A Year In, ELD Compliance Is Still Big News
Update, Dec. 27: Since the top 10 list was published Dec. 21, a new story joined the list, debuting in the No. 7 spot and knocking each of the subsequent stories down one spot. FMCSA Assigns CSA Severity Weights to ELD Violations fell out of the No. 10 spot and off the list.
Here are the 10 most-read stories on the Transport Topics website in 2018, based on Google Analytics. Five stories were mostly about ELD compliance and HOS waivers, a year after the ELD mandate took effect in December 2017. Two stories were about Amazon, and both were published before the e-commerce giant chose the locations for its HQ2 and "center of excellence" projects.
No. 1 White House Reduces Trucking Rules, but Doesn't Ease Enforcement, Attorneys Say
Sgt. Steve Vilbert of the Virginia State Police inspects a truck on Interstate 95 for electronic logging device compliance. (Eric Miller/Transport Topics)
By Eric Miller, Staff Reporter
INDIANAPOLIS — The deregulatory nature of the Trump administration threatens delay or elimination of several Obama-era trucking-related regulations, but those that remain on the books will continue to be aggressively enforced, panelists said at a law seminar here.
Noteworthy: This story from June 6 had nearly four times as many views as the next most popular story.
No. 2 Gasoline for Less Than $2 Available in 20 States After Oil's Drop
Daniel Acker/Bloomberg News
By Ryan Collins, Bloomberg News
Gasoline prices below $2 a gallon can now be found in at least one gas station in 20 U.S. states, as the effects of the bear market in crude oil trickle down to motorists. The lowest per-gallon retail price, $1.69, was found at a Buc-ee’s station in Denton, Texas, according to GasBuddy, a company that helps drivers find cheap fuel.
Noteworthy: This story from Nov. 28 is the only one in the top 10 from a wire service.
No. 3 2018 Top 50 Logistics Companies: XPO Retains Its Place at the Top
XPO Logistics
By Daniel P. Bearth, Senior Features Writer
As companies grow, so do expectations, and XPO Logistics is not taking its newfound status as the largest logistics company in North America for granted.
Noteworthy: This story from April 10 is the only one from a Transport Topics special section, this one from the Top 50 largest logistics companies in North America.
No. 4 FMCSA Grants ELD Waivers to Old Dominion, MPAA
Old Dominion Freight Line
By Eleanor Lamb, Staff Reporter
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has granted Old Dominion Freight Line Inc. and the Motion Picture Association of America exemptions from hours-of-service regulations pertaining to the electronic logging device mandate.
Noteworthy: Five stories in the top 10 were mostly about ELDs, but this one from Jan. 18 had the most views.
No. 5 ATA’s Chris Spear Cautions Against Further ELD Exemptions
Chris Spear (left), Cathy Gautreaux, James Gattoni, Robert Fatovic and Gregory Feary. (Eric Miller/Transport Topics)
By Eric Miller, Staff Reporter
INDIANAPOLIS — The head of American Trucking Associations warned during a legal seminar here that further exemptions from Congress to electronic logging requirements for agricultural haulers could threaten safety on the nation’s roads.
Noteworthy: Of all the stories in the top 10, readers perused this one from June 5 the quickest, with an average 40 seconds per view.
No. 6 Amazon Begins to Act as Its Own Freight Broker
Stephen Brashear/Associated Press for Amazon
By Ari Ashe, Staff Reporter
Over the past two years Amazon.com Inc. has dabbled in the transportation and logistics industry. But recently, the e-commerce behemoth began to directly broker freight to truck drivers, rather than solely rely upon third-party firms such as C.H. Robinson Worldwide.
Noteworthy: There are two Amazon stories in the top 10, including this one from Jan. 17.
No. 7 FMCSA Agrees to Pre-empt California Meal-and-Rest-Break Rules
FMCSA's Ray Martinez. (John Sommers II for Transport Topics)
By Eleanor Lamb, Staff Reporter
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Dec. 21 determined that federal rest-break laws pre-empt California’s separate meal-and-rest-break requirements, handing a victory to trucking industry groups.
Noteworthy: This story from Dec. 21 is the latest entry in the top 10.
No. 8 The Rise of Amazon Logistics
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
By Eytan Buchman, Vice President of Marketing at Freightos
Freight industry executives likely sighed with relief when an update of Amazon’s logistics.amazon.com page on June 28 turned out to be nothing more than a franchise model for courier delivery services. But it’s only a matter of time before Amazon reveals plans for a comprehensive logistics network.
Noteworthy: This story from Aug. 20 is the only opinion piece in the top 10.
No. 9 FMCSA Clarifies ELD Guidance for Horse Haulers
TT file photo
By Eric Miller, Staff Reporter
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued a new slate of guidelines to mitigate confusion over whether livestock haulers, including those who transport their horses, are required to install electronic logging devices on their trucks or possess a commercial driver license.
Noteworthy: Readers spent an average 6 minutes, 37 seconds reading this story from Feb. 26, the most time by far in the top 10.
No. 10 FMCSA Receives Petition, Grants Exemption Related to HOS Rules
A firefighter surveys the devastation in Paradise, Calif. The National Mobile Shower and Catering Association, which represents members who are providing support to the firefighters battling Camp Fire, seeks HOS relief. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg News)
By Eleanor Lamb, Staff Reporter
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced it has received an exemption request from hours-of-service rules from The National Mobile Shower and Catering Association and has granted reprieve from those rules to the Specialized Carriers and Rigging Association.
Noteworthy: While HOS exemption stories were common in the top 10, this one from Nov. 26 tied in directly to the breaking news of the catastrophic wildfires in California.
