HDT Talks Trucking

Hydrogen is widely thought of as the ideal energy source for long-haul trucking. It will take trucks places batteries can only dream of today. Renewable sources of hydrogen promise carbon-free, zero-emissions energy for trucking. We seem to be on the cusp of a new era; truly clean, green trucking. Or are we? Dr. David Cebon has very strong opinions on the use of hydrogen as a heavy-truck energy so...

Is artificial intelligence the next big leap in truck driver recruiting and retention technology? Communicating with drivers on the road has come a long way since the days of pay phones, and it looks like AI will help take it even further. This episode of HDT's Leadership Insights video podcast is produced in partnership with, and sponsored by, Tenstreet . HDT’s Deborah Lockridge talks to Tens...

Heavy-duty truck batteries are often overlooked — until a driver goes to crank up the truck and it won’t start. In an age where nearly every system on a truck is “smart,” can technology help? This episode of HDT's Leadership Insights is sponsored by, and produced in partnership with, EnerSys, manufacturer of Odyssey Batteries. HDT's Deborah Lockridge talks to Daniel Jones, applications fie...

The National Transportation Institute's Leah Shaver challenges some conventional thinking about women in trucking, from behind the wheel to the board room, in this episode of HDT Talks Trucking. Shaver is president and CEO of the National Transportation Institute, which recently surveyed women about the challenges they encounter in the trucking industry — and she has some ideas on what motor c...

The automotive cybersecurity landscape is evolving, movingbeyond mere ransomware attacks on fleets. While that is something to be guarded against, hackers can now weaponize connected vehicles in ways that sooner or later will compromise safety. Software defined vehicles and unsecure APIs and mobile services are opening new attack vectors for the bad guys to exploit. And new vectors are opening eve...

With more attention being paid to Scope 3 emissions, may need to take a more proactive approach and a deeper dive into your company’s operations to attract and keep customers.   On this episode of HDT Talks Trucking, HDT’s Deborah Lockridge talks with one fleet that’s ahead of the curve in meeting shipper demands for more sustainable transportation. Shawntell Kroese, AVP of Sustainability and Sale...

We are seeing a distressing increase in the number of truck rollover crashes these days. And while they are fewer in number, the number of runaway truck crashes on mountain grades remain a problem. What's behind the increase isn't completely clear, but many believe it's a lack of driver training and understanding of vehicle dynamics.   Brian Bullock, the founder Road-Aware Safety Syste...

We are seeing a distressing increase in the number of truck rollover crashes these days. And while they are fewer in number, the number of runaway truck crashes on mountain grades remain a problem. What's behind the increase isn't completely clear, but many believe it's a lack of driver training and understanding of vehicle dynamics. Brian Bullock, the founder Road-Aware Safety Systems...

Truck driver log falsification violations can lead to out-of-service orders, fines, bad federal safety scores, failed DOT audits, civil penalties, even nuclear verdicts. What can motor carriers do? Log falsifications were the fourth most common driver-related violation discovered in roadside inspections from 2019 to 2023. And they’re the second most common violation discovered in compliance review...

Did you know that your fleet’s driver manuals and policies could become the detonator of a nuclear verdict against your trucking company? We’ll learn more about this plaintiffs’ attorney tactic from trucking attorney Doug Marcello in this episode of HDT Talks Trucking. This episode is sponsored by Scraper Systems Snow Removal by Rite Hite If you’re concerned about how to defend your company agains...

Microgrids, sometimes called distributed energy resources, are local sources of electricity operating separately from the utility grid. They typically produce electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar, but they can also be powered by hydro, natural gas, hydrogen, or even small modular nuclear reactors.  This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Scraper Systems Joshua Goldm...

One Energy is an industrial power company and installer of on-site, behind-the-meter, wind energy systems. In early October, the company unveiled its first 30 megawatt battery-electric truck charging site. The site is fully developed, energized, and waiting for its first fleet customers in Findlay, Ohio. This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by: CAT Scale — Learn more about its ⁠⁠WeighMy...

