Coronaviruses are a type of virus. There are many different kinds, and some cause disease. A newly identified type has caused a recent outbreak of respiratory illness now called COVID-19 that started in China.
The spread of this new coronavirus is being monitored by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization and health organizations like Johns Hopkins across the globe. On Jan. 30, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a public health emergency.
COVID-19 symptoms include:
In rare cases, COVID-19 can lead to severe respiratory problems, kidney failure or death.
Remember last year before the COVID-19 lockdowns hit and there were shortages of hand sanitizer and toilet paper. The trucking industry was there to make deliveries, but now that the hand is on the other foot, toilet paper is not coming to save us.ShortageFirst it was a new truck shortage. Then there was a used […]
On Thursday July 8th, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, and Deputy Administrator Meera Joshi of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) hosted a roundtable to discuss truck driver recruitment and retention.Retention Versus RecruitmentThe “shortage” (the economic law of supply and demand impacting market rates and therefore carriers paying a premium to […]
Unless you have been living under a rock, you are no doubt aware of the hours-of-service exemption for hauling related to the pandemic that has permeated the trucking industry for about 15 months now. Less talked about but just as important is the other waiver for Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), Commercial Learner’s Permit (CLP), and […]
Another quarter, another announcement regarding the pandemic. The FMCSA has announced another extension to the hours-of-service (HOS) exemption for the hauling of goods related to the coronavirus state of emergency. Details The declaration can be read in its entirety via the FMCSA’s website. It follows the standard procedure for the exemption, with no modifications or […]
The Colonial Pipeline is back up and running at approximately 80% capacity, with full capacity to return soon. With the worst of it behind us, now is a good time to reflect on what we can learn from the entire debacle.The Words of George CarlinMost people might think of George Carlin as a comedian, but […]
ACT Research has published the results of trailer sales for April 2021, and the numbers when compared to the fourth month last year, when the coronavirus pandemic was in full force, can be succinctly described by this GIF:In short, the numbers are exploding!The NumbersLooking at the transition from March to April, you may be inclined […]
Historically, reefer trailer hauling has been the most revenue-generating form of freight, and it is not hard to see why. Running a reefer requires additional diesel to keep cargo at adequate temperatures, an expense that factors into the price per mile for the freight. We live in unusual times, however, and for at least a […]
Nobody can predict the future, but they can certainly make educated guesses about it.
Notice This article was written before, and published on, the day that the CDC has declared a pause in the use of the J&J vaccine. The current status of administering vaccines at the Native Pride Travel Plaza, as to whether they have switched to other vaccines or have stopped altogether, is currently unknown. The article […]
For a majority of the past year, we have been writing about how the pent up demand for trucking services due to the coronavirus pandemic has caused the trucking industry to rebound with terms such as “on fire” and “skyrocket on top of a skyrocket”. Frankly, we are running out of terms to describe how well the trucking industry is performing right now. Exploding? Volcanic?
On March 31st, the office of Joe Biden released the details for the American Jobs Plan. The entire press release clocks in at almost 12,000 words. Reading it is a time-consuming project, but if you want to, you can view it on the fact sheet webpage. For those who have better things to do (such […]
The general procedure of receiving a coronavirus vaccine, as it is now, requires the patient to be a member of the eligible phase (currently 1a, 1b, or even 1c in some states), and prove they are a citizen of the state distributing the vaccine.
