3/11/2010  Owner-Operators Under Attack
Editorial by Deborah Lockridge, Editor

Owner-operators, and the way the trucking industry uses independent contractors, are under attack.

The latest salvo is President Obama's proposed 2010 budget, which projects that a federal crackdown on the "misclassification" of employees as a tax dodge will yield at least $7 billion for federal coffers over the next decade. To do this, the Obama adminisgtration plans to hire 100 more enforcement personnel to expand its investigations of misclassified employees. The IRS has already started auditing 6,000 companies.

The New York Times, in a Feb. 18 article on the subject, reported that one federal study concluded that employers illegally passed off 3.4 million regular workers as contractors, while the Labor Department estimates that up to 30 percent of companies misclassify employees.

Among the most often misclassified workers, the Times reports, are truck drivers.....

3/8/2010  In-cab Technology: Getting Drivers On-board
Guest Commentary by Matt Moda, PeopleNet

The big-brother-is-watching attitude toward the introduction of in-cab technology seems to have all but disappeared as professional drivers have seen firsthand how their wallets have benefited. The best drivers want to focus on what they get paid for-driving-and minimize the time they spend on administrative tasks, such as maintaining logs and handling customer paperwork. Integrated in-cab technologies relieve drivers of time-consuming paper-based tasks and telephone conversations. The result: happier drivers and improved retention of professional drivers.....

3/3/2010  Dart Calendar Brings Smiles to Contractors and Customers
Guest Commentary by Steve Gundale, Dart Transit

Truck drivers and independent owner operators get precious little credit for the hard work that they do. Few people recognize the crucial role they play in our nation's economy, or the pride they possess in running their own independent trucking businesses. Dart Transit Company does something about that with its annual Advantage appointment calendar.

Dart has long been an advocate for the independent contractor business model, using owner-operators for all of its 75-year history. That commitment shows in ways big and small, especially in the company's internal communications with its fleet of 2,400 contractors.

One of the ways Dart reaches out to its contractors is through its annual Advantage truck calendar,....

2/10/2010  Times They Are A-Changin': Can Owner-Operators Keep Pace?
By Jim Park, Equipment Editor

The question that always arises after any economic downturn is, will owner-operators survive? Those still standing today may be battered and bruised, but if they survive the next six months, they'll be well positioned to profit from what could be a rather dramatic upturn in our economic fortunes - for a while, at least. The question we ought to ask is not whether owner-operators have a future, but what does the future hold for owner-operators? Their success will depend on how they can respond to change and adapt to the new operating environment. To quote Nashville songwriter Mickey Newbury, "the future's not what it used to be."

Many analysts are suggesting major change in the supply chain is already under way, and will continue as we move forward. They see more long-haul freight shifting from trucks to trains, leaving trucking with the shorter regional and local hauls. Since the traditional owner-operator business model is mileage-based and presumes that an adequate supply of miles will produce a reasonable amount of revenue, something will need to bend in order to make shorter runs profitable.....

1/29/2010  Iowa Listening Session Allows Drivers to Speak Up
By Diana Britton, Managing Editor

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's fourth and final listening session on the hours of service rule was focused on hearing insights from drivers themselves on what the agency should do. The session, held Thursday in Davenport, Iowa, drew drivers and owner-operators alike from all corners of the Midwest, and could accommodate drivers because it was held near a Flying J truckstop.

"This is our first chance to be closer to the driving community by being next door to one truckstop," said Anne Ferro, FMCSA administrator, who kicked things off at the session. "I'm learning every day about the stresses that drivers face in their daily jobs, 24/7."

Ferro also opened by reiterating the FMCSA's safety priorities and the importance of this particular rule. "I'm preaching to the choir when I say that," she said.....