One problem facing electric vehicles is different plugs and outlets for charging depending on the vehicle. PACCAR Parts wants to alleviate this problem for drivers, even if they are not direct customers of PACCAR brands such as Kenworth and Peterbilt.Universal ChargingWhether you have started making the transition to electric commercial vehicles or plan to do […]
While Elaine Chao has resigned from Secretary of the Department of Transportation by the time you read this article, one of her last acts was to order the DOT to create and publish what it calls the “Automated Vehicles Comprehensive Plan” (AVCP).It is no secret that self-driving trucks are still far away from becoming reality, […]
Secretary of the Department of Transportation Elaine Chao has announced that she will be resigning from her position, effective January 11th. This marks the end of the second-longest cabinet holding behind Mike Pence himself: Elaine Chao started January 31st, 2016. Details Elaine Chao cites the storming of the U.S. Capitol as her reason for not […]
For November, we wrote how flatbeds had their average per-mile rate reduced while the other two forms of freight increased. Poetically, it is now the refrigerated trailer to have its turn to reduce in rate.The DataWhile the numbers do not increase with the same intensity as they did in the middle of 2020, they do […]
The grace period for not being inside the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, a database of drivers and such violations, is approaching its end rapidly, January 6th. If you drive under your own Authority, you must conduct a limited query for yourself and all drivers under your Authority by that date, or you may be […]
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 […]
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) was planning to have its International Roadcheck this year in May, but due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was delayed. As we learned more about the virus and how to minimize transmission, as well as realizing it would be a while before it went away entirely, the CVSA decided […]
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, […]
Under the current system of rules, third-party companies such as private truck-driving schools could not be both the trainer and the examiner for a driver. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) plans to publish a Final Rule in the Federal Register changing this. The new regulations will make it so that the trainer and […]
We wrote about what a Biden presidency would mean for the trucking industry in mid-November. In that article, our first point was that the Secretary of the Department of Transportation (DOT), Elaine Chao, would end her nearly four year term by being replaced. You have read the title of this article, so you know who […]
The trucking industry is on fire (in a good way). Freight rates are the highest they have been in recent history, the Outbound Tender Volume Index is on the precipice of breaking new records, and new truck sales numbers just keep growing. All of these individually are great, but combined they bring forth a new […]
Remember in October when the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) started allowing tanker trucks to use pulsating amber brake lights? It may be added to more truck types soon enough, as the FMCSA has granted Grote Industries LLC a limited 5-year exemption to allow motor carriers operating trailers and van body trucks to install […]
Freight Transportation Research Associates (FTR) released their data on new Class 8 truck sales for November 2020 on December 2nd. We predicted the numbers would stagnate and be approximately equal to those found in October, at around 40,100. To say the very least, we were wrong. The Data FTR reports preliminary data that says that […]
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases two statistics each month: one is the preliminary numbers (estimate) for the month prior, and the other is a more accurate count for three months prior. The solid numbers for September came in with November’s preliminaries, and while the former is essentially what the BLS has suspected, the […]
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 […]
Growth cannot last forever. After a long run of consistently rising freight rates, it appears flatbed rates are the first of the three to have a month lower than the previous month.Not to worry, however, as the flatbed rates only dropped one cent, so while flatbeds stumble, they are not tumbling down an impossible to […]
Nikola Motors Corporation has been through the wringer in the past few months, but there is at least one company that still holds faith in them, General Motors. GM, who swapped shared with Nikola in the early summer, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the fledgling technology company, to show intention to use […]
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 […]
Savvy readers of our articles may recall from late June that we wrote about Hyliion and their plans for the Hypertruck. Hyliion hoped to have their Hypertruck be negative emissions through the use of renewable natural gas (RNG). While the Hypertruck is not released yet, there is tangible proof now that their goal is attainable.Driving […]
