Overdrive

Voices 10 | Overdrive | July 2018 'Trucking: Never been better!' You might con- trast that headline, at the top of a blog post on independent W. Joel Baker's LearnToTruck.com website, with all the recent trade and consumer media headlines screaming bloody murder about a driver shortage. Few of them are with stories acknowledging the impact of the electronic logging device mandate (perhaps a sign of the American Trucking Associations' driver-shortage PR engine hard at work). Fact is, for Baker, the dou- ble-whammy of constraints on available hours all around trucking and an improving economy recently has deliv- ered profi tability in spades to his ELD-exempt operation. It's not that he doesn't recognize the diffi culty of sustain- ing income for owner-operators adjusting to the e-log en- vironment. He off ers thoughts on operational adjustments ELD users might be able to make, his own incidence of inspections in the run-up to the mandate, and much more. LISTEN ON OVERDRIVE RADIO Visit OverdriveOnline.com/overdriveradio to hear all the podcasts featured here and more from our weekly series. Alternately, subscribe to the podcast via iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Music or other podcasting app. The 'Amazon effect' and small-fl eet, owner-op opportunity This fi rst of two Overdrive Radio podcasts from the May Truck- stop.com "Connected" user conference in Dallas covers opportunities and dilemmas for brokers and small fl eets when it comes to the big A's eff ects in food and retail freight in particular, given the tightened delivery windows and lead times on loads. Small fl eets able to deliver on high service levels with brokers, noted Tucker Company Worldwide broker Jeff Tucker, stand a great chance to truly diff erentiate themselves from the competition in this restric- tive environment. Speaking of which, speakers delivered insights on post-ELD-mandate rate growth, economic conditions, the next downturn, automation in trucking and brokerage, and much more. Among them: Truckstop.com Chief Econ- omist Noel Perry and Stifel's John Larkin — and some cold water from trucker Brian Lock splashed on the overheated driver-shortage hype machine. Paid parking reservations a 'godsend' "For a single female driver to walk through the parking lot in the middle of the night because I either need the restroom or am leaving early" can be uncomfortable, depending on the location, says Clearlake, California-based owner-oper- ator Carolyn Carroll. "Now with the reserved parking," she says, "I am up front by the busy fuel aisles and no longer worry about my safety. Now that Flying J and Pilot have reserved parking, too, I am not worrying about where I will fi nd a parking space." Her seven-year tour in trucking includes team opera- tions, time as a company driver and leased. She's recently refi nanced a lease-ending balloon payment on her 2015 Freightliner Cascadia that she'll pay off in a couple of years. The 5-foot-4 owner-operator addresses the dynamics of be- ing a woman among a largely male-dominated profession. Trucker James Hewett was hauling in Phoenix on Buckeye Road nearing 67th Avenue on April 27 when another tractor-trailer made a sudden decision to turn right on red off 67th into his travel lane. Hewett's fast reaction saved a disaster, as shown in the video captured by his windshield cam. It's among the latest in Overdrive's Dashcam Central series featuring videos from readers' road cameras. Check it out and share your own clips, via OverdriveOnline.com/dashcamcentral. A TURN FOR THE WORSE

• Cover
• Good prep defuses Roadcheck worries.
• Pulse: Technology opens door for truck mayhem.
• Personal conveyance and “truck stop lawyers.”
• Bullying customer may be shipper of last resort.
• Traversing Georgia’s 190-mile parking desert.
• Freightliner debuts two electric trucks.
• Congress debates livestock/ag hours regulations.
• Bill would repeal excise tax on truck purchases.
• Payments may loom from fradulent services case.
• Brake inspection blitz set for September.
• Coverage from the 36th annual Shell Rotella SuperRigs.
• Hot pink 379 stays in the family.
• Reader Rigs: Heavy-hauling ’06 W900L; chromed-out 2000 379; ’16 Coronado glider carves its own path;’16 389 has Georgia power; Canadian reefer-hauling ’06 W900.
• EQUIPMENT SPOTLIGHT Dashcams.
• GEAR GUIDE Window deflector, tires, tape, more.
• FLEET NEWS Carriers still hiking driver pay.
• BETTER HEALTH Knowing risk factors for diabetes.
• TURNING POINT Overdrive’s Dashcam Central shows a trucker’s questionable right turn on red.
• Business: Company driver pay swelling in 2018 Company driver pay per mile surged in the first quarter of 2018 from a year ago, with the refrigerated sector leading the way, according to a survey of mid-size to large carriers.
• COVER STORY: Guaranteed pay Fleets are increasingly introducing plans that promise company drivers a minimum weekly pay. Find out what’s driving the trend and what it could mean for owner-operators.
• Guarding personal data Because of their constant traveling, truckers can be particularly vulnerable to financial loss and a trashed credit rating from identity theft. The resulting legal complications also can threaten their livelihood.
• Talent finalists headed for Dallas James Nelson, Mandi Jo Pinheiro and B.J. Williams will compete next month at The Great American Trucking Show in Dallas, where the drivers have been invited to participate in the Overdrive-Red Eye Radio Trucker Talent S
• Mix business, pleasure at GATS A new tailored driver recruitment matchup at the Great American Trucking Show joins established highlights such as Pride & Polish show trucks, live music, business seminars and health screenings.