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Vol. 37, No. 11 | November 2023 | www.thetrucker.com 

WHAT’S INSIDE 

THE NATION 

Brake Safety Week.................3 

Weight Limits.........................4 

Emergency Exemptions.........8 

3 

PERSPECTIVE 

Between the Lines................10 

Rhythm of the Road.............10 

Trucker Trainer......................10 

Ask the Attorney..................11 

Mind Over Matter................11 

Chaplain’s Corner.................12 

Trucker Talk...........................12 

BUSINESS 

A Question of When............14 

Fleet Focus...........................14 

Insurance Insights.................. X 

JOB RESOURCES 

Louder than Words...............17 

Drivers Needed....................17 

Owning the Wheel...............19 

Safety Series.........................20 

EQUIPMENT & TECH 

Rolling Along........................22 

S13 Integrated Powertrain...22 

28 

FEATURES 

Land of Opportunity............25 

Road Warriors.......................25 

A Better Place......................28 

AUSTIN, Texas — The economy tops the American Transportation Research 

Institute’s (ATRI) 19th annual Top Industry Issues report, followed 

closely by the nation’s lack of available truck parking. 

This year’s overall list of issues also includes the economy, truck parking, 

fuel prices, the driver shortage, driver compensation and — for the first time 

— zero-emission vehicles. 

“ATRI’s list thoroughly and accurately reflects the challenges we’ve faced 

this year,” said ATA Chairman Dan Van Alstine, president and COO of Ruan 

Transportation Management Systems. 

“Costs were up and demand was down, all while we worked to navigate 

a number of workforce and regulatory issues,” he said. “Thankfully, ATRI’s 

analysis doesn’t just tell us what the issues are, it spells out a number of 

data-driven strategies that the industry can pursue to address them.” 

In a year full of challenges that include high inflation, rising operating 

costs and declining freight demand, the state of the nation’s economy 

jumped four spots from 2022 to rank as the No. 1 concern. The lack of available 

truck parking achieved its highest rank to date on the overall list, coming 

in at No. 2. Last year’s No. 1 issue, fuel prices, dropped to the No. 3 spot 

this year. 

The hotly debated driver shortage dropped two spots this year to No. 4 

overall, and driver compensation dropped to No. 5. According to data from 

ATRI’s 2023 Operational Costs of Trucking research, driver wages increased 

15.5% in 2023 compared to 2022, with the combined driver wage and benefit 

figure (90.7 cents per mile per mile) achieving a record high since the Operational 

Costs research was launched in 2008. 

“However, the current Ops Costs report uses 2022 data, and it is very 

Survey says 

Economy top concern for carriers while drivers cite compensation 

THE TRUCKER NEWS STAFF 

iStock Photo 

According to the American Transportation Research’s Top Industry Issues report, carriers 

note the nation’s economy as their top concern, while drivers point to compensation issues. 

possible that the softer freight demand this year negatively impacted wages, 

thus pushing Compensation back to the top of the drivers’ list of concerns,” 

the report noted. 

Rounding out the overall Top 10 issues were lawsuit abuse reform at 

No. 6, driver distraction at No. 7, driver retention at No. 8, detention/delay at 

customer facilities at No. 9, and zero-emission vehicles at No. 10. 

Safety organizations support proposed truck parking act 

Linda Garner-Bunch/The Trucker 

A proposed Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act has gained support from two national safety 

organizations as well as multiple trucking associations. 

JOHN WORTHEN | THE TRUCKER 

See SURVEY on PAGE 6 

WASHINGTON — Two safety organizations have voiced their 

support for the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act. In a joint 

letter, sent to Congress in early October, the Institute for Safer 

Trucking and Road Safe America urges passage of the bill. 

“As organizations committed to promoting truck safety, we 

are writing to express our strong support for the Truck Parking 

Safety Improvement Act,” the letter said. “We believe that this 

legislation is an important step toward improving the safety and 

well-being of commercial truck drivers, as well as other road 

users.” 

Earlier this year, on May 23, the House Committee on Transportation 

and Infrastructure passed an amended version of the 

act by a vote of 60-4. Known officially as HR2367, the parking 

act would provide $755 million over three years to expand truck 

parking capacity. The next step will be markup hearings before a 

bill moves to the full House for a vote. 

“The shortage of safe and accessible truck parking spaces is 

a significant problem that affects drivers across the country,” according 

to the letter. “The lack of available parking spaces can 

force drivers to park in unsafe and illegal locations, such as high- 

See PARKING on PAGE 6

2 • November 2023 THE NATION 

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November 2023 • 3 

CVSA takes 2,375 rigs off road 

during 2023 Brake Safety Week 


WASHINGTON — Inspectors in Canada, 

Mexico and the U.S. conducted 18,875 commercial 

motor vehicle inspections during the 

Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) 

Brake Safety Week, Aug. 20-26, 2023. 

Of the total commercial motor vehicles inspected, 

a clear majority — 87.4% — did not 

have any brake-related out-of-service violations. 

Commercial motor vehicles are placed out 

of service — meaning they’re restricted from 

further travel — when an inspector identifies 

critical vehicle inspection item violations, as 

outlined in the CVSA’s North American Standard 

Out-of-Service Criteria. 

Of the 18,875 total commercial motor vehicles 

inspected, 2,375 (12.6%) were removed 

from roadways because inspectors discovered 

brake-related out-of-service violations. 

Some examples of brake-related out-ofservice 

violations that automatically place a 

vehicle out of service include broken brake 

drums, loose air tanks, corroded holes in a 

spring brake housing, inoperative tractor protection 

valves, etc. Service brake violations, 

such as cracked linings, brake adjustment or 

loose chambers, may combine to put the combination 

of vehicles out of service under the 

20% brake criterion. Certain service brake violations 

are automatically placed out of service 

when found on the steering axle. 

iStock Photo 

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance placed more than 2,300 big rigs out of service during this year’s Brake 

Safety Week, held Aug. 20-26, 2023. 

Of the 2,375 commercial motor vehicles 

that were placed out of service, 295 (12.4%) 

had steering axle brake violations, 1,127 

(47.5%) had stand-alone brake violations, and 

1,394 (58.7%) failed the 20% defective brakes 

criterion, which states that a vehicle is out 

of service if the number of defective brakes 

is equal to or greater than 20% of the service 

brakes on the vehicle or combination. 

The focus area for this year’s Brake Safety 

Week was lining/pad violations. Throughout 

the week, and just as they do normally when 

inspecting the vehicle components of commercial 

motor vehicles, inspectors checked 

brake lining/pads for cracks, voids and contamination. 

They also looked for loose, missing 

or worn brake lining/pads. A total of 379 

power (tractor) units and 261 towed (trailer) 

units had lining/pad violations. 

Although lining/pad violations are not 

necessarily out-of-service violations, CVSA 

selected lining/pads as the focus for this year’s 

Brake Safety Week because brake lining/pad 

violations still affect a motor carrier’s safety 

rating. If left unaddressed, brake lining/pad 

violations may lead to more serious problems 

and can be out-of-service violations if they are 

on the steering axle or combined with other 

brake violations for the 20% brake criterion. 

Fifty-six U.S. and Canadian states/provinces 

and territories and Mexico participated in 

this year’s Brake Safety Week. 

In Canada, 1,327 commercial motor vehicles 

were inspected. Of these vehicles, 10% 

(134) had brake-related out-of-service violations. 

Twenty-six power units and 25 towed 

units had lining/pad violations. 

Nine commercial motor vehicles were inspected 

in Mexico. One (representing 11% of 

vehicles inspected) was placed out of service 

for brake-related violations. Lining/pad violations 

were identified on one power unit. 

In the U.S., of the 18,031 commercial motor 

vehicles inspected, 2,240 (12.4%) had brakerelated 

out-of-service violations. There were 

lining/pad violations on 352 power units and 

236 towed units. 

Eleven states with performance-based 

brake testers (PBBT) participated in this year’s 

Brake Safety Week by conducting inspections 

using their PBBTs. A PBBT is a machine that 

assesses the braking performance of a vehicle. 

Of the 397 PBBT inspections, there were 

18 failures, which is a 4.5% out-of-service rate. 

Ninety-five vehicles passed with at least one 

wheel below the 43.5% threshold. U.S. federal 

regulations and the North American Standard 

Out-of-Service Criteria require a minimum 

braking efficiency of 43.5%. 

Brake Safety Week is part of the CVSA’s Operation 

Airbrake Program, a comprehensive 

program dedicated to improving commercial 

motor vehicle brake safety throughout North 

America. The goal is to reduce the number of 

crashes caused by faulty braking systems on 

commercial motor vehicles by conducting 

roadside inspections and educating drivers, 

mechanics, owner-operators and others on 

the importance of proper brake inspection, 

maintenance and operation. 

Next year’s Brake Safety Week is scheduled 

for Aug. 25-31, 2024. 8 

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4 • November 2023 THE NATION 


USPS 972 

Volume 37, Number 11 

November 2023 

The Trucker is a monthly, national newspaper for the 

trucking industry, published by The Trucker Media 

Group at 1123 S. University, Suite 325 

Little Rock, AR 72204-1610 

EDITORIAL 

Managing Editor 

Linda Garner-Bunch 

Web News Manager 

John Worthen 

Staff Writer 

Erica N. Guy 

Production Coordinator 

Christie McCluer 

Social Media Coordinator 

Kelly Young 

iStock Photo 

While current legislation proposes increasing weight limits for certain auto haulers, past efforts have been more general, applying to a wider range of 

heavy-duty tractor-trailers. 

US lawmakers continue to debate 

increased weight limits for rigs 

CLIFF ABBOTT | SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT 

Anyone who pays attention to trucking regulations has heard some 

of the hullabaloo about increasing the weight limit for certain heavyduty 

tractor-trailers. 

The idea has been met with stiff opposition from many trucking 

industry stakeholders. Here’s a brief “refresher course,” along with a few 

of the pros and cons … well, mostly cons. 

In April 2023, H.R. 2948 was introduced into the U.S. House of 

Representatives by Reps. Lance Gooden (R-TX), Brian Mast (R- 

FL) and Aaron Bean (R-FL). If enacted, the bill would increase the 

weight capacity of stinger-steered automobile transporters to 88,000 

pounds. The bill was immediately sent to the House Committee on 

Transportation and Infrastructure for review. 

A month later, a second bill, H.R. 3447, was introduced by Rep. Greg 

Stanton (D-AZ) that would allow vehicles powered by hydrogen fuel 

cells to exceed current weight limits. It, too, was sent to committee. 

While these particular bills address a specific segment of trucking 

and a specific power source, previous efforts to raise truck weights 

were more generalized. 

It wasn’t that long ago that over 200 shippers and trucking 

businesses teamed up in the Coalition for Transportation Productivity 

(CPT) to push for the Safe and Efficient Transportation Act (SETA). This 

legislation, introduced in the summer of 2015, would have increased 

maximum gross vehicle weights across the country to 97,000 pounds 

for six-axle tractor-trailer combinations. The effort received a lot of 

publicity, but the act was ultimately defeated. 

Just months later, in September 2015, H.R. 3488, the Safe Flexible 

and Efficient (SAFE) Act, was introduced by Rep. Reid Ribble (R-WI), 

proposing to raise maximum gross vehicle weights to 91,000 pounds. 

It too failed. 

On the surface, it might appear that allowing higher maximum 

weights would provide an assist to the trucking industry in several 

areas. Adding 12,000 to 14,000 pounds of cargo capacity to trucks 

represents a 25% to 35% increase. 

Theoretically, three trucks would be able to haul the amount of 

cargo that currently requires four. That’s a 25% reduction in equipment 

cost, a substantial hedge against a shortage of drivers, an increase in 

available truck parking, reduction in tolls and more. 

Safety concerns of hauling increased weight will always be debated. 

An extra axle adds two additional braking mechanisms (drums or 

discs) to the unit, offsetting additional stopping distance requirements 

of the additional weight. Still, increased mass unquestionably presents 

greater handling challenges. 

In addition to safety factors, there are other concerns about allowing 

heavier trucks on the highways, as noted in a statement issued by the 

Truckload Carrier Association’s (TCA’s) position paper against an 

increase in weight limits. 

For one thing, changing the length or axle configuration of trailers 

would create a huge financial burden for carriers. Extra axles increase 

rolling resistance, increasing both fuel consumption and engine 

emissions. Heavier vehicles would put additional strain on the nation’s 

already crumbling infrastructure. Also cited in the TCA statement was 

a 2016 study conducted by the Department of Transportation that 

recommended no changes be made to current size and weight limits. 

Increased truck weights in the U.S. are opposed by numerous 

groups, including railroads, the Teamsters and other unions, safety 

advocacy groups, and numerous trucking organizations, including 

TCA and associations representing truck drivers and owner-operators. 

The two most cited reasons for this opposition are concerns about 

safety and damage to the infrastructure. 

Another issue that could impact proposals for increased truck 

weights may simply be timing. The trucking industry is approaching 

an historic crossroads in a transition to zero-emissions vehicles. The 

transition is expected to be slow: The two leading candidates for 

replacing the diesel engine, battery electric power and hydrogen fuel 

cell, are both limited by current technology and infrastructure. As 

the industry deals with new power sources and changing regulations, 

discussion of changing weight and size requirements may be subdued, 

for now. 

Still, as industry searches for efficiency and profitability, the question 

of larger and heavier vehicles to more efficiently meet the needs of the 

country’s increasing population will continue to be debated. Current 

weight and size regulations are in their fourth decade. Will they see a 

fifth? 8 

Editor Emeritus 

Lyndon Finney 

Special Correspondents 

Cliff Abbott 

Dwain Hebda 

Kris Rutherford 

ADVERTISING & Leadership 

Chief Executive Officer 

Bobby Ralston 

General Manager 

Megan Hicks 

Director of Technology 

Jose Ortiz 

For editorial inquiries, 

contact Linda Garner-Bunch at 

editor@thetruckermedia.com. 

