HDT Talks Trucking

The National Transportation Institute's Leah Shaver challenges some conventional thinking about women in trucking, from behind the wheel to the board room, in this episode of HDT Talks Trucking. Shaver is president and CEO of the National Transportation Institute, which recently surveyed women about the challenges they encounter in the trucking industry — and she has some ideas on what motor carriers can do to address them in this interview with HDT Editor and Associate Publisher Deborah Lockridge. It starts, she says, by addressing the barriers we’ve built for working moms, finding creative solutions to childcare, and overhauling the structures we’ve built to train industry newcomers. Learn More About Advancing Women in the Trucking Industry NTI Survey Shines a Light on the Hurdles and Opportunities to Advancement for Women in Trucking Real Talk: The One Vital Element We Must Get Right As an Industry for Women to Join us and Excel Trucking and Women: Difficult Discussions a Must for Moving Forward 🤝 Follow and connect with HDT on social media! Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

The automotive cybersecurity landscape is evolving, movingbeyond mere ransomware attacks on fleets. While that is something to be guarded against, hackers can now weaponize connected vehicles in ways that sooner or later will compromise safety. Software defined vehicles and unsecure APIs and mobile services are opening new attack vectors for the bad guys to exploit. And new vectors are opening every day. Upstream Security's president of North American operations, Hiam Kantor, joins HDT Equipment Editor Jim Park to discuss the scope of the problem, and look at what needs to be done to keep the Black Hats at bay. Watch this Episode of HDT Talks Trucking to Learn: More About the Newest Cybersecurity Threats Upstream Security Upstream Security's Global Automotive Cybersecurity Report Additional News Stories on Vehicle Hacking Keep the Hackers Out: How Trucking Companies Can Up Their Cybersecurity Game ORBCOMM ransomware attack causes trucking fleet management outage Teen hacker says he’s found way to remotely control 25 Tesla EVs around the world Hacker Exploits Sirius XM Flaw to Remotely Unlock, Honk Horn on Cars Hackers caused a massive traffic jam in Moscow using a ride-hailing app

With more attention being paid to Scope 3 emissions, may need to take a more proactive approach and a deeper dive into your company’s operations to attract and keep customers. On this episode of HDT Talks Trucking, HDT’s Deborah Lockridge talks with one fleet that’s ahead of the curve in meeting shipper demands for more sustainable transportation. Shawntell Kroese, AVP of Sustainability and Sales Operations, Werner Enterprises, talks about the company’s ambitious emissions-reduction goals, how it’s working on getting there, what Scope 3 emissions are, why fleets need to be paying attention, and advice on where to start. Links Regulators Aren't the Only Factor Driving Decarbonization EPA’s Scope 3 Guidance Werner’s ESG Progress HDT Emerging Leader Leads Werner Diversity Efforts

We are seeing a distressing increase in the number of truck rollover crashes these days. And while they are fewer in number, the number of runaway truck crashes on mountain grades remain a problem. What's behind the increase isn't completely clear, but many believe it's a lack of driver training and understanding of vehicle dynamics. Brian Bullock, the founder Road-Aware Safety Systems, has been studying such crashes for years. He has a pretty good handle on the problem, and he's bringing a solution to the table. He joins HDT Equipment Editor Jim Park to discuss drivers' apparent lack of awareness of vehicle dynamics (and in some cases of proper and safe driving techniques), and to explain how to solve this problem. More About Preventing Vehicle-Dynamics Related Crashes Road-Aware's home page Mountain Driving 101 video series, featuring Equipment Editor Jim Park How a well-designed driver safety program will pay dividends

We are seeing a distressing increase in the number of truck rollover crashes these days. And while they are fewer in number, the number of runaway truck crashes on mountain grades remain a problem. What's behind the increase isn't completely clear, but many believe it's a lack of driver training and understanding of vehicle dynamics. Brian Bullock, the founder Road-Aware Safety Systems, has been studying such crashes for years. He has a pretty good handle on the problem, and he's bringing a solution to the table. He joins HDT Equipment Editor Jim Park to discuss drivers' apparent lack of awareness of vehicle dynamics (and in some cases of proper and safe driving techniques), and to explain how to solve this problem. 🏫 More About Preventing Vehicle-Dynamics Related Crashes Road-Aware's home page Mountain Driving 101 video series, featuring Equipment Editor Jim Park How a well-designed driver safety program will pay dividends