On March 10th, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration held its 20th annual Analysis, Research, and Technology (ART) Forum, and the first under the Biden presidency with a new change of officials. ART is used to discuss how technology is used to fulfill the FMCSA’s goals, namely minimizing truck crashes, and was especially fitting because […]
ACT and FTR differ on their numbers for Class 8 truck sales by a few hundred each month, but their general messages are the same. This prior month’s message being that the trucking industry is cooling off from the holiday season, but still shows promise of being on fire.The NumbersACT has sales for January set […]
A few days after election day, we were hesitant to officially call for Biden’s election victory due to numerous fraud allegations and lawsuits for the time between election day and inauguration day. But, all of that is behind the country and by the time you read this, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. should be sworn in […]
Unless your name is Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk, there is a pretty good chance this was not your year. From a potential World War III in January, to the COVID-19 pandemic that started in March and is still going today, to the summer protests and blocked highways, this year had it all. We want […]
In the last trailer sales article, we left with this prediction: “…we believe that the pent-up demand for goods, combined with the holiday season, will lead to equal or greater trailer sales in November.” It appears we were wrong this time. October sales had an average estimate of 55,350. For the month of November 2020, […]
Hopefully this will be the last coronavirus article we at TopMark Funding will ever have to write, as the coronavirus vaccine has been authorized for distribution and application nationwide. But COVID-19 does not plan to go down without a fight, and as one last hurrah, it may just make the holidays a little more difficult, […]
As the coronavirus vaccines are finalized and become ready for distribution, the question remains as to who gets the first round of doses. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), an arm of the CDC, recently reached a nearly-unanimous vote on Monday approving a three step plan for vaccine distribution:Phase 1a: Healthcare workers and residents […]
Coronavirus news has been taxing since April. Nonstop news of infection rates, layoffs, cancellations are all very difficult for which to manage. You might be tired of wearing a mask and may have cheated once or twice by not wearing it at the diesel pump. In spite of everything that has happened this year, there […]
What do you get when you combine pushed back demand from the coronavirus pandemic with the demand of Black Friday? You get the highest demand for truckload shipments in recent history. Since FreightWaves created the Outbound Tender Volume Index (OTVI), it is at the highest it has ever been.OTVIFreightWaves describes outbound tender as:“…a load offer […]
The COVID-19 vaccine seems to be a rousing success, as companies developing them tout a 90-95% efficacy rate in testing. We have already written about one of the difficulties of distribution of the vaccine: keeping the vaccines cold. In that article, we lightly scratched on another problem that deserves more attention: the demand for reefer […]
If the coronavirus pandemic were a war, truckers would be the front line infantry, going out into the field to give people the supplies they need to either stay healthy (sanitizers and face masks), or to stay quarantined (food and entertainment supplies). With two different COVID-19 vaccines both showing a minimum 90% efficacy rate, it […]
What do you get when you take the coronavirus pandemic’s pushing of consumer demand into later months of the year, and combine it with the infancy of the holiday season? You get October 2020, another month of consecutive growth for freight rates. In all three categories, the price per mile has gone up higher than […]
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) released the results of its 2020 survey asking stakeholders in the trucking industry their thoughts on things that impact the trucking industry. Their report is a very insightful 26-page behemoth of knowledge, but for our reading base, primarily of truckers who would rather spend more time on the road […]
Back when the coronavirus pandemic officially started back in March, it was safe to assume the whole thing would blow over by 2021 and that 2020 was but a fluke year. As we get closer and closer to 2021, that possibility seems to be becoming bleaker and bleaker. A small blow was dealt to the […]
It is the same song and dance we have been doing for the past few months: the trucking industry, while having it happen later than other industries, dropped a bit from the coronavirus pandemic, and is climbing its way back up in a slow but sure manner. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has released […]
A week after the publishing of this article, October 2nd, marked the third annual “That’s a Big 10-4 on Washington D.C.” event. Normally the event lasts multiple days, but because of today’s landscape between the COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest during an election year, the event was compacted into a single day.The DetailsMissed the event […]
If you have been following the news regarding the coronavirus pandemic, you may remember two things:The hours-of-service exemption was extended until the end of 2020.Other exemptions, such as the CDL renewal, CPL renewal, and medical certification renewal, were provided.On September 18th, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) combined the two and made it so […]