For advertising opportunities, 

contact Meg Larcinese at 

megl@thetruckermedia.com. 

Telephone: (501) 666-0500 

E-mail: info@thetruckermedia.com 

Web: www.thetrucker.com 

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Thetrucker.com the NATION 

November 2023 • 5

6 • November 2023 the NATION 

A number of aggressive mandates and time 

lines for transitioning the nation’s vehicle fleet 

to low- or zero-emission vehicles put that issue 

on the Top 10 list for the first time. In this 

year’s survey, zero-emission vehicles were 

ranked 10th overall and seventh among motor 

carrier respondents. 

Over 47% of the survey respondents were 

motor carrier executives and personnel, while 

truck drivers represented 29%. Among driver 

respondents, driver compensation, truck 

parking and fuel prices were the Top 3 concerns, 

while motor carriers ranked the economy, 

driver shortage and lawsuit abuse reform 

as their Top 3 concerns. 

More than 4,000 trucking industry stakeholders 

participated in this year’s survey, including 

motor carriers, truck drivers, industry 

suppliers, driver trainers and law enforcement 

among other groups. For the first time 

ever, law enforcement personnel represented 

nearly 5% of respondents, so the report also 

includes a ranking of the Top 3 law enforcement 

concerns. 

ATRI’s report also tracks emerging topics 

of concern that fall outside the Top 10. Coming 

in at No. 11 this year were driver training 

standards, followed by insurance cost/ 

availability (No. 12) and the diesel technician 

shortage (No. 13). 

This is the second year the issue of driver 

training standards has appeared as an emerging 

issue, and its ranking among truck drivers 

participating in the survey was No. 6. A review 

of drivers’ write-in comments showed drivers 

SURVEY cont. from Page 1 feel strongly that new drivers are not being ad- 

PARKING cont. from Page 1 

equately trained, according to the report. The 

comments point to a need to expand the time 

spent training and increase the minimum 

number of years of experience for trainers, 

which currently stands at two years. 

Among members of law enforcement who 

participated in the survey, driver training 

standards was ranked as a Top 3 concern. 

Lawsuit abuse often has a negative impact 

on insurance cost/availability, keeping both issues 

in the Top 10 concerns for motor carriers. 

ATRI research documented a 40% increase in 

the liability insurance premium cost per mile 

over the past decade. That increase moderated 

somewhat between 2018 and 2022 with just a 

5% increase. Insurance experts also indicate 

that rates are beginning to level off. 

The diesel technician shortage first appeared 

as an emerging issue in 2017, making 

its way to the Top 10 in 2021. The U.S. Bureau 

of Labor Statistics estimates that the industry 

will add over 28,000 new diesel technician positions 

per year through 2030. 

In addition to the overall rankings, ATRI 

provided rankings broken down by respondent 

type. For drivers, the No. 1 issue was noted 

as driver compensation, followed by truck 

parking, fuel prices, speed limiters, detention/ 

delay at customer facilities, driver training 

standards, the economy, broker issues, the 

ELD mandate and driverless trucks. 

Motor carriers put the economy at the top 

of the list, followed by the driver shortage, lawsuit 

abuse reform, driver retention, fuel prices, 

insurance cost/availability, zero-emission 

vehicles, truck parking, the diesel technician 

shortage and driver distraction. 8 

way shoulders and off-ramps. This creates a 

dangerous situation for both the truck drivers 

themselves and other road users.” 

The Truckload Carrier’s Association 

(TCA) also applauds the proposed act. 

“This positive outcome represents a significant 

step forward in enhancing driver 

safety, ensuring compliance with federal 

regulations and improving the operational 

efficiency of the trucking industry,” according 

to a TCA statement. Currently, the 

trucking industry is facing a critical shortage 

of parking spaces, with a ratio of just 

one parking spot for every 11 drivers, according 

to the TCA. 

“This legislation highlights the Committee’s 

dedication to resolving the persistent 

challenge of truck parking shortages, which 

have long posed safety risks and hindered 

the productivity of supply chains,” the TCA 

said in its statement. “Adequate truck parking 

facilities allow drivers to take necessary 

rest breaks, comply with federal Hours of 

Service regulations, and effectively manage 

their schedules, leading to increased efficiency 

and improved road safety for all.” 

Independent Owner-Operator Independent 

Drivers Association President and CEO 

Todd Spencer also lauded the committee’s 

approval of the parking act. 

“OOIDA and our 150,000 members thank 

lawmakers from both parties who came together 

to advance this critical bill through 

the committee, and we encourage the U.S. 

Senate to follow their lead by stepping up to 


address American truckers’ top safety concern,” 

Spencer said. 

Over at the American Trucking Associations 

(ATA), President and CEO Chris Spear 

pointed to the parking act and several other 

pieces of legislation as positive measures for 

the trucking industry. 

“The comprehensive and bipartisan bills 

that advanced today would address some 

of the root causes of ongoing supply chain 

challenges and improve the overall safety, 

efficiency and resiliency of freight transportation,” 

Spear said. “ATA has repeatedly 

engaged with Congress to discuss persistent 

challenges facing our industry, and we 

thank Chairman Graves for his attention to 

these issues and for his leadership of today’s 

markup. We also commend the bill sponsors 

who worked with us and other key stakeholders 

to craft solutions that would benefit 

our industry, the economy, and American 

consumers.” 

The Institute for Safer Trucking and 

Road Safe America letter concluded by saying, 

“If we are truly going to improve safety 

throughout the trucking industry, it is essential 

to prioritize the safety and wellbeing 

of commercial truck drivers. By providing 

safe and accessible truck parking facilities, 

we can help ensure that drivers can rest and 

recharge. This will not only improve safety 

in the short term by reducing crashes, but 

it will also improve it in the long term. By 

improving truck drivers’ experiences on the 

road, the industry can improve retention of 

safe, experienced drivers.” 8 

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8 • November 2023 The Nation 


FMCSA updates emergency 

exemption requirements for CMVs 

JOHN WORTHEN | THE TRUCKER 

WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier 

Safety Administration (FMCSA) has revised 

its emergency exemption rules for truck 

drivers and motor carriers, reducing the number 

of regulations that can be waived in an 

effort to maintain safety on the nation’s roadways. 

In a final rule published to the Federal Register 

on Tuesday, Oct. 10, the agency said the 

goal is “to narrow the scope of safety regulations 

from which relief is automatically provided 

for motor carriers and drivers providing 

direct assistance when an emergency has 

been declared.” 

The agency said that to provide clarity on 

which emergency exemptions are necessary 

during a specific event, it is narrowing the automatic 

applicability of §390.23 to the hoursof-service 

(HOS) limits in §§395.3 and 395.5, 

which set the basic HOS limits for propertycarrying 

and passenger-carrying vehicles, respectively. 

This change clarifies that carriers and drivers 

are not authorized to overlook important 

safety requirements while performing direct 

assistance to emergency relief efforts, the final 

ruling states. 

FMCSA officials agreed that most emergencies 

justify allowing carriers and drivers 

who provide direct assistance with the response 

to receive temporary relief from normal 

HOS limits. However, the agency noted, 

“other safety regulations, including the driver 

qualification requirements of part 391, vehicle 

inspection requirements of part 396, parts and 

accessories required by part 393 and other 

operating requirements, such as prohibitions 

on operating while ill or fatigued in part 392, 

often have no direct bearing on the motor carrier’s 

ability to provide direct assistance to the 

emergency relief effort.” 

Safety regulations ensure that the companies, 

vehicles and drivers meet the minimum 

requirements to operate safely, FMCSA officials 

said. 

“While temporary relief from some regulations 

may be necessary during an emergency, 

waiving every regulation in parts 390 through 

399 could negatively impact the safety of commercial 

motor vehicles (CMVs) operating on 

the roadways,” the final ruling states. 

Additionally, the final rule modifies the 

definition for emergency to clarify that emergency 

regulatory relief under §390.23 generally 

does not apply to economic conditions 

that are caused by market forces, including 

shortages of raw materials or supplies, labor 

strikes, driver shortages, inflation or fluctuations 

in freight shipment or brokerage rates, 

unless such conditions or events cause an immediate 

threat to human life and result in an 

emergency declaration. 

“This rule also removes the definition of 

emergency relief as that term is no longer used 

in § 390.23 and amends the definition of direct 

assistance to incorporate the essential components 

of the emergency relief definition,” 

the final rule states. 

Further, the new rule limits the duration 

iStock Photo 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has 

tightened the list of motor carrier and driver regulations 

that can be waived in the event of an emergency 

situation, such as a hurricane, wildfire or other disaster. 

and scope of the automatic regulatory relief 

that takes effect upon a regional declaration 

of emergency by a governor, a governor’s authorized 

representative or the FMCSA. The 

automatic regulatory relief applies for 14 

days, as opposed to 30 days, and exempts drivers 

of commercial vehicles only from the HOS 

regulations in §§395.3 and 395.5, as opposed 

to all regulations in parts 390 through 399. 

Presidential declarations of emergency 

will continue to trigger a 30-day exemption 

from all Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations 

in parts 390 through 399. 

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers 

Association (OOIDA), which represents smallbusiness 

truckers, had previously criticized 

the FMCSA in its formal comments filed in 

February. 

“We believe reducing the duration of the 

existing automatic regulatory relief from 30 

days to five days when a regional declaration 

is issued by a governor, a governor’s authorized 

representative or FMCSA will obstruct 

the trucking industry’s ability to operate effectively 

in communities impacted by the emergency,” 

OOIDA wrote. “In our experience, the 

current 30-day period provides sufficient time 

to deliver emergency assistance without negatively 

impacting safety. FMCSA even states in 

this notice of proposed rulemaking, ‘The agency 

has no information that suggests that existing 

emergency exemptions have negatively 

impacted road safety.” 

Several organizations and state transportation 

departments have also spoken out 

against the changes, including the Iowa and 

Montana departments of transportation. 

“All emergency situations are unique in 

nature and limiting relief efforts to five days 

is burdensome and inadequate,” the Motor 

Carrier Services Division of the Montana DOT 

wrote. “(We) suggest that FMCSA consider 

eliminating any set time period and instead 

consider allowing the issuing authority to set 

the duration as they see fit, to adequately address 

the length of each specific emergency.” 

The final rule will take effect 60 days 

after its Oct. 10, 2023, posting in the Federal 

Register. 8

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10 • November 2023 

PERSPECTIVE 


FROM THE EDITOR: 

Giving thanks 

Between 

the lines 

Linda GARNER-BUNCH 

editor@thetruckermedia.com 

November is just beginning, and already my 

extended family ( families, actually — we have 

a crazy, wonderful blended group that includes 

at least four families) is busy divvying the fourday 

Thanksgiving weekend into segments to 

make sure everyone has a chance to pig out 

multiple times a day. On Thanksgiving Day, we 

have a family lunch at one place and dinner at 

another. Friday’s marathon round of holiday 

shopping followed by another family dinner, 

and there are various meals and get-togethers 

planned for Saturday and Sunday, as well. 

While sometimes I’d really like to throw 

in the towel, find the nearest hole-in-the-wall 

diner and enjoy a few minutes of solitude, 

most of the time I’m actually grateful to have 

such a large family. One of my daughters-inlaw 

is from a small family, and the idea of 

having multiple Thanksgiving dinners (on the 

same day, no less) was completely foreign to 

her when she joined our tangled family tree. 

I believe she's finally getting used to hopping 

from house to house and keeping up with 

which potluck dish goes to which meal. 

My earliest Thanksgiving memories are 

from the mid-1960s — the smell of charcoal 

and wood smoke as my dad smoked a turkey 

on the grill (back then, we didn’t have fancy 

smokers) and the aroma of onions, celery and 

corn bread filling the kitchen as my mom prepared 

enough dressing to feed an army. 

My most vivid Thanksgiving memories are 

of days spent at my aunt and uncle’s home, 

about an hour’s drive away from ours. While 

the grown-ups visited and put the final touches 

on the meal, the kids ran wild through the 

field behind the house, climbed trees, played 

tag and hide-and-seek, and generally enjoyed 

the freedom of childhood. 

After dinner, everyone — all 30 to 40 of us — 

would troop outdoors to a small cluster of pecan 

trees, buckets in hand. Several of the older boys 

and younger men would climb the trees and 

shake the branches until it seemed it was raining 

pecans. While the rest of us were supposed to 

stand clear, I was generally in the thick of things, 

with pecans bouncing off my head and onto the 

ground. Once the “all clear” was given, everyone 

rushed to see who could gather the most nuts. 

The evening was spent with my uncle manning 

an old-fashioned industrial-style nutcracker 

as the rest of us passed buckets of pecans to be 

cracked for easy shelling (and eating). Everyone 

left with a huge bag filled with cracked nuts, to 

be later shelled and used for Christmas baking. 

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving memory? 

I’d love to hear from our readers. Email me 

at lindag@thetruckermedia.com. 8 

Cowboy crooner Gene Autry’s ride to stardom, Part 2 

RHYTHM OF 

THE ROAD 

KRIS RUTHERFORD 

krisr@thetruckermedia.com 

Last month, I shared the first of a two-part 

series about one of America’s cowboy heroes — 

Gene Autry. When we left off, Texas-born Autry 

was setting off for the Big Apple in hopes of 

getting his official start in the music business. 

Unfortunately, Autry found the trip 

disappointing. He met with the Victor Talking 

Machine Co. (Victor Records) and was turned 

down — not because of his singing ability, but 

because the company already had two similar 

singers under contract. A Victor executive advised 

Autry to start singing on the radio, gain some 

experience and then return for another audition. 

Autry returned to Oklahoma with that 

advice and landed a slot on Tulsa radio station 

KVOO, where he performed as “Oklahoma’s 

Yodeling Cowboy.” When he signed with 

Columbia Records and moved to Chicago to 

appear on “America’s Barn Dance” in 1929, his 

native Texas grew more distant than ever. 

