<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5b6dbf6989c8a130008b5211-1000/shutterstock18293614.jpg" border="0" alt="trucker" data-mce-source="Bonita R. Cheshier/Shutterstock">Bonita R. Cheshier/ShutterstockCan you pass the CDL test?</img></div></div></div><ul><li>Before getting their Commercial Driver's License (<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/trucking">CDL</a>), long-haul&#xa0;<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/truck-driver">truck drivers</a> must pass the CDL exam.</li><li>The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/truckers">CDL exam</a> varies from state to state, but certain questions on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/most-dangerous-roads-usa-truck-drivers-2018-6">safety</a>, driving the 80-foot vehicle, and sharing the road with others are the same.&#xa0;</li><li>Here are 15 questions from a sample CDL exam. You need an 80% to pass.&#xa0;</li></ul><hr>Not just anyone can control a vehicle that's up to 80,000 pounds.Before long-haul truckers can start working, they need a&#xa0;Commercial Driver's License (<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/trucking">CDL</a>). One requirement for that is passing the CDL exam.&#xa0;There are <a href="https://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/types-of-drivers-licenses/">several different types of CDLs</a>, including A, B, and C. Class A is the most common, as it allows the holder to drive a truck and a trailer weighing more than&#xa0;26,001 pounds. You can also get a variety of endorsements to transport hazardous materials or double or triple trailers.The exam varies from state to state,&#xa0;but certain questions on safety and sharing the road with others are the same.&#xa0;Here are 15 questions from a sample CDL exam, as provided from <a href="https://driving-tests.org">Driving-Tests.org's</a> database of previous CDL exams. You need an 80% (12/15 questions correct) to pass.&#xa0;<div><div style="position:relative;width:auto;padding:0 0 83.33%;height:0;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;margin:0;border:0 none" data-break-on="414" data-lg-id="experience-5b69c692dee95" data-lg-src="//view.ceros.com/business-insider/truck-driver-test" data-lg-padding="83.33%" data-sm-id="experience-5b6db4d1c1eed" data-sm-src="//view.ceros.com/business-insider/truck-driver-test-desktop-1" data-sm-padding="150%"> <iframe allowfullscreen="" style="position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;margin:0;padding:0;border:0 none" frameborder="0" class="ceros-experience"></iframe></div><script type="text/javascript" src="//view.ceros.com/scroll-proxy.min.js"></script><script type="text/javascript" src="//creative-services.ceros.com/customer-success/varying-embed-tag-generator/embedded-variant-switcher-v3.min.js"></script></div> <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cigna-ceo-explains-the-problem-with-healthcare-in-america-2018-7">Cigna's CEO says that the problem with healthcare in America has nothing to do with employers</a></h3> <div> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/MP8nsEy7-xjRU7l6Z.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script> </div> </div></hr>

America's truck drivers have to ace this test before controlling a 26,000-pound vehicle on the open road - see if you can pass it