On November 19th, the California Court of Appeals reversed the court decision in People v. Cal Cartage Transportation Express, LLC. In short, the appeals court ruled that the “ABC” test that comprises the heart of AB-5 is not in contradiction with federal law and as such is not overridden by it. The California Court In […]
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 […]
It does not take an expert in economics to understand the fundamental balance between supply, demand and price. The trucking industry has been said to have a “driver shortage” for a long time now, but if the basic principle of supply versus demand holds, there would be a negative correlation between those employed and the […]
“September’s rank as third-best month in industry history was short-lived, as October activity now takes that title,” Frank Maly, director CV Transportation Analysis and Research at ACT Research, said.As we predicted back in October, the trailer sales for that month were higher than those of September, by only a few thousand. A 6% increase, more […]
We did not want to write about this Traton-Navistar deal as it was in progress, but it appears that the negotiations have been finalized. Traton, subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, is purchasing Navistar in its entirety.DetailsBefore the buyout agreement, Traton owned 16.7% of all common shares in Navistar, meaning that their purchase was not a […]
When it comes to the monthly job totals for the trucking industry, the question for the last six months has not been whether the number goes up or down, but by how much it goes up. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has updated its numbers at the start of November, showing preliminary numbers for […]
Unless all the election news has pushed older information out of your brain, you may remember that the FMCSA spoke at an ATA virtual conference about many topics, one of which was working to make self-driving commercial vehicles as safe as possible. But beyond safety, there are many more uncertainties to autonomous trucks. Will they […]
It has been almost a year since the FMCSA instituted the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, which means that the deadline for running a limited query for all fleets in the nation is rapidly approaching. Here are the details of the regulations and why you should have the query done for your fleet, whether it’s a […]
Freight Transportation Research Associates (FTR) has released its latest wave of sales information regarding new Class 8 trucks. While not a two-year high, October 2018 was higher, the numbers improving upon Septembers’ victory for the trucking industry is still phenomenal.The DataNew truck sales totaled approximately 40,100 for October, according to FTR. This is an 83% […]
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 […]
On October 28th, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration held another virtual conference, this time regarding broker regulations. In attendance were representatives from the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association (OOIDA), and the Small Business in Transportation Coalition (SBTC). As you can imagine, the TIA wants fewer regulations, and the OOIDA and SBTC […]
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 […]
It seems like for the trucking industry in 2020, everyone is working together with everyone else. Yesterday was an article about partnerships in the development of autonomous trucking, and now there is more news in the sphere of green fuels: Traton SE and Hino Motors Limited have signed an agreement to work on battery-electric and […]
On October 23rd, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Deputy Administrator Wiley Deck spoke at the American Trucking Association’s (ATA) virtual version of its Management Conference and Exhibition. The event was turned into a virtual one this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Here is what he spoke about. Under 21 Drivers With the trucking industry […]
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 […]
When a truck driver hears about laws and regulations determining the difference between an independent contractor and employee, the first thing that may come to mind is California AB-5, one of the strictest standards in the nation for determining employee eligibility. At the federal level, however, the Department of Labor (DOL) wants to revise their […]
Fully electric Class 8 vehicles that can travel along the California coast in a single charge are still off into the future, but that does not mean that electric semi-trucks do not exist now. One example of such a machine is the Kenworth T680E, which will go into production and be for sale at Kenworth […]
You might remember how the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) allowed a single company, Groendyke Transport, to add pulsating amber brake lights to the rear of their tanker trucks. You might also remember that rear-end collisions dropped over 33% for the tanker trucks equipped with them. Finally, you may recall that the FMCSA was […]
Freight Transportation Research (FTR) has been tracking trailer sales for a very long time. It means a lot when September 2020 was the third-highest month for trailer sales since they started keeping track. The Details August’s trailer sales, according to FTR, were about 28,700. Now, for September, trailer sales reached 52,000, according to preliminary numbers. […]