Over the course of his career, Autry recorded 

nearly 650 songs. Of those, he wrote 300, 

including one of his most widely played tunes, 

“Back in the Saddle Again.” His popularity 

boomed across the nation, and Autry’s record 

sales numbered in the tens of millions. He 

outsold the likes of Bing Crosby, a star who 

appealed to every region of America, and he 

turned out the first-ever gold-certified record. 

While Autry built a wildly popular career 

on radio, diversification turned him into the 

Enter the ‘22 Pushup Challenge’ to raise awareness of veteran suicide 

THE TRUCKER 

TRAINER 

BOB PERRY 

It’s time to take the pledge and take the 

22 Pushup Challenge! For those of you who 

aren’t familiar with the challenge, which 

is sometimes called the 22KILL Pushup 

Challenge, is a campaign to bring awareness 

to the horrific number of U.S. military 

veterans who commit suicide each day — an 

average of 22. The challenge also honors all 

military service members and veterans. 

Challenge participants press out 22 

pushups each day for 22 days. This viral 

awareness campaign gained traction and 

started to garner Hollywood celebrity support 

and participation in August 2016. Social 

media outlets like Instagram, Facebook and 

news feeds began to promote video posts of 

huge star he became. After achieving stardom, 

he went into the movie business and was 

wildly successful, starring in “B” Westerns that 

appealed more to small-town America than 

big-city markets. Of course, Autry realized that 

in the 1930s, more people lived in small rural 

communities than big cities. 

Autry played along sidekick Smiley Burnett 

and guest-starred with his horse “Champion” 

in low budget films debuting at the rate of 

seven per year. By 1940, he could command 

more money per film, and his name became 

a marquee drawing card in cities and rural 

communities alike. Autry productions grew in 

budget as much as they did popularity. 

In the 1940s, when kids caught the cowboy 

“bug” and Western films offered an entire 

generation the means of escaping the trials 

of childhood and schooling, Autry not only 

appeared on screen but also released 39 hit 

records. All those songs peaked in the Top 10 on 

US Country Charts, and nine became No. 1 hits. 

On screen, Republic Studios promoted Autry 

as “King of the Singing Cowboys.” His drawing 

power reached immense proportions and 

carried an entire generation of stars including 

fellow Texan Bill Boyd, born just a county east of 

Autry in Ladonia, Texas. Autry soon called the 

shots in what rapidly rose into a lucrative career. 

After his contract with Republic Studios 

ended, Autry moved to Columbia Pictures. 

At Columbia, he mesmerized audiences 

nationwide with his ballads, surrounded by 

Western plots, on the movie screen. The change 

also took him back across the country, again 

bypassing his native Texas to land in California. 

The “Monogram Ranch,” purchased in the 

early 1950s, became the filming site of many 

of Autry’s and other Western stars films and 

television shows, including “Gunsmoke.” 

celebrities doing their 22 pushups and then 

challenging other celebrities, pro athletes, 

politicians and so forth to do the same. 

It caught my attention because so many 

drivers are veterans, and several of my family 

members served in the military, including 

an uncle I never met who was killed in 

conflict. However, once celebrities stopped 

posting videos, the challenge seemed to lose 

momentum. 

I became involved four years ago after 

visiting with bus and truck drivers who 

served in the military and listening to their 

stories of trying to overcome personal 

struggles while building their business and 

personal relationships. After interviewing a 

couple of military veterans to learn more, I 

discovered the 22x22 challenge had become 

more about self-promotion than raising 

awareness to veteran suicide and raising 

money to support organizations that work to 

improve the mental health of veterans. 

My approach has been to encourage 

motor carriers, drivers (and non-drivers, 

too), suppliers and OEMs to support and 

By the end of the 1950s, Autry was one of 

wealthiest Hollywood stars and claimed a 

spot among the richest men in America. He 

later built the Museum of Western Heritage 

in Los Angeles, a display of countless Western 

artifacts accumulated over a lifetime. In 1961, 

he purchased his own major league baseball 

franchise, the California Angels. He owned the 

team he until his death in 1998. 

Autry also got into the rodeo business. 

He purchased a ranch adjacent to Berwyn, 

Oklahoma, owned stock supplying rodeo 

promoters throughout the West. He also starred 

in his own line of comic books and earned 

royalties from toys ranging from pistols to 

guitars. He even owned a Los Angeles television 

station. While he may not have made his riches 

in Texas, he certainly earned them in the true 

Texas way — diversity coupled with ingenuity 

and a recognition of good investments over bad. 

Looking back to 1936, when Autry was only 

a few years into his career, the city council 

of Tioga took up a proposal to rename itself 

“Autry Springs.” Although newspapers reported 

Gene Autry played no role in the campaign, 

they also documented a plan to turn Tioga into 

a resort community, much like Mineral Wells 

west of Fort Worth. Tioga claimed mineral 

waters of its own, and it seems Autry, or at least 

his supporters, had eyes on using his fame to 

turn the town into both a tourist attraction and 

a money-making machine. 

On Jan. 6, 1937, Tioga held a communitywide 

vote on the issue, and Tioga’s 600 or so 

citizens overwhelmingly declined the change 

by a margin of 2:1. A number of reasons for the 

ballot issue’s failure were reported, most notably 

that the older citizens of the community voted 

See RHYTHM on PAGE 21 

donate. In my posts I say. “It’s not how many 

you can do, or how much you can donate — if 

its 1, 2 or 22 — it’s about creating awareness 

and giving to veteran support groups to help 

our veterans and veterans CDL drivers.” I’ve 

set a goal to raise $5,000 for veteran support 

organizations. 

You can take the pledge and upload your 

videos at thetrucker.com/22x22-photovideo-submission-form-2023. 

In addition, if you’re planning to be at 

Women In Trucking’s Accelerate! Conference 

and Expo Nov. 5-8, I invite you to join me at 

6:45 a.m. Monday, Nov. 6, at the entrance of 

the exhibit hall. I want to rally at least 100 

attendees to join me in a pushup session, 

which will be videoed and uploaded to social 

media channels to help raise awareness and 

support. 

Known as The Trucker Trainer, Bob Perry 

has played a critical role in the paradigm shift 

of regulatory agencies, private and public sector 

entities, and consumers to understand the 

driver health challenge. Perry can be reached 

at truckertrainer@icloud.com. 8

Thetrucker.com PERSPECTIVE 


There’s no remedy for a stolen fingerprint or retinal, voice or facial scan 

ASK THE 

ATTORNEY 

BRAD KLEPPER 

In this month’s column, I’d like to revisit a 

topic I’ve covered a few times: Biometric privacy. 

Just in case you’ve forgotten, here is a bit 

of background info: Biometric information is 

data based on things such as your fingerprints, 

a retina scan, voiceprint, hand scan or facial 

scanning. Now that you know what biometric 

information includes, think of how often you 

use it. Off the top of my head, my phone recognizes 

both my face and fingerprint to unlock it, 

and I have at least a half dozen apps that use my 

thumbprint as my sign-in. 

Now, here is something to ponder: Who 

owns all of this data that’s collected every time 

you log into an app or your cellphone or drive 

past a traffic camera? Even more worrisome, 

what can this digital data be used for? 

Since the start of the 2023 legislative session, 

at least 15 biometric privacy law proposals have 

emerged across 11 states — Arizona, Hawaii, 

Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, 

Missouri, New York, Tennessee, Vermont 

and Washington. 

Broadly speaking, these bills would impose 

new requirements on companies’ collection, 

handling, protection, use and dissemination 

of biometric information, such as retina or iris 

scans, fingerprints, voiceprints and scans of 

hand or face geometry. Many of these bills would 

greatly increase the compliance risk and liability 

exposure of companies that handle biometric 

information and are therefore worth tracking 

closely. 

Illinois was the first U.S. state to enact legislation 

about the matter, way back in 2008, with 

the adoption of the Biometric Information Privacy 

Act, or BIPA. 

Section 15(b) of the Act provides that a private 

entity may not “collect, capture, purchase, 

receive through trade, or otherwise obtain” a 

Check out these 8 tips to 

‘vroom’ your way to better health 

Mind over 

matter 

Hope Zvara 

Hey there, road warriors! Spending long 

hours on the road presents many challenges to 

maintaining a healthy lifestyle. 

I’m sure you feel like you’re always in a wrestling 

match with time, your seatbelt and those tempting 

truck-stop snacks. Over time, it can feel like you’re 

facing an uphill battle, only to reach the top and 

discover you have no air brakes on the way down. 

It’s time to regain control of your health! No 

gyms, no impossible diets, no zillions of pushups 

— just plain, achievable steps to get you and 

your body’s “engine” vrooming along the road to 

better health. Here are eight tips that can help. 

1. Pack a portable kitchen, and snack smart. 

Can’t steer clear of those greasy truck stop 

burgers? Start packing your grub! Even one 

hand-packed meal can make a big difference in 

your waistline (and pocketbook). Here are some 

suggestions to keep in your truck: 

• Fresh fruits 

• Veggies 

• Yogurt (but watch the sugar/carb content!) 

• Carrot sticks and hummus or ranch dressing 

• Hard-boiled eggs 

• Overnight oats 

• Freeze-dried soups that can be prepared by 

adding water and heating (but watch the sodium) 

• Water packed tuna 

• Bagged salad and low-sugar dressing 

2. Hydrate without the highway hassle. 

Water! It’s your new best friend. Prepare a 

refillable water bottle and chug it throughout the 

day. I’m partial to Mother Trucker Yoga’s trucker 

camo-print, 64-ounce countdown water bottles 

— but any bottle will do! Swap that soda or coffee 

for some H2O. And remember, if you think you’re 

hungry between meals, you could just be thirsty. 

3. Move it to lose it. 

Take advantage of your truck. It can double 

as a great “portable gym.” Use it to support yourself 

while doing planks, squats and stretches. 

You can even use it as a “stair master!” And hey, 

when you’re loading or unloading cargo, look 

at it as a chance for a mini workout. Every minute 

counts. I believe in the 15- Minute Wellness 

Method: At the end of the day, you want to add 

15 minutes of “on-purpose exercise.” 

4. Rest up, charge up. 

Your rig’s fuel tank ain’t the only thing that 

needs “recharging” — you do, too! Make sure you 

get enough Zs. A good sleep routine can improve 

your overall well-being and mood. Many people 

struggle in this area. Here are a few things to 

consider: 

• Do I find myself sitting even when the 

truck’s not moving? 

• Am I drinking enough water? 

• Does my body hurt when I go to bed? 

• Are my electronics the last thing I look at 

or interact with before bed? 

• Am I emotionally unsettled at bedtime? 

If you answered “yes” to any of the above, it 

might be time to make some daytime changes to 

help make those critical nighttime changes easier. 

5. Practice mindful munching. 

Eat slowly. Whether it’s a full meal or a snack, 

this gives your body a chance to recognize when 

it’s had enough. Most people munch mindlessly, 

and that packs on the calories. Pay attention to 

“why” you want to eat and if your body is truly 

See MATTER on PAGE 23 

person’s biometric data without first providing 

notice to and receiving consent from the person. 

Section 15(d) provides that a private entity may 

not “disclose, redisclose, or otherwise disseminate” 

biometric data without consent. 

In February 2023, Illinois-based Black Horse 

Carriers Inc. — which has since been acquired 

by trucking giant Penske — faced a class action 

lawsuit. A former employee initiated the suit, alleging 

the company violated BIPA by requiring 

time clock fingerprint authentication without 

maintaining a publicly available policy on how 

the company would treat employees’ biometric 

data. 

The suit also claimed Black Horse failed to 

provide notice to employees that the time clock 

was collecting their fingerprints and didn’t explicitly 

get employees’ consent. The company argued 

that the court should have applied the oneyear 

statute of limitations under Illinois’ Right of 

Publicity Act. However, the court unanimously 

disagreed. 

In issuing a blanket five-year statute of limitations 

for all BIPA claims, the 5-0 majority of 

the court emphasized that “the full ramifications 

of the harms associated with biometric 

technology is unknown.” Without the law, the 

court wrote, individuals whose biometric data 

was improperly collected or disseminated 

might never even know it – at least until they 

felt the consequences. 

Danielle Kays, an attorney with Chicagobased 

firm Seyfarth Shaw LLP, has experience 

in cases involving biometric information. According 

to Kays, employers like her clients were 

already working under the assumption that a 

five-year statute of limitations was likely to prevail. 

She notes that the February ruling provides 

more clarity in a law that’s still taking shape in a 

sea of legal challenges. 

Illinois state Rep. Jeff Keicher (R-DeKalb) 

believes a bill he’s put forward could strike the 

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See attorney on PAGE 12

12 • November 2023 Perspective 


Don’t wait for Thanksgiving to express gratitude for blessings 

CHAPLAIN’S 

CORNER 

Rev. Marilou Coins 

Here we are, already in the month of 

November! Everyone is preparing for the 

Thanksgiving holiday season. 

What are you giving thanks for this 

year? 

Just look around and take a quick inventory 

of all the things we could — and 

should — give thanks for, but often forget. 

Do you have family, friends, a job, a home 

and freedom? These are all huge blessings 

that we often take for granted. 

As I look around and listen to all the 

troubles people have in other countries, 

I am thankful for the blessings we have 

here in North America. Yes, people always 

seem to find things to complain about, 

but just take a minute to think about everything 

we have. 

Make a conscious choice to give 

thanks for your many blessings each day. 

iStock Photo 

Life brings blessings each day that many people don’t take time to be thankful for, such as family, friends, 

a job, a home and freedom. 

It’s important to be positive about our 

blessings and let the negative things stay 

out of our lives. God gave us life to enjoy 

these many blessings, so put aside the 

negative and rejoice in the positive. 

Life is precious, and we should count 

every day as a day of thanksgiving — not 

just one day out of the year. Thanksgiving 

is a wonderful holiday, a time to spend 

with family and friends. However, our 

lives should be filled with thankfulness 

every single day. 

