Despite the truck driving industry losing 6% of workers since the global pandemic began, there are many drivers who are still touting the fantastic benefits of the career. For example, line-haul trucker Richard Frazer “savors the views from him his workplace window,” especially the “sunsets, the sunrise and the landscape.” There are not many other careers that afford the freedom of seeing this country and its beauty day in and day out. Read more…
Veho, a logistics startup that uses technology to help with next-day package delivery, has raised “$170 million in an early-stage funding round led by Tiger Global that valued it at $1.5 billion.” This news comes only six weeks after the company raised “$125 million at a valuation of $1 billion.” The funds will go towards creating more automated warehouses across the nation and quadrupling its headcount to 2,000. Read more…
With truck companies struggling to meet CA emissions demand, many are worrying that not only will the supply chain issues get worse, but drivers could lose their jobs. These companies need to have engine models of 2010 or newer by 2023, but it’s becoming harder to afford newer models due to the ongoing semi-conductor shortage. According to the Western States Trucking Association, “40,000 vehicles in the state are older than 2010 models. If those don’t get upgraded, they won’t be allowed on the road.” Read more…
Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, United States truck drivers had already been blighted with problems such as “bad pay for long hours and weeks away from home,” but these issues hadn’t been thrust into the spotlight until the nation started reeling from supply chain issues. With tough working conditions, it is extremely difficult to retain drivers, as “the average annualized turnover rate of long-haul drivers at larger companies was 96% during the third quarter of last year,” according to the American Trucking Associations. Read more…
Logistic experts are prognosticating that “machines will take over 50% of workplace tasks by 2025,” according to a report released by DHL last week. Multitudinous changes, “from shifting demographics, technology advancement, to the COVID-19 pandemic,” are all leading to a massive change to the “long established status quo at a pace and scale never seen before in the logistics industry.” Read more…
With shippers and receivers often not allowing truckers to use their facility bathrooms, female drivers, who make up 10% of truckers, are finding creative ways to battle this significant inconvenience. There are accounts of women drivers using buckets filled with kitty litter and bringing their own porta-potties. Read more..
With winter storms devastating roadways across the nation, states like Kentucky are “temporarily suspending certain restrictions on motor carriers” that are responsible for “restoring power, removing debris, and delivering fuel” to areas that are expected to be hardest hit. The temporary order will allow drivers to exceed their maximum driving times and minimize their weigh-station stops, so they can better respond to the affected areas. Read more…
AT&T’s 5G networking infrastructure has successfully completed the first milestone in its development of smart warehouse applications for the United States Department of Defense. If its next phase is a success, “AT&T 5G will be set to integrate with official Navy Systems to provide smart warehouse capabilities.” This could lead to low latency and high security smart warehouses across a wide range of industries. Read more…
Winter storms across the nation are having massive impacts on the trucking industry, including winter storm Landon which is “dumping ice, snow, sleet and rain across a more than 2,000-mile path of the U.S., affecting roads and the supply chain as many 18-wheelers are idling to wait out the weather.” Entire interstates could be affected by storms across multiple states. Read more…
Trucker salaries are reaching historic heights due to an “increased demand for shipping, along with an overall national shortage of long haul drivers.” With approximately 72.5% Of the country’s freight weight moved by truck, the exorbitant success of Ecommerce and motor freight industries are driving trucker compensations through the roof. Read more...
