Workplace shootings, driver hours of service, ergonomic regulations and sexual harassment are among the issues on the agenda as trucking’s top labor specialists gather for the 14th annual conference of the North American Trucking Industrial Relations Association.

A number of trucking companies are fighting back against what they say is the practice by some towing operators of charging excessively high fees and holding freight “hostage” until the bill is paid.

The definition of insanity, says Thomas L. Finkbiner, is when people do the same thing over and over and expect a different result. And that's where he sees the truckload sector going with an operating model that may not work anymore.

Members of American Trucking Associations wrapped up their 2000 Management Conference & Exhibition here with one eye on the presidential elections and the other on the nation’s economy.

Duane W. Acklie is unlike any other chairman that American Trucking Associations has had.

The chairman of American Trucking Associations for 2000-2001 practiced law for 13 years before taking the plunge into ownership of a trucking company.

American Trucking Associations is offering a new strategic partnership to affiliated state trucking associations that federation officials said is designed to boost membership and increase revenue for all.

Truckers will have more than high fuel prices to worry about in the year ahead; they will also face a slowdown in freight demand, rising operating costs and a continuing shortage of drivers, industry executives were told here Oct. 29.

Along with soaring fuel costs and the prospect of a slowing economy, executives of small trucking companies now have to contend with something that has plagued their larger competitors; namely, driver turnover.

Insurance costs are continuing to push higher, forcing trucking companies to take a harder look at loss-prevention strategies and risk-management practices, a panel of insurance experts told trucking executives here Oct. 30.