We are headed into this holiday season 

with so much to be thankful for! As 

you prepare for the holidays ahead, find 

a reason for praising and rejoicing in this 

season of happiness and blessings. Never 

look back; instead, look forward to the 

future. 

Enjoy your holidays and the many 

blessings you have. Happy Thanksgiving 

to you and yours. 

Best of the roads, and all gears forward 

in Jesus. 8 

Attorney cont. from Page 11 

right balance in tweaking the law. House Bill 3199 would allow 

companies to obtain consent electronically for collecting 

and using employees’ and customers’ biometric data, 

in addition to clarifying that consent is only needed for the 

first time a company collects it. 

Keicher says he’s sensitive to biometric privacy concerns 

because of the massive data center Facebook is building in 

his district. He called BIPA a “bragging point” because “we 

don’t allow Illinois citizens to be manipulated in the fashion 

that some other (states) do.” 

“We have technology and we need to adapt to it, but at 

the same time, we have to be very sensitive to the abuses 

that some unscrupulous large technology firms may take,” 

Keicher said in an interview. “And so where that center line 

is, I think we owe it to the people of Illinois to investigate.” 

With all that being said, the integration of biometrics in 

the trucking industry can lead to improved security, better 

regulatory compliance, enhanced fleet management and 

increased safety for both drivers and cargo. 

However, it is important to ensure the implementation 

of biometric systems complies with relevant privacy regulations 

and that proper data security measures are in place to 

protect sensitive biometric information. 

Once your fingerprints and retinal, voice and facial 

scans are out there, there’s no getting them back. Would 

you consent? 

Brad Klepper is president of Interstate Trucker Ltd. 

and is also president of Driver’s Legal Plan, which allows 

member drivers access to services at discounted rates. For 

more information, contact him at 800-333-DRIVE (3748) or 

interstatetrucker.com and driverslegalplan.com. 8 

TRUCKER 

TALK 

The Trucker is all about drivers, and we want to hear your thoughts. 

Follow us on Facebook and other social media platforms to take 

part in our reader polls. This month, we asked drivers to share 

photos of their favorite pet passengers. There’s not enough space 

here to share them all, but here are a few highlights. 

“Cassie is the queen of 

the truck. Loves to be on 

the dashboard when I’m 

stopped. But as soon as I 

reach for my seat belt she 

gets down. She knows I 

won’t drive with her up 

there!” 

— Sue Domenico 

“This is Indie (full name 

Indiana). Rescued from a 

kill shelter in Ohio back in 

2011. Best road dog EVER! 

She stays awake and on 

guard duty while I take my 

break (literally, does not 

sleep!). Just chills while 

I’m driving, whether it’s six 

hours or 16… incredibly low maintenance, in 

spite of being a border collie. Only vice? She 

will not drink water from anything other than 

glass, lol! And she knows if I shortchange her 

when we stop at Sheetz for fuel and I don’t 

get her any hotdogs. The dog can hold a 

grudge, FOREVER!” 

— Tracy Duley 

“Everyone knows Duncan. 

He’s my Red Kangaroo 

who rides time to 

time with me in my 1990 

Freightliner cabover.” 

— Kenny Lovett 

“PiggyRose is border collie 

and kelpie mix, although 

she does look like a bat. How she got her name 

… the first time I saw her she looked like a tiny 

baby piglet, I also got her 

on Betty White’s 100th 

birthday, so the Rose 

comes from her character 

on Golden Girls. She is a 

fun dog to have as a companion 

on the road!” 

— Tracy Zimmerman 

“Dom has just begun his 

trucking adventure. My husband 

is training him so when 

I complete my training he 

can ride with me.” 

— Ashley J Spurgeon 

“This is my husband and 

Magic. We found him abandoned 

at a rest area in Tennessee three years ago. 

His collar had his name and two disconnected 

phone numbers. The security guard told us the 

drivers of the rig he was in had a fist fight and took 

off on foot, leaving him. He asked us if we wanted 

a dog, and we immediately said yes. Last November, 

my husband had 

a stroke and doesn’t drive 

anymore. In August he had 

his leg amputated. Magic 

has become his constant 

companion. He’s an awesome 

little dog, and we’re 

so happy we found him.” 

— Lisa Estess-Holland

Thetrucker.com Perspective 

November 2023 • 13


BUSINESS 


A question of when 

Recovery of trucking industry remains elusive as rates stay flat 

The peak season for trucking this year is 

off to a “muted start,” according to the Cass 

Freight Index released Oct. 18. The good news 

for shippers is that they are likely to experience 

favorable rates through the holiday season. 

That news is not good, however, for the 

truckers who haul that freight. 

Cass reported a 1.7% increase in the number 

of available shipments in September compared 

to August shipment numbers. Compared 

with September 2022, however, shipment 

numbers fell 6.3%. On the expenditures 

side, shippers spent less — just a 0.2% drop 

in September compared to August, but 25.4% 

less than in September 2022. That’s representative 

of a large drop in freight rates. 

“With both the shipments component of 

the Cass Freight Index and the Cass Truckload 

Linehaul Index rising sequentially this month, 

the freight cycle is at least starting to flatten 

out, with smaller year over year declines,” said 

Tim Denoyer, vice president and senior analyst 

at ACT Research, who writes the report 

for Cass. “We continue to expect the freight 

cycle to turn once capacity tightens, but early 

signs of 2024 equipment production suggest 

that may be a while.” 

One issue, Denoyer noted, is the continued 

growth of private trucking fleets. When rates 


were reaching record levels in 2021, some 

manufacturers expanded their private fleets 

to protect their shipping costs against the rising 

freight market. Since the backlog for ordered 

trucks was up to a year, the expansion 

continued as trucks were delivered even as 

rates declined. 

Manufacturers that haul their own freight 

aren’t putting those loads out for carriers. 

Some of those private fleets, depending on 

their authority type, take backhauls from the 

market, further reducing available loads for 

carriers. 

“With the U.S. recession consensus of the 

first half of 2023 giving way to robust growth, 

and expectations for an improved freight cycle 

scuttled by private fleet growth, we’re still 

left in a fairly strong economy,” Denoyer said. 

Unfortunately, that strong economy still 

isn’t filtering down to trucking, as rates remained 

stagnant for another month in September. 

The reason? There simply aren’t 

enough loads to keep all the available trucks 

running. New truck production continues to 

be strong, with over 22,000 trucks delivered in 

the U.S. in September, the eighth consecutive 

month in which sales have exceeded 20,000. 

Another reason is that freight levels have 

not fully rebounded, despite the strong economy. 

Once the stimulus money the government 

iStock Photo 

Industry analysts say trucking is poised to begin an upcycle, bringing better rates for carriers, but no one can say 

exactly when this will happen. 

poured into the economy during the COV- 

ID-19 pandemic began to run out, consumer 

spending slowed, with retailers and manufacturers 

adjusting their inventory levels downward 

(destocking) to compensate. 

This can be seen in the Loads per Truck 

numbers posted on the DAT Freight and Analytics 

Trendlines page. DAT is the nation’s 

largest load board, with postings of over 448 

million loads and trucks annually. Note that 

the loads posted on the board aren’t always 

hauled by trucks posted there, because carriers 

do not have to post available trucks on the 

board to get loads. While some do post truck 

availability on the board and hope for offers, 

most simply find a load they want and deal 

with the broker or shipper, without posting 

their truck at all. 

Comparing the number of available loads 

to trucks does, however, provide an indication 

See TONNAGE on PAGE 16 

Want to be your own boss? Make sure you have a solid business plan 

iStock Photo 

There’s more to owning a trucking business than buying a rig and hauling 

freight. Would-be business owners should make sure they have a solid 

business plan before starting out. 

FLEET FOCUS 


The world changed in 2020 when the World Health Organization 

declared the COVID-19 pandemic. Factories and 

businesses closed, people were laid off or furloughed from 

jobs, or they adapted to working from home. Everyone wondered 

how long the crisis would last and when the recovery, 

if it came at all, would begin. 

The impact on the trucking industry, however, was unexpected. 

Carriers parked trucks and some laid off drivers. But 

a funny thing happened to all those people who now stayed 

at home. They continued to eat. They still shopped, but did 

much more online, ordering products to be delivered. With 

stimulus money and savings, they improved their homes, 

buying appliances and other products. 

Trucking companies that had planned on difficult times 

found their trucks in great demand, with freight rates skyrocketing 

in response. Extended unemployment benefits 

kept many drivers at home, exacerbating the shortage of 

drivers. Tractor and trailer manufacturers, facing shutdowns 

and supply chain issues, couldn’t build fast enough to satiate 

demand for new equipment. When trucks broke down, 

lack of parts kept them from getting repaired quickly. With 

the trucking industry unable to meet shipper demands, rates 

climbed further. 

Those high freight rates were an incentive to drivers who 

wanted to try their hands at owning their own trucking businesses. 

They bought new or used trucks and registered for 

their own authority with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration (FMCSA) in record numbers. 

It was difficult NOT to make money. Public carriers announced 

record-setting revenues and profits. Private carriers, 

large and small, just enjoyed the good times, financially 

speaking. 

INDUSTRY DOWNCYCLE WREAKS HAVOC 

As all cycles do, however, the trucking cycle eventually 

turned downward. Fuel, parts, supplies and just about everything 

else got more expensive due to inflation. Then credit 

got more expensive as the Federal Reserve raised interest 

rates in an effort to slow inflation. Stimulus payments ended 

and people didn’t buy as much, while truck builders reached 

near-maximum production. As the number of trucks on the 

road grew and available loads decreased, rates started falling 

… and carriers fell with them. 

Carrier revocations were now setting record numbers. 

Liability insurance policies lapsed for non-payment, causing 

the FMCSA to revoke authorities. Owners who bought 

trucks when both prices and interest rates were high could 

no longer afford the payments. Finance companies found 

See FLEET FOCUS on PAGE 30

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16 • November 2023 Business 


DRIVE 

WITH PRIDE 

JOIN OUR DRIVING TEAM 

At Penske, success behind the wheel is in our 

DNA. Our professional truck drivers are the 

best in the business. 

If you want to work at an industry-leading 

company and move freight for some of the 

world’s biggest brands, we want you to join 

our team of safe, professional drivers. 

Call now: 855-CDL-PENSKE 

Apply online at driver.penske.jobs 

Penske is an Equal Opportunity Employer. 

MORE THAN YOU REALIZE ® 

Are you shifting gears from 

company driver to owner-operator? 

INSURANCE 

INSIGHTS 

DEBORAH GRAVES 

OOIDA TRUCK INSURANCE 

DEPARTMENT 

Are you thinking of buying a truck? With 

any luck, your years spent as a company driver 

have provided you with an excellent education, 

and you’ve used the bits of knowledge you’ve 

gained as stepping stones toward owning your 

own business. 

But are you ready to make the leap? 

As a company driver, your focus has 

been mainly on your driving ability. Once 

you’re sitting behind the wheel of your truck, 

however, you’ll be not only a truck driver, but 

also a truck driver who runs a business. It’s 

time to change your focus and start thinking 

like someone who calls the shots (i.e., the 

boss). Indeed, a ton of responsibility comes 

with that title. 

I’ve seen a bumper sticker that says, “If 

you don’t know where you’re going, how will 

you know when you get there?” This is a good 

question and one that’s worth thinking about 

before you become an owner-operator. 

You’ll definitely need a business plan. 

Although it’s true that writing a business plan 

can be time-consuming, it is worth the effort. 

While planning and researching your 

business plan, you’re also forcing yourself 

to take a critical look at your ideas. You are 

TONNAGE cont. from Page 14 

of the overall supply/demand balance in the 

industry. When load numbers (demand) fall 

and/or truck (supply) numbers rise, rates fall 

because there is more competition for available 

freight. 

According to DAT, the van load to truck ratio 

fell by 1.7% from August and by 21.3% from 

September of 2022. DAT reported there were 

2.78 loads posted on its board for each truck 

posted in September. A year ago in September 

2022, that number was 3.54, and it was 6.32 in 

September 2021, when rates were much better. 

Van spot rates averaged out to $2.11 per 

mile in September, about three cents higher 

than the August average. In comparison, average 

van contract rates rose to $2.58 per mile. 

The temperature-controlled (reefer) ratio 

was a little better at 3.43 loads per posted 

truck, but that too was down from 6.33 in 

September 2022 and 13.5 in September 2021. 

National average reefer spot rates rose by two 

cents per mile to $2.52 from August rates. 

Contract rates rose for the third consecutive 

month to $3.00 per mile average. 

The flatbed segment seems to be better 

yet, with 6.94 loads posted for each truck posted, 

compared to 13.3 in September 2022 and 

47.9 back in September 2021. National average 

flatbed spot rates ended their five-month 

slide, rising a penny to $2.51 per mile. Contract 

rates, which have fallen steadily since 

comparing previous assumptions you may 

have had about the business of trucking to 

the actual facts you’ve found during your 

research. This is perhaps the most important 

reason to write a business plan. 

Gathering information, thinking about 

your future business and analyzing your 

findings to complete a business plan is a 

valuable tool that could help you avoid costly 

mistakes. Don’t take this process lightly. Make 

the effort and take the time to write a good 

business plan, even if it does cost you a few 

headaches. 

Whether you lease on with a carrier or 

decide to be independent, insurance needs 

and cost must be a top consideration in your 

business plan. Careful planning now can 

make the difference in whether you’ll achieve 

success or be added to the high percentage of 

new business venture failures. 

You can’t do the job right if you don’t have 

the proper tools, so if you didn’t join OOIDA 

when you were a company driver, now would 

be a good time to do so. Professional truck 

drivers have used this network to scope out 

opportunities for themselves with the support 

of knowledgeable OOIDA staff members. 

You can reach an OOIDA truck insurance 

agent Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. 

to 5:30 p.m. CST, at 800-715- 9369. 

Do you have an insurance topic you would 

like to know more about? If so, email us at 

insuranceinsights@ooida.com. We will be 

covering a new topic each month and will do 

our best to address everyone’s questions. 8 

November of last year, fell another penny to 

$3.12 per mile. 

