Overdrive

Voices 4 | Overdrive | July 2017 A Houston-based owner-operator summed up the grim reality of trucking today. Put together the hours of service rule, a coming mandate for most truckers to use electronic logging devices, the problems of detention and parking and poor options for freight that pays well, he said, and for his bottom line, it's "not adding up." The latest development in his list of woes was the U.S. Supreme Court's official denial last month of the appeal made by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association for it to throw out the ELD rule. With that, mandate opponents' attention turned to the Trump administration and, more closely, Congress. Many opponents are planning to take a more visible approach to getting the ear of policymakers in Washington, D.C.: a trucker protest in the Capital. An "ELD or Me" demonstration is being organized in part by Ohio-based owner-operator Scott Reed and driver-songwriter Tony Justice, who created and moderates the "ELD or me" Facebook group, which has some 13,000 members. Organizers have picked Oct. 3-7 for an event near the White House. Reed and others are working on logis- tics for lodging, staging sites outside of the city for trucks and the like — all in hopes of getting the Trump administration's attention. OOIDA, which spearheaded the lawsuit, said it would continue to press the issue in Congress and is encouraging members to call their representatives and voice their con- cerns. The American Trucking Associa- tions, meanwhile, said it concurred with the Supreme Court's decision. Ohio-based small fleet owner and OOIDA board member Monte Wiederhold said Congress "is all we have left" to bring about a repeal. OOIDA spokesperson Norita Taylor urged members to "reach out to their lawmakers on this and other issues that affect them as small businesses." On that front, said Wiederhold the day after the Supreme Court's news, "I'm off to [Ohio Sen.] Sherrod Brown's office in Cincinnati to meet with the state deputy director and Southwest Ohio district manager. However, some industry observers say the issue is likely a nonstarter with lawmakers. Five years ago, a Republican-led Congress required the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to develop the ELD mandate, which also has bipartisan support from Democrats. "I believe this is 'game, set, match,' " said Joe Rajkovacz, head of regulatory affairs for the Western States Trucking Associations and a former owner-operator. WSTA "has moved to making sure our members are educated on this issue, and we're encouraging them to not wait until the last minute." Some Overdrive readers, too, were more resigned to the mandate but held hope for positive change of some kind. "I hope we can now get paid by the hour," wrote Helen Corbett in her commentary, via Overdrive's Facebook page, under the court news. "I believe it is time we do like Thomas Jefferson wrote about — the people of the United States take back the govern- ment from the government." One reader urged others to give up the mandate fight and focus on just where he believed the core problem lay: "Let's work on getting the 14-hour clock to stop — the real problem." Robinette Benton agreed. Following ELDs are not the cure DOT hopes for. — Victor J. Parry, commenting under news of the Supreme Court's denial of a re-hearing for OOIDA's ELD challenge, via OverdriveOnline.com ELD Plan B: Congress, Trump, protest

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• COVER STORY: Jump start The electrified truck concept has taken on a real life, with players large and small vying for future shares of the Class 8 market. It’s not only large fleets that are placing orders.
• Presenting logs at roadside Running with an e-logs device is one thing. Communicating e-log data to an inspector is quite another. With five months to go, states’ data transfer plans vary widely, and an ambitious federal program remains untested.
• Broker ratings Not only have the internet and mobile technology made finding loads quicker and easier than ever, those same resources also can provide more in-depth, current information on broker performance.
• Drive Test: Best of both worlds Volvo’s regional workhorse tractor, the VNM, having been on the market for more than two decades, was overdue for a refresh. But Volvo designers did much more than modernize its body lines in producing th
• Options few after ELD challenge stalls.
• Pulse: “The real problem” with ELDs.
• Another reason shippers should deal direct.
• Reader majority opposes hair-sample testing.
• Obama-era contractor status memo rescinded.
• Trucker Talent Search finalists headed for Dallas.
• FMCSA study to assess split sleeper options.
• GATS to showcase free music and famous trucks.
• “Service and sacrifice” ’88 Freightliner COE.
• Owner-operator’s self-built “RisslerBilt” 379.
• “88 Mike” Morgan earns first Bandit Series win.
• Reader Rigs: ’13 T800 a stainless dream; ’90 K100 a farming COE; salute “The General” ’17 W900L Icon; ’96 W900L pretty in pink; respect “Big Tex” ’15 122SD; ’02 W900L goes by “Black Betty.”
• BUSINESS Log data might not cover IFTA, IRP.
• Gear Guide All-position tire, mudflap, locks, more.
• FLEET NEWS Decker’s Driver of the Year gets Harley.
• 5 APPS FOR THAT Podcast players for on-the-road listening.
• TWO-BUCK TRUCKERS Wendy Parker backs a driver’s plan to highlight trucking issues and show the general public how much the industry contributes to the economy.