Falsely Accused and Not in the Wrong? Predict, Prepare, Protect (whitepaper)

Service Accused of Coercing Fleets into Paying Fake Fees Agrees to Settle

The operators of an online registration service for motor carriers has agreed to settle with the Federal Trade Commission over charges that they impersonated and falsely claimed affiliation with the U.S. Department of Transportation and other government agencies.

The accused allegedly took more than $19 million from small trucking businesses by creating the false impression that they were affiliated with U.S. DOT, the UCR system, or another government agency.

The two were accused of deceiving small trucking businesses into paying them for federal and state motor carrier registrations.

Under the settlement order, the defendants are banned from misrepresenting affiliation with any government entity and from using consumer billing information to obtain payments without expressed consent.

They must also adequately disclose that they are a private third-party service provider and any fees associated with their services. The order imposes a $900,000 judgment that must be paid within one day.

James P. Lamb and Uliana Bogash were accused of violating the FTC Act and the Restore Online Shoppers Confidence ACT while operating under the company names DOTAuthority.com and DOTFIlings.com, Excelsior Enterprises International, and JPL Enterprises International.

Certain trucking companies that must register annually with the Unified Carrier Registration system can register through the official UCR website or the official website of their state. Lamb and Bogash are accused of taking more than $19 million from thousands of small businesses by creating the false impression that they were affiliated with U.S. DOT, the UCR system, or another government agency.

Through allegedly misleading robocalls, emails, and text messages they would send false warnings to the fleets that they could be subjected to civil penalties, fines, or law enforcement actions unless they registered with one of their sites instead of through official government websites.

They were also accused of obscuring the total amount charged, which ranged from $25 to ...Read the rest of this story

U.S. blocks use of Venezuela’s digital currency: White House

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday blocked the use of Venezuelan cryptocurrencies through an executive order prohibiting such transactions by those in the United States, the White House said in a statement. The order bars "all transactions related to, provision of financing for, and other dealings in, by a United States person or within the United States, any digital currency, digital coin, or digital token," issued by Venezuela's government since Jan. 9, the statement said.

Uber Suspends Self-Driving Tests After Vehicle Kills Pedestrian

Photo via Diablanco/Wikipedia.

Uber has shelved its self-driving vehicle program after one of its test vehicles struck and killed a female pedestrian in Tempe, Ariz. The accident marks the first known death of a pedestrian hit by an autonomous vehicle on public roads, reports the New York Times.

Following the incident, Uber suspended testing of its autonomous cars in Tempe, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Toronto.

The deceased woman, who has not yet been publicly identified, was crossing the street outside a designated crosswalk at approximately 10 p.m. on March 18 when the accident occurred, reports USA Today. She died on March 19.

As is standard practice when testing autonomous vehicles, the Uber car was in autonomous drive mode, but there was a human safety driver behind the wheel when it hit the woman, according to reports. There were no passengers in the vehicle.

Uber issued a statement that the company is "fully cooperating with local authorities."

Ironically, proponents of self-driving cars claim the technology can help to greatly reduce the number of traffic-related pedestrian deaths. The Tempe incident may fuel concerns of activists who believe that the technology that allows the cars to sense their surroundings is not yet safe enough for roll-out on real world roads and highways, reports USA Today.

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Woman struck and killed by self-driving Uber vehicle

A self-driving Uber vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian in a Phoenix suburb in the first fatality involving a fully autonomous test vehicle, prompting the ride-hailing company Monday to suspend all ...

Turnover Rate Declines but Driver Shortage Still a Concern

The driver turnover rate for truckload carriers fell in the final three months of 2017, but the rate remained higher than it was for the previous year, according to American Trucking Associations Chief Economist Bob Costello.

The driver turnover rate for truckload carriers fell in the fourt quarter of 2017, but the rate remained 14 points higher than for the previous year.

The turnover rate at large truckload fleets fell seven points to 88% in the fourth quarter of last year, dipping below 90% for the first time since the first quarter.

“Despite this dip in turnover, the driver market remains tight and the driver shortage remains a real concern for fleets and the industry,” said Costello. “If the economic climate continues to improve, I expect both turnover and driver shortage concerns to rise in the near future.”

Turnover at small truckload fleets also fell in the same period, dropping to 80%. The turnover rate at both large and small fleets was still 14 points higher than in 2016.

“Despite the continuing tight driver market, I think there are a couple reasonable explanations for the dip in turnover this past quarter,” said Costello. “First, freight demand was very strong, which may have encouraged drivers to stay at their current fleet because they were making even better money with strong volumes. And second, many fleets implemented or announced pay increases last quarter, which may have disincentivized drivers from moving to new jobs.”

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A self-driving Uber car hit and killed a woman in the first known autonomous-vehicle death

A woman in Arizona has been hit and killed by a self-driving Uber car. It's believed to be the first time an autonomous vehicle has killed a pedestrian. The victim has not yet been named by the Tempe Police Department.