The 10-44

With more than 39 million U.S. residents having already been fully vaccinated, trucking is having a hard time just finding its place in line. This week on The 10-44, we talk to Kristy Hedrick, VP of human resources for the North Carolina-based Cargo Transporters, which employs about 500 drivers, about their push to help their drivers get vaccinated. The fleet has partnered with a local hospital to provide access for drivers to the COVID vaccine. That includes finding time in their schedule to get them to the carrier's Claremont, N.C., headquarters – twice in four weeks, given that the vaccine is a double-dose shot – and helping inform and educate drivers about the vaccine. To catch The 10-44 each week, subscribe to CCJ's YouTube channel, or subscribe to The 10-44 podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn and Pocket Casts. Hit us with questions, comments and criticism at 404-491-1380 or 1044trucking@gmail.com.

CCJ this week published a three-part series on DFP maintenance, each of which examining a unique approach to methods that can improve aftertreatment lifecycle costs. In this episode of The 10-44, we talk best practices around DPF maintenance and care, engine oil additives and analysis, and more with Paul Cigala, commercial vehicle application engineer at Exxon Mobil. To catch The 10-44 each week, subscribe to CCJ's YouTube channel, or subscribe to The 10-44 podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn and Pocket Casts. Hit us with questions, comments and criticism at 404-491-1380 or 1044trucking@gmail.com.

This week on The 10-44 – With tens of millions of doses already delivered and millions of doses waiting in the wings for delivery, we reached out to a few industry onlookers to see what the process of hauling COVID-19 vaccine loads has looked like so far -- and how the process might change with potentially hundreds of millions of doses slated for delivery and administration in the coming months. To catch The 10-44 each week, subscribe to CCJ's YouTube channel, or subscribe to The 10-44 podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn and Pocket Casts. Hit us with questions, comments and criticism at 404-491-1380 or 1044trucking@gmail.com

After 8 years on the road, Kenworth's T680 gets an aero and technology makeover. Jason gets us up close with Kenworth's new on-highway flagship and takes the truck for a 100-mile lap in Washington state. We'll hear his thoughts on the overhauled T680's design and features and get a walk-around from Kenworth reps. To catch The 10-44 each week, subscribe to CCJ's YouTube channel, or subscribe to The 10-44 podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn and Pocket Casts. Hit us with questions, comments and criticism at 404-491-1380 or 1044trucking@gmail.com.

UPS will sell off its UPS Freight division, the company's LTL and truckload venture that it purchased for $1.2 billion just 15 years ago. It sold the division to TFI for $400 million less than it paid for it. Why? This week, The 10-44 examines a few reasons behind UPS' decision and examines a few of the particulars of the deal with Canadian conglomerate TFI. To catch The 10-44 each week, subscribe to CCJ's YouTube channel, or subscribe to The 10-44 podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn and Pocket Casts. Hit us with questions, comments and criticism at 404-491-1380 or 1044trucking@gmail.com.

Nearly five months after announcing plans to tie up with Nikola Motor Company – a deal that ultimately unraveled amid an investor's report claiming widespread fraud that preceded Trevor Milton stepping down from the company he founded – General Motors said Wednesday it plans to collaborate with Navistar on a fuel cell electric vehicle. In this episode of The 10-44, we talk with Chad Kirchner, editor in chief of EVpulse.com, about his experiences behind the wheel of hydrogen-powered vehicles, his thoughts in pricing and viability, his take on hydrogen vs. battery-powered vehicles – and how it all might translate to the heavy-duty, Class 8 truck space. To catch The 10-44 each week, subscribe to CCJ's YouTube channel, or subscribe to The 10-44 podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn and Pocket Casts. Hit us with questions, comments and criticism at 404-491-1380 or 1044trucking@gmail.com.

This week, the dynamics in Washington changed in a big way, both in Congress and in the halls of the U.S. DOT. In this episode of The 10-44, we explore what those changes mean for trucking. While regs like speed limiters, sleep apnea screening and new rounds of emissions restrictions might be back in the cards, so too might an appetite for boosting highway funding. Also look for action on returning CSA scores to public view, a well, and a changing landscape nationally on labor laws. To catch The 10-44 each week, subscribe to CCJ's YouTube channel, or subscribe to The 10-44 podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn and Pocket Casts. Hit us with questions, comments and criticism at 404-491-1380 or 1044trucking@gmail.com.

Malware, ransomeware and other types of cyberattacks pose a major threat to fleets if they're exposed. In this episode of The 10-44, we talk to fleets who've faced and beat malware attacks, as well as other cybersecurity experts, about steps fleets can take to shore up their operations against cybercriminals. Featured in this episode: Kevin Linardic of Carrier Logistics; Chris DeMillo and Mike Riccio of Leonard's Express; and Chris Wolfe and Luis Rodriguez of PowerFleet. To catch The 10-44 each week, subscribe to CCJ's YouTube channel, or subscribe to The 10-44 podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn and Pocket Casts. Hit us with questions, comments and criticism at 404-491-1380 or 1044trucking@gmail.com. Stories from this episode: https://www.ccjdigital.com/14972876

This week on The 10-44: Jason offers insights into potential trucking regulations on President-elect Joe Biden's early chopping block and breaks down why break downs are costing fleets more. To catch The 10-44 each week, subscribe to CCJ's YouTube channel, or subscribe to The 10-44 podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn and Pocket Casts. Hit us with questions, comments and criticism at 404-491-1380 or 1044trucking@gmail.com. Stories mentioned in this episode: The trucking regs on Biden's potential chopping block: https://www.ccjdigital.com/ccj-daily-dispatch-jan-5-pending-independent-contractor-ruling-under-21-pilot-program-could-be-halted-by-biden Truck repair costs hit record high in 2020: https://www.ccjdigital.com/cost-of-truck-repair-hits-record-high-in-2020-miles-between-breakdown-fall