Truck driver log falsification violations can lead to out-of-service orders, fines, bad federal safety scores, failed DOT audits, civil penalties, even nuclear verdicts. What can motor carriers do? Log falsifications were the fourth most common driver-related violation discovered in roadside inspections from 2019 to 2023. And they’re the second most common violation discovered in compliance reviews of motor carriers. Brandon Wiseman, president of Trucksafe Consulting, explains why — and what trucking companies can do about it — in this episode of HDT Talks Trucking. Learn More About False Driver Logs and Hours of Service Violations Trucksafe: Controlling Driver Log Falsifications Personal Conveyance: Is it Worth It? 4 Ways to Know if Personal Conveyance is Being Used Correctly 5 Enforcement Metrics Fleets Should Monitor

Did you know that your fleet’s driver manuals and policies could become the detonator of a nuclear verdict against your trucking company? We’ll learn more about this plaintiffs’ attorney tactic from trucking attorney Doug Marcello in this episode of HDT Talks Trucking. This episode is sponsored by Scraper Systems Snow Removal by Rite Hite If you’re concerned about how to defend your company against aggressive plaintiffs’ attorneys who target trucking, you’ve probably heard of the “reptile theory.” But there’s another type of attack that has gotten less attention, and it means your safety manuals and policies could be a goldmine for them – and a landmine for you. HDT Editor & Associate Publisher Deborah Lockridge talks to Doug Marcello, longtime trucking attorney with Saxton & Stump, and chief legal officer for Bluewire, about what he calls the “Rules of the Road” tactic.

Microgrids, sometimes called distributed energy resources, are local sources of electricity operating separately from the utility grid. They typically produce electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar, but they can also be powered by hydro, natural gas, hydrogen, or even small modular nuclear reactors. This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Scraper Systems Joshua Goldman, vice president of E-mobility at microgrid and DER deployment advisor Xendee, says off-grid energy sources offer resiliency from power outages while helping to level the cost of electricity supplied by utility companies. Could a microgrid kickstart your transition from diesel to BEV? Watch this Episode of HDT Talks Trucking to Learn: More About Microgrids Microgrid Resources Coalition The National Renewable Energy Laboratory Xendee A. Duie Pyle’s microgrid Challenges of Charging Commercial Trucks

One Energy is an industrial power company and installer of on-site, behind-the-meter, wind energy systems. In early October, the company unveiled its first 30 megawatt battery-electric truck charging site. The site is fully developed, energized, and waiting for its first fleet customers in Findlay, Ohio. This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by: CAT Scale — Learn more about its ⁠⁠WeighMyTruck app.⁠⁠ And by ⁠⁠Scraper Systems⁠⁠ snow removal One Energy is a Utility 2.0 company. It sits between the consumer and the utility company, and because it's more agile than a utility, it can make this happen. Fast. One Energy went from shovels in the ground to flipping the proverbial switch, in just eight months. One Energy CEO Jereme Kent joins Jim Park to talk about the project, its potential and why he chose to build this facility in Findlay Ohio. In this episode: Learn more about electric trucks in HDT's Electric Truck Progress Report

Meet Sarah Cates. She's the rock-star safety director at Thomas E. Keller Trucking of Defiance, Ohio. Her bosses love her. Her drivers love her. And she's the recipient of HDT's 2023 Safety & Compliance award, sponsored by J.J. Keller & Associates. Cates has been the director of safety for only three years, but her success in totally transforming the company’s safety culture prompted not one, but two, of her colleagues to nominate her for the award. This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by: CAT Scale — Learn more about its ⁠WeighMyTruck app.⁠ And by ⁠Scraper Systems⁠ snow removal Cates transformed the safety culture at the company, implemented driver-facing, AI-based camera safety systems without losing any drivers, and slashed its crash indicator score. All that and more during a period when the company grew from 100 to 300 trucks. In this episode:

