A report released in April showed that the overall economic activity in the United States dropped slightly in the first quarter of 2018, as the consumer spending post-holiday season eased. This estimate is the first of three, with the second set to be released around the end of May. Despite the economic growth dropping, analyst expected it to be much worse. It is common for the economy to drop some after the holiday season at the end of the previous year, and 2018 was no exception. The gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 2.3 percent, which is down from the 2.9 percent annual rate in the first quarter of 2017, but still not as bad as it has been in the past.
This is one of the lowest percentages in economic improvement since 2013, which has a lot to do with a decrease in consumer spending. The measure of total output of goods and services was pulled down by a mere 1.1 percent raise in commercial spending, which is the largest sector of the American economy. Comparatively, consumer spending was at a 4 percent increase at the end of the final quarter of 2017.
It can be difficult to understand what all this means. Even though this percentage of growth is higher than expected, even with such a low standard, the economy cannot be supported with such low numbers. Analysts expect the numbers to pick back up later on in the year, but over time, they are slowly dropping which is mildly concerning looking forward. For now, though, most experts say that there is little reason to be concerned.
For the trucking industry, low consumer spending can mean a cut to industry-wide revenue, but most reports say that is not likely to happen. Regardless of material consumer spending, the industry will always be needed to transport everyday necessities like food, clothing, and livestock. With the recent shortage of drivers, it is even less likely that we will see an increase in layoffs.
Last week, the City of Los Angeles filed three lawsuits against some of the largest port trucking companies in the nation: CMI Transportation, K&R Transportation and California Cartage Transportation Express. All three companies are owned by a New Jersey logistics firm, NFI Industries. The lawsuits were filed after a scathing USA Today report on the abuse surrounding the industry. The litigation demands that the companies halt the systematic exploitation of their contract workers and seeks restitution of the money and property that the companies attained as a result of their practices. The companies also face civil penalties up to $2,500 for each infraction
City Attorney Mike Feuer called their practices “disgraceful” and vowed to continue the city’s investigation into unfair labor practices in the ports. One councilman said that port trucking in California is the modern-day equivalent of the exploitative sharecropping industry in the late 1800s. Senators are calling it “brazen disregard.” As a result of the USA Today articles and the lawsuits filed by L.A., goods manufactures, shippers, and six major retailers so far, have launched internal audits of their supply chain. Two of those retailers have discontinued their partnerships with their trucking companies.
The year started off with a presidential issuance of a regulatory freeze, which stifled a few minor regulations that were in the works under the previous administration. The order also placed the FMCSA’s speed limiter mandate on the back-burner, but did not rescind it outright, which means that they could possibly resume work on it at any time; however, that seems unlikely. We also saw an expansion of how the DOT conducts its on-site compliance reviews with the addition of carrier and employee interviews. The FMCSA also unveiled the Crash Preventability Demonstration Program and extensive ELD exemptions. In addition to new rules, they also withdrew a couple big ones that had been highly critiqued: the Safety Fitness rule and 34-hour restart regulation. Following Hurricane Harvey, the FMCSA temporarily lifted regulations in 26 states to allow truckers to deliver goods and fuel to affected areas. Then there was, of course, the ELD mandate, which has been highly debated since its announcement. In June, the U.S. Supreme court chose not to hear a case against the DOT in regard to the mandate, and upheld the compliance date of December 18th.
These rulings along with the grants are an attempt to keep drivers and the public safe, and improve road conditions nation-wide. Keep in mind, most of the changes that were released or approved this year will not take effect until 2019, or even 2020.
Outside of the DOT, there were even more big changes. Swift and Knight, two giants in the industry, announced a merger that gave Swift shareholder 54% of the company and Knight shareholders the remaining 46%. Walmart instituted fees for both early and late deliveries. The EPA rolled back regulations on glider kit emissions. Tesla unveiled their new semi designs, which many think will revolutionize the industry. 2017 was a year filled with a lot of big changes, and I am sure 2018 will be much the same.
They are completely safe to use. The FMCSA addressed this issue and many others on their 
holders that have passed the CDL skills test will be allowed to operate in a team with a licensed driver. There still has to be a CDL holder in the truck, just not necessarily in the front seat, which C. R. England says will allow them to operate more efficiently until they get back to their home state and the permit holder can obtain their CDL card. The exemption was first granted to the company in June of 2015, and ran through June of this year. This renewal will last until June 2022.
The program allows motor carriers and drivers to submit Requests for Data Review through a FMCSA system; the data will then be looked over and the crash will be determined either Preventable, Not Preventable, or Undecided. Their preliminary decisions will be posted on the DataQ system and will make enforcers, as well as carriers, aware of the evaluations so that they can provide further documentation if available. For crashes found Not Preventable, the notice will provide the crash report number, DOT number, carrier name, date of the crash, the state the crash occurred in, and the crash type (i.e. infrastructure failure, being struck by a motorist/another carrier, etc.). However, before they issue their final decision, the general public can provide input in cases labeled Not Preventable, which provides insight from people that experience these problems first-hand. The final determinations will be located on the 
