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ELD compliance: How and why it can pump up your profits

Ways trucking fleets and owner-operators can leverage the Internet of Things for gain.

Today’s transportation industry faces increasingly stringent regulatory standards. The highest-profile example is the looming electronic logging device (ELD) deadline; by December 16, 2019, all carriers subject to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s ELD mandate must be equipped with self-certified devices registered with the FMCSA. In addition to the sweeping ELD mandate, many fleets are or soon will be subject to a wide range of more specific regulations.

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AFS can help you with your growing costs – call us for unique factoring programs designed just for you!

Operational Cost of Trucking Up 7.7%, ATRI Report Says

The costs associated with trucking have increased, according to the American Transportation Research Institute.

Its report, “An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking,” shows fuel and driver compensation accounted for carriers’ biggest expenses while permits and licenses accounted for the smallest.

The report was published Nov. 4 and is based on data from 2018.

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FMCSA offers help for young military drivers to find jobs

The pilot program will allow a limited number of individuals between the ages of 18 and 20 to operate large trucks in interstate commerce.


The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has published a new job opportunities website to help 18-20-year-olds who possess the U.S. military equivalent of a commercial driver’s license (CDL) find and apply for jobs with interstate trucking companies.   

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Trucker Deaths Continue to Rise

Trucker deaths continue to rise and are at their highest level in more than 30 years, according to data released Tuesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The federal agency said 885 large truck occupants died in 2018. That’s an increase of almost 1 percent compared to the prior year. It is the highest since 1988 when 911 occupants of large trucks died.

Looking beyond truckers, overall deaths involving crashes with large trucks also continue to rise. The agency said 4,678 people died in collisions with large trucks last year. That’s up by almost 1 percent from the 4,369 that died in 2017.

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Trucking wants to take marijuana head-on

More Americans have access to legal weed than ever before. ATA wants to stress highway safety and the need for a federal policy on this emerging issue.


SAN DIEGO — More than a quarter of Americans live in a jurisdiction that allows legal marijuana. Weed’s growing popularity in the U.S. is an increasing and complicated concern for the trucking industry.

American Trucking Associations is looking to take the lead in how U.S. businesses adapt to legal weed, noting that there is more to learn about its effects. The ATA Board of Directors created new policies this week that calls for a common-sense approach to liberalizing marijuana laws — in the name of safety. And since every state has different cannabis laws, ATA wants the federal government to change its approach.

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Trucking Industry Has Become a Top Target of Ransomware Attacks

SAN DIEGO — Transportation is now one of the most cyberattacked industries in the United States, which puts trucking in the crosshairs of hackers, a panel of cybersecurity experts said here during American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition on Oct. 6.

“This is why we’re doing a session on cybersecurity,” said Ken Craig, vice president of special projects at McLeod Software, citing data from Forbes that said transportation ranks No. 5 on the list of industries with the most cyberattacks.

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California Mandates Smog Checks for Heavy-Duty Trucks

Truckers will have to have their rigs smog-checked and certified in order to operate legally in California under a bill signed into law by the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom.

The measure, Senate Bill 210, makes California the first state with a smog-check program for medium- and heavy-duty trucks. It provides the industry a few years of relief before the smog checks begin, though. The estimated startup date for an operational program is 2023.

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Boost Driver Safety and Your Bottom Line

Focus on safety and risk management to control rising insurance costs

Keep Your Drivers Safe on the Road

Many commercial fleets are seeing premium increases for the second or third year in a row, and some have even seen rates double – the direct result of increasingly high legal settlements and skyrocketing auto repairs.1 Fearing loss of profits (or no profit at all), insurance companies are being very selective when it comes to renewals and new quotes.  It’s important to work with an insurance broker who understands the market and can advocate on your behalf.

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Detention time continues to be a drag on drivers

Detention frequency and length have increased over the past four years, with negative impacts on driver productivity, regulatory compliance and compensation, according to new ATRI study.


Most drivers have run out of available hours-of-service (HOS) at a customer’s facility due to detention. And that detention, according to a new analysis by the American Transportation Research Institute, had a significant impact on their ability to comply with HOS rules.

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