The news may be getting better for the 

flatbed segment of the industry, according to 

a recent report from the U.S. Census Bureau. 

The report stated that new orders for manufactured 

goods rose by $6.7 billion in August, 

higher than market expectations. Since manufacturing 

accounts for about 60% of flatbed 

demand, the news bodes well for a rise in 

available flatbed loads in the near future. 

The recently released “Holiday Report” 

from Motive, which uses the number of visits 

by trucks equipped with Motive communications 

or telemetrics products to retail warehouses 

to predict economic trends, began 

with a “big picture.” 

“In 2023, we’ve experienced reduced consumer 

demand and an oversupply of capacity, 

which have shrunk and restrained the market. 

It’s expected that the trend will continue into 

Q4 and early 2024, so carriers should adjust 

their plans accordingly,” wrote Hamish Woodrow, 

head of strategic analytics for Motive. 

The Motive release predicts the current 

contraction of the trucking market will continue 

into next year and warns that operational 

efficiency will be the key to carriers having 

“a happy new year.” 

The strength of the economy is a positive, 

but there are still too many available trucks — 

and more are on the way. Experts claim trucking 

is poised to begin its next upcycle, but 

when that will happen is anyone’s guess. 8

Thetrucker.com November 2023 • 17 

JOB Resources 

Louder than words 

How you left your last carrier says a lot about how you’ll treat the next one 

Cliff Abbott | SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT 

With an average turnover rate that hovers around 

100%, it’s obvious that the average professional driver 

changes jobs on a regular basis. Look at it like this: With a 

100% turnover rate, a carrier has to hire enough drivers to 

replace its entire driving staff every year. 

Obviously, not every driver in the U.S. changes jobs 

once a year — but the drivers who make two or more job 

changes each year push the average upward. Carriers 

bear much of the responsibility for the driver “churn” they 

help create, but that’s a topic for another story on another 

day. This story deals with leaving a carrier in a way that 

won’t keep you from getting another job in the future. 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration 

(FMCSA) requires carriers to perform background 

checks on every driver they hire, including prior employment. 

The rules themselves are somewhat vague, and carriers 

have a little leeway in how much information they 

request — as well as how much info they provide to other 

carriers that want to hire their former drivers. Failing to 

check backgrounds does more than just violate regulations; 

it could make the carrier liable for negligent hiring 

if the driver has an accident while working there. 

Most carriers use a service for initial background 

checks. The infamous “DAC report” is the most wellknown 

of these, but there are others. The DAC is a product 

of HireRight, a consumer reporting agency that collects 

information and distributes it to subscribers. The 

company also provides other information, such as drug 

test results, state motor vehicle reports, credit reports 

and more. 

You have a right to know what’s in your file. By law, 

you’re entitled to a copy. The HireRight website, hireright. 

com, has a form you can complete for a free copy, or you 

can call, fax or mail your request. Getting your own copy 

before you apply for a trucking job will help you make sure 

the information you put on your application matches 

what’s in your background report. If the background report 

is wrong, you have a right to ask that it be corrected 

— or at least include your statement of what happened. 

For all too many drivers, negative information contained 

in the background report could have been avoided. 

Leaving your current job in the right way is one way to 

avoid negative content in your report. 

On question drivers often ask is whether they should 

give their employer a two-week notice. While it’s a respectful 

way to end employment, unless you signed an 

employment contract stipulating penalties for not giving 

notice, it’s not required. After all, the carrier isn’t likely 

to provide a two-week notice of termination of employment, 

right? If your carrier is in a state with “at-will” employment 

laws, they are not required to even give you a 

reason for firing you. 

There is, however, an incentive to leave your carrier on 

good terms, and with reasonable notice. After all, these 

are the folks who’ll be providing the information that 

goes in your employment record. 

More important than providing notice is returning 

the carrier’s equipment to the proper place. It might be 

tempting to dump the truck and trailer at the nearest 

truck stop, but if you do, the carrier may enter a “truck 

abandonment” note on your record. Retrieving trucks is 

expensive, so a recruiter may ask questions about the incident. 

Your application could be turned down, especially 

if there is more than one such entry on your record. 

If a customer’s load was in your trailer, or even if you 

accepted the load before quitting, your record might have 

“quit under dispatch” on it. If you drew your weekly advance 

from your fuel card and then quit, another entry 

might read “misappropriated company funds.” 

The message, of course, is that it’s best to turn your 

truck in following the company’s instructions, if you can. 

It may mean picking up another load that gets you back 

See QUIT on PAGE 30 

iStock Photo 

When leaving a carrier voluntarily, it’s important to make every effort to leave on good terms. 

Whatever you say or do will be recorded in your work history file and shared with future 

prospective employers. 

Freight industry will always need qualified drivers, says Roadmaster’s Brad Ball 

iStock Photo 

As the nation’s economy improves, the need for qualified truck drivers will continue to increase, 

according to Brad Ball, president of Roadmasters Driving School. 

KRIS RUTHERFORD | SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT 

The truck and transportation sector lost 36,700 

employees in August. But that doesn’t mean motor 

carriers closed or that truck drivers experienced mass 

layoffs. Instead, many of those jobs were lost as drivers 

either retired or left trucking for another industry. 

Brad Ball, president of Roadmasters Driving 

School, offered The Trucker some insight into the 

truck driver shortage and what is being done about it. 

“The driver shortage is caused by a number 

of things,” he said. “Right now, it’s muted because 

of the economy. The ATA estimates a shortage of 

64,000 drivers this year, and that’s down from 78,000 

last year.” 

Ball says he anticipates the shortage will grow 

over the next 10 years as the economy improves. 

“The average age of a trucker right now is about 

55 years old. They’ll be retiring, and with the economy 

on the rebound, there’ll be jobs for drivers,” Ball 

said. “There are already jobs out there for all our 

graduates. Our students are pre-hired and have a job 

ad company ready to go to work for.” 

Founded three decades ago, Roadmasters now 

has 24 training locations around the country and 

graduates about 7,000 drivers a year. For Roadmasters, 

pre-hiring is a prerequisite for entering the 

school. All graduating students have been through 

physical exams and drug testing and are ready to hit 

the road with their new carriers, according to Ball. 

“It doesn’t benefit anyone to put drivers through 

school then find out they can’t get a job,” he said. 

“As far as our driving school is concerned, we are 

recruiting the unemployed and underemployed,” he 

continued. 

Prospective students don’t have to have any prior 

training in the trucking industry to start. 

“We aren’t looking for college degrees,” Ball said. 

“If you were to walk onto one of our campuses, you’d 

find the average age of a student somewhere in their 

30s.” 

Driver training can open the door to a whole new 

career for many students. 

“Lots look to driving as a first step into the transportation 

industry,” Ball said, adding that driving 

is a very diverse occupation and that Roadmasters 

See DRIVERS on PAGE 19

18 • November 2023 JOB RESOURCES 


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The education, resources, and network to empower women in the workplace. 

November 5-8, 2023 • Dallas, TX • womenintrucking.org

Thetrucker.com JOB RESOURCES 


OWNING THE WHEEL 

Leasing to a carrier can help owner-ops survive 

difficult markets, but read the agreement carefully 


It’s no secret that truck owners are having 

a tough go in today’s freight market. Freight 

rates, especially spot rates, remain at levels 

that can make it difficult to find loads that 

pay more than the owner’s operating cost per 

mile. Inflation has driven up the cost of parts, 

supplies and labor. Insurance rates continue 

to climb, as do interest rates for equipment 

financing. 

According to “carrier start” numbers published 

by the U.S. Department of Transportation, 

record numbers of carriers, mostly oneto 

three-truck outfits, are having their authority 

revoked. While owners can voluntarily surrender 

their operating authority, revocations 

often occur because of insurance lapses when 

owners simply can’t afford to pay the premiums. 

One solution some truck owners turn to 

is leasing their equipment to another carrier 

through an independent contractor (IC) arrangement. 

Doing this provides both advantages 

and disadvantages for the truck owner, 

and it comes with a few “watch outs” as well. 

Leasing to a carrier allows the truck owner 

to have access to the carrier’s customer base; 

often these clients pay contracted rates that 

may be higher than current spot rates. Of 

course, if the lease arrangement calls for permile 

compensation, the rates don’t matter as 

much. 

The general idea is that the IC can benefit 

from the carrier’s sales and customer service 

teams, as well as its billing and accounts receivable 

staff, and can concentrate their efforts 

on delivering loads and maintaining the truck. 

Many carriers offer maintenance at their 

facilities at reasonable rates, or at least the 

opportunity to participate in carrier discount 

programs at the vendors they use. Additionally, 

many carriers offer fuel cards and discounts 

on fuel purchases, as well as national tire 

discounts and other benefits. Most carriers 

require a maintenance escrow, but some are 

willing to help out if an IC’s repair expenses 

exceed escrow amounts. 

Insurance rates vary among carriers. Most 

will require the IC to provide their own nontrucking 

liability, or “bobtail,” insurance and 

Occupational Accident or Worker’s Compensation 

insurance, but some allow them to participate 

in carrier policies at a reduced rate. 

Tags and permits are another area in 

which carrier policies vary. Some carriers provide 

the tags and necessary permits at no cost. 

Others require the IC to pay but may be willing 

to absorb upfront costs and deduct them 

from contractor settlements over a period of 

time. On the other hand, some carriers require 

the IC to handle all of these on their own. 

There are also disadvantages to leasing to 

a carrier — and some things to watch out for. 

While the “independent” part of “independent 

contractor” indicates the contractor is 

free to accept or reject loads — and even to 

accept loads from elsewhere, such as from another 

carrier — some carriers don’t abide by 

the concept. Some allow contractors to accept 

loads from brokers or load boards, but if the 

contractor is pulling the carrier’s trailer, they 

may be choosy about whose freight goes in it. 

Forced dispatch is a legal no-no when it 

comes to ICs, but some carriers insist the contractor 

run their system as their own company 

drivers do. Two questions that must be answered 

before any lease agreement is signed 

are: 

1. Is the IC permitted to haul freight from 

other sources? 

2. What happens if the IC refuses a load assignment? 

Insurance, tags and permits can be an issue 

if the IC decides to leave the carrier. If 

the contractor paid for these items, even if 

paid over time, then he or she keeps them. 

Understandably, the carrier may not want a 

former IC listed on their insurance or hauling 

for someone else using permits with their 

company name on them. In those cases, the IC 

should be reimbursed for the unused portion 

of the tag, insurance or whatever. 

Compensation often becomes an issue 

when carriers pay different amounts for different 

miles run. For example, some carriers 

pay a lower rate for deadhead miles, and they 

may pay nothing at all for miles the contractor 

drives to get home. Some pay different rates 

for loads going to the Northeast, New York City 

iStock Photo 

Leasing to a carrier can be a good way to survive a tough trucking market. However, it’s important to ask questions 

and carefully review the lease agreement to minimize surprises and hard feelings later. 

or other areas. Some pay differently depending 

on the total miles of the load, with longer 

dispatches earning a lower per-mile rate. 

ICs who are paid a percentage of the load 

should know exactly what the carrier was 

paid, as well as their percentage of the revenue 

total. Fuel surcharges can be another 

issue. Some carriers claim a “100% pass-thru,” 

meaning the IC gets every dime the customer 

pays. Some pay based on the agreed rate with 

the IC, regardless of what the customer pays, 

or doesn’t pay. 

And don’t forget accessorial pay. What is 

the IC paid for detention time, layover or for 

labor, such as tarping or operating unloading 

equipment such as pumps or lifts? 

Some carriers charge rental fees for the 

use of their trailers, while others offer a higher 

compensation if the contractor owns their 

own trailer. Maintenance of the trailer can become 

an issue if the company charges the IC 

for items like tire repair or replacement, mud 

flaps, hoses and so on. 

There can also be charges for cargo claims 

by customers. Sometimes the IC is liable for 

a specified amount or percentage of the damage 

claim or to cover the insurance deductible. 

Unfortunately, other than providing details 

of how the damage occurred (if known), 

the contractor usually has little say in whether 

the claim is paid. If the contractor is on the 

hook for a $1,000 deductible and the carrier 

can settle the freight claim for that amount or 

less, they may not even contest it. 

The instrument for making sure you fully 

understand the compensation, obligations, 

charges and more is the lease agreement. Unfortunately, 

the agreement is often presented 

after orientation is completed, and the IC has 

little time to carefully read it — and zero opportunity 

to have it reviewed by legal counsel. 

Ask for a copy of the agreement, with all appropriate 

amendments, before going to orientation. 

Read it carefully and have your lawyer 

take a look, too. Know what you’re in for before 

you sign. 8 

Drivers cont. from Page 17 

now enrolls about 20% female students. 

“It’s a great industry for people from all 

walks of life,” he said. “The industry has worked 

hard to make trucking safer. Younger people 

can stay in touch with family through social 

media. There are more truck features, both for 

comfort and safety.” 

In addition, truck drivers can often find 

jobs that allow them to be home as much (or as 

little) as they like. 

“Home time is of great appeal to our younger 

drivers,” Ball said. “Many of our graduates start 

off driving over the road for about six months 

then find their way into local, regional, or dedicated 

jobs that provide more home time.” 

While federal law prohibits drivers under the 

age of 21 to transport cargo across state lines, 

the U.S. Department of Transportation has been 

working to implement an apprenticeship program 

that could allow qualified 18- to 20-yearold 

drivers to participate in interstate transport. 

Ball says Roadmasters is closely watching 

the initiative and its results, noting that these 

younger drivers can already drive long distances 

— from Key West, Florida, all the way 

to Tallahassee, Florida, for example — but can’t 

cross state lines on runs that are much shorter 

in length. 

“The planned pilot program hasn’t taken 

hold yet,” he said. “Initially, it had requirements 

that made it difficult for carriers to comply.” 

Overall, Ball says, the trucking industry is 

one industry that is going to be seeking workers, 

particularly drivers, over the next decade. 