On September 22nd, 2020, Tesla shareholders gathered in Fremont, California to hear the latest from Elon Musk and Tesla Senior Vice President of Powertrain and Energy Drew Baglino. Sitting in their cars to social distance in the era of COVID-19, shareholders learned the latest technological advancements to Tesla’s vehicles. The most interesting of which is […]
Either in spite of, or because of, all the crazy events happening in 2020, trailer sales for the recent months have been going up, up, up. We at TopMark Funding wrote in an article for July trailer sales, saying, “It will be interesting to see where August stands on the scale.” That data is officially […]
Another month has gone by since we last reported on the coronavirus pandemic affecting job numbers. Although the pandemic appears to not have an end in sight, society as a whole has become acclimated to the pandemic, and things are returning slightly back to normal. Some people are going back to work (albeit working from […]
Every month for a while now, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has been extending the State of Emergency by another month. The FMCSA has decided to take a more proactive approach, and as of September 11th the State of Emergency has been extended until the end of the year. The Details You can […]
We at TopMark Funding have written about the AB-5 bill before. In the last article covering the bill, we talked about how U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez issued a preliminary junction against it, meaning that until the lawsuit between the State of California and the California Trucking Association (CTA) is resolved, the default position is […]
Pollution is bad. Nobody would reasonably argue against this. Anyone who lives in or has recently driven through TopMark Funding’s home state of California can see the dense smoke haze covering the state, giving headaches to anyone foolish enough to go outside without a face mask for even a small handful of minutes. How timely […]
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration state of emergency has been extended for another month. This is the fifth extension, set to last until September 14th, but may be extended yet again.Changes MadeYou can read the declaration in full on the FMCSA declaration’s webpage. In summary, the exemption for hours-of-service has been extended, with a […]
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, normally having their International Roadcheck in June, scheduled it this year for May 5th to 7th. Later, it was postponed until further notice as a result of a certain worldwide pandemic. Now, the CVSA has decided that the pandemic has cooled down enough where having the event to improve safety […]
Here at TopMark Funding, we wrote about how we believed the coronavirus pandemic was ending soon. That article is almost two months old at this point, and the pandemic continues. The interesting thing is that despite all of the fear of the coronavirus pandemic for the past five or so months, the trucking industry continues […]
The demand for new trucks in 2020 was not reduced from the coronavirus pandemic, merely moved forward in time. According to Freight Transportation Research (FTR), North American Class 8 sales in July was approximately 20,000 units. That is 28% higher than in June, and to compare apples to apples, double the orders from July 2019. […]
If you have been in the trucking industry long enough to have bought a truck, you know about the Federal Excise Tax (FET), a tax that was implemented in 1917 to help finance World War I and has been chugging along ever since, for well over a century by now!The FET adds 12% to a […]
Apparently April to May was the lowest point of the coronavirus pandemic, as demand for shipped goods and materials continued its ascent for the third consecutive month (two for dry van), and all three forms of freight are at their 2020 highs.DAT speculates the current month’s rates as it is happening, and while August is […]
Not too far back, we wrote about how Love’s is requiring face masks in all of its over 500 locations. Now, Pilot company (Pilot and Flying J) and TravelCenters of America (TA and Petro) are following suit.Desperate Times; Desperate MeasuresThe declarations from the three companies comes off the heels of various state governments once again […]
Operating about 520 locations in 41 states, Love’s Travel Stops (the company) will require customers to wear face masks at all of its businesses. This includes Love’s Travel Stops, Love’s Truck Care, Love’s-owned hotels, and Speedco locations.The culprit behind this decision is none other than our beloved friend the Coronavirus.COVID-19 WoesFighting a pandemic is a […]
The coronavirus pandemic sweeping the nation has taken its toll on the trucking industry, but the federal government will not let the industry collapse without a fight. Through the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), which is part of the CARES Act, trucking companies both big and small have applied for loans to keep goods moving, loans […]
Normally we at TopMark Funding provide updates for freight rates monthly, however, we bring news that is too good not to share. The rates are closely approaching the numbers they were before the pandemic began (pre-pandemic), and for reefers have already passed the point. The Graphs The rates for all three forms of freight (dry […]
