LiveOnWeb by Transport Topics

2018 was electric. Early in the year, Tesla and Nikola allowed us to glimpse the future; soon, the major OEMs followed.In such a charged atmosphere, the promise of this truck technology seems exciting. But does that promise amount to anything more... practical? Get to the answer with the Transport Topics team this December when they jump behind the curtain and talk one-on-one with the companies making these trucks and hedging their businesses on an electric future.

It's a time of uncertainty in the trucking world for those in charge of making sure drivers are safe on the road. What techniques are fleets using to pursue lower insurance costs as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration revamps its Compliance, Safety, Accountability scoring system?

What are shippers doing to orchestrate the supply chain? How are they tackling capacity, service, visibility and control? That's the focus of our Aug. 22 LiveOnWeb program, "Orchestrating the Supply Chain."

Our July 18 LiveOnWeb program, Reimagining Trucking took a look at how for-hire carriers are embracing technology and innovation. We also discussed the 2018 Top 100 For-Hire Carriers rankings.

It's been six months since the electronic logging device mandate went into effect, and three months since stepped-up-enforcement kicked in. So now's a good time to ask: How Have ELDs Changed Trucking? Our June 27 LiveOnWeb program tackled that topic, with the perspectives of three people on the front lines of business and enforcement; Tom McLeod, president of McLeod Software, Edin Selimagic, safety manager for Midwest Freight Systems of Warren, Mich.and Kerri Wirachowsky, director of Roadside Inspection Program at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance Host Seth Clevenger, TT's Managing Editor/Features, guides the conversation with the assistance of staff reporter Eric Miller, who covers regulation and other government-focused topics.

It was just an idea until it found a $38 billion market in desparate need of finding new efficiency... Then came the seed capital, the incubator mentorship, and the accelerator program. Now, that small idea is on the verge of changing the supply chain completely -- and everybody is interested. The thing is, this story is not exceptional; these days, it's the rule. Good ideas now stream into the logistics marketplace, where investors wait, hungrily eyeing business potential. In fact, Transport Topics Senior Features Writer, Daniel P. Bearth reports that since 2013, investors have poured a whopping $14.4 billion into this space. Constant innovation is the only way forward for those hoping to meet the changing needs of shippers and carriers. But that notion can be difficult to digest, especially in a space where margins are tight and risk needs constant managing. How will you exist in this change-or-be-changed space? How do you put it all together in a way that makes business sense today?

Take a deep dive into three topics that can help fleets gain greater visibility into their trucking operations: Blockchain, predictive analytics and remote diagnostics. Watch the replay of our Feb. 21, 2018, LiveOnWeb program, "Mega Trends in Trucking Technology," with host Seth Clevenger of Transport Topics. Clevenger was joined by Jack Legler, technical director for American Trucking Associations' Technology & Maintenance Council. The program also featured interviews with Tim Leonard, chief technology officer for Trimble Transportation and a pioneer of blockchain technology in the transportation industry; and Peter Covach, director of IT at Paper Transport, Inc., a dry van carrier with over 900 employees and 725 power units based in De Pere, Wis.

Transport Topics' Eugene Mulero hosts this authoritative look at the regulatory and legislative action expected to come out of Washington this year and how it will affect trucking businesses. Featuring Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, Jeff Davis, senior fellow with the Eno Center for Transportation, Bill Sullivan, American Trucking Associations' executive vice president of advocacy and TT reporter Eric Miller.

Our Nov. 17 LiveOnWeb program took a look at fuel efficiency and cost-savings gains that cleaner-running diesel and natural gas promise, as well as the intriguing potential that electric offers, even for Class 8 trucks.

How will 2017 be remembered in the trucking industry? TT reporters and editors are joined by ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello to put the year's top business and government stories into perspective.

How strictly will the ELD mandate be enforced? If you have AOBRDs, should you switch or wait? TT Managing Editor/Features Seth Clevenger hosted LiveOnWeb: The ELD Landscape Ahead on Aug. 28, 2017 with special guest Joe DeLorenzo, Director of the Office of Enforcement and Compliance for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The program included separate recorded interviews with Russ Elliott, senior vice president of operations at Melton Truck Lines in Tulsa, Okla., and Tom Poduch, director of design logistics for Transervice Logistics in Lake Success, N.Y.

How strictly will the ELD mandate be enforced? If you have AOBRDs, should you switch or wait? TT Managing Editor/Features Seth Clevenger hosted LiveOnWeb: The ELD Landscape Ahead on Aug. 28, 2017 with special guest Joe DeLorenzo, Director of the Office of Enforcement and Compliance for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The program included separate recorded interviews with Russ Elliott, senior vice president of operations at Melton Truck Lines in Tulsa, Okla., and Tom Poduch, director of design logistics for Transervice Logistics in Lake Success, N.Y.

