Owner-op Jim Bardsley believes about the best thing that could happen to trucking, from perspectives of safety and so much more, is the spread of the brotherhood virus, a return of some semblance of honor to the hiring practices, follow-on training protocols and more in place today at carriers large and small. Bardsley, in this edition of Overdrive Radio, reflects on his three-decade-plus career and the years-long dormancy of the brotherhood virus, among other subjects covered, from ELDs, a 1980s Ford LTL9000 he's looking to restore and put into operation, and the beginning of the long wind-down into retirement.

Owner-op Jim Bardsley believes about the best thing that could happen to trucking, from perspectives of safety and so much more, is the spread of the brotherhood virus, a return of some semblance of honor to the hiring practices, follow-on training protocols and more in place today at carriers large and small. Bardsley, in this edition of Overdrive Radio, reflects on his three-decade-plus career and the years-long dormancy of the brotherhood virus, among other subjects covered, from ELDs, a 1980s Ford LTL9000 he's looking to restore and put into operation, and the beginning of the long wind-down into retirement.

A run through the mailbag with contrarians and true believers around the question of whether the ELD mandate has exacerbated parking issues around the nation. And: A little detail on an hours-enforcement-with-ELD situation that begged for officer leniency when none was to be had.

A run through the mailbag with contrarians and true believers around the question of whether the ELD mandate has exacerbated parking issues around the nation. And: A little detail on an hours-enforcement-with-ELD situation that begged for officer leniency when none was to be had.

No sooner did we receive word of an amendment proposed to the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill that seemed to be designed to grease the skids for some sort of regulatory hours of service action by the FMCSA than we heard the opposite, at least according to an aide to the amendment's sponsor, Arkansas Rep. Rick Crawford. Overdrive News Editor James Jaillet, TruckersNews.com Editor David Hollis and Overdrive Senior Editor Todd Dills talked about the amendment yesterday for the Overdrive Radio podcast on tap here today, ahead of the full audio of Hollis and Jaillet's interview with Administrator Ray Martinez at the Mid-America Trucking Show last month. When we queried Crawford's office to ask whether, as suspected, Crawford worked directly with FMCSA in crafting the amendment -- which would have removed a regulatory step for FMCSA in any hours of service proposed rulemaking -- his office noted the amendment would not ultimately be taken up and was slated for withdrawal. We're keeping an eye on that going forward, but for now, here's the podcast, interesting to hear for several reasons, chiefly as it gives a window directly into the new FMCSA administrator's thinking on his still quite new post, and just what he might be able to do if the agency wants to in fact thread the needle through divisions in opinion on views around the ELD mandate, hours of service and so much more, and make meaningful change.

No sooner did we receive word of an amendment proposed to the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill that seemed to be designed to grease the skids for some sort of regulatory hours of service action by the FMCSA than we heard the opposite, at least according to an aide to the amendment's sponsor, Arkansas Rep. Rick Crawford. Overdrive News Editor James Jaillet, TruckersNews.com Editor David Hollis and Overdrive Senior Editor Todd Dills talked about the amendment yesterday for the Overdrive Radio podcast on tap here today, ahead of the full audio of Hollis and Jaillet's interview with Administrator Ray Martinez at the Mid-America Trucking Show last month. When we queried Crawford's office to ask whether, as suspected, Crawford worked directly with FMCSA in crafting the amendment -- which would have removed a regulatory step for FMCSA in any hours of service proposed rulemaking -- his office noted the amendment would not ultimately be taken up and was slated for withdrawal. We're keeping an eye on that going forward, but for now, here's the podcast, interesting to hear for several reasons, chiefly as it gives a window directly into the new FMCSA administrator's thinking on his still quite new post, and just what he might be able to do if the agency wants to in fact thread the needle through divisions in opinion on views around the ELD mandate, hours of service and so much more, and make meaningful change.

The last of three separate seminars at the Mid-America Trucking Show conducted by Sirius XM radio host and owner-op coach/consultant Kevin Rutherford was billed to focus on surviving the first year under your own authority as an owner-op. Rutherford in recent years has pushed the idea that owner-operators with authority pursuing relationships with brokers to move freight could make for the most efficient models in trucking, as long as all parties are honest with each other. As any regular reader will know, that's not always the case when we're talking about brokerages -- and the same can be said about some trucking companies large and small, for that matter, as plenty decent brokers emphasize in conversation. Too many, Rutherford emphasizes, shoot themselves in the foot with a view of a freight broker they're working with as at best a necessary evil, as something less than their central customer. For an owner-operator in business as a motor carrier with authority and working primarily with brokers, those brokers are the customer because they're the people paying you for your business' service, Rutherford emphasizes.

The last of three separate seminars at the Mid-America Trucking Show conducted by Sirius XM radio host and owner-op coach/consultant Kevin Rutherford was billed to focus on surviving the first year under your own authority as an owner-op. Rutherford in recent years has pushed the idea that owner-operators with authority pursuing relationships with brokers to move freight could make for the most efficient models in trucking, as long as all parties are honest with each other. As any regular reader will know, that's not always the case when we're talking about brokerages -- and the same can be said about some trucking companies large and small, for that matter, as plenty decent brokers emphasize in conversation. Too many, Rutherford emphasizes, shoot themselves in the foot with a view of a freight broker they're working with as at best a necessary evil, as something less than their central customer. For an owner-operator in business as a motor carrier with authority and working primarily with brokers, those brokers are the customer because they're the people paying you for your business' service, Rutherford emphasizes.

When they booked a load going from one Amazon warehouse in Las Vegas to another in Edwardsville, Ill., Gary and Ondena Caraway had some indications all would not be well for the couple's van trailer on the other end. Problem is, they missed the fine-print indication on the load listing that 12-48 hours would be required for unload. When that 48 hours turned into a week.... Well, let's just say they were not happy. The Caraways' story is this week's Overdrive Radio edition.

When they booked a load going from one Amazon warehouse in Las Vegas to another in Edwardsville, Ill., Gary and Ondena Caraway had some indications all would not be well for the couple's van trailer on the other end. Problem is, they missed the fine-print indication on the load listing that 12-48 hours would be required for unload. When that 48 hours turned into a week.... Well, let's just say they were not happy. The Caraways' story is this week's Overdrive Radio edition.