President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order No. 13924,85 FR 31353 on May 19th, 2020. This directed federal agencies, including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, to take action in fighting not just the coronavirus pandemic, but the economic damages resulting from the pandemic as well. One way the FMCSA took action was to suspend […]
TopMark Funding has been writing about COVID-19 for well over three months now, even before the World Health Organization (WHO) officially announced it as a pandemic. As time goes on and the general populace has stayed at home as long as it could to “flatten the curve”, the evidence seems to be piling up that […]
The Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA), in a new step to combat the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the economy, is modifying a regulation regarding drugs. No, truckers will not be allowed to drive while smoking marijuana without being added to the Clearinghouse. The Change Normally when hiring a company driver, the company must perform […]
On March 13th, the Hours-of-Service suspension was to last until April 12th. It was then extended to May 15th, then June 15th, and now the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration extends it once again to July 14th. The Applicable Shipments Not all trucks on the road get the privilege of ignoring hours-of-service until the job […]
The month of May resulted in some interesting phenomena for the trucking industry: usually when it comes to dry van, flatbed, and reefer hauling, the rates all change in the same direction. This has been a crazy year, which leads to some crazy changes.For May, the reefer rate average rose, most likely due to the […]
It might be hard to remember with the coronavirus pandemic suspension (which was recently extended another month to mid-June) that the FMCSA has been planning reform to its hours-of-service regulations. Now the final rule has been published. Despite nobody outside of the FMCSA truly knowing what was going to be in it, it turned out […]
The Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration has announced an extension to the hours-of-service suspension. It was first declared on March 13th and originally extended from April 12th to May 15th, and is being extended again to June 14th. The Applicable Shipments Not all trucks on the road get the privilege of ignoring hours-of-service until the […]
Although it may be tiring to hear about COVID-19 each and every day, it appears that the pandemic may be coming to an end soon. The trucking industry may return to normal, but a new normal from how the trucking industry was in January 2020. What changes will be permanent? Online Interaction The need for […]
We at TopMark Funding have not been giving you the statistics for average freight rates lately, as we have been writing extensively about more immediate topics such as the Coronavirus. Now that it appears the pandemic is reaching the declining end of the curve, we can get back into the swing of things for normal […]
By The FMCSA Friday, May 1, 2020 The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is assisting in the distribution of one million protective masks to the nation’s commercial truck drivers. FMCSA has been working with states, industry stakeholders, and motor carriers to distribute one million protective face masks for truckers which were provided by the […]
We understand business owners and drivers don’t have time to sort through all the different news coming out about COVID-19, so TopMark has made a detailed truckers guide to when each state will reopen. Updated regularly, this article will include the newest information on when each and every state plans on lifting or extending their […]
Pricing began to fall across the board in used truck spaces during the second half of March as the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic took root in the United States, J.D. Power reported Wednesday in its April 2020 Commercial Truck Guidelines industry report.In the auction channel, J.D. Power reports last month’s volume was higher than expected, considering […]
For The Full Printable PDF Version >> ClickHow to Wear a Cloth Face CoveringCloth face coverings shouldfit snugly but comfortably against the side of the facebe secured with ties or ear loopsinclude multiple layers of fabricallow for breathing without restrictionbe able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shapeCDC on Homemade […]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently advised that everyone wear some type of face covering or mask while in public to slow spread of the novel coronavirus causing the COVID-19 pandemic. Although it has not been mandated on a federal level, the state of New Jersey and some cities and counties are now requiring them. […]
Truck drivers have now been exempted from an order requiring adults entering the state of Utah to fill out an online form about their potential exposure to the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 illness.On April 9, Utah Governor Gary Herbert issued an executive order on inbound travel. It established a requirement for all adults entering Utah […]
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Wednesday, April 8 extended its national emergency declaration to May 15. Originally enacted March 13, the declaration provides relief from hours of service regulations for drivers responding to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. The original declaration was to expire Sunday, April 12. The agency said the extension also covers liquefied gases to […]
