All motor carriers unfortunately deal with the concern of crashes and how to prevent them. Industry can sometimes be challenged with how best to assess preventability when evaluating crashes, and some wonder whether they even should be making these assessments given the litigious environment in trucking today. FMCSA has understood the value and necessity of preventability by establishing their Crash Preventability Determination Program and through its safety rating process. Bert Mayo and David O’Neal join the TN Truck Thought Podcast to discuss preventability from a safety, government, and ins ..read more

About the Podcast:  The independent contractor model is under scrutiny again. The wage and hour division issued a final rule modifying the analysis it uses to determine employee and independent contractor classification under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Greg Feary and Chris Gulker join the TN Truck Thought Podcast to discuss the implications of this act and how Independent Contractors should respond. Topics include:      •  DOL Rule Clarifications      •  The Power of Negotiation      •  Navigating Government Regulations &nbs ..read more

 About the Podcast:  Bert Mayo returns to the TN Truck Thought Podcast to flip the script on Sean and Steve and get their predictions on trucking-related legislation, regulations, and related actions for 2024. They consider the implications of an election year and the political climate, as well as other factors when making their predictions for what progress, or lack thereof, they expect to see and the impact it will have on motor carriers, drivers, and independent contractors.  Topics include:     - Bipartisan Infrastructure Law     - Drug and Al ..read more

 In the FAST Act, signed into law in late 2015, Congress acted by instructing the FMCSA to establish the Beyond Compliance Program in response to trucking community interest. The Beyond Compliance program, which has been implemented in various ways in the US (in other transportation modes and EPA) and globally, reflects a recognition that safety measures should not solely be confined to regulatory mandates. FMCSA has yet to act on the direction of Congress, but there has been a recent resurgence in interest for FMCSA to announce its plan of action for implementing the program.  Indu ..read more

 About the Podcast:  The American Trucking Research Institute (ATRI) releases an annual report on critical issues in the trucking industry. This report is based on a survey from industry practitioners to determine the most important issues they face. At the American Trucking Associations Management Conference and Exhibition event, the top five issues in this year’s report were released:       • The economy       • Truck Parking        • Fuel Prices       • Driver Shortage       • Driver Compensation As ..read more

About the Podcast:  One of the major challenges facing the FMCSA is the growing scale of the trucking industry. With hundreds of thousands of carriers operating millions of vehicles across the United States, conducting thorough inspections on each one is an impossible task. Currently, FMCSA is only able to inspect a fraction of the vehicles, leading to concerns about the effectiveness of their enforcement programs. However, it's important to note that inspections are just one part of the equation. Industry specialists featured in this discussion:    • Host, P. Sean Garney, Co ..read more

Is A Captive the Right Insurance Solution for You?   Dan Cook, Practice Leader at TrueNorth, emphasizes the importance of knowing if your company will benefit from an insurance captive. With the ongoing hurdles in the transportation industry such as labor shortage, high inflation, and un-predictable freight rates, it is hard to stay competitive in this market. The group discusses the different types of captives such as single-parent, group, and heterogenous captives. Industry specialists featured in this discussion:     • Host, P. Sean Garney, Co-Director at Scopelitis Transport ..read more

Independent Contractors have been under scrutiny from law and policy makers, an ongoing theme since 2017. Will Hart, owner-operator at Dart Transportation, shares his personal experience as an independent contractor and how these legislative decisions impact him and his family. Accompanied by Bill Webb, Executive Director of Truckers Service Association, and leader of the coalition for independent contractors, emphasizes the importance of giving these drivers a platform to share their own story, and have their voice heard. Industry specialists featured in this discussion:    • Host ..read more

About the Podcast:  Public comments on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's proposed changes to the Compliance, Safety, Accountability program closed on May 16. Some major themes stuck out in the comments, and this episode takes a deep dive into those topics and predictions on what potential changes could have on the trucking industry - both for drivers and motor carriers.   Industry specialists featured in this discussion:    • Host, Sean Garney, Co-Director at Scopelitis Transportation Consulting    • Co-Host Steve Keppler, Co-Director at Scopeliti ..read more

About the Podcast:  In this episode we cover the topic of dashcams and what isn't being talked about in the Trucking Industry. Industry experts featured in this discussion: • Host, Sean Garney, Co-Director at Scopelitis Transportation Consulting • Co-Host Steve Keppler, Co-Director at Scopelities Transportation Consulting • Guest John Bilbis, Senior Safety & Loss Control Specialist at TrueNorth Companies • Guest, Steve Stanaszak, Partner at Scopelitis, Garvin, Light, Hanson & Feary, P.C.  TN Truck Thought is a monthly podcast featuring some of the brightest minds in truckin ..read more