their lives on the road during severe weather than by other causes. SUVs and other tall vehicles used by private motorists have a tendency to blow over during heavy winds. Rain from hurricanes can cause massive flooding, and when combined when downed power lines, entire stretches can become extremely hazardous. If you are making a haul through a hurricane, avoid flooded roads and bridges. Remember that hours of service have provisions for hazardous weather, so drivers are encouraged to pull over when a hurricane makes landfall in their areas.

Stocking Your Truck for Hurricane Season

While drivers usually keep their cabs stocked with emergency supplies, the damage and hazardous conditions created during hurricane season can stop operations for days. Truckers would be wise to stock their trucks with the following items:

• Extra road flares
• Battery-operated lanterns or flashlights
• Hand-crank USB chargers for mobile devices
• Extra energy bars/ non-perishable goods
• Multiple changes of clothes
• Extra batteries
• Rubber boots and rain gear

Be Safe

The most important thing is that drivers stay safe during hurricane season. If there are storm warnings, try to plot and navigate alternate routes. Use the internet to look to possible parking well in advance of an oncoming storm so you have a safe place to wait out the wind and rain. Remember that shipments and goods are typically insured and replaceable. Your life cannot be replaced.

From all of us at Express Freight Finance, be safe out there during hurricane season.

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Your Word Against Ours

Fighting a legal battle without sufficient evidence is an uphill battle for a defendant. If there is an accident and the truck driver cannot provide video evidence of the incident, juries are more likely to be sympathetic towards the injured party. This can lead to expensive legal verdicts. But the money awarded in judgments is not always about collisions. Court cases can also emerge regarding safe working practices and worker compensation that can cost fleet a lot of money. A driver waiting at a shipping dock can accidentally violate that shipper’s COVID-19 working policy and suddenly a lawsuit is brought against not just the driver, but the whole fleet.

Avoiding Expensive Legal Verdicts

A big step toward preventing expensive legal verdicts is to remove any doubt of what occurred in a given incident. For collisions and traffic accidents, fleets are using cameras that provide 360-degree coverage of their trucks. If that solution is too expensive, fleets can install cameras at key points to monitor the truck. For working practices, it’s a matter of making sure everyone is up to speed on compliance, and that they have signed off on training. Sometimes additional training is necessary, and apart from driving, carrier employees should have at least two people on every task so there are checks in place to prevent “your word against ours” situations.

In the end, spending more on equipment and extra training may seem like an added upfront cost, but if the long-term payoff can prevent verdicts that amount to millions of dollars, isn’t it worth it?

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In some cases, it can be very difficult to get unemployment benefits as a trucker, depending on state law or if truckers are independent owner-operators doing business as 1099 employees. But through it all, charity drives like St. Christopher’s Trucker Development and Relief Fund have been there, and this year they are on track to receive record donations.

The Past Two Years Have Not Been Easy

2019 started with a lot of hope for the trucking industry. Then rates and demand started to drop. The robust end of 2018 turned out to be artificially induced by the threat of tariffs on imported goods. Once businesses overseas moved their operations to countries that weren’t impacted by the tariffs, demand fell, and shippers gained more leverage in setting rates.

As 2019 progressed, some carriers were forced to downsize their workforce, and others closed up shop completely. The truckers affected by the turn of events in 2019 looked to charity drives for financial assistance while they applied for new jobs.

2020 is not over yet, and we are still in the middle of a pandemic. While the trucking industry plays a foundational role in keeping our economy moving, rates are still low. Drivers are also getting sick from COVID-19. This combination is resulting in unemployment and medical bills, and truckers need assistance.

Charity Drives to the Rescue

Charity drives for truckers have been experiencing large donations from corporations, philanthropists, and other sources and are on track to achieve record levels in 2020. No matter where people fall politically, no one can deny the important role that the trucking industry plays in our everyday lives.

Citizens rely on truckers when they go to the grocery store. The healthcare sector relies on truckers for medical equipment. Manucaturers rely on truckers for raw materials and, again, to deliver finished goods to businesses and individual customers.

So if you can, donate or raise awareness about charities for truckers, because some drivers are depending on us as much as we depend on them.

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What Flexible HOS Will Mean for Truckers

Since ELD tracking became official in 2017 and started to be enforced in April of 2018, truckers had no real say in when they had to take breaks. Shift breaks and hours of service were mandated to comply with safety regulations.

The other side of that coin was that hours of service ended when drivers weren’t tired, or they forced truckers to “power through” fatigue because the ELD tracker didn’t stop. This could potentially put drivers and others at risk.

With the new rule, truckers have options. Drivers can do a 7-3 split or an 8-2 split. The best part is that the splits do not count against the regular 14-hour driving window. This means a more flexible HOS for drivers, reduced fatigue, and reduced risks caused by “mandated breaks.”

Additionally, drivers hauling shipments for short distances will have their HoS extended from 12 to 14 hours and the driving distance increased from 100 to 150 air miles. To bring the focus back to safety, the Department of Transportation has also made modifications to the guidelines for driving in adverse conditions.

The window for driving in severe conditions has been extended by two hours, so truckers can drive more carefully or even stop if necessary without being penalized. Overall, these new flexible rules may also help ease the problem with parking for truckers.

