Trucking News

Camera crews and news reporters taking live footage of an early morning trucker, get more than they bargained for.

This video does wonders for the image of the trucking professional.

Selecting trucking software to run your business can be a daunting task. There are lots of selections available to fit every kind of business model. With all of these choices to look at you must first narrow the field a bit. You need to determine if you want PC or Server based fleet management software that you load on your computer hardware, or web based software that you log into on the web. Here are some things to think about when making this important decision.

With PC or Server based software, the benefits are speed of execution, and age of development. PC based software tends to run faster because the functions are internal on your hardware. There are hundreds of companies that have been developing this type of software over the last decade so the programming is mature and fairly solid. However, there are drawbacks. This software must be purchased outright, and can often be expensive requiring annual updates, maintenance contracts, user fees, etc. The hardware that is required for some systems is also expensive, and requires maintenance. Not to mention that if this hardware (like the hard drive) crashes, your data could be lost forever. Many man-hours of labor must be dedicated to operating and managing the hardware.

Web based software is much newer as an available option. This is the clear next step in the trucking software world. Since high speed connections to the internet are more common, web based software has become more attractive. The speed is close to that of PC software, and the amount of functionality can be better depending on the packages you are comparing. Add that to the affordability of monthly subscriptions instead of buying the software up front, and you have a very powerful combination. To top it all off, data backups are done automatically and included in the subscription. You no longer have to worry about hardware upkeep, saving valuable man-hours of company time.

In summary, unless you are ready to shell out thousands or tens of thousands for your business software, you should consider web based packages first. They are easier to purchase, easier to maintain, and quite simply offer more bang for the buck. Before you make a decision, take the Masslogics free trial: Free Trucking Software.

Oakland, CA. At the Union Pacific Rail Terminal truckers have had enough. Trucks are pulling over in solidarity to protest the rising fuel costs they must shoulder. Most of the truck drivers are only being compensated for 12% of their fuel costs. “We want to work.” Said many of the owner-operator drivers, but they can’t afford to when their fuel costs exceed the fees companies pay them to haul the loads.

Four years ago companies negotiated to pay 5% of the fuel costs above $2.00 per gallon. Drivers protesting say they have not been compensated.

Protesters yell and jeer at trucks passing by. Many fellow truck drivers abruptly stop their rigs and join them. Truckers in surrounding locations are also pulling over to support the cause.

Is this the first sign of things to come? Most economists are in agreement: oil prices are on a permanent upward trajectory. Cities are dependent on food and other goods arriving daily, most cities cannot continue normal activity for more than 72 hours without fresh inventory arriving. The protesting truck drivers at Union Pacific Rail Terminal are addressing this increasingly dangerous crisis now, we should all pay attention. Truck drivers cannot shoulder the impossible burden of endlessly rising fuel costs.

Well, you might first ask yourself, “Should I hire more drivers?”  Not every trucking business is ready for expansion.  Having additional drivers means more management responsibility resting squarely on your shoulders.  Not only will you have to deal with keeping your customer happy, but keeping drivers happy.  Keeping drivers happy can be a full time job sometimes.  And if they aren’t happy, chances are they will not treat your customers very well.  You will also have the added liability of these drivers doing something wrong on your company’s behalf so you want to make sure that you don’t just hire any warm body to fill the seat.

Once you’ve decided to move forward and expand, you have a couple options.  You can either lease on other owner/operators under a contract that are paid with a 1099, or you can hire company employees that are paid with a W-2.  Depending on the size of your business, and administrative resources, either option has its advantages.  With 1099 contractors, you only have to pay them when they work, and you don’t have to worry about employee benefits such as health insurance and paid vacations.  Contractors also tend to be more reliable since their pay is dependent upon their reliability.  On the other hand, W-2 employees are more readily available, and are generally easier to keep happy as long as the benefits are present, but require more support with payroll.  My rule of thumb has always been this:  if you have enough business to afford new trucks and have office staff, then buy trucks and hire employees.  If you are smaller and would need to purchase used equipment to expand and have limited or no office staff, then use owner operators.  The fewer headaches you have, the better.

The constant rise in diesel fuel prices is pushing the small independent trucking companies out of business.   With the independents dropping out like flies¹, what else could they possibly have to endure?

Well, with the help of a new regulation proposed by Department of Transportation (DoT) officials it looks like the independent trucker is about to get reamed yet again.

Big Rigs may be getting their speedometers clipped.  The DoT bureaucrats are proposing to mandate devices on commercial trucks that limit a truckers top speed to 68 mph.  This idea has support by many of the corporate trucking giants, but is strongly opposed by many independent truckers.

Todd Spencer, Executive Vice President of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) said “Most truckers are paid by the mile, so the financial pain of slower limits would be felt mostly by the drivers while the benefits would be reaped by corporations represented by the ATA (American Trucking Associations).”

OOIDA believes the legislation to be completely misguided and outrageous when you examine the safety data.

“There is nothing desirable about turning trucks into rolling roadblocks and obstacles for other drivers,” Spencer said.  “Slower isn’t safer. Every year, NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) accident data shows that cars are far more likely to run into the backs of trucks than the other way around.   Real highway safety experts have always known that highways are safest when all vehicles travel at the same speed.” says Spencer.

The largest trucking conglomerates favor the 68 mph speed limit, since it will force even more of the smaller, independent carriers out of business.  The collusion between transportation authorities and corporate trucking lobbyists is stomping the life out of the entrepreneurial trucker. 

The speed control campaign is led by Road Safe America, an Atlanta advocacy group that was started by a couple whose son was in an accident with a tractor trailer in 2002.  When moms get involved in road safety it’s only a matter of time before the proverbial hammer gets dropped.

Road Safe America has a history of pushing legislation for emotional reasons while ignoring the facts. The facts are split speed limits decrease road safety².

Forget common sense. Big business and big government are about to kill independent truckers with irrational legislation.  So grab your ankles my fellow independent truckers, it’s going to be a tough one to take.

References:
¹ Landline Magazine
² Safety Testimony