Some trucking tech companies such as Tesla and Nikola want to bring electricity to the trucking industry as a viable fuel source, but what happens after that? Generating electricity can still be environmentally damaging, and can take hours to fully charge a heavy truck. Hino and Toyota are thinking one step ahead by trying to […]
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 […]
According to Freight Transportation Research Associates (FTR), around 20,500 new trucks were sold in the month of August. Now the September numbers are in, and if you have been following the truck sales for the past few months, it should not surprise you. The Data New trucks sold for September according to FTR totaled 32,000. […]
There seems to be no stopping the trucking industry. For yet another consecutive month, the freight rates for all three primary forms of shipment (dry van, flatbed, and reefer) have increased yet again. Part of the blame can be shifted to the crash in rates that happened in the spring of this year, but using […]
Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), the parent company of Western Star, has officially revealed the company’s latest vocational truck. The company considers it the natural evolution of the 4900 series of work trucks.“We know the 4900 is a great product, but we also know that it doesn’t bring the best of technology to the customer,” […]
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 […]
It does not take a trucking expert to understand that hauling double trailers takes a lot more skill and finesse than a single. How can drivers haul more freight while reducing crashes? The state of North Dakota plans to have its legislature discuss the topic in January. The Great Debate The way things are now […]
The United States government is a complicated system. In a short summary relating to truckers, the president appoints the Secretary of the Department of Transportation, who then manages the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). It is a tall building where it may feel as though the limit of trucker input is voting for the […]
On September 29th, truckers will breathe a sigh of relief as FMCSA hours-of-service regulations are loosened and allow more leeway to the driver. If you have been delivering for the many various State of Emergencies that have plagued 2020, you may have forgotten what the changes to the hours-of-service regulations entail. Here is a refresher […]
It seems as though every trucking industry change is taken to court at some time or another. This time, it is a change that most truckers are looking forward to: the changes in hours-of-service regulations. Intended to provide added flexibility to a trucker’s daily work, the hours-of-service changes are being challenged by safety groups arguing […]
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 […]
Between COVID-19, hurricanes, and now wildfires, it seems the whole United States is in a constant state of emergency. There is little need to worry though, truckers have the means to get us through these hard times. Even more so because, like for the hurricanes before it and the coronavirus pandemic going on now, the […]
Get Cash Back From the IRS 2020 has been a tumultuous year, to say the very least. Fortunately, the United States government has many programs in place to help provide relief for its citizens. One such example that is likely to get additional use this year is Section 179, a tax deduction for businesses to […]
We at TopMark Funding have talked about Nikola Corporation going public and how you can become a part-owner in the fledgling company. Now, it seems General Motors wants a piece of the action. The companies have announced plans to become part-owners of one another.The DetailsThe companies became part-owners of one another by swapping stock shares. […]
If you have been following trucking industry news before the coronavirus pandemic hit the forefront, you may remember that Congress debated the DRIVE Safe Act. Apparently that bill died in the halls of Congress, because truckers under the age of 21 still cannot haul freight via semi-truck across state lines. The FMCSA wants to give […]
Pardon the pun, but the trucking industry is on a roll. Trucking sales rose for yet another consecutive month. The Data Two studies, one from the Freight Transportation Research Associates (FTR) and the other from Americas Commercial Transportation Research Company (ACT), tell ever so slightly different stories. ACT estimates Class 8 truck sales for the […]
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 […]
Alphabet Inc., known primarily for their Google search engine and YouTube video platform, has a subsidiary known as Waymo. Waymo has two wings, Waymo One for typical four-wheel driving of passenger vehicles, and Waymo Via, where they are testing the technology in 18-wheelers for long distance deliveries.Waymo is still a far way away from making […]
In the early hours of Thursday, August 27th, Hurricane Laura hit the eastern Gulf Coast of the United States. It first hit land in Louisiana, eventually touching Texas, Arkansas, and Alabama. A category 4 hurricane, Laura has winds reaching 150 MPH but not quite reaching the 156 MPH needed to be a category 5 like […]
It is a secret to absolutely nobody that there has been a pandemic for the past six months or so. The federal government, especially the White House, has been making efforts to reduce not only the health effects of COVID-19, but the secondary collateral effects on the economy as well. This scenario the world finds […]