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A trucker explained why companies are reporting a truck driver shortage.</li><li>Port driver Shauntai Robinson said it has become increasingly difficult to sustain a <keyword id="11939549" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="trucking" source="Orion">trucking</keyword> career.</li></ul>A trucker <a href="https://medium.com/@lilbit2983/the-truck-driver-shortage-is-a-lie-let-me-tell-you-how-40c44a5fc57c">broke down</a> the key issues that are causing the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-needs-truckers-trucking-association-president-says-2021-10#:~:text=The%20US%20has%20a%20shortage,before%20the%20pandemic%2C%20Spear%20said.&amp;text=This%20has%20caused%20havoc%20in%20the%20US%20supply%20chain.ain.">truck driver shortage</a> - arguing that it's not a worker shortage, but a matter of unsustainable wages.Shauntai Robinson, an owner operator out of the ports in South Carolina, said in a <a href="https://medium.com/@lilbit2983/the-truck-driver-shortage-is-a-lie-let-me-tell-you-how-40c44a5fc57c">post on Medium</a> that after 16 years in the industry, she is beginning to question the viability of a career as a truck driver. "There are <a href="https://www.zippia.com/cdl-class-a-driver-jobs/demographics/">thousands of valid class A CDL holders</a>, across the United States, who have elected to not drive a truck anymore," Robinson wrote. "These people have not relinquished their credentials. Instead, these valuable people have been forced to seek alternative forms of employment in order to be able to provide for their families."For Robinson, truck driving began as an opportunity to quickly learn a set skill that could support her family, but has gradually become a liability. As a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/truckers-wait-outside-backlogged-ports-8-hours-without-pay-2021-11">local port driver</a>, she was able to deliver loads on a set schedule and return home every night to be with her child. But, as a company driver and a single parent, it wasn't always enough to pay the bills."If I needed to take a day off because one of my children were ill, or had an appointment, it would take me two to three months to financially recover. I found myself in this predicament several times," Robinson wrote. "At the time, by making $16 per hour, I had maxed out my earning potential as a company driver." Robinson explained that there are four types of local harbor drivers, which are categorized into two groups: company drivers that are paid per hour and independent contractors, also known as "owner operators," that are paid per load. The title "owner operator" can be deceiving. Robinson explains that the majority of owner operators work for a single carrier, either leasing their truck through the company or independently from a dealership.These contracts <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/pages/interactives/news/rigged-forced-into-debt-worked-past-exhaustion-left-with-nothing/">often leave drivers with low profit margins</a>. Drivers who lease their vehicles from the carriers can see much of their earnings recouped by the company, as drivers are typically responsible for 90% of expenses, including fuel and maintenance. Similarly, truckers who lease from a dealership are contracted to carriers for a set percentage of each load, typically 74%, Robinson wrote. But, these drivers often never get to see the overall freight bill, she said.Some owner operators, like Robinson, can be lucky enough to establish their own companies, earning the right to pick and choose which loads to haul, but even that is not always enough. Robinson formed her own company, Mid-Carolina <keyword id="11894924" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="transportation" source="Orion">Transportation</keyword>, in 2018, but says if the trucking industry continues on its current trajectory she might be forced to consider other careers.Insider <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/truckers-wait-outside-backlogged-ports-8-hours-without-pay-2021-11">previously reported</a> that the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shipping-containers-stuck-california-ports-combat-shortages-2021-9">supply-chain crisis</a> has created a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trucker-port-delays-like-walmart-black-friday-one-cash-register-2021-11">major headache</a> for truck drivers like Robinson who work at the ports. Four truck drivers who worked at the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shipping-containers-stuck-california-ports-combat-shortages-2021-9">nation's largest ports</a> told Insider they've waited for up to eight hours without pay in order to pick up loads."There's no glitz and glam, and hardly enough money to maintain a business and a household," Robinson wrote. "If the trucking industry continues its present trajectory, it will be unable to sustain itself. It will implode under all the weight that the people on the bottom of the totem are bearing. It honestly seems as though that process has already begun. Like many before me, and even more on this journey with me, we must now decide whether to stay aboard, or to abandon ship as it quickly takes on water."<a href="https://medium.com/@lilbit2983/the-truck-driver-shortage-is-a-lie-let-me-tell-you-how-40c44a5fc57c">Read Robinson's full story here.</a>

