With everything blighting the economy, including supply chain issues, higher fuel prices, and lack of available workers, Jacksonville, Florida, with the reputation of being one of the top logistic centers in America, “has helped lessen the burden due to investment in the region’s rich logistics infrastructure and key location that enables same-day access to 98 million U.S. consumers.” Read more…
Flames that ravaged a Wilbur Way storage yard in South Sacramento this past week destroyed several semi-trucks, leaving at least four drivers jobless. Harvinder Pahal, a truck driver for more than 25 years, who has parked his Volvo big rig in the lot since 2014, did not only lose his truck in the fire, but is now also out of a job with no income to support himself. The fire is still under investigation by the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District. Read more…
Compounding the supply chain disruptions blighting the country nationwide, marijuana violations have taken over 10,000 truck drivers off the road this past year. With more and more states legalizing recreational marijuana, more and more truck drivers have tested positive for the substance. As of this past April, “10,276 commercial vehicle drivers have tested positive for marijuana use. By the same time in 2021, there had been 7,750 violations. That’s a 32.6% increase year over year.” Read more…
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) will be celebrating Operation Safe Driver Week by offering a free webinar to help prepare commercial vehicle drivers for the week long event, which is slated for July 10 – 16. The webinar is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Thursday, June 2, where the discussion will include “a review of the 2022 Operation Safe Driver Week enforcement guidance, data collection forms, planned CBS digital media efforts and available resources.” A question and answer session will follow. Read more…
The South Dade Logistics & Technology District is hoping to bring thousands of logistic jobs to the South Dade area while protecting Biscayne Bay and the environment. If the application is approved, the development would allow for “793 acres bordering the Florida Turnpike Extension and SW 112th Avenue to be used as a hub for logistics, e-commerce, technology and light manufacturing.” Read more…
There are plenty of jobs and opportunities at the warehouses and ports in West Chatham, Savannah, but many applicants lack the vehicle to commute to these jobs. Across the country, “8.5% of households live without a car. In urban settings with reliable and frequent public transit or walkable neighborhoods, lacking a vehicle poses no problem. But in most cities and rural areas across the country, millions of families lack access to reliable transportation.” Read more…
Goodwill of Southeast Georgia and Savannah Technical College will be offering a new virtual reality pilot program that will help applicants that are interested in learning manufacturing and forklifting skills. The certification courses will be taught in a hybrid format with the goal of providing students with innovative, hands-on classroom training. These virtual reality training courses “will allow the college to increase its logistics and manufacturing class sizes from 15 students to around 92.” Read more…
The Motor Transport Association of Connecticut will once again hold the family-friendly Connecticut Truck Driving Championship. The 71st anniversary of the event will be held at the FedEx Freight facility in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, with an awards ceremony to immediately follow. The stakes are high as “drivers who win their class at the state level will have the chance to compete at the national level. This year’s American Trucking Association (ATA) Nationals will be held in Indianapolis Aug. 16-20.” Read more…
Though the government is promising to put more commercial truck drivers on the road to ease the supply chain woes that are blighting the country, an obstacle of their own making is currently hamstringing their vow – a federal ban on marijuana use that has taken thousands of truckers off the road. According to experts and court documents, “Washington’s zero-tolerance approach to weed has swept up drivers who lit up only when off-duty, as well as those who consumed hemp derivatives such as CBD oil that are advertised as non-psychoactive.” Read more…
Teresa Maki, owner of T Enterprises, a Pasco private trucking school certified in Commercial Driving License (CDL) training by the state Department of Licensing, exclaims that the trucking industry has exploded and enrollment in her school has nearly doubled since 2020. Maki goes on to claim that “employers hiring new drivers have increased significantly. Before, they could easily find someone with a little bit more experience, but now they just can’t find enough drivers.” Read more…
