ATRI

I can drive for miles and miles … can states tax me on it?

On March 13, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf announced that the state would phase out its motor fuels tax, making it the first state to propose eliminating the historic levy that has been the primary source of transportation funding. Wolf, a Democrat, said the tax could no longer be relied upon to replenish Pennsylvania’s coffers amid radical changes in freight and passenger mobility.

Fully sunsetting the state’s tax on diesel and gasoline consumption is a high-stakes dice roll. Fuel taxes generate...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/i-can-drive-for-miles-and-miles-can-states-tax-me-on-it

Why women are more interested in driving trucks

Einride survey reveals technology is drawing women into trucking.

Emina Nilsson is a very social person. So when an opportunity arrived in her native Sweden to drive a truck for a living, she didn’t immediately embrace it. Sitting by herself all day behind the wheel? Not exactly her idea of fun.

“I never saw myself as the type of girl who would drive a truck,” she told FreightWaves.

International Women’s Day is March 8. Click here for more information.

But this was not your traditional diesel truck. Instead, it was an electric truck that she would be...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/einride-survey:-technology-increases-womens-interest-in-trucking

Judge slaps wholesale distribution company with $23.7M ‘nuclear verdict’ in crash

Judge awards motorcyclist $23.7 million $23

A California judge has awarded $23.7 million, considered a “nuclear verdict” because its damages exceed $10 million, to a Southern California motorcyclist who lost part of his leg after he was struck by a work truck in December 2017.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Stephen Czuleger awarded Steeve Rojas $18 million in general damages and more than $4.5 million in economic damages on Tuesday after a nine-day bench trial. Rojas’ wife was awarded $1.2 million for loss of consortium.

What...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/judge-slaps-wholesale-distribution-company-with-237m-nuclear-verdict-in-crash

The Daily Dash: Broker transparency fight rages on

The Daily Dash is a quick look at what is happening in the freight ecosystem. In today’s edition, the battle lines are being drawn in the regulatory fight over broker transparency, and now the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will consider dueling petitions. Plus, J.B. Hunt announced several executive changes, and self-driving startup TuSimple secures $350 million in funding.

Sides stake out their broker battle lines

Federal regulators are considering opposing petitions on rulemakings...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/the-daily-dash-broker-transparency-fight-rages-on

ATRI: Driver shortage again tops trucking industry’s critical issues

For the fourth consecutive year, a shortage of drivers topped the Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry survey conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI). 

The driver shortage is dismissed by some as a function of low and irregular pay for demanding work that requires days and weeks away from home. Now, the shortage is made worse by older drivers leaving the business because of the pandemic. 

Another factor is that 26,000 drivers who failed drug testing mandated by the...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/atri-driver-shortage-again-tops-trucking-industrys-critical-issues

Better safety systems could help fleets avoid nuclear verdicts

Better safety systems could help fleets avoid nuclear verdicts (Photo: Shutterstock)

Within the trucking industry, legal battles over road accidents are nothing new. However, verdicts in trucking accidents have steadily become more costly, partly due to the legal environment that incentivizes lawsuits. This has led to the nuclear verdicts of today in which a jury awards over $10 million in compensation, crippling many fleets and forcing several to bankruptcy. 

In a report, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) observed that while the average size of verdicts was...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/better-safety-systems-could-help-fleets-avoid-nuclear-verdicts

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