Whether you are a fleet owner hoping to add a new Kenworth medium-duty truck to your fleet, or a dealer hoping to add some variety to your dealership lot, your decisions in regards to T270s and T370s just became much more varied. The Default Before we go into the new options for your truck, it […]
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 race to get a viable fully electric heavy-duty truck is still on, but the lower difficulty challenge of doing the same for medium-duty trucks appears to be coming to a close. Now, Peterbilt Motors Company joins the lineup of electric vehicles in the Class 6 and Class 7 markets, thanks to the Peterbilt Model […]
Three months ago, the Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association (OOIDA) petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), requesting new regulations and/or increased enforcement of current ones. Now, the FMCSA is opening comments to the public allowing them to submit their thoughts. The Story So Far Current rules state that records of brokered transactions must be […]
The numbers are in. We had written about June trailer sales at approximately this same time last month, and Freight Transportation Research (FTR) has released its latest data for new trailer sales. July 2020 shattered all expectations.By the NumbersIt does not take a trucking industry expert to imagine that the coronavirus pandemic caused new trailer […]
At this point it is no secret that truckers and the trucking industry are the front-line warriors of the fight against the invisible foe known as COVID-19. Especially during the harshest lockdown days and even true to the present, truckers are delivering valuable goods to help people stay safe and healthy. What may come as […]
With all of the cancellations of physical events and adding of new virtual events in their stead, it may not come as a surprise to many that the Used Truck Association (UTA) is changing the UTA Convention, set on November 4th to the 7th, into a fully virtual event. What may be surprising is that […]
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 […]
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 […]
In the 19th century Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla duked it out to determine the future of electricity between DC and AC. Now, two companies, both named after the winner of that debacle, are battling it out to get their electric trucks out to market.NikolaNikola Motor Company is the underdog in the competition. With a […]
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 […]
We have written a lot about zero-emission trucks, but when it comes to hauling perishable goods such as frozen foods, tractors are only half of the equation. The reefer unit also needs to use energy in order to offset the second law of thermodynamics (that is, keep cold items cold). Wabash National, a manufacturer of […]
At the beginning of July, we wrote an article detailing some good news for the health of the trucking industry: new truck orders in June broke expectations. Following up, in comparison, new trailer sales completely shattered all expectations for that month. The Data According to Americas Commercial Transportation Research Company (ACT), U.S. trailer orders for […]
We at TopMark Funding have written before about the obstacles stopping autonomous semi-trucks from becoming the norm. One of the largest was the problem we called “Dynamic Adaptation”: how current autonomous trucks work fine in open, well-maintained highways, but start to struggle when dealing with less optimal scenarios such as road hazards and city streets. […]
Here is something we do not get to write about very often; TopMark Funding finances passenger vehicles as well as cargo vehicles.The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on July 15th that it is removing some old regulations in a cost-saving effort.“This rule will remove outdated and overly burdensome reporting requirements on commercial buses that don’t […]
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 […]
You might remember that at the beginning of 2020 we compiled annual reports from the American Trucking Associations (ATA) all the way back from 2003. The ATA generates a new report for the year prior in the middle of summer, and it is that time of year again: the ATA has a new report.Data AnalyticsThe […]
Operation Safe Driver Week is now upon us. While law enforcement such as highway patrol and the DOT as a whole will be extra careful to track driving habits of commercial vehicles. Come the 20th of July, there is a chance we will all be back to normal levels of enforcement, as if the week […]
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Operation Safe Driver Week is soon upon us. Law enforcement officials are going to be extra wary of commercial vehicles on America’s roadways. To avoid a ticket, or worse, a license suspension, follow these rules to keep bears off your tail. An Ounce of Prevention The key to surviving […]
We wrote about this before, how trucking levels were on the brink of being above the price per mile before the pandemic hit. Now we can finally bust out that champagne: we are now above February’s rates!Above and BeyondNow at this point you are probably thinking this is hardly a cause for celebration; February is […]