“It’s a great industry,” Ball said. “The pay is 

good, benefits are good, and there is job security. 

It’s not an easy job but it’s a good one.” 

Ball says the economy is key to the future of 

the occupation. 

“The driver shortage will grow,” he said. “Pay 

will increase, and more people will be attracted 

to the industry.” 

To those worried about the impact of automation, 

such as “self-driving” trucks on the 

nation’s need for truck drivers, Ball says it’s not 

a concern. Even the most sophisticated automated 

systems for heavy-duty trucks require a 

human operator. 

“We don’t see driverless vehicles,” he said. 

“Driver-assisted perhaps. But a new driver 

coming out of school today will always have a 

job in the trucking industry.” 8

20 • November 2023 Job Resources 


SAFETY SERIES 

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www.thetrucker.com/nebraska-atlantic 

iStock Photo 

By carefully considering the options and the potential risks, putting safety above every other consideration, 

professional drivers can help keep the highways safer for all of us while enhancing the reputation of the industry 

they serve. 

‘Impaired driving’ can refer to more 

than alcohol, other substances 

Mention impaired driving, and most people 

immediately think of alcohol. After all, in the 

U.S., 32 people a day are killed in motor vehicle 

crashes involving a drunk driver (that’s one 

death every 45 minutes), according to the Centers 

for Disease Control and prevention (CDC). 

Even in 2020, when travel was restricted 

for much of the year due to COVID-19, alcohol 

was named a factor in about 30% of all trafficrelated 

deaths for the year. 

Those numbers don’t include drug-impaired 

drivers, which are much harder to account 

for. There are tests to determine the use 

of many types of drugs, but determining what 

level of a drug in the system causes impairment 

is a problem. 

Alcohol impairment can be tied to the 

amount of alcohol present in the blood, while 

other substances, such as marijuana, can’t. 

Some people with high amounts of THC, the 

ingredient in marijuana that causes euphoria, 

in their systems can function as well as someone 

with none, while others are impaired with 

a very small amount in their systems. 

A CDC survey in 2020 that allowed anonymity 

for respondents found that 7.2% of 

respondents said they had driven while under 

the influence of alcohol in the past year. Another 

4.2% admitted driving while impaired by 

marijuana. Nearly 1% drove while under the 

influence of illicit drugs other than marijuana. 

The “illicit” drugs counted in the survey don’t 

include legally prescribed and over the counter 

(OTC) medications, many of which can 

also cause impairment. 

On any given day, if you’re driving in moderate 

traffic, there’s a good chance that a motorist 

within your field of vision is under the 

influence of alcohol or drugs. 

However, alcohol and drugs aren’t the only 

impairments faced by drivers. 


Increasingly, drivers are under the influence 

of their cellphones or other distractions. 

Texting while driving may not be considered 

“impairment,” but the results can be just as 

deadly. Alcohol and drugs slow reaction times 

and alter perceptions. So does focusing on a 

text message, email or video clip on a phone. 

The CDC defines three main types of driver 

distraction: 

• Visual (taking your eyes off the road); 

• Manual (taking your hands off the wheel); 

and 

• Cognitive (taking your mind off of driving). 

Distracted drivers are a factor in about 

3,000 deaths per year in the U.S., according to 

the CDC. 

Cellphones aren’t the only things that distract 

a driver’s attention. Changing radio stations 

can involve taking a hand off the wheel 

and your eyes (and mind) off the road. So can 

entering a location into the GPS, answering a 

satellite message from a dispatcher and reading 

every word on an interesting billboard. 

Professional drivers understand the need 

to avoid impairment, including distractions, 

while driving. They also understand that the 

other motorists, including other truckers, may 

not be as diligent about remaining impairment-free. 

It’s a problem every driver deals 

with. 

There are no laws or company policies that 

can completely eliminate impaired driving. 

Every driver must make a personal decision to 

only drive when they are 100% capacity, both 

physically and mentally. Anything less puts 

the driver and others on the highway in jeopardy. 

For some, it’s a commitment to never drive 

See SAFETY on PAGE 21

Thetrucker.com Job Resources 


SAFETY cont. from Page 20 

after drinking or indulging in recreational drugs. But 

the decision can be much more complicated than that. 

For example, a driver who suffers from chronic pain and 

treats the condition with medicine that contains opioids, 

such as hydrocodone or oxycontin, must carefully monitor 

when the drugs are taken and make wise choices as to 

whether it’s safe to continue driving. Holding off on taking 

the medication could mean enduring more pain, but 

safety is a bigger goal. 

OTC drugs often have effects that can impair driving. 

Some popular sinus medications can cause drowsiness. 

In fact, the active ingredient in Benadryl (diphenhydramine 

HCL) is also the active ingredient in sleep aids 

such as Unisom and Zzzquil. Drivers who use those little 

pink pills for sinus relief may realize they’re actually taking 

sleeping pills! 

When using any kind of medication, it’s important to 

know what to expect from the drug and how it impacts 

you as an individual. One person may function normally 

after a prescribed dose, while another reacts quite differently. 

Always check the warning labels and if you’re taking 

the medication for the first time, try to do so when starting 

a break period. If you’re driving and you begin feeling 

the effects of the medication, park as soon as you can. 

Fatigue is another often-overlooked impairment. 

Studies have shown that fatigue can impact perception 

and reaction times as much as alcohol can. Drivers who 

are concentrating on getting to a customer on time or to 

the truck stop while parking is still available may not realize 

how much their driving skills suffer. 

When illness strikes, the misery of trying to function 

while feeling less than your best can distract you from the 

task of driving. The physical ability to drive the vehicle 

might remain, but the ability to identify and react to hazards 

can suffer. 

Emotions can also impact driving function. The more 

intense those emotions are, the more they distract from 

the important job of driving safely. Receiving bad news, 

anger over treatment received from a customer, a phone 

argument with a spouse — any of these can trigger emotions 

that cause safe driving to drop to a lower priority. It 

may be best to park it for a while and deal with an issue 

before driving again. 

While pronouncements such as “don’t drink and drive” 

aren’t bad advice, the truth is that professional drivers 

make decisions all day long that can impact the safety of 

their driving. Whether to take that pill, make that phone 

call or push on for another hour are examples of decisions 

that can be life-changing — or even life-ending. 8 

RHYTHM cont. from Page 10 

recruitment classifieds 

against the proposal. Another story, unconfirmed, claims one of Tioga’s 

prominent citizens — a doctor, who attended Autry’s birth — spoke loudly 

against the name change, claiming Autry’s parents never paid their bill. 

Regardless, Autry Springs was left without a home, and the tourist 

attraction never came to fruition. Still, when Autry’s true birthplace passed 

on its claim to the singing cowboy, an Oklahoma town stepped in. 

Although Berwyn, Oklahoma, couldn’t market itself as the home of 

Gene Autry, the community could claim that it served as the springboard 

for launching Autry’s career. After all, had the young singer not spent his 

shift in the local telegraph office, singing and playing his guitar, he might 

have never met Will Rogers or taken a shot at the recording business. And 

when Autry purchased land for his ranch adjacent to the community, 

Berwyn saw an opportunity to capitalize on its neighbor’s name. 

In 1941, bolstered by the efforts of a local deputy sheriff, citizens of 

Berwyn claimed Gene Autry as their own, not out of genuine right but from 

association. On Nov. 16, just three weeks before the Japanese bombed Pearl 

Harbor, Gene Autry, Oklahoma, was born. A crowd of 35,000 turned out for 

the ceremony, which concluded with Autry performing his nationwide radio 

show, “Melody Ranch,” on CBS live from a flat car on the railroad tracks. 

And so, that is the story of the man who should be remembered among 

Texas’ most popular native sons — the only entertainer to have amassed five 

stars on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame. While Oklahoma may have stepped in 

and taken Autry’s Texas valor, he will forever remain a Texan by birth. 8 

For display or line ad information, email requests to: meganh@thetruckermedia.com. 

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EQUIPMENT & TECH 


Rolling along 

Truck sales remain strong but there may be a crisis on the horizon 


For the eighth consecutive month, U.S. sales of new Class 8 

trucks topped 20,000 in September, according to data received 

from Wards Intelligence. Manufacturers reported sales of 

22,231 trucks, down 4.8% from sales in August and down 3.2% 

from September 2022. 

For 2023 to date, Class 8 sales of 202,437 have outpaced the 

2022 total of 179,422. Sales in 2022 were, however, stronger in 

the second half of the year. At the mid-point of the year on June 

30, 2023, sales were running nearly 21% ahead of the 2022 pace. 

During the third quarter, sales in 2023 have fallen a little behind 

the same period in 2022 — and they’re expected to fall 

further by the end of the year. 

ACT Research has lowered its sales expectations for both 

new Class 8 tractors and trailers, due to the extended recovery 

time of freight markets. 

“Within the broader Class 8 and trailer markets, U.S. Class 

8 tractors and van trailers bore the brunt of the markdowns as 

freight metrics have failed to gain traction,” said Kenny Vieth 

president and senior analyst at ACT. 

The same labor issues that are plaguing the service industry 

are also impacting the manufacture of new tractors, and builders 

have had difficulty filling the orders already on the books. 

In the meantime, U.S. orders for new, Class 8 trucks shot 

upward in September to an estimated 36,800 units. While 

that’s welcome news to manufacturers, much of the increase 

was simply because of timing. OEMs didn’t start taking orders 

for 2024 models until August of this year, so many carriers held 

their orders until those order boards opened up. 

CRISIS ON THE HORIZON 

There is a crisis looming on the horizon for both truck builders 

and those who buy them — the expected pre-buy. As the 

Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Trucks regulation 

goes live in 2027, truck prices are expected to rise by 12% to 

14%. Part of that increase is attributable to longer manufacturer 

warrantees required by the new rules, but like every other year 

that EPA-mandated regulations have gone into effect, buyers are 

wary of the reliability of the new technology, in addition to the increased 

cost. In preparation, they’ll buy extra 2024-2026 models. 

The problem is that manufacturers may not be able to meet 

this increased demand. The same labor issues that are plaguing 

the service industry are impacting the manufacture of new 

tractors, and builders have had difficulty filling the orders already 

on the books. 

iStock Photo 

As the 2027 deadline for the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Trucks regulation draws near, truck prices are expected to rise by 12% to 14%. 

The recent strike of the automotive industry spread to 

trucking in September when nearly 4,000 workers at Mack 

manufacturing facilities in three states walked out in support. 

Before hitting the picket lines, Mack workers overwhelmingly 

voted down a contract that offered a 10% wage increase with 

19% over the five years of the contract, along with a guarantee 

that health care premiums would not rise. The union is calling 

for 40% hourly wage increases over five years, restoration of 

pension plans instead of 401(k) plans, reduced working hours 

and more paid time off, among other concessions. 

Mack Truck represents about 6.5% of new Class 8 truck 

sales in the U.S., with many going to the vocational market. If 

other manufacturers join the strikers, truck production will 

suffer, and supply chains could eventually be disrupted. 

On the used truck market, sales increased by 12% in August 

over July numbers and 3% over August 2022. Compared 

with August 2022, the price of the average used truck on the 

U.S. market fell 26% while both the average age and the average 

miles fell by 4%. September numbers had not been released at 

the time of this writing. 

As often happens in the used truck market, falling prices are, 

at least in part, the result of poor freight rates. Existing businesses 

that need to replace trucks in their fleet can find good 

used equipment at reasonable prices — but if they finance the 

purchase, they’ll pay more in interest charges. New entrants to 

the trucking business may find the reduced equipment prices 

don’t make up for higher interest rates and low freight rates. 

One area that potential truck buyers might have an eye 

on is the Yellow Freight bankruptcy. The company owned an 

estimated 12,000 tractors, with a large percentage of them 

purchased in the past two years. Since most of them are day 

cabs, hitting the market won’t make much of a dent in the 

See ROLLING on PAGE 23 

Navistar starts production of International S13 integrated powertrain 

Courtesy: Navistar 

In mid-October, Navistar launched production of its new International S13 

Integrated Powertrain at the company’s Huntsville, Alabama, plant. 


HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Navistar Inc. announced the start 

of production on the new International S13 Integrated Powertrain 

at the company’s Huntsville, Alabama, production 

facility. The International S13 Integrated Powertrain — composed 

of the S13 Engine, T14 Transmission, and Dual Stage 

Aftertreatment system — marks the final combustion product 

platform that Navistar will develop as the company transitions 

towards zero-emissions vehicles. 

Navistar recently completed a 110,000-square-foot expansion 

of the Huntsville Powertrain Plant to support the production 

of the new S13 Integrated Powertrain components. With 

the addition, the now 410,000-square-foot facility has transitioned 

from a single assembly line to two — one for the T14 

Transmission and one for the S13 Engine — along with the incorporation 

of three major machining lines. 

“Navistar is one of those great companies that makes 

Huntsville go,” said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. “We’re 

proud that the integrated powertrain is produced in Huntsville 

and that Navistar has been a strong partner and one of 

our long-term corporate citizens.” 

Overall, Navistar has invested more than $200 million in 

the Huntsville plant, which was established in 2008 and employs 

more than 230 skilled workers in the area. 

“We’re thrilled to unveil the expansion of our Huntsville 

Powertrain Plant, symbolizing our commitment to innovation 

and excellence. Through collaborative efforts with the Traton 

Group, we are confident to set a new efficiency benchmark in 

sustainable transportation,” said Brandon Tucker, director of 

operations at Huntsville Powertrain Plant. “The entire team is 

excited to embark on this journey and build the remarkable 

See NAVISTAR on PAGE 23

Thetrucker.com Equipment & Tech 


ROLLING cont. from Page 22 

NAVISTAR cont. from Page 22 

S13 Integrated Powertrain that will redefine 

the industry and power our path towards a 

more sustainable future.” 

