Selected COVID-19 and trucking industry news that may impact your business.
As of May 13, 2020:
Backlog of CDL testing could create a chokepoint for driver hiring later this year
CCJ
Employment in the for-hire trucking industry fell in April by 88,000 jobs due to economic slowdown from coronavirus. While the driver shortage is temporarily erased, a chokepoint in licensing and training new drivers at present could have negative consequences in the near future. Read More
INDOT to close stretches of I-70 for 30 days for bridge work
CDL Life
The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) will be closing down parts of I-70 through Indianapolis for bridge work beginning later this month. INDOT says that they are accelerating construction projects on I-70 so that the work can be completed before events postponed by the Coronavirus crisis resume. Read More
‘Providing for the Frontlines’ initiative launches for truckers
American Trucker
American Trucking Associations, along with OneBeacon, U.S. Bank, Michelin and Hydro-Chem Systems, will be providing additional hand sanitizer stations, along with meals for professional truck drivers, through a new initiative: Providing for the Frontlines. Read More
Spot market plunges, shows signs of bottoming out in April
FleetOwner
Truckload freight volumes plummeted in April and appeared to bottom out with much of the economy still shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to DAT Solutions, which operates the industry’s largest online marketplace for spot truckload freight. Read More
Operation Safe Driver Week to focus on speeding
CCJ
Law enforcement will be paying closer attention to unsafe driving behaviors of both truck and car drivers July 12-18 as part of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s Operation Safe Driver Week. CVSA says less traffic on the roads due to the COVID-19 pandemic may be encouraging some drivers to ignore traffic safety laws, including speed limits. A number of jurisdictions, CVSA says, have seen “a severe spike in speeding” during the pandemic. Read More
Tips from Clean Harbors: Sanitizing Vehicles During COVID-19
WorkTruck
There’s plenty a truck driver can do to protect themselves while on the road. Remember the “5 Ws” to stay safe. Read More
Future murky for equipment sales through 2021
Trucks, Parts, Service
According to the latest release of ACT Research’s North American Commercial Vehicle Outlook, 2021 is now being forecast as the transition year as global economies and North American commercial vehicle demand move from COVID-19’s negative impacts into a meaningfully better situation in 2022. Read More
Landstar extends load bonuses for drivers, agents
CCJ
Landstar announced Monday it has extended its load bonuses for its owner-operators for another week through May 22. Read More
Perspective: Crisis Reveals Strength of Industry
Transport Topics
Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the focus on the supply chain has been greater than ever. Prior to this crisis, people drove to the grocery store confident that whatever they wanted would be on the shelf. Consumers didn’t need to think about the complex systems that enabled those products to be there — they just knew goods would be available. Read More