You might remember us writing about the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) delaying the International Roadcheck due to the coronavirus. The CVSA has decided to not let COVID-19 get in the way of its next event, however: Operation Safe Driver Week.Operation Safe Driver WeekThe CVSA describes the event as a time where “law enforcement agencies […]
Autonomous trucks may still be a far way away from becoming the norm, but the journey of a million miles begins with one wheel rotation. A small handful of companies are working together to help lay the groundwork of making it a reality.The TeamThe companies that form this partnership of establishing an autonomous network of […]
In a unanimous vote, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved a mandate detailing what percentage of medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles sold in the state have to be zero emissions for the next decade and a half. The Details The Advanced Clean Truck rule, the first of its type, sets standards for truck and chassis […]
On Tuesday, June 23rd, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration chief Jim Mullen said his agency is looking into potential violations regarding rate transparency among brokers. The statement comes from the FMCSA’s session at the Truckload Carrier’s Association’s Virtual Safety and Security Meeting. The event was moved online due to the coronavirus pandemic. The “Changes” We […]
President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order No. 13924,85 FR 31353 on May 19th, 2020. This directed federal agencies such as 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. The trucks are essentially the blood cells that […]
You may remember that TopMark Funding wrote about the INVEST in America Act in the past. What we know now is that the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has deliberated on it further. They went through over 24 hours of debate and more than 175 different proposed amendments. The finished bill was an act […]
We have written about AB-5 and its federal counterpart before. The law, intended to curb workplace abuse by making it harder to classify a worker as an independent contractor, has legal issues for owner-operators hoping to work under a larger carrier such as Landstar. If this is you and you were worried about losing your […]
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 numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) are in: the for-hire trucking sector of the U.S. economy lost 1,200 jobs in May. Furthermore, the trucking industry total employment, 1,431,000, was the lowest it has been since November 2014. This is despite the U.S. economy as a whole gaining 2.5 million jobs. By themselves, […]
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 […]
At TopMark Funding, we mostly like to report on the facts when it comes to the news and allow our readers to reach their own conclusions. The recent news about the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act may leave truckers worried about how it […]
How much is added flexibility to your driving workday worth to you? House Democrats on Capitol Hill unveiled the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act on Wednesday, May 3rd. The bill is 864 pages long, but the two biggest pieces that should interest truck […]
With Tesla delaying the Semi for another year, it appears to be that the Nikola Motor Company (also named after electrical inventor Nikola Tesla) is the frontrunner to get a fully electric semi-truck to market. Their chances just increased immensely when they finished performing a reverse merger with VectoIQ Acquisition that will also raise at […]
Truckers driving through Arizona may be relieved to hear that the Arizona Department of Transportation has updated its 511 website to include rest stops. This change details not only the locations of rest stops within the state, but also whether or not they are currently open, and the number of truck parking spots at each […]
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 […]
With the national emergency suspension of hours-of-service now lasting through June 14th, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration wants to fulfill its purpose of maintaining safe truck operations without risking its agents contracting COVID-19. To do this, the FMCSA is issuing guidance about how they plan to do compliance reviews remotely. Remote Control Although systems […]
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has been in the news a lot lately, and the news surrounding them only gets longer as time goes on. On May 19th, the Owner-Operator Independent Driver Association (OOIDA) filed a petition with the FMCSA to demand new regulations that improve broker transparency. The Problem Owner-Operators are starting […]
When the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA) authorized Groendyke Transport to use pulsating amber brake lights next to the standard red ones on tanker trucks, they probably did not expect rear-end collisions to drop over 33%. That is exactly what happened, and now safety experts at the FMCSA are deliberating on making it the […]
The Texas Department of Transportation (DOT) has released a study detailing their findings regarding truck parking spots, taking place over 2018 and 2019.If you travel interstate as a trucker, there is an extremely high chance you will eventually find yourself in Texas. With over a quarter-million square miles of land, the state is 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
