Diesel prices now top the list of concerns for the trucking industry, and the sustained high prices are even piquing interest among shippers to look at autonomous trucks for fuel savings.

Speaking of fuel efficiency, it's not an issue exclusive to trucking fleets. Motor carriers might be able to learn some lessons about route planning, safety and quality driver retention from an unexpected place: a school bus fleet. That's coming up Thursday in our expert Q&A.

Before we get into it, sometimes you read a headline and just have to do a double take. This is one of those headlines. Police said there was “a long list of safety concerns,” and I’d say that's putting it pretty lightly.

AVG. COST OF DIESEL PER GALLON IN U.S. AS OF 10/19, UP 0.097¢

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

Top 10. In news that will surprise no one, fuel prices have become the trucking industry's No. 1 concern, according to the American Transportation Research Institute’s latest report of top 10 trucking issues.

Billions lost in detention. Here’s an irritating stat: 94.5% of fleets charge detention fees, but facilities pay fewer than half of the invoices carriers submit—not to mention lost productivity and the clock ticking on truckers’ HOS. This article zooms into the question: why is detention so damn hard to fix?

Top fleets. The Women in Trucking Association revealed this year's top companies for women to work in trucking. Check out the list of winners.

Logistics checkup. Small and medium-sized logistics businesses are doing A-OK according to Bank of America. Full analysis here.

Volvo’s new truck. Volvo livestreamed the debut of its third-gen VNX heavy-haul and vocational truck. Skip ahead to 22:25 for the dramatic reveal.

Sponsored by Ford

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California's small carriers feel the pain of diesel prices

Diesel prices have hovered above $8 per gallon in California for weeks now. Many small carriers struggle to cover the high cost up front. And even when fuel surcharges take effect, they only cover 75% of the costs, according to Timothy Pollock, president of the California Trucking Association and VP of CPS Express.

One band-aid solution Pollock is using: “When we get our trucks out of state, we encourage them to fill up.”

Why this matters: Small motor carriers are becoming far too familiar with the cash flow battle. Pay high prices up front at the pump, wait for fuel surcharges to kick in and somehow keep the wheels turning in the middle of it all. The longer this continues, the more sustained impact we’ll see on the trucking industry, the supply chain and the economy as a whole. (Trucking Dive)

LANGUAGE RULE: Arguments for and against codifying English language proficiency as OOS violation

PARKING SPOTS: DOT awards $200M to expand truck parking in 12 states

NEW LEADER: American Trucking Associations appoints next CEO

SAFE SLEEPERS: Trucker petitions FMCSA to mandate carbon monoxide detectors in sleeper berths

ORDER UP: Drayage fleet adds 50 Tesla Semis for port-to-inland routes

Autonomous trucks are expected to save up to 20% fuel compared to human drivers, because acceleration and braking are more optimized, Hu said. With the cost of fuel today, that’s prompting shippers to inquire with Uber Freight about driverless trucks. But, Hu said, “as we know, markets are constantly cyclical. Things will change again.” (Freightvine)

Spot rates are peaking—and staying there

In yet another sign that this trucking market isn’t behaving like past ones, spot rates may have peaked. But instead of heading back down like they usually do, analysts are predicting the rates will plateau at their high level.

For the year, FTR forecasts spot rate growth of 37.6% for dry van, 35.8% for refrigerated and 35.3% for flatbed—and none of those includes fuel surcharges.

Why this matters: The trucking industry seems to be full of paradoxes these days. Rates are up but demand isn’t really. Rates are peaking but not falling. And rates are up over 30%, but does that materialize into profits if diesel is still chipping away at margins? (CCJ Digital)

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The Inside Lane is curated and written by Shefali Kapadia, and edited by Bianca Prieto.