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

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:

More from Workhound

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.

From 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?

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:

More About the Diesel Technology Forum

https://dieselforum.org/

HDT's 2022 Newsmaker of the Year: The Internal Combustion

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.

Learn More About Maximizing Trailer Cargo Capacity:

Where is the autonomous/self-driving truck industry today? How

This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Double Coin.

Autonomous or self-driving trucks have been with us for more than a

HDT invited two industry pioneers to discuss the current state of heavy

Learn More About Autonomous Trucks:

It’s easy enough to buy a battery-electric truck, but fleets are being forced to wait up to two years for their chargers. Site design, permitting, and construction take forever.

More About Charging Infrastructure

Challenges of Charging Commercial Trucks

NACFE Guidance Report on Charging Infrastructure for Battery-Electric Vehicles

The Rush to Battery-Electric Trucks: Putting the Cart Before the Horse