A trucker explains the truck driver shortage: We're 'tired of carrying the country on our backs'

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The national bus-driver <keyword id="12019080" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="shortage" source="Orion">shortage</keyword> continues to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/national-guard-drive-school-buses-bus-driver-shortage-massachussetts-2021-9">disrupt learning</a> despite extra financial incentives.</li><li>New Jersey, Florida, and Pennsylvania schools said they are competing with <keyword id="11893181" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="amazon" source="Orion">Amazon</keyword> for drivers.</li><li>Amazon is hiring 4,800 workers in Philadelphia - school leaders worry it could worsen hiring challenges.</li></ul>School districts in New Jersey, Florida, and Pennsylvania have cited hiring competition with Amazon as one factor fueling a national bus-driver shortage that has forced kids to taxi, Uber, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/colorado-12-year-old-kayaked-class-school-bus-driver-shortage-2021-9">and even kayak to class.</a>Chloe Williams, president of the New Jersey School Bus Contractors Association, told Insider that the <keyword id="12016652" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="driver-shortage" source="Orion">driver shortage</keyword> is not due to "wages at this point," adding that they lost bus drivers to Amazon, ride-hailing services, and long-haul trucking companies. She said several bus drivers left last year due to health concerns but most returned after the vaccine became available. "Primarily, it was because the jobs were available last year when the schools shut down," Williams said. "People were looking for other jobs and found the demand was there ... especially in package <keyword id="11922166" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="delivery" source="Orion">delivery</keyword>, everybody was home shopping on Amazon." Public schools across New Jersey have raised wages for bus drivers to as high as $30 an hour, according to <a href="https://www.nj.com/news/2021/09/schools-are-offering-higher-wages-and-bonuses-will-it-help-get-bus-drivers.html">NJ.com</a>. Private bus contractors in the state are offering bonuses ranging from $1500 to $5000, the report says.In Palm Beach, Florida, schools are competing with a new 96,000-square-foot Amazon warehouse to hire drivers, <a href="https://thehustle.co/why-america-has-a-school-bus-driver-shortage/">The Hustle's Zachary Crockett reported</a> Saturday.The hourly wage for Amazon drivers in Palm Beach is approximately $2 higher than the district's bus driver salary of $14.57 an hour, according to The Hustle report. Amazon recently announced plans to hire 4,800 workers in Philadelphia, a city hard-hit by the school bus driver shortage, <a href="https://www.inquirer.com/business/amazon-philadelphia-job-openings-warehouse-delivery-20210914.html">The Inquirer</a> reported.The <keyword id="11894549" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="e-commerce" source="Orion">e-commerce</keyword> giant's growth could make it even more difficult to hire bus drivers, Philadelphia superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said at a press conference earlier this month.District spokeswoman Christina Clark told Insider that Amazon offered logistics advice around making bus routes more efficient. "They, too, are in the process of dealing with driver vacancies, so filling driver shortages is not something we are looking for them to help us with at this time," she said. "Our most critical needs are for teachers, bus drivers, special <keyword id="11897808" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="education" source="Orion">education</keyword> assistants, food service workers, and student climate staff," Hite said at a <a href="https://fb.watch/8j7zf4RHDS/">Facebook Live briefing</a> last week.He added that the district is introducing a new bus driver trainee position which will "provide potential bus drivers with compensation and benefits while they take their CDL course and complete all necessary exams."One Amazon delivery service partner (DSP) employee in Connecticut told Insider a former driver used to say "packages are much better than kids," when asked about his past experience as a school bus driver and why he left.Amazon recruiting tactics are hard to compete with. One driver operating out of a Danbury, Connecticut warehouse told Insider he was instructed to distribute business cards advertising Amazon delivery driving jobs to "drivers, landscapers, anyone we see on the road."He said if an applicant is hired as a result, the driver is rewarded with a $300 bonus, adding that the hiring push is in preparation for Amazon's peak holiday season. Amazon did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. Expanded Coverage Module: what-is-the-labor-shortage-and-how-long-will-it-last

