Category: Transportation Logistics
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Congress approved the Highway Bill, and President Obama is set to sign it on Friday, July 6, 2012. The report contains the TIA-OOIDA-ATA compromise language almost exactly. How will this affect you? Read the great blog post and summary from DAT.com. Leave a comment below and let us know what you think! Related reading: Oil…
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The cell phone ban for truck drivers took effect on January 3, 2012, when the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) prohibited commercial drivers from using handheld mobile phones while operating a vehicle. Since that date, this federal rule has reshaped how millions of professional drivers handle dispatch calls, texts, and everyday communication behind the…
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Acid reflux disease strikes freight brokers and other high-stress professionals far more often than most people realize, and the burning pain it creates can derail an entire workday in minutes. Brokers juggle tight deadlines, angry carriers, and nonstop phone calls, so their bodies live in a near-constant state of alert. As a result, stomach acid…
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Transportation is the process of moving people, freight, and raw materials from one location to another, and it quietly shapes almost every purchase, harvest, and delivery in the modern economy. Whether it happens by rail, truck, ship, or air, transportation determines how quickly goods reach shelves and how much that convenience costs. In particular, the…
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Cargo insurance is the financial safety net that protects shippers, trucking companies, and freight brokers when freight is lost, damaged, or stolen somewhere between the loading dock and the final destination. Without it, a single accident, theft, or warehouse fire can wipe out the entire value of a shipment — and leave the shipper holding…
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Freight Tec carries a significantly higher bond than is currently required by the F.M.C.S.A., and has for quite some time now. Interesting to note that legislature is currently trying to raise the bond limit to $100k instead of just $10k, under the “Motor Carrier Protection Act of 2010” (S 3483). In the May/June 2010 issue…
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The Motor Carrier Protection Act is the federal bill written to stop freight brokers from pocketing shipper payments while leaving the trucking company that actually hauled the load unpaid. First introduced in 2010 as Senate Bill 3483, the Motor Carrier Protection Act set out to rewrite the rules governing freight brokers and freight forwarders —…
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Market distortion happens every time a shipper calls multiple freight brokers to cover one single load, and the ripple effect on pricing hits every party in the transaction. At first glance, calling around for extra truck coverage looks like smart shopping. In reality, it triggers a chain reaction that inflates freight rates, confuses carriers, and…
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Oil contract futures are standardized agreements to buy or sell a fixed quantity of crude oil at a set price on a future date, and they have shaped — and sometimes shaken — the entire freight industry for over a decade. In 2008, a surge of speculative trading in oil contract futures pushed crude toward…
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The federal texting ban for commercial truck and bus drivers remains one of the strictest safety rules the Department of Transportation (DOT) has ever placed on the trucking industry. Since the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) enacted this rule, texting behind the wheel of a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) has carried penalties as severe…