In addition to the new assembly and machining 

lines, sustainability improvements 

were made to the plant. Those improvements 

include LED lighting, a wastewater evaporator 

to minimize wastewater discharge, and new 

augers to separate recyclables from rubbish to 

significantly reduce the waste in landfills. 

The expansion began in February 2020 

and has added roughly 100 jobs to the plant. 

In addition, many key manufacturing process 

improvements have been installed, including 

robotic assembly cells, enterprise-connected 

manufacturing devices with advanced errorproofing, 

and automated guided vehicles that 

allow the plant flexibility. 

MATTER cont. from Page 11 

sleeper-equipped over the road segment. 

BREAKDOWN OF OEM SALES 

The company responsible for liquidating 

Yellow Freight’s assets has been seeking buyers 

for the trucks rather than dumping them on 

the market. Less-than truckload (LTL) carriers 

are likely to buy these trucks, along with trailers 

and even terminal locations, to support the 

business they gained with Yellow’s demise. 

Freightliner led all manufacturers with U.S. 

sales of 7,869 Class 8 trucks, down 3.5% from 

August and down 6.3% from September 2022 

sales. Freightliner accounts for 37.8% of all Class 

8 truck sales among major OEMs this year. 

Peterbilt is next on the market share list at 

14.3% of the market. The company sold 3,458 

tractors in September, down just a tenth of a 

percent (two trucks) from August sales but up 

4.2% from September 2022. 

Kenworth’s market share is at 14% after 

sales of 2,998 trucks in September. That number 

represents a downward slide of 18.7% from 

a strong month of August and is down 4.7% 

from September 2022 sales. 

Navistar continues to take up market share 

and reached 14.3% in September, almost even 

with Peterbilt. Compared with 2022, however, 

Navistar has gained 1.9% of the market while 

Peterbilt has lost 0.8%. The company sold 3,202 

trucks in September, down 10.7% from August 

sales and down 16.8% from last September. 

Volvo’s 2,393 trucks sold in September was 

1.6% lower than August sales but 1.5% ahead 

of September 2022. Mack gained in both categories 

with September sales of 1,622 units, up 

1.5% from August and 12.6% better than September 

2022. 

Tiny Western Star sold 691 tractors in 

September, down 4.3% from August but up a 

whopping 73.6% from September 2022. 

The U.S. Class 8 sales market is still strong 

— at least for now. Only time will tell what the 

future holds for the manufacturers of dieselengine 

tractors. 8 

“When you add the manufacturing technology 

with our skilled employees, we’re producing 

the highest quality product possible 

in an extremely efficient process for all of our 

customers,” Tucker said. 

Announced in August 2022, the S13 Integrated 

Powertrain, developed in collaboration with 

the Traton Group, significantly increases operating 

efficiency, reduces operating costs, and provides 

greater profitability for customers. 

The highly efficient 13-liter engine 

achieves advanced fuel efficiency and performance 

through combustion efficiency and a 

reduction of friction and pumping losses. The 

dual-stage after-treatment system saves fleets 

time and enhances fuel economy. Eliminating 

the exhaust gas recirculation ensures a more 

complete fuel burn and allows cleaner air to 

enter the combustion chamber on the intake 

cycle to mitigate soot buildup. 8 

hungry. If not, chew a piece of gum or drink a bottle 

of water. Do a few deep breathing exercises. Call a 

friend. Challenge yourself to wait 15 minutes before 

grabbing that bag of chips — you might realize 

your need to eat is more emotional than physical. 

6. Say goodbye to seatbelt stress. 

Tired of feeling stiff all day? Work out those 

kinks with some simple stretches that can be 

done right from the driver’s seat. Some can be 

done while you’re rolling; others should be done 

only when you’re safely stopped. Stretches can 

loosen up your neck, shoulders, back and legs. A 

little stretch can go a long way! 

• Roll your shoulders 100 times backward, 

then 100 times forward. 

• Sit tall and “march” your legs in place, picking 

your thighs off the seat 100 times for each leg. 

• Do “hip hulas” 50 times in one direction, 

then 50 times in the other. 

Not only is stretching good for your physical 

health; it can also give you a mental break by taking 

your mind off stressors and into the present 

moment. 

7. Nosh naturally. 

Focus on incorporating whole foods into your 

diet and eliminating processed products. Anything 

that’s overly processed is a no-go. It’s easier 

than you think — try fresh fruit, raw veggies and 

whole-grain snacks. Real, natural food is usually 

not the problem when it comes to weight gain. 

8. Be sure to practice “mind over miles.” 

Remember, your mental health is just as important 

as your physical health. Stay in touch 

with your loved ones. Listen to your favorite 

tunes, or an interesting audiobook. And hey, why 

not give meditation a shot? 

Live the highway life YOUR way. Be the captain 

of your health journey. We’re not talking 

about a complete lifestyle flip here, folks. Small, 

realistic changes can bring significant results. 

And remember, every mile is a chance to make 

healthier choices. 

So, pull up those bootstraps, reach out that 

trucker arm and steer yourself toward better 

health. Remember, folks, good health is a journey, 

not a destination. Let’s travel that road together! 

Hope Zvara is the CEO of Mother Trucker Yoga, 

a company devoted to improving truck drivers’ 

fitness and wellness standards. She has been featured 

in Forbes and Yahoo News, and is a regular 

guest on SiriusXM Radio. Her practical strategies 

show drivers how they can go from unhealthy and 

out of options to feeling good again. Find out more 

at mothertruckeryoga.com. 8 

SPONSORED CONTENT 

Fleetworthy: Celebrating 

40 years of service to the 

trucking industry 

The essential task of Fleetworthy Solutions is to give you the power of intelligent 

compliance, offering visibility and control over your fleet to streamline processes, 

reduce risk, keep the roads safer, and improve your profitability. When you consider 

the cost of audit fines, regulatory violations, and downtime associated with poor 

driver and people safety management, it’s essential to use a comprehensive and 

proactive approach to safety and compliance risk management. That’s where Fleetworthy 

Solutions comes in for the benefit of your drivers — and your bottom line. 

How has the company evolved in the past four decades? 

Since starting in 1983 as ITS Compliance, the company rebranded to Fleetworthy 

Solutions in 2017 and it has grown from having one office in Wisconsin to having a 

presence in California, Iowa, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Las Vegas, and Guyana 

in South America. 

How has the trucking industry changed over the years? 

One big industry change is the amount of technology that has been put into commercial 

trucks. The derivative for these technology-enabled commercial trucks is 

the large amounts of data coming out of the cab. If leveraged correctly, carriers can 

learn about best practices in driver behavior and identify potential risks that must 

be mitigated to keep the roads safe, pass inspection audits, and avoid nuclear legal 

verdicts and the business fallout that comes with them. 

What challenges has the company overcome? 

In the past few years, the biggest challenges were a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Sending our employees home to work while our customers did the same was 

challenging, but we found ways to — if you’ll pardon the expression — drive business 

development during that time. Few fleets have the centralized record-keeping 

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for the long term. However, before, during, and after the pandemic, Fleetworthy Solutions 

provided a clear path to streamlining safety and compliance improvement 

efforts pertaining to drivers and people. 

To what do you attribute the company’s success and longevity? 

For 40 years, we have understood the ever-changing landscape of transportation 

compliance. We have taken what we have learned over the years and educated a 

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safety departments. In addition, we have taken all of our knowledge and injected 

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What are your plans for the future of trucking? 

We have recently released our new intelligent compliance platform, the CPSuite. 

We have worked hard to create both a platform that can be leveraged by our client 

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24 • November 2023 Equipment & Tech 


WE’VE BEEN 

HOLDING 

IT DOWN 

SINCE 1968. 

Kinedyne. The secure solution for cargo control. 

kinedyne.com

Thetrucker.com NOVEMBER 2023 • 25 

FEATURES 

Land of Opportunity 

Brothers Juan, Sergio Orona share a love for trucking and the USA 

DWAIN HEBDA | SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT 

Like the vast majority of immigrants, Juan Orona and Sergio 

Orona came to the U.S. seeking a better life for themselves 

and their families. What they found was hard work, many 

challenges and, ultimately, a validation of their belief in the 

power of the American Dream, as seen from behind the wheel 

of a big rig. 

“We live in the country of opportunity,” Juan said. “As far as 

I’m concerned, a lot of people don’t think that, but America is 

the No. 1 country in the world for me and my family.” 

The brothers, who were born in Mexico, were recently 

named to the Relay Haul of Fame in honor of their dedication 

and commitment to their profession; to their carrier, Lake 

Trucking; and to the nation as a whole, especially through 

extremely difficult times. 

Ted Brozanski, president and CEO of Lake Trucking, 

nominated the pair for the award, noting their steadfast 

commitment through the COVID-19 pandemic. Juan and 

Sergio continued to deliver much-needed supplies to a 

panicked nation — even when their family experienced loss 

due to COVID-19. 

“The Orona brothers represented Stokes Fish and Lake 

Trucking in such a manner that they became the face of the 

company to our customers,” Brozanski said. “We still hear from 

customers today (about) how the Oronas would always deliver 

on time, always with a great attitude and always making sure 

the customer’s interests were their first priority.” 

The brothers’ shared career in the cab began when Juan 

formed his own trucking company and asked his brother to 

come work for him. Sergio was working in construction at 

the time, and an economic slowdown spurred him to make a 

change. 

“One afternoon we were building a porch behind our 

house, and I said, ‘Sergio, we need a driver. I need somebody to 

go to Chicago,’” Juan said. “I said, ‘I’ll teach you how to drive. 

Believe me, it’ll take one trip and I’ll have you driving like a 

professional.’ In 3,000 miles he was driving like a professional.” 

While Sergio initially agreed to drive only to help his 

brother, he soon discovered a love of the road. 

“I said, ‘I’m going to try for a couple of years,’” Sergio said. 

“A couple of years pass, and I start loving it. I like to go because 

you can see different things every day. See different people, 

good people, bad people, everything. I used to come home and 

think, ‘I cannot wait to go out again.’” 

Courtesy: Relay Payments 

Brothers Juan Orona (shown here with his wife) and Sergio Orona came to the U.S. from Mexico seeking a better life for themselves and their families. 

Over the years, they have built solid careers as truck drivers. The two were recently inducted into the Relay Haul of Fame because of their unwavering 

dedication and work ethic. 

Eventually, Sergio signed on with Lake Trucking Co. He 

then returned the favor to his younger sibling and encouraged 

Juan to join the team. Two years later, the two were working 

together once again. The duo spent 20 years delivering seafood, 

both along local routes and going as far afield as the greater 

Midwest. Juan even took a detour into dispatch for 18 years, 

before returning to the road. 

“After he went to dispatch, we used to argue a lot, me and 

him,” Sergio said with a chuckle. “He used to tell me, ‘You have 

to do this.’ I used to say, ‘You’re just taking advantage of me. 

Huh?’ Everybody used to tease me about it.” 

Both men, now in their 60s, say they love the road so much 

they find it hard to visualize themselves doing anything else. 

“There’s nothing like being out there on the open road by 

yourself,” Juan said. “Give me my destination, what I’m doing, 

and I know how to do it well. You don’t have to worry about 

me.” 

In fact, it can be difficult to convince the brothers to take 

a break. 

“The last time I took a vacation was like, three years ago. 

One time I went six years without taking a vacation,” Sergio 

said. “Vacations to me are more work than what I’m doing on 

my job. Everybody says, ‘When are you going to retire?’ I say, 

‘Not ’til I cannot walk.’ I don’t care to retire, because I know my 

job and I’d miss my job.” 

That said, both men admit that the passing of time has 

See OPPORTUNITY on PAGE 26 

Don Crouse chosen as grand prize winner of Pilot Flying J 2023 Road Warrior contest 

Courtesy: Pilot Flying J 

As the grand prize winner of Pilot Flying J’s 2023 Road Warrior contest, Don 

Crouse received $15,000. 


KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Last month, Pilot Flying J celebrated 

three winners of its annual Road Warrior contest, which 

recognizes the hard work, dedication, commitment and 

sacrifice of professional truck drivers who go the extra mile to 

keep America moving. 

After reviewing numerous nominations, Pilot Flying J 

selected Don Crouse of Bruceville, Indiana, as the $15,000 

grand prize Road Warrior winner. Robert Palm of Albuquerque, 

New Mexico, was named the $10,000 second-place winner and 

Angelique Temple of Ruther Glen, Virginia, was honored as the 

$5,000 third-place winner. 

“It was inspiring to read the nominations celebrating 

professional drivers’ heroism, dedication and selfless acts of 

kindness,” said Adrienne Ingoldt, vice president of brand and 

marketing for Pilot Flying J. 

“At every turn and with each mile driven, these professional 

drivers go above and beyond to help people and communities 

along the way,” Ingoldt continued. “Thank you, and 

congratulations to Don, Robert and Angelique on this welldeserved 

recognition of your contributions and many years of 

driving.” 

DON CROUSE 

Crouse, this year’s grand prize winner, has been a 

professional truck driver for over 50 years. He currently drives 

for Boyd Grain out of Washington, Indiana. As a mentor and 

advocate for the trucking industry, he has helped guide new 

drivers into careers over the road. 

For the past 15 years, he has dedicated time as a volunteer 

with Wreaths Across America to deliver wreaths to veterans’ 

See WARRIOR on PAGE 26

26 • November 2023 FEATURES 


Encuentra los 

mejores trabajos 

de chofer 

comercial en 

español! 

OPPORTUNITY cont. from Page 25 

brought new changes and new attitudes to 

the trucking industry. Neither is particularly 

fond of certain aspects of new technology that 

take the skill out of driving or subject them to 

unnecessary oversight. 

“When we started, there was no air ride in 

the tractors. Small sleepers. Now there are air 

bags and everything,” Sergio said. “It was really 

hard for me now that we’ve got this automatic 

truck. I think all the old drivers don’t like it. I 

don’t like it for nothing. I told my boss I can get 

better fuel mileage with a standard because I 

know how to switch my gears a little bit better.” 

