Electronic Logging Devices 101 (whitepaper)

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XPO Logistics Offers Free Tuition and Income via Driving Schools

XPO veteran LTL driver Antoine Seegars is one of the company's driving school instructors.  XPO's LTL unit operates the schools at over 80 locations in the U.S. Photo: XPO Logistics

XPO Logistics has announced that it will offer free tuition and income while training at one of the company's network of commercial driving schools, with a career opportunity upon graduation.

XPO expects over 150 trainees to complete courses at the company's U.S. driving schools in 2017. The courses are conducted at its less-than-truckload service centers. At the schools, students can train to qualify for a commercial driver's license and experienced drivers can learn the specifics of LTL transportation. The schools also offer a hostler class for those interested in terminal yard operations.

While attending classes,students will work for XPO in paid part-time positions as dockworkers to earn money while in training. XPO provides the training free of tuition, which the company says will save each student an estimated $5,000 or more compared to for-profit driving schools.

“Our CDL training is a unique career opportunity in that both the company and the student have skin in the game,” said Tony Brooks, president of the LTL business for XPO Logistics. “Students commit to classroom and hands-on instruction, and XPO provides free tuition and income while training. The program is designed to create satisfying careers for professional drivers who share our focus on safety and customer service.”

CDL students are required to complete classroom training on federal and state highway laws, regulatory and safety compliance, vehicle inspection techniques, and defensive driving skills. They also must spend 150 hours behind the wheel coached by a veteran driver. The company will also ensure that students are trained with the same equipment they will be operating when they graduate.

Once a student finishes training, passes CDL tests and completes a probationary period, they ...Read the rest of this story

Daseke announces stock plan for truck drivers

Daseke Inc. announced a new stock plan designed around professional company truck drivers. Daseke became a public company earlier this year and is traded on NASDAQ (DSKE, DSKEW).

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Daimler AG under investigation for emissions fraud

German officials from the Stuttgart public prosecutor's office searched the premises of Daimler AG at several locations in Germany on Tuesday as part of an investigation into the possible manipulation of exhaust-gas after treatment in passenger cars with diesel engines.

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State trooper confidential: What to know about roadside inspections

When drivers look in their rear view mirror and spot a state patrol vehicle, they probably imagine potential scenarios that could take place. The road ahead diverges in two ways: the patrol officer could simply drive by or, in the scenario most drivers dread, the red and blue lights turn on and the officer pulls them over for a violation and/or a roadside inspection.

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Federal Court Rules Against XPO in Driver Misclassification Case

Photo: Port of Long Beach

A federal district court judge has issued a judgment in favor of five port and rail truck drivers against XPO Cartage in a driver misclassification lawsuit, awarding the drivers $958,660 in reimbursement plus attorney's fees and costs.

The California Labor Commission had previously issued awards to the five drivers following hearings that found they had been misclassified as independent contractors. XPO Cartage appealed those five decisions in California Superior Court and the case was moved to Federal court. Attorneys for the Labor Commission defended the decisions on behalf of the drivers.

After a four-day bench trial and post-trial briefing, Judge William Keller of the U.S. Central District Court of California ruled the cases were not preempted by the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 and that all five drivers were entitled to reimbursement for expenses and deductions owed to them as full employees of XPO Cartage.

The driver misclassification issue is driven by drivers serving the ports who are classified as independent contractors but due to restrictions explicitly or implicitly enforced on them, are unable to realistically work for another company and do not own their own equipment. Because they are not technically employees of the companies they work for, in some cases drivers are not able to access basic benefits that regular employees are legally entitled to.

"The United States District Court's decision in this case vindicates the rights of five employees who have sought for years to recoup the deductions unlawfully withheld from their wages due to being misclassified as independent contractors," said California Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su. "My office is dedicated to ensuring workers are paid what they are due under the law and ensuring workers are properly classified."

The ruling against XPO Cartage is just the latest in a long ...Read the rest of this story

Spot Van, Flatbed Freight Rates Rebound Slightly

National average spot truckload rates for van and flatbed freight rose during the week ending May 20 while the refrigerated freight rate remained at its highest mark since January, reported freight matching service provider DAT Solutions.

The number of available loads on DAT load boards increased 5.4% compared to the previous week while posted truck capacity fell 2.9%. Van and reefer load-to-truck ratios had double-digit increases:

The national average van rate increased 1 cent $1.69 per mile as the number of posted loads increased 9% while truck posts fell 3%. Average outbound rates, including fuel surcharges, from major markets were mixed:

Meantime, reefer load posts increased 13% while truck posts declined 2% last week. The national average spot reefer rate held at $1.99 per mile, the highest weekly average since mid-January.

Prices out of California were varied, with rates trending up in Southern California but slipping or remaining unchanged in Central Valley markets. With harvests winding down in Florida, rates dropped significantly from Miami and Lakeland.

Other key reefer lanes showed big differences in rates:

There was very little movement in the flatbed market as load posts increased 1% while truck posts declined 3%. The national average spot flatbed rate added 1 cent to $2.09 per mile with the flatbed load-to-truck ratio remaining strong, though not quite as healthy as it was ...Read the rest of this story