We at Topmark Funding have already established that truckers need sleep, but what about taking caffeine as a substitute like coffee, energy drinks, and soda? After all, with the FMCSA suspending most HOS regulations, making deliveries in a timely manner calls for the use of our old friend Joe, right? You might be surprised (or […]
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 […]
From January to March (and especially February), when the holidays have passed but it is too early for produce to ripen, the trucking industry has its slow season. Here are our tips to help you survive this troubling time. Slow Season is Hiring Season Because the slow season has a low number of miles to […]
If you have been following trucker news for a while now, you almost certainly have heard that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has sent paperwork regarding changing Hours of Service regulations to the White House. We at TopMark Funding have been hesitant to write an article detailing this news, because here is the […]
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, […]
Trucking and the transportation industry as a whole have been a hotly-debated topic in the halls of Congress. It looks like we have another discussion on our hands: a truck-only VMT tax.What is a VMT Tax?VMT stands for “vehicle miles traveled”, so a tax on this would be a payment proportional to the miles traveled. […]
In the previous month of February, Alabama was hit with flooding and a State of Emergency was declared. It seems with the new month, natural disasters are heading north to Tennessee, where a tornado hit Nashville in the first few days of March. Like with Alabama, a State of Emergency has been declared that suspends […]
The Women in Trucking (WIT) Association has announced plans to launch a Driver Ambassador program with various trucking businesses to raise awareness and promote career opportunities for women in trucking. WIT has partnered with Schneider National and has named Kellylynn McLaughlin, a trainer with Schneider, to be the first Driver Ambassador for WIT. “Trucking is […]
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 […]
If you have read any article about the transportation industry in the past few years, there is a high chance you have heard about a trucker shortage. Even the American Trucking Association (ATA) has been on record to say that there are not enough people hauling freight. “Over the past 15 years, we’ve watched the […]
Tires without air might not just be a luxury for push lawn mowers anymore. Bridgestone was at the 2020 Technology & Maintenance Council Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition in Georgia. It announced that it was working on air-free tires for trailers. The design, shown below, is most likely patented with its unique design of […]
This February has been a tumultuous time for the state of Alabama. The state has been overrun with rampant flooding. Governor Kay Ivey has declared a State of Emergency. This will temporarily suspend regulations that can get in the way of providing victims with proper disaster relief. “The significant amount of rain that has fallen […]
One consistency in the trucking industry that seems to be as common as the sun rising in the east is that February is the month of the year with the lowest national average spot rates. In a way, it is refreshing to see the average rates in mid-February be only a slight drop, with just […]
In a move that had truckers across the nation rejoicing, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced on February 13th, 2020 that it would be lowering registration fees for motor carriers starting with registration year 2020 and continuing for the foreseeable future. Unified Carrier Registration Plan The Unified Carrier Registration (UCR) Plan is no […]
Navistar officially started progress on spending $125 million to expand its engine manufacturing plant in Huntsville, Alabama. They held a groundbreaking ceremony on February 11th, 2020. They also hinted that they will use the new space, to build their own powertrains, cooperating with Traton Group to make this a reality.Navistar International Plant ExpansionNavistar Big Bore […]
You might remember from last week that we wrote about California Assembly Bill No. 5 and its potential effects on the trucking industry as a whole. The article ended by mentioning other states following suit. Now, the House of Representatives has passed their parallel to AB5, called the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. […]
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) works hard to use the power of technology to increase transportation industry safety nationwide, but sometimes their speed of implementation falls short of expectation. The implementation of this rule has been pushed back two years from February 7th, 2020 to 2022. What is the Entry-Level Driver Training Rule? […]
Though USMCA may sound like the acronym for an offshoot of the Marine Corps, in this context it stands for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The shipping of goods between the United States, Canada, and Mexico is bound to affect the trucking industry. History of the USMCA Before we understand USMCA, we must first know the […]
