Are ELD cheats undercutting your business?

Plus: Drivers reveal why fleets can't hire

Some fleets aren't playing by the rules when it comes to hours of service and electronic logging devices. What does it mean for carriers who are compliant?

Also in today's issue, drivers spill the reasons fleets struggle to hire.

First, though, check this out: the line between truck and train is getting very blurry in the Land Down Under.

⬆️ $3.868

AVG. COST OF DIESEL PER GALLON IN U.S. AS OF 11/17, DOWN 0.031¢

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

ROADSIDE READS

Big reasons. What are the main issues for motor carriers trying to find drivers? Drivers and owner-operators weigh in in this article.

From service to business. An interesting podcast spotlights two military veterans turned fleet owners. They share how their time in the service translated to careers in trucking business ownership.

For and against. The DOT’s rule restricting non-domiciled CDLs (which is now on hold pending court review) has elicited some strong opinions from the trucking community. Read what they have to say.

A prized Peterbilt. In a short video, one driver says he’ll never get rid of his truck. Since buying it in 1999, he’s driven 3.5 million miles.

INDUSTRY VOICES

Strategic business: Helping contractors with insurance claims

Independent contractors are critical to keeping the wheels turning. And if a contracted carrier or driver is in a crash through no fault of their own, the fleet should offer support with insurance claims, according to Kelsea Eckert, attorney at Law, Eckert & Associates, P.A.

“Supporting contractors through the claims process isn’t just a courtesy—it’s a strategic business decision,” she writes.

Why this matters: This isn’t just about being nice. Trucking companies that help independent carriers document losses and navigate claims can speed up the recovery process, which means less downtime for everybody. Plus, loyalty could pay off in the long term—after all, this industry is still built on relationships. (Transport Topics)

FAST LANE

LOST LICENSE: DOT revokes 20,000 licenses from Calif. truck drivers

SALES SLIP: Daimler sales fall 39%, incoming orders down 29%

ELECTRIC BET: FedEx helped raise $160M for this EV chassis startup

STOCK EXCHANGE: Autonomous truck co. goes public at $1.8B valuation

PARTNER UP: Uber Freight takes minority stake in Better Trucks for last-mile

GALLONS OF GAS: Driver in prison for dumping 4,000 gallons of fuel

SEEN & HEARD

"You’re waiting in long lines for a long time, maybe weeks, sometimes months, to get things repaired." - Lewie Pugh, OOIDA

As trucks and machinery have become more complex, utilizing more software and code, repairing them also becomes trickier. Pugh explains how a proposed bill called the Repair Act could fix the issue, allowing truck owners the ability to choose where they get vehicles repaired. (RFD TV)

ROAD REPORT

Fleet execs say ELD oversight failure threatens safety, business

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s lack of oversight on electronic logs is creating loopholes in the trucking industry. Some fleets and drivers are able to edit their logs and drive longer than the mandated hours of service, which trucking leaders say is pushing rates down industry-wide.

Why this matters: Regulations like hours of service and ELDs are designed to ensure safety. When some fleets skirt the rules and manipulate their logs, it poses danger not only to their own drivers but to anyone else sharing the road, including compliant fleets and their truckers. (FreightWaves)

CONNECTED FLEET

Transportation management systems get an AI upgrade

Software companies are starting to develop AI-native TMS. Compared to manual methods or earlier versions of a TMS, developers of these AI-based systems say they help trucking firms handle real-time changes and allow conversational interaction between humans and the TMS.

Why this matters: Trucking technology has advanced, and AI is making its way into many facets of the industry. The question for fleet owners is how transformative AI could be for their TMS—or is this just another sales pitch? (Fleet Owner)