Amazon is poaching school bus drivers for delivery jobs amid a shortage

If you are looking over to buy the best camera bag to carry your camera and its accessories safely, you have landed in the right place. While carrying your expensive cameras, you need to be careful to keep them safe. A camera bag helps you keep the camera and all its accessories in one place without any fear of damage. Padded shoulder straps, spacious interior, material, durability and other features are the key points that one should consider while buying. To help you choose the best camera bag, we have curated a list of the top picks from Amazon. <bulletContentEmbed name="B002VPE1WK" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B002VPE1WK_head"><columnHead col="1"><columnHeadThumb><div type="image" title="Padded Compartments" msid="86138807" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb><columnHeadTitle>B002VPE1WK</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B002VPE1WK_body"><bulletContentRow name="B002VPE1WK_9541526793507219"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">AmazonBasics Backpack for SLR/DSLR Cameras and Accessories - Black</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Carry your camera securely with this camera bag from AmazonBasics. It features multiple compartment storage for all the camera equipment in an organized way. To keep them safe while travelling, the bag has padded compartments. For comfortable carrying, the bag offers an adjustable shoulder strap with chest and waist belts. The bag features pouches and pockets for carrying essential items.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B002VPE1WK_1455682819426202"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">The padded compartments keep your camera and its accessories safe.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed> <bulletContentEmbed name="B078NR9R5Q" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B078NR9R5Q_head"><columnHead col="1"><columnHeadThumb><div type="image" title="Customizable Interior" msid="86138834" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb><columnHeadTitle>B078NR9R5Q</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B078NR9R5Q_body"><bulletContentRow name="B078NR9R5Q_9612860518471740"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Smiledrive Waterproof DSLR Backpack Camera Bag, Lens Accessories Carry Case for All SLR Cameras-Made in India</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Designed to provide comfort, this camera bag from Smiledrive features padded shoulder straps. The customizable interiors with mesh pockets ensure to keep all the equipment and essentials in an organized manner. With a warranty of 1 year, this bag is said to be made from durable and water-resistant material. To ensure safety for the camera and its equipment, the bag comes with adjustable padded dividers.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B078NR9R5Q_6798780548317587"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">The padded dividers should help you keep things safe from damage.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed> <bulletContentEmbed name="B01N0VIMBI" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B01N0VIMBI_head"><columnHead col="1"><columnHeadThumb><div type="image" title="Water Resistant" msid="86138855" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb><columnHeadTitle>B01N0VIMBI</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B01N0VIMBI_body"><bulletContentRow name="B01N0VIMBI_7907174926869892"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Universal Lightweight DSLR Camera Lens Backpack Bag</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Carry your camera and accessories safely in the camera bag from Gonaturs. With adjustable and removable padded dividers, you can organize the accessories according to your requirement. Its water-resistant and durable material makes you carry your belongings safely. The availability of mesh pockets inside and outside makes it convenient to carry liquids or any small items. Also, the bag is said to be compatible with all top DSLR and SLR models.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B01N0VIMBI_3047755829868397"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">The removable dividers make it a versatile bag.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed> <bulletContentEmbed name="B0787Q9L4X" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B0787Q9L4X_head"><columnHead col="1"><columnHeadThumb><div type="image" title="Padded Design" msid="86138876" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb><columnHeadTitle>B0787Q9L4X</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B0787Q9L4X_body"><bulletContentRow name="B0787Q9L4X_7833611708223874"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Cosmus Horizon DSLR Camera Backpack Bag</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">Keep your camera and its accessories safe with this waterproof camera bag from Cosmus Horizon. With its well-padded design, it ensures you keep everything in the bag protected from any damage. It comes with multi-pockets that should allow you to keep your essentials in an organized way. To lighten the weight and relieve stress, the bag features padded shoulder straps. Also, it offers a laptop compartment that is compatible with a laptop up to 15.6 inches.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B0787Q9L4X_6399400866875685"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">The water-resistant material used helps to keep the belongings protected.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed> <bulletContentEmbed name="B09339CDL4" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B09339CDL4_head"><columnHead col="1"><columnHeadThumb><div type="image" title="Shock-proof" msid="86138944" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb><columnHeadTitle>B09339CDL4</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B09339CDL4_body"><bulletContentRow name="B09339CDL4_5555556417891753"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Fur Jaden Anti Theft Camera Bag for DSLR SLR Lens Accessories Waterproof Bag Case with Shock Proof Cushioning</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">This anti-theft camera bag from Fur Jaden features cut-proof plastic boards and anti-theft zippers to keep your essentials safe. With a customizable padded interior, you can keep the camera and its accessories according to your requirement. Its shock-proof padding ensures to keep all the essentials safe from any damage. Other than DSLR and SLR, this bag is also compatible with drones such as the DJI Mavic series and DJI Mavic mini.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B09339CDL4_7770874964785972"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">The shock-proof material helps to keep the belongings safe.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed> <bulletContentEmbed name="B07J1ZXSGH" columns="1"><bulletContentHeading name="B07J1ZXSGH_head"><columnHead col="1"><columnHeadThumb><div type="image" title="Spacious Bag" msid="86139026" hostid="261"></div></columnHeadThumb><columnHeadTitle>B07J1ZXSGH</columnHeadTitle></columnHead></bulletContentHeading><bulleteContentBody name="B07J1ZXSGH_body"><bulletContentRow name="B07J1ZXSGH_8606639773214122"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1">Lowepro ProTactic BP 350 AW II Camera &amp; Laptop Backpack, Black</bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">For comfort and spaciousness, this camera bag from Lowepro with a 16-litre capacity is a good option. With the Active Zone System Technology, the bag helps provide support to the body while carrying. To keep your belongings and valuables safe, it features an all-weather AW cover.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow><bulletContentRow name="B07J1ZXSGH_3562938216577467"><bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowHead col="1"></bulletContentRowHead></bulletContentRowHeading><bulletContentRowBody><bulletContentRowCell col="1">It ensures to keep all your valuables safe.</bulletContentRowCell></bulletContentRowBody></bulletContentRow></bulleteContentBody></bulletContentEmbed>