What can trucking fleets do now to transform their operations and be ready to take advantage of the next freight upturn? HDT's Deborah Lockridge talked to Tom McLeod about why this is the right time for a tune-up. This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by: CAT Scale — Learn more about its WeighMyTruck app. And by Scraper Systems snow removal When freight is slower, it's a great opportunity to work "on" your business rather than just "in" your business. Tom McLeod, founder and chief executive of McLeod Software, talks about ways to give your fleet a tune-up. “Once you really look at the numbers, you will almost always be surprised at what's in there, and that’s golden.” In this episode: Get educated on new technologies How software will be affected by electric and autonomous trucks Are you getting the most out of your software? Using data to improve your fleet's operations

Having a truck placed out of service during a roadside inspection means unhappy drivers and customers, truck downtime, expensive repairs, fines, and dings on your safety score. What if someone other than a DOT inspector had noticed the problem? This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Scraper Systems And by CAT Scale. Learn more about its WeighMyTruck app Listen to this episode of HDT Talks Trucking to learn how you can use same defect-detecting mindset that inspectors use. John Seidl is vice president of risk services at Reliance Partners, the owner of transportation consulting company Trucking Wins, and a former Wisconsin State Patrol roadside inspection officer. Links for more information: Reliance Partners Trucking Wins Safety Consulting 2023 North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria (Handbook & Pictorial) Why do Brake Defects Put so Many Trucks Out of Service? Behind the Scenes at a Weigh Station

Trucking has a parking problem. The number of trucks seeking parking exceeds the number of available spaces. Projections suggest the number of trucks requiring overnight parking will grow significantly in the coming years. The federal government has pledged close to $1 billion to develop additional truck parking. Will that be enough? Will those spaces come soon enough? This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Double Coin And by CAT Scale and its WeighMyTruck app. Jim Ward, president of the Truckload Carriers Association, joins HDT Equipment Editor Jim Park to discuss the scope of the problem, some potential solutions, and the thorny issue of paying for parking. Watch this Episode of HDT Talks Trucking to Learn: ATRI’s Research on Truck Parking Top 20 Dangerous Highway Ramp Spots For Truck Parking Commentary by Jim Park: Of Course Trucking Should Pay for Parking

Bison Transport is arguably the safest large fleet in North America. Bison has taken home the Truckload Carriers Association Grand Prize fleet safety award for large carrier fleets for 13 years in a row. The company has won top honors no less than 16 times in all. In this episode, you’ll meet one of the architects of Bison’s safety master plan, Garth Pitzel. This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Double Coin And by CAT Scale. Learn more about its WeighMyTruck app. Bison Transport is a big believer in leveraging technology to improve safety, but the real focus of the safety program is the driver. Garth says when fleets talk about protecting their assets most people are referring to the truck, the trailer, and the customer’s freight. “At Bison, we talk about protecting our people. When the driver makes it home safely from trip so does the truck, the trailer, and the customer’s freight.”

Trucking fleet owner John Vaccaro became a big believer in automatic emergency braking, dashcams, and other advanced safety systems after he nearly lost his business due to what could have been a so-called nuclear verdict. This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Double Coin. Are automatic emergency braking systems ready for prime time? As the comment period wraps up on the federal government’s proposal to make AEB mandatory, HDT Talks Trucking brings you Deborah Lockridge's interview with John Vaccaro of Bettaway. Topics in this episode include: Dig Deeper into AEB, ADAS, and Nuclear Verdicts How a Trucking Company Fought Back a Nuclear VerdictAre ADAS and AEB Finally Ready for Prime Time?How to Make Automatic Emergency Braking Right For Your Fleet

