Month: November 2025

Seatbelts are coming apart — check the braided cable by the seat frame now. 🚨

Heads up: there have been multiple reports of the steel braided cable that connects the seatbelt to the seat frame fraying or straight-up breaking. That’s not just a frayed strap — that’s your belt losing its connection to the truck. 👀

Why you should care:

• 🔍 Safety risk — a broken anchor means the belt might not hold you in a crash.
• 🛑 Roadside trouble — inspectors will notice frayed or broken hardware; could lead to citations or being placed out of service.
• 💸 Pay and downtime — getting pulled, fixed, and documented eats into your schedule and wallet.

What to do on your next pre-trip:

• 🔎 Visually inspect the braided cable where the belt meets the seat frame for loose wires, rust, or broken strands.
• ✋ Give the belt a firm tug and check for secure anchoring — if it moves unusually or feels loose, tag it out.
• 📸 Document any damage (photos & notes) and report to maintenance immediately.
• 🛠️ Don’t jury-rig it with tape or zip-ties — get a proper replacement or qualified repair before you run.

If your belt’s anchor is compromised, don’t roll. Tell dispatch/maintenance, get it fixed, and keep receipts or repair orders — they’ll help with inspections and payroll issues.

Stay sharp out there — a small frayed cable can cost you big. 💪

Share your take or tell us if you’ve seen this on your rig. 🚚

#Trucking #Safety #PreTrip #Seatbelt

Pay’s the headline — drivers picked compensation as the #1 worry for 2025.

ATRI’s annual survey of drivers and industry folks says what a lot of us already know: money is the top concern. Company guys, owner-ops and solo drivers all put compensation above safety rules, detention, and even equipment issues. 💸🚚

Why this matters on the road: when pay’s tight, carriers struggle to keep drivers, lanes get bumpy, and freight moves slower. That can push rates around — some lanes go up because capacity dries out, while others get flooded with drivers chasing a few high-paying runs. The result? Unpredictable miles and inconsistent weekly pay. 📉📈

Other impacts to watch for:

• 💰 Driver retention — higher turnover means more short, fast lanes and less chance for steady regional work.
• ⛽️ Cost pressures — fuel and maintenance still bite into take-home pay, so gross pay doesn’t always equal what you get in your pocket.
• 🧾 Pay structure — percentage, mileage, hourly, stop-pay and detention make a big difference. Know which one you’re on.
• 🔍 Recruiting moves — carriers may promise better pay or bonuses to fill seats; read the fine print.

Simple moves you can make right now:

• 📝 Track your true pay per hour (include waiting, inspections, fuel stops) so you can compare lanes and offers.
• 🗣️ Negotiate for accessorials — detention, layovers, drops, and fuel surcharges add up.
• 🔧 Keep maintenance tight — fewer breakdowns = less unpaid downtime and fewer surprise deductions.
• 📲 Talk to your dispatcher — ask for consistent lanes or higher-paying runs if you want steady cash.

Bottom line: compensation topping ATRI’s list isn’t just a headline — it affects what lanes pay, how much time you spend waiting, and whether drivers stick around. Keep your numbers, know your pay structure, and don’t be shy about asking for what you’re worth. 💪

Share your take — what’s your biggest pay gripe? Know this before your next haul.

#Truckers #DriverPay #TruckingNews

Think driverless taxis in San Francisco won’t affect you? Think again. 🤖🚚

Uber’s stepping up its game — testing self-driving taxis in San Francisco to go after Alphabet’s Waymo, and road testing is already underway. That sounds like a passenger story, but when autonomous vehicles multiply in busy cities, truckers feel it too.

What this means for drivers:

• 🚦 More cautious traffic and new curb rules — expect changes to pickup/drop zones and increased congestion in city lanes during testing and rollout. That can slow local deliveries and complicate tight windows.
• 🛠️ New inspections & rules — cities rolling out AV programs tend to add new safety requirements and sensor checks. Regulators get used to policing autonomous fleets and may widen rules that affect commercial vehicles.
• ⚙️ Tech spillover — V2X, more cameras, geofenced zones and data-sharing rules could show up at weigh stations and terminals. Keep your records and dash cams ready.
• 💰 Long game for freight rates — autonomous passenger cars don’t drop truck rates overnight, but they speed up the move toward automated freight. More capacity later could push rates down; short-term, expect lane and last-mile shakeups.
• 👷‍♂️ Jobs & timelines — driver shortage isn’t going away fast, so don’t expect immediate mass layoffs. Still, this tech nudges the industry toward automation; staying skilled and adaptable matters.

Quick tips for the road: keep extra time for city pickups, watch for new curb and no-parking signs, document delays, and stay aware of new enforcement in AV test areas. 📸📝

Stay sharp out there — this tech is coming whether you like it or not. Share your take or what you’ve seen on the streets.