Best camera bags in India in 2021

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c3e6eea55ab0b0de731321b-2400/2016-04-08t120000z595656754gf10000376348rtrmadp3usa-economy.jpg" border="0" alt="trucker" data-mce-source="Mike Blake/Reuters" />Mike Blake/ReutersThere are no truck drivers leading the federal agency that governs truck drivers.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>The <a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov">Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration</a> regulates and provides safety oversight for commercial drivers, including <a href="https://businessinsider.com/category/truck-drivers">truck drivers</a> and bus drivers.</li><li>Of its four administrators, not one has a commercial driver's license or a background in commercial driving. Other agencies are led by those who worked within their fields more directly. For instance, the FAA is led by a former American Airlines pilot.</li><li>Truckers are frustrated with the laws that dictate how they're paid, when they can work, and how their employers can treat them.</li></ul>Truckers are frustrated with the laws that dictate how they're paid, when they can work, and how their employers can treat them. And many are directing that frustration to the agency that makes those laws - the <a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov">Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration</a> (FMCSA).A December rulemaking from the FMCSA stated that trucking companies in California <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-truck-drivers-respond-fmcsa-ruling-2018-12">were exempt from paying their truck driver employees</a> during their mandatory rest breaks. Ray Martinez, the FMSCA administrator, said in December that these rest breaks were <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-truck-drivers-rest-breaks-fmsca-2018-12">"a drag on the economy"</a>; studies from retailers and trucking firms indicated that the breaks reduce productivity.But <a href="https://truckerdesiree.com/">Desiree Wood</a>, a truck driver, said not giving paid rest breaks puts the safety of truck drivers and other motorists at risk.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-truck-drivers-respond-fmcsa-ruling-2018-12">Angry California truck drivers are slamming a new rule that requires them to take unpaid rest breaks, one calling the change a 'travesty' for safety</a>"It's really a travesty," Wood, who's also president of Real Women in Trucking, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-truck-drivers-respond-fmcsa-ruling-2018-12">told Business Insider</a> when the ruling came out. "It truly defies safety. If you really cared about safety, you would want people on the highway who are not stressed out about their pay and who are well rested."Martinez and Wood don't just differ on the idea of what paid rest breaks do for truck drivers, the economy, and everyday drivers.Wood has been a truck driver since 2007. Martinez, who heads the FMCSA and makes the rules that America's 1.8 million truck drivers must follow, has never been a professional truck driver or held any type of commercial drivers' license (CDL). The FMCSA rules affect the six million commercial drivers nationwide and, indirectly, the 250 million non-commercial drivers who also drive on American roads."As an integral part of the Department of <keyword id="34991" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="transportation">Transportation</keyword>, FMCSA needs to do its part to keep our highways as safe as possible and to drive the number of crashes, injuries and fatalities down to zero," Martinez said <a href="https://www.commerce.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/f8edec48-3490-4b30-9d93-45ed4c081c74/C735D6E00589E5F192765A7ECF8BF457.martinez--opening-statement.pdf">in October 2017</a>.<h2>No key personnel at FMCSA have ever been a truck driver</h2>According to an FMCSA representative, no former FMCSA administrator has ever had a CDL or been a professional truck driver. Most of the key personnel have had backgrounds in state motor vehicle departments or law enforcement. Before assuming the role of FMCSA administrator <a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/mission/leadership/administrator-0">in February 2018,</a> Martinez headed the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission as its chairman and chief administrator from 2010 to 2018. There are more than 211,000 commercial drivers in New Jersey. He also served as the commissioner of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and the chair of the New York State Governor's Traffic Safety Committee. His earliest public career history includes working as an attorney in public and private practice.Martinez was nominated by the President Donald Trump and confirmed unanimously by the Senate in February 2018.<div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c3f9be5faf13224436ec908-788/raymondpmartinezofficialphotocropped.jpg" border="0" alt="Raymond_P._Martinez_official_photo_(cropped)" width="314" height="447" data-mce-source="United States Department of Transportation" data-mce-caption="Raymond P. Martinez, administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration" data-link="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=fmcsa&amp;title=Special:Search&amp;go=Go&amp;searchToken=ausdwyh5djx2u0a0f0s3svnbb#%2Fmedia%2FFile%3ARaymond_P._Martinez_official_photo_%28cropped%29.jpg" /><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=fmcsa&amp;title=Special:Search&amp;go=Go&amp;searchToken=ausdwyh5djx2u0a0f0s3svnbb#%2Fmedia%2FFile%3ARaymond_P._Martinez_official_photo_%28cropped%29.jpg">United States Department of Transportation</a>FMCSA administrator Raymond Martinez.</div></div>The FMCSA's three other <a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/mission/leadership">key personnel</a> also do not hold a CDL and have no professional experience as a driver.However, they do have experience in the trucking industry through private and public roles. Prior to joining the FMCSA in 2018, Chief Counsel Jim Mullen headed a trucking consultant firm and was the executive vice president and general counsel for Werner Enterprises, one of the country's <a href="https://www.joc.com/trucking-logistics/truckload-freight/werner-enterprises">largest</a> trucking companies. Jack Van Steenburg, who is the FMCSA's chief safety officer and assistant administrator, previously was the director of the FMCSA's Enforcement and Compliance Office. Van Steenburg was at the New York State Police for 25 years, culminating as the lead for all highway safety programs.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/supreme-court-rules-truck-drivers-cant-be-forced-into-arbitration-2019-1" data-analytics-position="1">The Supreme Court just handed truck drivers a big win on an issue that has been plaguing the most vulnerable workers</a>James "Wiley" Deck, the director of government affairs, served on the staff of Congressman John L. Mica for 23 years. He was also the director of Oversight and Investigations for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.The agency was formed in 2000 and employs 1,100 people. Its <a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/mission/we-are-fmcsa-brochure">objective</a> is to provide "safety oversight of motor carriers and commercial motor vehicles."The FMCSA representative did not specify on why the FMCSA, whose laws span more than 550,000 truck and bus companies and <a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmcsa.dot.gov/files/docs/We%20Are%20FMCSA%20Brochure.pdf">six million CDL holders</a>, has never an experienced commercial truck driver running the agency.Business Insider also contacted all FMCSA key personnel, and none responded to requests for an interview. (Deck affirmed in an email that he's never had a CDL.)<h2>That's unlike other transportation agencies</h2>The FMCSA falls under the Department of Transportation, which employs 55,000 people across multiple agencies. Other DOT agencies, unlike the FMCSA, are led by those who have direct work experience.<a href="https://www.faa.gov/about/key_officials/elwell/">Daniel Elwell</a>, the acting administrator for the Federal Aviation Administration, was a pilot at American Airlines for 16 years before assuming a variety of high-level administration jobs in the public and private sector. He was also a command pilot in the US Air Force and US Air Force Reserve with 6,000 hours of civilian and military flight time.<a href="https://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P1009">Ronald Batory</a>, the current administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, was never a train conductor, but he did begin his career as a traveling freight car accounting auditor. The most recent permanent administrator, <a href="https://www.progressiverailroading.com/people/article/Joseph-Szabo-says-goodbye-to-Federal-Railroad-Administration-hello-to-Chicago-planning-agency--43214">Joe Szabo,</a> held roles including a commuter passenger conductor, yard switchman, and road trainman.The head of the US Maritime Administration, Rear Adm. <a href="https://www.maritime.dot.gov/about-us/office-administrator/administrator">Mark H. Buzby</a>, served in the US Navy for 34 years. He graduated from the Merchant Marine Academy in 1979 and was the commander of the Navy's Military Sealift Command from 2009 to 2013.Are you a CDL holder with a story about your industry? Do you work at the DOT or FMCSA? Contact the reporter at <a href="mailto:rpremack@businessinsider.com">rpremack@businessinsider.com</a>. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-model-x-perfect-safety-crash-test-rating-2019-2">Why Tesla's Model X was the first SUV to receive a perfect crash-test rating</a></h3> <div> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/QnahnSyb-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script> </div> </div>

