Latest News Updates From Eric Miller

Image

Eric Miller

Senior Reporter

Eric Miller has been a reporter and writer at publications nationwide for 40 years. He’s been at Transport Topics the past 11 years, currently on the paper’s government team; worked as a reporter at the Dallas Morning News; reporter, editor and member of the investigative team at The Arizona Republic; reporter at the Tampa Tribune; city editor at the Santa Fe New Mexican; and senior writer for D Magazine in Dallas.


GovernmentBusinessTechnology

ELD Mandate Law Enforcement Grace Period Is Over

The three-month law enforcement grace period for trucks to be equipped with electronic logging devices is over. As of April 1, drivers caught without ELDs are due to be placed out of service for 10 hours, and may have points added to their Compliance, Safety, Accountability program scores, or could even be assessed a civil fine.

March 28, 2018
GovernmentBusinessTechnology

FMCSA Seeking Public Comment on Rules for Automated Commercial Vehicles

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking public comment through May 10 on regulations that may need to be updated, modified or eliminated to “facilitate the safe introduction of automated driving systems for commercial motor vehicles.”

March 28, 2018
GovernmentBusinessTechnologyEquipmentSafety

FMCSA Officials Outline Personal Conveyance Guidance

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For the second consecutive day, a meeting between truck drivers and federal regulators turned sour, with more than a dozen drivers yelling at regulatory officials attempting to have a peaceful presentation and question-and-answer session on hours of service and driver personal conveyance issues.

March 25, 2018
BusinessEquipment

SuperFan Rick McClerkin Wins Peterbilt's 1 Millionth Truck

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Rick McClerkin has been a Peterbilt truck lover since he was a kid. Now 61, he's officially the SuperFan and has a Model 567 to prove it.

March 24, 2018
GovernmentTechnologyEquipment

New FMCSA Administrator Ray Martinez Grilled by Angry Drivers in Listening Session

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In his first official “grass roots outreach” with a room full of truck drivers — and only a month on the job as the nation’s top trucking regulator — Ray Martinez said he hoped the session would not be “an angry event.” It was.

March 23, 2018
BusinessSafety

Truck Drivers' Risk for Diabetes Far Greater Than National Average

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Health education specialist Kay Pfeiffer compares diabetic professional truck drivers who are not testing their blood sugar with “driving at night without headlights — and you’re going to crash.”

March 23, 2018
GovernmentTechnologySafety

Federal Drug Advisory Board Discusses Proposed Hair-Testing Rule

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Members of a federal drug testing advisory board met in a closed session on March 21 to review a draft proposed rule. The rule would allow trucking companies to conduct government-certified pre-employment drug testing using hair samples, according to a top official with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

March 21, 2018
GovernmentBusinessTechnologyEquipmentSafety

Revised ELD Guidance: FMCSA Allows AOBRD Software on Fleet Expansion Trucks

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued revised guidance permitting motor carriers that were using automatic onboard recording device software prior to the effective date of the electronic logging device mandate to add trucks to their fleet without having to update those new trucks to electronic logging device software until mid-December 2019.

March 20, 2018
GovernmentSafety

FMCSA Medical Examiners Registry Remains Offline

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s online registry of certified medical examiners was hacked and more than three months later remains out of service.

March 15, 2018
BusinessEquipmentLogistics

‘Outrageous Overcharging’ on the Rise for Towing Crashed Trucks, ATA Survey Shows

Reports of “outrageous overcharging” for non-consensual towing of damaged heavy-duty trucks and trailers removed from crash scenes are on the rise in some states, according to a recent survey by American Trucking Associations.

March 15, 2018