Juan says the GPS tracking features 

sometimes cause a bit of frustration during 

his workday. 

“My biggest problem with these new cabs 

is that they’re just looking at you on the 

screen,” Juan said. “I have a problem with new 

guys when they tell me, ‘You’ve got a pickup 

at such-and-such place.’ Then an hour later, 

‘Did you pick it up? Did you miss your exit? 

I see you on GPS and you have missed your 

exit.’ I say, ‘No, this is the way to get in there.’ 

That’s the problem when they’re just in their 

office dispatching; they’ve never been out here 

doing it.” 

As for their advice to the new generation, 

the two lifers said it’s important for any driver 

to respect the fundamentals. 

“The Golden Rule would be to be courteous, 

treat other people the way you want to be 

treated, be safe out there,” Juan said. “Safety is 

the first thing. If a car cuts you off, let them go; 

nothing happened. Just let it go.” 

“I’d tell them have a lot of patience,” Sergio 

said. “If you want to learn, look at a mistake 

that somebody else made and learn from it. 

Don’t make the same mistakes.” 8 

Photo credit 

As second place winner of this year’s Pilot Flying J Road Warrior contest, Robert Palm received $10,000. Third-place 

winner Angelique Temple was awarded $5,000. 

visita 

LosTroqueros.com 

WARRIOR cont. from Page 25 

cemeteries in several states. In addition, he 

and his wife have started Wreaths Across 

America ceremonies in six locations across 

southwestern Indiana. 

“Besides being a great driver for over 

50 years, Don has gone above and beyond 

supporting our nation’s veterans through 

Wreaths Across America, and it’s awesome to 

see a company like Pilot recognize him for all 

his selfless efforts. All of us at Boyd Grain are 

proud to work with Don,” said Logan Graber, 

co-owner of Boyd Grain. 

ROBERT PALM 

Palm, a U.S. Army veteran, has been in the 

trucking industry for over 40 years. Passionate 

about serving fellow drivers and their 

families, he founded Truckers Final Mile, an 

organization designed to reunite drivers and 

their families in times of crisis. In 2015, Palm 

and his wife created a new program to support 

children during their first Christmas after 

losing a truck driver parent on the highway. 

ANGELIQUE TEMPLE 

With over 20 years behind the wheel, 

Temple continues to inspire women in the 

trucking industry, guide young drivers and 

dedicate countless hours to helping those in 

need in her community. Her expertise and 

commitment to trucking have earned her 

recognition as a panel member for the Federal 

Motor Carrier Safety Administration and an 

induction into the Howes Hall of Fame. In 

2023, Temple participated in the Make-A-Wish 

Mother’s Day Truck Convoy, contributing to 

the cause of granting more wishes to children 

with critical illnesses. 8 

Los Troqueros

Thetrucker.com FEATURES 

November 2023 • 27

28 • November 2023 FEATURES 


at the TRUCK STOP 

Presented 

by Cat Scale. 

visit weighmytruck.com 

Making the world 

a better 

place 

Helping others comes naturally for 

TCA driver of the year Rose Rojo 

KRIS RUTHERFORD | SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT 

Every truck driver has a unique story of 

how they got into the industry. For some, it’s 

a family tradition. Others take their driving 

experience from the military to the nation’s 

highways. And some make the conscious 

decision to enroll in trucking school at 

some point in what might be considered the 

“traditional” route. 

When it comes to the story of Rose Rojo, 

one five drivers honored by the Truckload 

Carriers Association as a 2023 Professional 

Drivers of the Year … well, you might say she 

took a non-traditional route. 

Back in 2000, when fewer women entered 

the trucking profession than even today, 

Rojo’s ex-husband, a non-English speaker, 

enrolled in trucking school. Rojo helped him 

out by sitting in the classroom and working 

with him to interpret his lessons. Fortunately, 

she retained what she interpreted. When it 

came testing time, the instructor told Rojo, 

“You’ve already taken the class — why not go 

ahead and get your CDL?” 

The rest of the story? Rojo has now been 

in the trucking industry for more than two 

decades. 

Rojo and her ex-husband started out in 

the industry as an owner-operator driving 

team, primarily hauling grain through the 

Texas Panhandle. After about six years on the 

road, Rojo left the trucking industry, going to 

work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 

Texas. But the lure of the highway eventually 

called her back, and by 2010, she reentered 

trucking, driving for C.R. England. 

During her career, she has worked for 

about four different carriers including 

eight years with John Christner Trucking 

of Sapulpa, Oklahoma, a city of 22,000 not 

far from Tulsa along Interstate 44. It was 

at Christner where she was nominated for 

TCA Driver of the Year after taking home 

similar honors from the Oklahoma Trucking 

Association. 

Recently, she made the move to for R.E. 

Garrison, an employee-owned carrier based 

in Alabama. 

What appeals to Rojo the most about 

truck driving is travel. And that’s a good thing. 

“It’s been two and a half months since I 

was home,” the Amarillo, Texas, resident said. 

“I’ve driven the I-10 corridor coast-to-coast 

from Florida to California,” she said, speaking 

of her years with previous carriers. “Today, 

I drive a loop from Texas to Louisiana and 

Oklahoma,” she said. While working in what 

is still grain country, Rojo no longer hauls 

grain, instead driving a reefer hauling beef, 

chicken and similar refrigerated products. 

While Rojo may be a truck driver — a 

profession often viewed as being ideal for 

loners — she is most definitely a people 

person. 

“I love helping people,” Rojo said. “It’s my 

goal to help those less fortunate than myself.” 

Rojo’s love for helping others manifests 

itself in several ways. First, she is a mentor 

for newer drivers, and she loves sharing her 

experiences and advice with women who are 

considering entering the industry. In addition, 

she makes annual mission trips to Honduras, 

where she provides children school supplies 

and helps deliver other needed items. 

Her true passion, however, is helping 

abused and neglected children. Rojo, who 

says she was a victim of child abuse herself, 

can relate to children who struggle to 

overcome abuse. 

“I’m super proud of what I’ve overcome,” 

she said of her life and career. 

As a mother and grandmother, Rojo 

says she’s also proud of the stigma she has 

Courtesy: Truckload Carriers Association 

Driver Rose Rojo is one of five drivers honored by the Truckload Carriers Association in March as a 2023 

Professional Driver of the Year. 

overcome within the trucking industry. In a 

business where women are rare — though 

less rare now than when she started driving 

in the early 2000s — she has faced adversity. 

“When I first started driving, whenever 

we arrived for a drop-off or pick-up, my 

ex-husband went inside and handled the 

business side of things,” she recalled. “He 

protected me from the awkward looks and 

snide comments. I just drove the truck.” 

Times have changed. 

“Today, I believe women make up about 

12% of drivers, so it’s not as bad as it was, but 

we are still fighting to gain acceptance,” Rojo 

said. 

“We can do this,” she continued. “From 

my background, going from foster home to 

foster home, I was able to become an owneroperator, 

owning my own business. You can 

do it. You have to keep that mindset. Nothing 

is impossible to achieve.” 

When asked about the hurdles she faces 

on a day-to-day basis as a truck driver, Rojo 

replied that a lack of safe truck parking and 

facilities is a big one. 

“We have to struggle,” she said. “You have 

to make sure you get into a truck stop at the 

right time, or you’re going to miss your mark,” 

she added, referring to hours-of-service 

regulations. “To me, it should be up to the 

driver. When we’re tired, we’ll stop.” 

While tracking time spent behind the 

wheel is important, Rojo is concerned that 

truck drivers are sometimes regulated too 

much. 

“With ELDs, once you start the clock you 

can’t stop it,” she said. “You are generally 

forced to do this or forced to do that. Let the 

driver choose, and I think it would be easier 

on drivers and it would ease the problem of 

truck parking.” 

When it comes to describing herself and 

her goals, Rojo keeps it simple. 

“I’m just down to earth. I want to help … 

and make the world a better place,” she said. 

Whether it’s driving a truck, traveling 

to Central America, or serving as a mentor 

to others in the trucking industry, Rojo has 

achieved a great deal in her career. She says 

she’s extremely proud to be chosen as a TCA 

2023 Professional Driver of the Year. 

As Rojo says, no matter your background 

or how you enter your profession, nothing is 

impossible. 8

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FLEET FOCUS cont. from Page 14 

themselves in possession of trucks they 

couldn’t sell. 

What the industry experienced was the 

boom/bust pattern that makes up the trucking 

cycle — but this time, the “boom” shot 

up like an athlete on steroids due to the pandemic. 

When there aren’t enough trucks to 

haul the available freight, rates go up. When 

there are too many trucks, rates go down. 

CREATE A SOLID BUSINESS PLAN 

Anticipating that cycle should be a part of 

every carrier’s business plan. Unfortunately, 

however, too many small carriers, especially 

single-truck outfits, didn’t anticipate much 

of anything. Rather than preparing a sound 

plan for their businesses, they simply bought 

trucks and started hauling. When the bottom 

fell out, they were the first to suffer. 

A trucking business plan must include 

historical rate data. Spot rate data is widely 

available from load boards such as DAT and 

Truckstop.com. Successful carrier startups 

considered the possibilities, checking out 

market highs and lows over the past cycle or 

two. They carefully considered not just how 

much profit they could make when rates 

were high, but how to survive when rates 

were low. They anticipated increased costs 

for fuel, parts, equipment purchases and financing. 

In trucking, no business plan is complete 

without cost per mile projections. Every 

truck owner should know their current cost 

of operation per mile to the penny. Those 

that don’t can’t make sound decisions about 

which loads to accept, which customers to 

deal with and when to purchase equipment. 

Too many owners find themselves in situations 

where they can’t find freight that pays 

as much as it costs them to operate. For 

them, it’s only a matter of time before they 

shut down. 

Breaking down expenses into cost per 

mile is a helpful way to determine the impact 

of each on your business. Until you have 

added up actual expenses, however, you’ll 

have to make estimates. Fortunately, there is 

enough information available on the Internet 

and from owner operator organizations 

or just other owner operators that estimates 

don’t have to be wild guesses. 

Maintenance is an area where truck owners 

often fail to plan for and track expenses. 

Even if your truck is still under manufacturer’s 

warrantee, items will break that aren’t 

covered. Tires can fail due to road hazards 

or may need to be replaced because of wear. 

Oil changes and inspections will be needed. 

If it’s your first plan, you might budget $0.15 

per mile for maintenance and then adjust after 

each quarter of operation. 

Fuel prices can be volatile and even experts 

can’t always predict what they’ll do, 

but if you’ve been tracking your truck’s miles 

per gallon, you’ll be able to estimate how 

many gallons you’ll need to purchase in a 

year. You can keep track of average diesel 

prices at the U.S. Energy Information Administration 

(EIA) website at eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel. 

Average prices for different 

regions of the U.S. are posted every 

Monday. You can even have diesel prices and 

other reports emailed or texted to you each 

week. 

The EIA also posts short- and long-term 

forecasts for fuel prices. These are helpful, 

but keep in mind that pricing can be impacted 

by events such as severe weather, armed 

conflict, politics and more. 

Variable (non-fixed) costs, like fuel and 

maintenance, will increase as your miles 

increase, but if you know your cost per mile 

you can predict them. Fixed costs, such as 

truck or insurance payments, tags and permits, 

and more, will cost less per mile as you 

drive more miles. 

An accountant or tax professional can 

help you track expenses and provide guidance 

on ways to improve the efficiency of 

your business. A good one will save you more 

money than you’ll pay for their services. Doing 

it yourself could cost you more in the 

long run. 

The old business adage of, “You can’t 

manage what you don’t measure” holds true 

for business planning. By tracking your business 

expenses, you’ll learn more about your 

business and yourself, identify areas to improve 

and increase your chances of success 

in the ever-changing world of trucking. 8 

QUIT cont. from Page 17 

to the home terminal or taking the truck farther 

from home and then making a bus trip home. 

When you resign, ask about the process. Many 

carriers are willing to pay for your transportation 

home if you cooperate with their turn-in 

instructions. 

And don’t forget about your possessions. A 

carrier might be willing to pay bus fare, or even 

for a plane ticket, but there are restrictions on 

how much luggage you can carry. If you have a 

cooler, appliances, a month’s worth of laundry, 

tools and other items, they’ll need to be shipped 

home separately, and it’s not cheap. If possible, 

drop off as much as you can before you resign, 

or ask if the carrier can store your stuff while you 

make arrangements to pick it up or ship it. 

One item that will certainly be on your record 

is your method of leaving, whether you quit 

(voluntary) or were fired (involuntary). Disputes 

often arise, but if your record indicates you were 

fired from multiple jobs, you might have a difficult 

time getting hired for another one. 

Your record may also have an entry for your 

performance, and carriers are asked if they 

would consider rehiring you. If your report says 

“unsatisfactory” and “no rehire,” it’s not a good 

look, especially if there are similar entries from 

other carriers. 

With the implementation of the Drug and 

Alcohol Clearinghouse at the FMCSA, access to 

your drug testing record is much easier than the 

old method of contacting each of your former 

employers. It’s much harder to hide a failed drug 

screen. On the other hand, if you complete a return-to-duty 

program after testing positive, the 

information is purged from your record after a 

few years. Under the old system, former employers 

could report drug test failures to future employers 

for the rest of your life, if they so chose. 

Finally, as tempting as it might be to tell your 

dispatcher or fleet manager exactly what’s on 

your mind, keep in mind that they’ll be the ones 

telling the company’s safety or human resources 

department what information should go on 

your record. It’s not uncommon for an angry 

person to want to get back at a quitting driver 

by painting the worst possible picture on their 

work record. 

Be calm and professional while you explain 

your reasons for leaving. Try to come to agreement 

on the date, where to leave the equipment, 

travel arrangements and so on. Don’t escalate 

the situation if you don’t have to. 8 

Tractor crushed, driver survives 

Courtesy: Huntersville Fire Department 

According to officials, the driver of this truck survived following a crash with another big rig on I-77 

near Charlotte, North Carolina. 

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