None of the people who oversee the federal laws that govern truck drivers were ever truck drivers themselves

<img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5e947c6bd5873a573e484baa-1800/ap20090199263387.jpg" alt="A delivery driver wearing a face mask delivers groceries to a home on March 30, 2020." /><ul class="summary-list"><li>The job marketplace ZipRecruiter used listings on its website to identify four industries with increased hiring amid the coronavirus outbreak: transportation, tutoring, warehousing, and healthcare.</li><li>As businesses close to try to slow the spread of the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wuhan-coronavirus-us-cases-health-risk-2020-1">novel coronavirus</a>, many workers have already lost jobs and hours.</li><li>Demand for nursing jobs, including registered nurses and nurse practitioners, is up by 49%, ZipRecruiter said.</li><li>Here are 15 job titles with increased demand amid the coronavirus outbreak.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>Millions of US workers have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-atlantic-20-unemployment-rate-is-not-impossible-2020-3">either lost jobs or hours</a> as the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wuhan-coronavirus-us-cases-health-risk-2020-1">coronavirus</a> outbreak continues to upend American life.But some jobs have grown over the past month.The job marketplace <a href="https://www.ziprecruiter.com/">ZipRecruiter</a> tracked month-over-month changes in demand for job titles and industries between February and March. The company connects millions of job seekers to businesses on its marketplace.Through its analysis, ZipRecruiter found four industries with hiring spikes during the US coronavirus outbreak: manufacturing, tutoring, healthcare, and transportation.Demand for nursing jobs, including registered nurses and nurse practitioners, rose by 49%, for instance. Jobs for truck drivers who can operate CDL flatbed vehicles rose by a whopping 976%. And warehouse workers are the big winners - warehouse-handler roles saw a 1,677% increase in March.Here are 15 jobs that have seen rapid increases in hiring over the past month: Do you have a personal experience with the coronavirus you'd like to share? Or a tip on how your town or community is handling the pandemic? Please email <a href="mailto:covidtips@businessinsider.com">covidtips@businessinsider.com</a> and tell us your story.Get the latest <a href="/coronavirus-business-impact">coronavirus business &amp; economic impact analysis</a> from Business Insider Intelligence on how COVID-19 is affecting industries.