Understanding what your drivers are experiencing and how they feel about their jobs is critical to keeping them happy. Happy drivers tend to stay put. This episode is about the importance of opening up communication channels with your drivers – and keeping them open. This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Double Coin. Automated dispatch systems may be more efficient than direct two-way conversations, but they make the transaction impersonal. A few lines of text on a screen offer few clues about how the other party is feeling. The driver might be happy today, but ready to head for the door tomorrow. How will you ever know if you never actually talk to them? In this episode, Max Farrell, the CEO of Workhound, joins HDT’s Jim Park to discuss the importance of communication and keeping channels open to employees, including: Learn more about driver communication at HDT's Truckinginfo.com website: 3 Ways Fleets Can Improve Driver CommunicationsHow Cowan is More Efficiently Connecting Truck Drivers and DispatchersHow Fleets Can Benefit From Mobile Apps More from Workhound Why Driver Feedback is the Key to Driver Retention2023: Annual Trends Report

The softer freight market has made truck drivers more likely to seek greener pastures. What can fleets learn about recruiting and retention from job application data? This episode of HDT's Leadership Insights video podcast is produced in partnership with, and sponsored by, Tenstreet. Make driver communication more transparent, effective and easy at Tenstreet.com. HDT Editor and Associate Publisher Deborah Lockridge talks to Tenstreet founder Tim Crawford about what trends his company is seeing in job driver applications, with some advice on how to use that information for better driver recruiting and retention. 5 Ways Fleets Can Compete for Truck Drivers in a Tough Labor MarketDrivers: Hire Fewer, Keep MoreFrom the HDT Archives (2007): Recruiting In The Information Age

Today, clean diesels make up 57% of the commercial vehicle population. That’s nearly double where we were a decade ago. And it’s a 10% jump over this time last year. So what's going on? This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Double Coin. The march toward a low-carbon, low emission future has been slow and technically challenging. But we are making progress. The population of near-zero emissions diesel technology trucks continues to grow. Equipment Editor Jim Park talks with Allen Schaeffer, the executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum about the progress industry has made over the past 19 years to reduce emissions and improved the fuel efficiency of diesel engines. In This Episode: Diesel is no longer a dirty wordStates with the highest adoption of clean diesel technology Diesel surpasses 55% brake thermal efficiencyThe promise of SuperTruck: advancing clean diesel technologyAllen Schaeffer comments on the EMA/CARB agreement More About the Diesel Technology Forum https://dieselforum.org/ HDT's 2022 Newsmaker of the Year: The Internal Combustion Engine https://www.truckinginfo.com/10189508/newsmaker-of-the-year-the-internal-combustion-engine What Does the CARB Compromise Mean for Trucking? https://www.truckinginfo.com/10201924/what-does-carb-emissions-compromise-mean-for-trucking

At a time when fleet expansion is an iffy proposition, adding additional carrying capacity to your existing fleet can lower equipment costs, increase profits, and even help reduce your carbon footprint. This episode of HDT's Leadership Insights video podcast is sponsored by, and produced in partnership with Kinedyne. There are only so many square feet of floor space in a trailer, and some cargo just doesn’t take kindly to double-stacking. But there’s an easy way to double your floor space, as HDT's Jim Park learns in this conversation with Kinedyne’s Joe Vergeldedios. Vergeldedios is product segment manager for Kinedyne’s decking solutions line. His job is helping fleets unlock the potential of a truly full trailer. In this podcase, he and Jim will discuss how expanding capacity can increase profits and create an easier and safer work environment. Joe and Jim will also discuss which sectors show the greatest benefit from adding trailer capacity, look at pre-purchase considerations and talk system maintenance. Learn More About Maximizing Trailer Cargo Capacity: How Fleets Can Maximize Available Trailer CapacityKinedyne Adds Decking System Design to Increase Trailer Space

Where is the autonomous/self-driving truck industry today? How much longer will we have to wait for Level 4 to mature? What's the holdup? This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Double Coin. Autonomous or self-driving trucks have been with us for more than a decade, yet no company has yet placed a full Level-4 truck into regular revenue service without a human driver aboard. In the early days, few predicted it would take this long for self-driving technology to hit the road. HDT invited two industry pioneers to discuss the current state of heavy duty self-driving trucks. This episode features Joanna Buttler, head of Daimler Trucks’ Global Autonomous Technology Group, and Peter Vaughan Schmidt, CEO of Torc Robotics. Learn More About Autonomous Trucks: How Do Autonomous Trucks “See” the World?Autonomous Trucks Could Reshape How We Think About InsuranceNHTSA AV Safety