We here at TopMark Funding covered WEX fuel cards as one of the best fuel cards in the market, but it appears there is a downside to being the most popular fuel card in the country. On the night of February 4th, 2020, WEX cards were not accepted at diesel pumps across the country. Hitting […]
According to current federal law in the continental United States, a truck driver must be over the age of 21 to haul freight across state lines. With a trucker shortage hitting the United States, Congress is debating the Drive Safe Act, which would allow commercial drivers under the age of 21 to drive across state […]
On September 19th, 2019, the governor of the most populous state in the country signed Assembly Bill No. 5 into law. It went into effect at the beginning of 2020 but has since been blocked by a federal judge as of January 16th. While originally intended to prevent worker exploitation in the new “gig economy”, […]
In early 2019, Volvo Group, the parent company of Mack Trucks, started mysteriously posting job listings to hire engineers in the Salem/Roanoke area of Virginia. Volvo declined to comment about the job listings other than to say they would fulfill “future business needs”, but Jon Harris of the Morning Call predicted that Mack Trucks may […]
In our last article, we talked about the change in total revenue and weight hauled over time in the trucking industry. To compile that data took deep-diving into the American Trucking Associations’ article posts, years into the past. Today, we at TopMark Funding are saving even more time than before, going deep into DAT Solutions’ […]
Millions of truckers employed across America have dedicated their careers to the trucking industry, hauling freight from coast to coast. As technology and regulations change around them with scares of driver shortages and self-driving trucks, commercial truck drivers may fear that the industry will upend them and terminate their livelihoods. We at TopMark Funding are […]
Just when you thought the FMCSA was done regulating, they toss on even more regulations. This time it’s with the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. The website is loaded with information on the new database, and you really should go there if you want to obtain a full understanding of the program. For those who […]
With fuel costs being one of the largest costs in the transportation industry, diesel fuel may be approaching its decline. Companies are racing to be the first to bring about a revolution of fueling to reap the rewards. Many alternative power systems are being researched, but none has caught the public’s eye quite like electric […]
In 2016, Uber delivered 50,000 cans of beer over 120 miles of highway without any driver intervention. But two years later, Uber closed down its self-driving semi-trucks division to focus on self-driving cars instead. The trucking profession is huge, over five percent of all American jobs are in truck transportation. When self-driving trucks progress far […]
Gas prices. There are few things that can make you groan as much as passing by a gas station and seeing that high price tag on gas. If you run a semi truck or are looking to finance one, the same goes for you, but double. Big Rigs aren’t known for their fuel efficiency. Just […]
Are the current trends in the trucking industry going to change the way that you do business? Whether you like it or not, it probably will. Pausing between your day to day operations to study the current semi truck industry trends will make your day to day operations more smooth. When you’re ahead of the […]
Trucking Facts: What You Don’t Know The trucking industry is worth an estimated 7 billion dollars! It’s a huge, sprawling business. Without a doubt, there are some pieces of information and trucking facts about the industry that you haven’t heard yet. The United States is extremely dependent on the trucking industry; the truck drivers […]
If there are 1.8 million drivers insisting there’s a truck driver shortage, it would be easily taken as fact. But what about the truck drivers looking at their huge force and saying, what shortage? But if you’ve been listening to the news, everyone else is saying that the truck driver shortage in America is […]
You’ve heard the news: the trucking industry is growing low on drivers. With life-long truckers nearing retiring age, the drivers in the field are starting to dwindle. Not only that, young people aren’t stepping up to replace the jobs of the retirees. Even with huge bumps in salary offered to them, the long hours […]
In what world do Uber and freight trucking go together in the same sentence? This one, Uber Freight. In late 2016, Uber officially announced that it was breaking into the trucking game. The Uber Freight platform allows drivers to find loads and drop them off. It basically matches carriers with shippers and streamlines a process […]
The new year has arrived and 2019 is upon us. With an eventful year behind us, it’s safe to say that the upcoming twelve months have a lot in store. What does that mean for your business in the trucking industry? Here are the Trucking Forecasts in 2o19. Stay on top of the trends. That way, […]
EPA? Cleaner Truck Initiative? Pollution? Through all the new policies and voices, truck drivers and individuals in the transportation industry are feeling the strain of new regulations on their equipment. Poor air quality from traffic can take a toll on the health and wellness of everyone. Currently, pollution from heavy duty trucks is just one issue […]