Center for Disease Control [CDC] >>CDC COVID-19 Self-Checker CDC – Use of Cloth Face Coverings to Help Slow The Spread of COVID-19 FOR THE FULL PRINTABLE PDF VERSION >> CLICK 04/07/20 – CDC Launches New Weekly COVID-19 Surveillance Report CDC is modifying existing surveillance systems to track COVID-19, and posted the first of what will […]
The COVID-19 Pandemic has had a massive impact on trucker’s daily routines. Physicians everywhere are warning people that a key battle against COVID-19 is won by washing your hands, not touching your face, and sanitizing surfaces you’re in contact with. Since over the road truckers spend most of their time in a truck cab, it is […]
It seems as though the coronavirus is undoing all of the reporting we did at the beginning of 2020. We wrote in early February that the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) was going to have its annual International Roadcheck event in May, but the event has been postponed until further notice. What is the culprit […]
You may recall at what was hopefully the height of the coronavirus hysteria that the state of Pennsylvania made the executive decision to close all of its rest stops in the state, even for parking purposes. After pressure from the negative press for the decision, the state of Pennsylvania has decided to renege on the […]
On March 23rd, a coalition of automotive dealers, including the American Truck Dealers (ATD), sent a letter to President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Cabinet members, and the Governors of all fifty states asking for “essential status” for dealerships in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.The Letter to the GovernmentThe letter outlines the coalition between […]
To Our Valued Customers We hope you and your family are safe and in good health. During this uncertain time related to the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to assure you that TopMark Funding remains open and ready to serve you. We recognize that with the constantly changing situation around the world, this is an unprecedented […]
We recently wrote about how Mack and Volvo Group suspended truck production due to COVID-19 fears, now it appears that other truck builders are following in their footsteps. Recently, Paccar and Navistar International announced that they are also halting production. Both have announced two-week shutdowns, with a Paccar representative saying, “[we] will continue to provide […]
Mack Trucks and Volvo Group both announced on Friday that they were going to cease assembly operations due to the coronavirus. “We have decided to temporarily suspend production as part of the effort to slow the spread of the virus in our communities.” Mary Beth Halprin, vice president of public relations, Volvo Group, said. “During […]
Recently the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced for the first time in history national suspension of certain Hours of Service regulations. This was in response to the coronavirus State of Emergency. This Wednesday on March 18th, the FMCSA has expanded the suspensions further. “Under Secretary Chao’s leadership, FMCSA is providing additional regulatory relief […]
So you are stuck at home, either because you have contracted coronavirus or are told to stay home by authorities. What can you do to help pass the time until this event is over? Here are some ideas to help get you started. While most of them are intended for home use, a savvy trucker […]
Coronavirus news has been ramping up in the past month on how it affects the economy and various industries, and trucking is no different. With the World Health Organization considering COVID-19 the first worldwide pandemic since H1N1 (swine flu), it is a good idea to stay informed on the Coronavirus and how it impacts you, […]
Coronavirus hysteria continues: first it was just a warning, then it was a run on toilet paper, then it was a national emergency. Now Pennsylvania is closing its rest stops because it lacks the ability to clean them effectively in the wake of the pandemic, Effective March 17th at 12:01 AM. The absurdity of the […]
Suspensions of Hours of Service (HOS) regulations are nothing new to the trucking industry, just recently there were two declared in Alabama and Tennessee. What is new is that the FMCSA has announced a nationwide suspension on HOS regulations in regards to commercial vehicle drivers hauling emergency relief across the entire country. The National Emergency […]
In another episode of coronavirus hysteria, Mid-America Trucking Show organizers have announced that they are cancelling the 49th annual event due to the pandemic. The announcement comes two weeks before the event was to take place, March 26th, 27th, and 28th. “It is with a heavy heart and deep regret that we announce the cancellation […]
There is no denying that coronavirus (COVID-19) hysteria has swept the nation. We at Topmark Funding even wrote an article about how to keep yourself from catching and spreading coronavirus. There was a lot of uncertainty regarding how the coronavirus would impact the trucking industry in the United States of America. As time goes on, […]
Chances are you are familiar with the existence of COVID-19, otherwise known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, or the coronavirus. There has been lots of media hubbub about coronavirus since the start of 2020, some fact and some fiction. How worried should you be while traveling on the road? If you contract the […]