Here are the 15 top jobs companies are hiring for amid the pandemic

<keyword id="9265079" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-serum-institute-of-india">The Serum Institute of India</keyword> on Sunday became the first indigenous company to apply to the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) seeking emergency use authorisation for the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine in the country citing unmet medical needs due to the pandemic and in the interest of the public at large, official sources said. A day earlier, the Indian arm of US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer became the first to seek a similar approval from India's drug regulator for its own COVID-19 vaccine in the country, after securing such clearance in the UK and Bahrain. The phase-three clinical trial of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield, is being conducted by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India on Sunday (SII), co-sponsored by <keyword id="6364555" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-Council-of-Medical-Research">Indian Council of Medical Research</keyword> (ICMR), in various parts of the country in addition to clinical studies being carried out by <keyword id="9605255" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="oxford-astrazeneca">Oxford-AstraZeneca</keyword> in the UK and Brazil. Based on phase two and three clinical trial results, the SII with the help of the ICMR will pursue early availability of the vaccine for India, the country's apex health research body had said last month. According to the ICMR, the SII has already manufactured 40 million doses of the vaccine under the at-risk manufacturing and stockpiling license it obtained from the DCGI. Official sources, citing the SII application, said the firm has stated that data from four clinical studies, two in the UK and one each in Brazil and India, shows that Covishield is highly efficacious against symptomatic and most importantly against severe COVID-19 infections. The results are in line with other anti-coronavirus vaccines and because of the huge disease burden, Covishield is predicted to alleviate substantial COVID-19 mortality and morbidity, the firm is learnt to have said. "In terms of safety, Covishield was well tolerated with respect to solicited adverse events and was not associated with an increased number of SAEs and deaths. A majority of solicited reactions were mild in severity and resolved without any sequelae. "Therefore, Covishield is safe and well-tolerated and can be used effectively for prevention of COVID-19 in the targeted population. Thus, the benefit to risk ratio strongly supports the widespread use of Covishield," a source said quoting the application. In order to introduce an urgently needed vaccine against COVID-19 in India, SII, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, has entered into a collaboration with the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca to manufacture the vaccine. The SII has also submitted 12 batches of the vaccine to <keyword id="9576145" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-central-drugs-laboratory">the Central Drugs Laboratory</keyword> (CDL) in Kasauli for testing, a source said. "In line with our philosophy we assure you that for COVID-19 vaccines also, we are committed to make our country 'aatmanirbhar' (self-reliant) and fulfil our prime minister's clarion call of 'vocal for local' and 'making in India' for the world," stated the application signed by Prakash Kumar Singh, Additional Director, <keyword id="2344259" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Government-and-Regulatory-Affairs">Government and Regulatory Affairs</keyword> at Serum Institute of India (SII). In view of all these facts and unmet medical needs in the interest of the public at large to save millions of people in the country and across the globe, early availability of a vaccine against COVID-19 is a necessity, it stated. "So, in the national interest, we request you to grant us emergency use authorisation of Covishield based on our application and in view of immediate need for a safe, effective, programmatically suitable and affordable vaccine for our country," the application read. According to sources, this vaccine is logistically feasible for distribution in the country's both urban and rural parts as it can be stored at two to eight degrees Celsius, which is an ideal temperature for being kept in cold storages in the country. As a rapid regulatory response, the DCGI on August 2 had given nod to SII for conducting the combined phase two and three human clinical trials of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine in the country. PLB BJ NSD NSD NSD

Oxford COVID-19 vaccine: Serum Institute seeks emergency use nod for Covishield vaccine in India

