In The News
Top Five EO Articles of 2022
It wouldn't be the end of a year, and the dawning of a new one, without looking back on some type of countdown. Right? Casey Kasem may have been the one to popularize the idea of a countdown format as we know and love it today, but without looking back in recollection of where we once were a mere twelve months ago, how will we know what to look forward to in the new year?
Presenting, in no particular order, the top five ExpeditersOnline.com articles of 2022!
Without truckers we wouldn’t get the food, clothes, or medicines we need. We, as a society, would be left trying to fend for ourselves just to find ways to feed and clothe our families. Or the nurses, doctors, and medical professionals we trust would be left without vital medicines and medical equipment necessary for us general population folks to maintain a healthy way of life.
“Thank you” is certainly not enough.
Military Vets Can Find Work As Truck Drivers
Now, you can add military veterans to the list of potential truck driving hopefuls thanks to the Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training (CMVOST) grant program.
The CMVOST grant program is being funded by a $3.1 million award from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) through the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), and the grants are part of the Biden-Harris administration’s trillion-dollar Trucking Action Plan (TAP), which had been announced earlier this year.
Finally, it appears as though someone is willing to step up to the plate and take a healthy cut on behalf of the American trucker. On April 14th, U.S. Rep. Andy Levin of Michigan introduced legislation for commercial drivers called the Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act. Whether this swing is going to connect, remains to be seen. However, if solid contact is made, this act could turn into a homerun for truck drivers across the country.
Choosing the Right Fleet Owner
For a trucker who’s making the move from traditional company driver to becoming an independent contractor, there are a lot of things to consider when taking that leap. Besides the obvious switch from being a direct employee of a company, to transforming into a 1099 independent contractor who must furnish one’s own benefits, here are some items to jot down on a pros/cons list when taking the plunge.
Driver Treatment, An Underlying Issue
In today’s volatile employment economy - the same atmosphere many of us are accustomed to traversing on a daily basis - it’s not out of the realm of possibility that we all have experienced similar plights and pitfalls to what our country’s drivers are frequently facing day-in and day-out.
Driver treatment is something that we should all be more aware of. Especially when it comes to the notion that there are increasingly less drivers to pluck from the trucking pool, and it seems many are deciding to forgo wading into the frigid waters of transportation and logistics altogether.
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As we embark upon this new year together let us recall the progress we’ve made over the previous twelve months. There will undoubtedly be difficulties ahead as we forge into the new year but knowing where we once stood can certainly help us maneuver any future potential pitfalls more graciously.