Meet Sarah Cates. She's the rock-star safety director at Thomas E. Keller Trucking of Defiance, Ohio. Her bosses love her. Her drivers love her. And she's the recipient of HDT's 2023 Safety & Compliance award, sponsored by J.J. Keller & Associates. Cates has been the director of safety for only three years, but her success in totally transforming the company’s safety culture pr...

What can trucking fleets do now to transform their operations and be ready to take advantage of the next freight upturn? HDT's Deborah Lockridge talked to Tom McLeod about why this is the right time for a tune-up. This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by: CAT Scale — Learn more about its WeighMyTruck app. And by Scraper Systems snow removal When freight is slower, it's a great op...

Having a truck placed out of service during a roadside inspection means unhappy drivers and customers, truck downtime, expensive repairs, fines, and dings on your safety score. What if someone other than a DOT inspector had noticed the problem? This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Scraper Systems And by CAT Scale. Learn more about its WeighMyTruck app Listen to this episode of HDT Ta...

Trucking has a parking problem. The number of trucks seeking parking exceeds the number of available spaces. Projections suggest the number of trucks requiring overnight parking will grow significantly in the coming years. The federal government has pledged close to $1 billion to develop additional truck parking. Will that be enough? Will those spaces come soon enough? This episode of HDT Talks Tr...

Bison Transport is arguably the safest large fleet in North America. Bison has taken home the Truckload Carriers Association Grand Prize fleet safety award for large carrier fleets for 13 years in a row. The company has won top honors no less than 16 times in all. In this episode, you’ll meet one of the architects of Bison’s safety master plan, Garth Pitzel . This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is...

Trucking fleet owner John Vaccaro became a big believer in automatic emergency braking, dashcams, and other advanced safety systems after he nearly lost his business due to what could have been a so-called nuclear verdict. This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Double Coin . Are automatic emergency braking systems ready for prime time? As the comment period wraps up on the federal gove...

Understanding what your drivers are experiencing and how they feel about their jobs is critical to keeping them happy. Happy drivers tend to stay put. This episode is about the importance of opening up communication channels with your drivers – and keeping them open. This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Double Coin. Automated dispatch systems may be more efficient than direct two-way...

The softer freight market has made truck drivers more likely to seek greener pastures. What can fleets learn about recruiting and retention from job application data? This episode of HDT's Leadership Insights video podcast is produced in partnership with, and sponsored by, Tenstreet. Make driver communication more transparent, effective and easy at Tenstreet.com .  HDT Editor and Associate Pub...

Today, clean diesels make up 57% of the commercial vehicle population. That’s nearly double where we were a decade ago. And it’s a 10% jump over this time last year. So what's going on? This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by  Double Coin . The march toward a low-carbon, low emission future has been slow and technically challenging. But we are making progress. The population of near...

At a time when fleet expansion is an iffy proposition, adding additional carrying capacity to your existing fleet can lower equipment costs, increase profits, and even help reduce your carbon footprint. This episode of HDT's Leadership Insights video podcast is sponsored by, and produced in partnership with Kinedyne. There are only so many square feet of floor space in a trailer, and some carg...

Where is the autonomous/self-driving truck industry today? How much longer will we have to wait for Level 4 to mature? What's the holdup? This episode of HDT Talks Trucking is sponsored by Double Coin . Autonomous or self-driving trucks have been with us for more than a decade, yet no company has yet placed a full Level-4 truck into regular revenue service without a human driver aboard. In the...

It’s easy enough to buy a battery-electric truck, but fleets are being forced to wait up to two years for their chargers. Site design, permitting, and construction take forever. Matt Horton, CEO of Voltera Power , talks to Jim Park on HDT Talks Trucking on how fleets can navigate these waters. Voltera develops charging facilities for light, medium and heavy vehicles. Horton says the upfront costs...

Former USA Truck CEO James Reed recently joined Kodiak Robotics as chief operating officer. What's the former fleet exec's perspective on self-driving truck technology? Reed joins HDT's Deborah Lockridge on HDT Talks Trucking to talk about the move and the state of the autonomous-truck industry. Learn more about: Why Reed joined Kodiak Robotics What needs to happen for self-driving tru...