The 10-44 rewinds a wild and turbulent year. As the curtain falls on 2020, CCJ editors compiled a look back at some of the top trucking headlines from the year. Think we missed something? Shoot us a note: jamesj@ccjdigital.com and jasoncannon@ccjdigital.com. Stories from this episode: CCJ's 2020 recap: https://www.ccjdigital.com/trucking-trends-in-2020/ HOS refresher: https://www.ccjdigital.com/new-hours-of-service-rule-takes-effect-in-just-two-weeks/ 2020 test drives: https://www.ccjdigital.com/2020-in-the-rearview-a-year-of-ccj-test-drives/ Trucking's PPP haul: https://www.ccjdigital.com/trucking-secures-billions-government-ppp-loans/ Broker blues: https://www.ccjdigital.com/carriers-brokers-rates-coronavirus-spot-market Driver hiring and coaching in the pandemic: https://www.ccjdigital.com/new-tech-helping-fleets-remotely-train-coach-drivers/ Contactless solutions on the rise: https://www.ccjdigital.com/digital-strategies-fleets-predicted-to-expand-2021/

This week on The 10-44: Amid the holiday shipping crunch, major truck fleets like UPS, FedEx, Boyles Transportation and others squeeze in vaccine loads. A report from McLeod Software gives the skinny – or bloated? – on brokers' margins in the wild freight year that was. Lastly: Speeding's greetings? Speeding season? ELDs say drivers have logged more miles this year, due partially to a big uptick in speeding instances. (Quick programming note: The 10-44 takes a break next week for the Christmas holiday, but will return the week after for a year-end recap.) Hit us up with comments, questions and criticisms: 1044trucking@gmail.com, 404-491-1380. Stories mentioned in this episode: Major fleets make room for vaccine hauls: https://www.ccjdigital.com/ups-fedex-covid-vaccine/ Brokers' margins report: https://www.ccjdigital.com/2020-data-more-bust-than-boom-for-freight-brokers/ Speeding off….: https://www.ccjdigital.com/fleets-drivers-speeding-2020-holiday-freight/

This week on The 10-44: Will gifts arrive in time for Santa Claus to make Christmas Eve deliveries? A supply chain flooded with surging e-commerce demand is causing a crunch at United States Postal Service facilities across the country. With UPS and FedEx capacity maxed out, USPS is picking up the dramatic swell of parcel delivery. That's led to reports of drivers servicing USPS loads having to wait in day-long lines, sometimes as long as 15 hours, to drop off or pick up loads. Our guest on the show this week, Carson Krieg, co-founder and director of carrier operations at Convey, dives into how we got here and how these issues play out in the weeks leading up to Christmas and in the subsequent so-called "return season," which could prolong the jammed up parcel delivery space. Also, Jason answers questions surrounding his recent coverage of a fast-approaching mandate that implements new components for brakes on Class 8 trucks. Are there safety concerns? Won't dust from the new components run off into local water systems, too? Lastly, a shout-out to Apex Transportation and drivers Butch Hanna and Theron Schmalzried, who hauled a 55-foot Engelmann Spruce from the GMUG National Forest in Colorado to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., behind a specially wrapped Kenworth T680. Stories mentioned in this episode: Looming mandate will impact composition of brake friction material: https://www.ccjdigital.com/copper-free-brake-initiative/ Reported wait times at USPS facilities: Truck drivers report 15-hour wait times at post offices: USPS delivery problems reported in Richmond amid holiday shipping rush: ‘It's cram time now': https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/richmond/usps-delivery-problems-reported-in-richmond-amid-holiday-shipping-rush-its-cram-time-now/ USPS says the holidays plus the pandemic add up to delays: https://news.yahoo.com/usps-says-holidays-plus-pandemic-223342968.html

This week on The 10-44: Tens of millions of doses of COVID vaccines might be distributed over the next month, as well as necessary loads of gloves, swabs, syringes and more. Could that cause rates to spike across the board? Plus: Serious or joking? OOIDA's Todd Spencer asks Biden to consider him for FMCSA boss. Lastly, will he or won't he? Trevor Milton can now legally dump his Nikola shares — just as the company's stock price tanks.

This week in The 10-44: The surveys says… We dive into the results from this year's What Drivers Want survey and find out whether drivers prefer new seats or a new truck. Also: Drivers sound off on stressors around money, retirement and respect. In the mailbag: Why sign-on bonuses can be self-defeating. Finally, watch this trucker maul a boulder. Stories from this episode: https://www.ccjdigital.com/what-do-truck-drivers-want-survey-results/

This week in The 10-44: Jason test drives the new Western Star 49X and gives us his early impressions. Answering readers' questions: What might a Biden presidency mean for regulations like HOS and emissions? Plus: Could VW's acquisition of Navistar usher in a new era of cabovers in the U.S.? Stories mentioned in The 10-44 — Episode 5: Biden and truck emissions -- an early take: https://www.ccjdigital.com/bidens-emissions-plan-lacks-fuel-cell-tech/ Western Star 49X test drive: https://www.ccjdigital.com/test-drive-western-stars-all-new-49x/ Check out the 2020 Five Flashiest Fleets: https://www.ccjdigital.com/honoring-ccj-five-flashiest-fleets-2020/ Navistar, Traton officially ink acquisition deal: https://www.ccjdigital.com/volkswagen-traton-agree-to-buyout/