Video-based safety systems are helping fleets prevent crashes and exonerate drivers, but successful deployment of this technology continues to hinge on driver acceptance.

COOLIDGE, Ariz. — Nikola celebrated the commercial launch of its hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles with 900 of its customers, suppliers and supporters at its manufacturing facility Sept. 28.

Trailer telematics and sensor technol­ogy continue to advance, and providers said they’re offering much more than simple track-and-trace applications.

Private motor carriers, like all trucking operations, have adjusted to shifting freight market conditions in the past year as truck capacity has loosened and freight rates have softened.

There has been much concern about rising insurance premium costs. However, are we getting close to an environment in which those rates are leveling out or even reversing course?

As demand for the cold chain continues to increase, so does the desire to control costs, say refrigerated freight experts.

In the years ahead, the essential task of hauling the nation’s freight and keeping the economy rolling will increas­ingly shift to a new generation of professional truck drivers.

Double-brokering — when a carrier accepts a load and then illegally re-brokers it to another carrier — is on the rise, costing brokers and carriers millions of dollars.

Fleets are turning to electronic DVIRs to streamline inspection and repair processes, making it less demanding on drivers and increasing efficiency.

Carriers have weathered years of insurance premium increases and may see slight relief in 2023, but insurance providers continue to face inflation, economic pressures and larger verdicts in both average loss and nuclear verdicts.