#AutonomousVehicles #Trucking #RoadSafety #Freight

Big money’s headed to U.S. shipyards — and that could mean more work (and headaches) for truckers.⚓️🚛

South Korea just pledged to pump massive cash into U.S. industry: $150 billion for shipbuilding here plus another $200 billion in cash investments. That’s a lot of steel, engines, modules and parts that need hauling and handling — and truck drivers are the last-mile backbone of that shuffle.

Here’s what this could mean for you on the road:

• ⚙️ More heavy haul and oversize loads — ship modules and engines don’t ride in a dry van. Expect demand for heavy equipment haulers and escorts to pick up near big shipyards.
• 🏗️ Local work spikes at shipbuilding hubs — Gulf Coast, East Coast and Great Lakes yards could see more containers, flatbeds and specialized moves. More loads = more opportunities for owner-ops and local drivers.
• ⛽ Fuel and routing impacts — more concentrated freight near ports and yards can raise fuel use and cause routing headaches. Plan for more stop-and-go and potential congestion at marine terminals.
• 📈 Pressure on rates and capacity — if demand outpaces truck availability, short-term rates on drayage and specialized lanes could climb. Keep an eye on spot markets around port cities.
• 🛠️ More parts movement and supplier work — factories and supply chains supporting the build could create midwest-to-coast lanes carrying steel, electronics and components.
• 🧾 Inspections & compliance — more heavy/oversize loads mean more permits, escorts and inspection stops. Make sure your paperwork and equipment are ready.

Bottom line: big foreign investment in U.S. shipbuilding is good news for freight volume and jobs, but it also brings congestion, more specialized hauling needs, and opportunities to make extra rounds if you’re set up for heavy or port work. 💰

Share your take — Know this before your next haul.

#TruckingNews #HeavyHaul #Ports #Shipbuilding

Big EV plant planned for Georgia — truckers, this matters. 🚚⚡

The company’s CFO, Claire McDonough, says construction on a new Georgia factory should kick off next year, and the company plans to seek reimbursement from a Department of Energy loan once the plant is finished. That means federal money is in the picture and this project is moving beyond the drawing board.

What that could mean for us on the road:

• ⚙️ New trucks and gear: If this maker moves into production, expect more commercial EV rigs down the road — think different maintenance, batteries, and new dealer networks.
• 🛠 Jobs and local work: Factory construction and later service centers could mean more local driving or technician gigs around Georgia and nearby lanes.
• 🔌 Charging and infrastructure: More factory production usually pushes investment in chargers and service hubs — good news for long-haul EV viability, but timelines can lag.
• 💸 Pay and freight shifts: Fleets buying EVs may reshuffle routes, fuel costs, and pay structures. Keep an eye on your lanes and dispatcher changes.
• ⏳ Timeline caution: Construction next year sounds solid, but DOE reimbursement is after completion — so don’t expect a flood of EV trucks overnight.

Bottom line: this is a step toward more EV presence in trucking, but it’s a process. If you’re thinking about switching or want to follow new lanes and jobs, start asking fleets and mechanics about training, charging access, and pay adjustments now. 🔍

Share your take — or know this before your next haul. 🚛

#EVTrucks #Truckers #Freight #Georgia

Think robo-cars are going to cruise our roads empty? Not so fast. 🚗🤖

A local ordinance now on the table would only let autonomous cars run if a human “safety operator” is sitting in the vehicle and ready to take over. Translation: no unattended driverless cars rolling down the highway — someone’s got to be behind the controls and able to intervene. 🛑

Why truckers should care:

• Less mystery on the road: A human onboard usually means the AV will act more predictably than a fully driverless vehicle — fewer weird lane changes or surprise stops when you’re running a tight schedule. 👍
• Last-mile and urban lanes: This mostly affects city delivery vehicles and passenger shuttles, not long-haul rigs — but expect more of these human-supervised AVs in congested areas and pickup/drop zones where you do local work. 🚚➡️🏙️
• Enforcement and liability: Cops and DOT inspectors now have a clearer target — the operator — so stops or incidents involving AVs are less of a legal grey area. That could speed up incident resolution but also mean more paperwork if you’re involved. ⚖️📋
• Job angle: For drivers worried about autonomous tech taking rides — this keeps some human roles in play, at least for now. Not a shutdown of trucking jobs, but it’s a reminder the industry’s changing. 💼

Quick driving tips around human-supervised AVs:

• Give them room — operators might be trainees and the vehicle can behave cautiously. 🧑‍✈️
• Watch pickup/drop areas in cities — you’ll see more of these vehicles stopping and loading. 🚦
• If you get into an incident, ask whether there was an onboard operator — it matters for reports and liability. 📝

Bottom line: this ordinance slows the march to fully unattended cars and keeps a person in the loop — good for predictability and legal clarity, and something to keep an eye on if you run local lanes or do city pickups. 👀

Know this before your next haul. Share your take.

#AutonomousVehicles #Truckers #RoadSafety