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Ensure your independent drivers are covered as well

Debilitating injuries from tractor-trailer wrecks are sadly commonplace for motor carriers nationwide. Despite the best efforts to improve driver safety through rigorous training, the adoption of improved regulations and the implementation of new technologies, accidents still abound.

To make matters worse, payouts for “nuclear verdicts” and other high-dollar lawsuits stemming from commercial truck-related accidents have sharply risen in recent years. New research by the American Transportation...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/ensure-your-independent-drivers-are-covered-as-well

How to Solve the Digital Transportation Puzzle

dhl truck

Jim Monkmeyer, President, Transportation, DHL Supply Chain, North America

Digitalization represents the next frontier in supply chain optimization. The foundation for this continuing evolution is already in place through the software platforms that control the flow of inventory within distribution centers (WMS) and digitize transportation processes (TMS).

Now, the opportunity exists to build on this foundation to further reduce costs and improve service levels while enabling the visibility...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/how-to-solve-the-digital-transportation-puzzle

Hurricane season heats up – responding to a big one

Believe it or not, hurricane season is well underway, which means it’s time to keep a close eye on the weather. The Atlantic hurricane season started in June and continues through the end of November; this roughly six-month timeframe presents many opportunities for a storm to wreak havoc on economies and entire infrastructures of coastal communities large and small. 

Motor carriers and independent drivers operating within Hurricane Alley need to plan prior to the landfall of a costly storm and...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/hurricane-season-heats-up-responding-to-a-big-one

Ensuring a non-owned trailer becomes a non-issue

A truckload of goods will often exchange hands multiple times between its origin and destination. In fact, it’s pretty common for a trailer to be hauled by one driver between points A and B only to be handed off to another to continue the journey to point C and so on. For instance, a truckload originating in Jacksonville bound for Los Angeles may find itself hitched to another truck in Houston for the remainder of the trip.

Through each trailer interchange, responsibility for the trailer and its...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/ensuring-a-non-owned-trailer-becomes-a-non-issue

Home Depot, Whirlpool, HNI earn top Shipper of Choice honors

Increased hours of operation at distribution centers and open communication with drivers are the common denominators among three public companies that specialize in consumer goods and office products.

Those and other attributes focusing on the driver experience earned The Home Depot, Whirlpool and HNI Corp. best-of-the-best honors in the FreightWaves 2020 Shipper of Choice Awards, sponsored by Transflo.

The 2020 FreightWaves Shipper of Choice seal of approval is based on how shippers perform in...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/home-depot-whirlpool-hni-earn-top-shipper-of-choice-honors

To keep or not to keep: What to consider when engine problems arise

Truck heading down a highway.

Truckers often develop a sentimental attachment to their vehicles. Through long night hauls and truck stop naps, rush hour traffic and lonely stretches of road, a driver’s attachment to a truck can be compared to a cowboy’s love for his steed. That is why it can be extremely difficult for a driver to part ways with a years-old truck with engine problems.

But truck owners know that repairs, especially under the hood, aren’t cheap. Plus, engine overhauls and replacements can take well over a week...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/to-keep-or-not-to-keep-what-to-consider-when-engine-problems-arise

Analyzing the response to COVID-19 and the importance of contingency planning

Entering 2020, the possibility of a pandemic seemed unfathomable. If companies thought about such a crisis at all, it was a “what-if” scenario. But “what-if” quickly became “what now?”

There’s no shame in a company admitting it was blindsided by COVID-19; in fact, most probably found themselves unprepared. However, as the pandemic approaches the six-month mark, trucking companies and logistics providers should reflect on their response to the crisis and ask whether they could have acted sooner,...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/analyzing-the-response-to-covid-19-and-the-importance-of-contingency-planning

The identity crisis of a non-rated motor carrier

Motor carrier safety ratings are a big deal, and they should be. Safety has become the industry’s top concern as compensatory payments and increased insurance premiums stemming from accidents have increased annually. With that being said, it’s understandable for a shipper to preferably contract with the highest-rated carriers.

Safety ratings, however, don’t often paint an accurate picture of the current performance of a company. Worse, obtaining a satisfactory rating has become an almost...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/the-identity-crisis-of-a-non-rated-motor-carrier

In the market for a used truck or trailer?

Those in the market to buy their own truck or trailer often face a binary choice – new or used. It’s a question as old as the highways itself and one that permeates the minds of forward-thinking truckers. 

Purchasing a truck fresh off the assembly line has its perks but can be expensive. On the other hand, used trucks lack certain elements of performance and safety but are considerably cheaper. While there are arguably many reasons to lean either way, one should be mindful of insurance costs...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/in-the-market-for-a-used-truck-or-trailer

Auto haulers may soon be on the upswing

COVID-19 has thrown a wrench in the works of most supply chains, especially that of automobile manufacturing, which saw U.S. and Mexican plants close in the wake of the pandemic. The sudden shutdown in automobiles leaving the factories, compounded by a decrease in consumer demand for cars has left many auto haulers in a precarious situation. 

Things may be looking up, however, as automobile manufacturers across America including Detroit’s “Big Three” (Chrysler, Ford, General Motors) restart...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/auto-haulers-may-soon-be-on-the-upswing

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