🚨 It's almost time for The Classic // Submit player information ASAP!

We're less than two weeks from the 2021 ATA Golf Classic. Thanks to all who have sponsored. We'll have some exciting news to share soon about fundraising totals. In the meantime, if you plan to play in the tournament please contact Brandie Norcross at ATA headquarters ASAP to secure your team's spot. Time is running out, so PLEASE call her today at 334-834-3983. ATA's Golf Classic is set for Tuesday, April 20 at the Robert Trent Jones – Capitol Hill in Prattville, Ala. All proceeds go to Alabama Trucking's political action committee, TRUK PAC. For more information, see the link below.

Commercial truck driver jobs are forecast to make some of the biggest gains if the Biden administration’s infrastructure package can get through Congress without major revisions, according to a report analyzing the plan. Read more

The verbal shots from Republicans came fast and furious this week, as President Biden unveiled his $2 trillion infrastructure and jobs package. Read more

A polar vortex that invaded deep into the Southern U.S. hit freight volumes hard in February. Travel was halted on icebound Texas highways, oil and gas pipelines froze, and electricity was knocked out in much of the state as record cold temperatures lasted for nearly a week. Read more

While significantly more trucks are needed to handle freight growth, truck production continues to be limited by shortages of semiconductors and various other components. Read more

In a hearing before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Thursday, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg mentioned "user fees" as a possible source for infrastructure funding, and that he was "very open" to a potential national vehicle miles traveled tax as a source of funding for the Highway Trust Fund. Read more

Nuclear verdicts — jury awards that surpass $10 million — are driving up insurance rates for trucking companies as costs to insure them rise and carriers leave the market. Read more

The competitive landscape in the logistics industry is constantly shifting. Many large freight brokers and contract logistics providers have expanded in recent years through mergers and acquisitions. And new companies and investors have been entering this growing field with their own ideas on how to manage freight transportation more efficiently. Read more

ATA Comp Fund has partnered with MedCall Advisors to provide real-time intervention and clinical treatment for work-related injuries. Injured workers covered by their employer’s ATA Comp Fund policy have 24/7 access to board-certified emergency medicine physicians, who are equipped to assess injuries and prescribe treatment/medications when appropriate. For more info visit click here.

Make plans now to attend the SMMC’s Tuscaloosa Roadside Inspection on April 15. It’s an outstanding opportunity to work alongside ALEA Motor Carrier Troopers and FMCSA agents as they conduct the inspections. Asa participant you will assist inspectors as they conduct actual Level 1, 2, and 3 inspections. You'll gain valuable insights into the inspection process to apply to your own fleet. Click here to register.

Set for July 11-17, the week-long event will target commercial vehicle and passenger car drivers who are speeding and exhibiting other unsafe driving behaviors. Read more

The National Transportation Safety Board’s top 10 safety recommendations include eliminating speeding-related crashes, requiring collision-avoidance on all vehicles, preventing drug-impaired driving and eliminating distracted driving. Read more

Every day, over 30,000 people play trucking simulation games on Steam, a platform gamers also use to buy and sell video games. The company that attracts the most attention in the space is SCS Software, a video game development company based in Prague. SCS has been developing video games since the 1990s and has gained a niche in trucking simulations. Read more

(Cullman Times, April 8)

Wallace State Community College announced a new addition to its diesel technology program Wednesday that will offer students the opportunity to learn remotely and use virtual reality simulations for a more flexible way to learn their chosen occupation. Read more

An app developed by Birmingham, Ala.’s Montgomery Transport has reduced load claims through load securement photo analysis. Driver and safety managers look over the photos for possible securement issues and coach the driver when necessary. Read more

Slips, trips and falls make up the majority of general industry accidents, according to the U.S. Dept. of Labor, and more than a quarter of all truck and transportation workplace injuries, and are the leading cause for worker compensation claims. Read more

Transportation companies are struggling to hire the truck drivers they need despite economic slowdowns associated with COVID-19. There's a driver shortage worldwide, and local companies are feeling it too. Lawmakers are even considering letting teens drive trucks. Read more

Amazon is known for quick delivery. But finding out whether Amazon warehouse workers voted for or against unionizing is going to take a lot longer. This piece from the Associated Press explains why. Read more

A bill that would have prohibited the use of hand-held cell phones and other electronic devices while driving failed to pass the House by one vote on Tuesday. The final vote on the bill was 47-48 with four members abstaining. Read more

Alabama opened vaccine eligibility to anyone 16 and older two days ago, and state health officials said virus hospitalizations, percentage of positive tests and daily case numbers are hitting some of the lowest numbers in a year. Read news

American Transportation Research Institute has launched a new data collection initiative to better understand the rising costs of trucking insurance and how those costs are ultimately impacting the industry’s overall operational costs. This research was identified by ATRI’s Research Advisory Committee as a top research priority in 2020. Motor carriers are asked to provide data through an online data collection form that will quantify changes in deductibles, excess insurance over minimum requirements, and how drivers and fleets are balancing insurance costs against rising risk levels. A data collection form is available here and carriers are asked to provide data by Friday, April 23, 2021.

⛽️ Fuel Line

The Energy Information Administration reports that the national average retail price for on-highway diesel now stands at $3.144. Read more