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Eric Miller

Senior Reporter

@ericdmiller46

Eric Miller has been a reporter and writer at publications nationwide for 40 years. He’s been at Transport Topics the past 11 years, currently on the paper’s government team; worked as a reporter at the Dallas Morning News; reporter, editor and member of the investigative team at The Arizona Republic; reporter at the Tampa Tribune; city editor at the Santa Fe New Mexican; and senior writer for D Magazine in Dallas.


Government, Business, Safety

Arkansas Carrier Forced to Close After Multimillion-Dollar Ruling

Over Valentine’s Day dinner last year, Randy Clifton and his wife, Karyn, decided the fate of the trucking company that had been Randy’s pride and joy for a decade. Unfortunately, they had to close down.

Eric Miller | Senior Reporter
March 24, 2021
Business, Safety

A Year of Pandemic: Number of Roadside Inspections Fell

“It was definitely a strange year for inspectors,” said Kerri Wirachowsky, director of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s roadside inspection program. “In the beginning of the pandemic, a lot of agencies just stopped doing inspections completely, only stopping vehicles if they saw an imminent issue,” she said.

Eric Miller | Senior Reporter
March 22, 2021
Government, Business, Safety

FMCSA Begins Large-Truck Crash Causal Factors Study

Federal trucking regulators are progressing on plans for a $30 million Large-Truck Crash Causal Factors study intended to gather new critical information and data in an effort to reduce crashes nationwide.

Eric Miller | Senior Reporter
March 18, 2021
Government, Business, Equipment

Federal Judge Sets July 2023 Court Date for Ongoing Glider Truck Dispute

The already 2-year-old civil court fight between Tennessee-based glider manufacturer Fitzgerald and the IRS is now set to drag on for at least another two years.

Eric Miller | Senior Reporter
March 17, 2021
Government, Business

Department of Labor Proposes Withdrawal of Its Independent Contractor Rule

The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed withdrawing a rule adopted in the waning days of the Trump administration that was generally perceived to be favorable to motor carriers’ use of independent contractors.

Eric Miller | Senior Reporter
March 16, 2021
Business, Safety

Officials Call $202,000 Towing Bill a Textbook Example of a Scam

A Wisconsin motor carrier got a big surprise when one of its tractor-trailers hauling a truckload of cheese had to be pulled from a ditch on I-64 in central Virginia: A $202,000 removal and towing bill.

Eric Miller | Senior Reporter
March 11, 2021
Government, Business, Safety

Crash Trends a ‘Concern,’ FMCSA Officials Say at Safety Meeting

Speeding, distracted driving, work zone accidents and a lack of seat belt use in fatal truck-occupant crashes remain “areas of concern” among federal trucking regulators, according to a top official at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Eric Miller | Senior Reporter
March 11, 2021
Business, Equipment

ATA Task Force to Pursue Predatory Towing at Crash Scenes

An American Trucking Associations council has begun a towing-scam initiative after receiving reports of excessive overcharging for nonconsensual towing of damaged heavy-duty trucks and trailers removed from crash scenes.

Eric Miller | Senior Reporter
March 11, 2021
Government, Business, Technology, Equipment, Safety, Fuel

Biden Executive Order Calls on Agencies to Prioritize 'Environmental Justice'

A sweeping executive order from President Joe Biden calls for a review of all Trump-era environmental regulations with a focus on the issue of “environmental justice,” an effort to cut greenhouse gas emissions in low-income and minority communities across the United States that, in many cases, are located near where heavy trucks operate.

Eric Miller | Senior Reporter
March 9, 2021
Business, Safety

CVSA Cancels North American Inspectors Championship in Minnesota

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has canceled this year’s North American Inspectors Championship, which had been scheduled to take place in August in Minneapolis, the trade group announced March 5.

Eric Miller | Senior Reporter
March 5, 2021