What flexible HOS Will Mean for the Industry

The trucking industry as a whole has a lot to gain from the new, flexible HOS. With some of the pressure being taken off drivers, trucking companies will have more leeway with scheduling.

Instead of trying to figure miles for a trip around ELD tracking and mandated breaks, shipments can get hauled without placing pressure on drivers when they’re fatigued. This will hopefully bring added efficiency to supply chains as well as availability.

Express Freight Finance is following this legislation and will report any additional changes.

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Lost Time and Extra Miles

Trip planning software doesn’t always have the most accurate or up-to-date information. Roads close for various reasons. New buildings and houses go up, which can reconfigure addresses and change maps entirely.

While this isn’t much of a concern on big stretches along highways, once truckers get into more granular maps in cities and suburban neighborhoods, things can get a little chaotic. Poor map data forces drivers to re-route their trips on the fly, which leads to wasted time and extra miles.

The result is late deliveries and higher fuel use, and that adds up to major costs for fleets and many adjustments on the logistics side. Data has shown that truck drivers are burning through over $600 million in extra miles due to inaccurate maps used for trip planning, with more than 20% of drivers reporting an extra 15–25 miles per day.

Penalties and Fines

In addition to the costs of fuel and logistics, there are legal penalties associated with inaccurate map data. Parking still remains a crucial issue for truckers, and bad map data can lead to fines and traffic tickets.

Over 30 percent of drivers have reported receiving more than eight traffic tickets due to incorrect information on their maps.

Relating to the above points about incorrect roads and addresses on maps and how that can throw off a shipping schedule, the consequences can be even more severe. Truckers can find themselves placed out of service for traffic violations or running over mandated hours to make up lost time and miles.

Trip Planning Is Becoming More Important

As e-commerce grows, carriers that offer “last mile” services are going to need better trip planning software with near-real-time information in order to keep supply chains moving. As things stand now, there are very real—and costly—repercussions to the inefficiencies of current trip planning methods.

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VMT Tax Explained

The VMT has been proposed by a number of states as a means to maintain infrastructure in the country. Originally, highways were maintained and repaired through a fuel tax, but those revenues have been dropping steadily since the early 2000s.

As a replacement for the fuel tax, states floated the idea of taxing drivers for road usage. In some cases, the VMT tax is levied by miles traveled, much like a toll. In others, the tax is configured by type of vehicle, vehicle weight, emissions, and the ability of the vehicle owner to pay the toll.

Since most private individuals are driving less, combined with increased fuel efficiency for cars, lawmakers have turned their focus on the trucking industry, which would yield the highest tax revenue. As things stand, the Congressional Budget Office is looking for a way to pay the $94 billion needed to cover a six-year highway reauthorization bill.

Opposition to the VMT Tax

Both the ATA and OOIDA are opposed to a VMT tax, stating it could place a disproportionate burden on the trucking industry and owner-operators. Additionally, there are concerns that ELDs could be used to create new costs via the VMT tax and would infringe on the privacy of truckers across the country.

The stance is that truckers already pay highway tolls out of their own pockets and are rarely reimbursed by shippers. A VMT tax would ultimately reduce take-home pay for truckers.

As more state lawmakers are pushing for VMT as a viable way to tax drivers, going back to a fuel tax doesn’t seem like a possibility.

With more private vehicle owners switching to electric engines and new electric commercial vehicles slated to hit the roads in the near future, focusing on VMT would place the financial burden on carriers and owner-operators. Both the ATA and OOIDA are hoping to come to some resolution with lawmakers this year.

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1. Planning Routes for Better Fuel Prices

Trip planning is essential to the efficiency of every carrier, but adding in fuel prices can make a big difference. Different states have different fuel prices and taxes on gas. Planning a trip with stops to fill up the tank in locations with lower prices can save a lot of money on fuel expenses.

2. Driving Habits Impact Fuel Expenses

There are two big factors that really eat into fuel expenses. First, driving at top speeds increases fuel consumption. The second is idling. Reducing idling can be a big hurdle to overcome, as most of the time it takes place when truckers are waiting for customers to load or unload shipments.

Drivers and trucking companies are encouraged to work with customers to improve efficiency during loading and unloading times and to reduce idling. As an aside, truckers should be encouraged to use cruise control on long trips and to implement auxiliary power units to improve fuel efficiency.

3. Implement Driver Scorecards

More carriers are using driver scorecards as incentives to reward truckers for following pest practices. Truckers need to be educated on the importance of fuel expenses and how those costs impact everything from profitability down to the ability to get new equipment and salaries.

By using miles per gallon as a metric, driver scorecards allow truckers to see how they compare to others in the fleet and measure their own fuel efficiency.

4. Fuel Purchases

Trucking companies seem to be unable to negotiate the price at the pump, but that doesn’t prevent them from saving money on fuel expenses. By taking advantage of fuel cards, trucking companies can save upwards of 25 cents per gallon.

Some fuel cards even offer big savings on equipment and high-viscosity oils, which also help lower fuel expenses. At Express Freight Finance, we offer a comprehensive fuel card program that works with over 6,800 locations throughout the United States.

Our fuel cards offer savings on equipment, maintenance, and tolls and can be used as lines of credit per truck in your fleet. Contact Express Freight Finance today and start saving on fuel.

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