AMERICANS NOT SURE ABOUT CHANGES TO HELP TRUCK DRIVER SHORTAGE

The American public appears overwhelmingly skeptical of at least two possible solutions to the trucker shortage currently blighting our nation: “nearly 71 percent of registered voters polled by NewsNation opposed lowering the required age to get a commercial driver’s license from 18 to 16. Currently, drivers have to be 18 to transport goods within a state, or 21 to transport goods across state lines.” In addition, “65 percent of Americans said they would feel at least somewhat unsafe with self-driving trucks on the road.” Read more…

DANGERS OF FLATBED TRUCKING

Though flatbed trucks are the most widely used open-deck trailers in the industry, recent deaths have renewed safety concerns for flatbed driving. While devices known as headache racks, often made of aluminum or steel, used to be required to protect drivers from shifting loads, this is no longer the case. These open-deck trailers are often hauling a variety of commodities such as “steel, rebars, steel coils, lumbar, construction materials, military equipment, machinery and other heavy goods.”  Read more…