On the heels of our newly released Top 100 For-Hire Carrier rankings, TT's Seth Clevenger and Daniel Bearth hosted a LiveOnWeb looking at the shifting business climate ahead for the industry, featuring ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello, Werner Enterprises CEO Derek Leathers and U.S. Xpress CEO Eric Fuller.

On the heels of our newly released Top 100 For-Hire Carrier rankings, TT's Seth Clevenger and Daniel Bearth hosted a LiveOnWeb looking at the shifting business climate ahead for the industry, featuring ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello, Werner Enterprises CEO Derek Leathers and U.S. Xpress CEO Eric Fuller.

A growing number of new tech developers are jumping into the trucking industry to try to make self-driving trucks a reality sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, truck manufacturers and their suppliers continue to pursue their own path to automation, building on the active safety systems on the market today. There's also early movement toward a regulatory framework. We get you up to speed on the latest developments in automated driving technologies for commercial trucks. Our guests include Chris Spear, president and CEO of American Trucking Associations, who is a member of the Department of Transportation's advisory committee on transportation automation; and consultant Richard Bishop, who is chairman of the Technology & Maintenance Council's task force on automated driving and platooning. Seth Clevenger, TT's Managing Editor/Features, hosts the program. Also included in the program is a prerecorded interview with Josh Switkes, founder and CEO of Peloton Technology.

In a special Reporter Roundtable edition of LiveOnWeb, TT Congressional Reporter Eugene Mulero will look back at Infrastructure Week with the help of 3 Capitol Hill watchers: Jacob Fischler of CQ Roll Call, Kathryn Wolfe of Politico Pro and Melanie Zanona of The Hill.

The Top 50 Logistics Company rankings are out. Whether you watched or played the logistics game this year, you know this: the 2017 version featured new stages, new challenges, and more sophisticated game play. The shift from traditional brick and mortar stores to online retail required a new, more labor-intensive way of handling and distributing goods. Some of the players who could meet the new fulfillment requirements found themselves in the thick of the race to the top. So, what is the logistics game in 2017? How is it being played differently? And how does that new play affect who wins? In our April 5 broadcast, our editors sat down with some of the brightest players in the field to discuss the Top 50 rankings, the game, and how to win it.

Young drivers are appealing to fleets, but fleets often lose them as quickly as they find them, because millennials are more willing to job-hop than previous generations. What does this mean for recruiting? What specifically are young drivers looking for these days in a trucking job? What new methods are fleets using in recruiting efforts? In our March 8 LiveOnWeb, hosted by Transport Topics Executive Editor Joe Howard, we looked at the challenge the industry faces in attracting young drivers to replace retiring drivers. We explored this topic through several prisms including regulation, technology, lifestyle, hiring practices and techniques, and use of social media. Our guests included: Vigillo President Steve Bryan, Conversion Interactive Agency VP of Marketing and Training Priscilla Peters, FedEx Freight driver and 2016 NTDC Rookie of the Year Rich Merich, Jet Express President Kevin Burch. The program also included interviews recorded at the 14th Annual Recruiting and Retention Conference with: Rob Hatchett of Covenant Transportation Group, Tim Norlin of Marten Transport, Dave Edwards of Cardinal Logistics Jeremy Stickling of Nussbaum Transportation

Reduce speed on curves and work zones. Watch your blind spots. Adjust for bad weather. These are all tips that we've heard time and again. However, driver safety is important not only to drivers but fleets as well, to say nothing of the industry on the whole. So, what are the key things that both drivers and fleets must do to keep their drivers safe, during all three elements of a driver's day - from pre-trip to on-road to off-road? With the input of a driver with a renowned safety record and a director of safety from an award-winning fleet, we will build the ultimate Safe Driver Checklist. During this episode, we will also touch on the newest tools, tips and technological enhancements that are helping drivers avoid distractions behind the wheel.

The pressure is on. Only 12 months stand between motor carriers and electronic logging device enforcement. For many, the path to adoption and implementation is less than clear; the post-implementation world is even hazier. Before truckers set out with these devices by their sides, they must conquer several immediate compliance challenges - from dealing with the explosion of vendors in the market to understanding the dangers of waiting until the last minute. Then, they must strategize the post-compliance world. What, they must ask, will ELD adoption mean for freight capacity and freight rates? To help you keep your sanity and arm you for the next leg of your ELD journey, Transport Topics Technology Editor Seth Clevenger assembled an expert panel with perspectives from drivers, fleet owners, researchers and analysts. This is one episode you don't want to miss.