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c2cefad630d9b7a5121e0e9-889/shutterstock346317764.jpg" border="0" alt="trucker" data-mce-source="cate_89/Shutterstock" />cate_89/ShutterstockThousands of truckers plan to protest on April 12.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trucker-truck-driver-eld-salary-2018-5">ELD mandate</a>, debates over <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-truck-drivers-respond-fmcsa-ruling-2018-12">unpaid breaks</a>, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/teenage-truckers-drive-safe-act-driver-shortage-2018-9">other concerns</a> wracked truck drivers in 2018.</li><li>Thousands of them are planning to protest the state of trucking on April 12, 2019, with "a nationwide shutdown."</li><li>They are organizing the strike in a Facebook group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1730503873636664//">called "Black Smoke Matters."</a></li></ul> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trucker-truck-driver-eld-salary-2018-5">An unpopular law</a>, a lack of parking, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/truck-drivers-kroger-bad-survey-2018-12">too much waiting</a> at warehouses, and a litany of other frustrations are driving truckers to plan a strike on April 12.<a href="https://cdllife.com/2018/group-truckers-plan-one-day-shutdown-2019/?utm_source=CDLLife&amp;utm_campaign=ccef6c115f-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_06_26_09_31_COPY_05&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_term=0_430cb8d938-ccef6c115f-43107949">First reported by CDL Life</a>, truck drivers are organizing the strike in a Facebook group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1730503873636664//">called "Black Smoke Matters."</a> It has more than 9,000 members. Last year was an especially challenging year for some truck drivers. The <a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/hours-service/elds/faqs">electronic-logging device (ELD) mandate</a> effectively limited the earnings of some truckers, many of whom may not have been abiding by the federal hours of service law. The rule arose from safety concerns, but many say it's not practical. Steven Wright, a 47-year-old who has been trucking for nearly 24 years, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trucker-truck-driver-eld-salary-2018-5">told Business Insider in May</a> that the ELD mandate and the time constraints it brought slashed his weekly earnings by $450. Those pay decreases are particularly impactful for folks that average <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes533032.htm#st">$42,000 a year</a>, and regularly spend weeks away from their family working 70-hour weeks. Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trucker-truck-driver-eld-salary-2018-5">Truck drivers say the latest measure to keep roads safe has left them 'chained up,' 'more reckless than ever,' and unable to support their families</a>Other trucker issues also came to the forefront this year. One was detention time, in which truckers may have to spend hours unpaid waiting for shipments at warehouses. Whether or not <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/truck-drivers-salary-minimum-wage-court-decision-pam-2018-10">break time</a> is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-truck-drivers-respond-fmcsa-ruling-2018-12">paid</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/teenage-truckers-drive-safe-act-driver-shortage-2018-9">training requirements</a> also proved to be major talking points among America's 1.8 million long-haul truckers. That's summarized by one of the protest points by the protesting truckers: "There needs to be involvement from drivers before making new regulations," reads a flyer <a href="http://truckersstandasone.com/index/">from Truckers Stand as One</a>. "Nobody actually listens to us," Wright, the truck driver, told Business Insider <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trucker-truck-driver-eld-salary-2018-5">in May</a>. "People in Washington, DC, or wherever they are, make these rules."<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5c250602aebf423e67672833-1733/ca trucker.jpg" border="0" alt="ca trucker" data-mce-source="Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images" />Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images</div></div></div>Truck drivers, whose salaries have plummeted by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/truck-driver-salary-decrease-pay-cut-2018-9">as much as 50% since the 1980s</a>, feel that they've become less and less respected over time."We're not all fat slobs, and we don't all do the stereotypical trucker things," <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/askatrucker">Will Kling</a>, a truck driver based in Reno, Nevada, previously told Business Insider. "Trucking has been forgotten."Despite that decline in prestige, truck drivers <a href="https://www.trucking.org/News_and_Information_Reports_Industry_Data.aspx">carry 71% of the nation's freight in weight</a> - everything from food and medicine to clean water, clothes, and cash. They've become even more crucial to consumers with the boon in e-commerce and fast delivery.Truckers are planning a shutdown of just one day on April 12. But if they were to protest for three days, grocery stores, gas stations, and ATMs <a href="https://www.trucking.org/ATA%20Docs/What%20We%20Do/Image%20and%20Outreach%20Programs/When%20Trucks%20Stop%20America%20Stops.pdf">would experience significant shortages</a>."When you go to that store and you pick up that bottle of wine or that ketchup, you don't think about the process it took to get it where it is," Kling said."If I could tell everybody something about trucking, it would be that there are heartbeats in the truck," Kling added. "They don't drive themselves. We all have families, we're all just trying to do a job, like everybody else. Our job is just really different and way more dangerous."Are you a truck driver who plans to strike on April 12? Do you have thoughts on the protest? Email the reporter at <a href="mailto:rpremack@businessinsider.com">rpremack@businessinsider.com</a>. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-runge-cars-made-by-hand-aluminum-metalworking-2018-11">These bespoke metal cars take 2,000 hours to make by hand - see the step-by-step process</a></h3> <div> <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/Tcylx6Hd-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script> </div> </div>

Thousands of truckers in a Facebook group called 'Black Smoke Matters' are planning a one-day nationwide strike this April

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53eba7e369bedd1a683588c5-875-656/truck-squeezed.jpg" border="0" alt="truck squeezed"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/wonderferret/2464206962/in/photolist-4KKGSW-8dfaKV-3w8ru-8Rh6B1-8qYe14-3pdSED-bEX9nU-9zDfBn-2PJVkQ-nEbBMh-5c57BW-7sNfeK-PHbqh-csUc7h-5psELD-YvxWy-agnbaC-8rsfC3-8oj3Ge-3a3gtf-bF8E8z-sqoN8-8DJmAC-6CREZS-ardunY-5g8ihz-6qN6Y-88u7Vh-aVpWkt-6shkKZ-97D4He-6GeKEj-9RV683-aqvNjy-9W3Ln5-59v18k-aKhmNz-59SxuM-7wKGGo-5WDTvx-tSvZY-fiXyLr-dReuoT-7TLjwZ-Fpv7B-6MUhCR-eaHbCD-6MY64b-ao3Hpa-bpq8X5">Mark/flickr</a></img></div></div></div>Higher driving costs and falling pay have created a truck-driver shortage that is likely to worsen in the coming years. 
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) now estimates that the U.S. is short 30,000 truck drivers, and is expected to surge to 239,000 by 2022.
In July 2013, new federal hours of service rules went into effect. 
The key provision was a limit to the use of a 34-hour "restart." Drivers have a 70-hour a week cap on how much time they can be on the road. Previously they'd been able to artificially reset that cap to zero if they took 34 consecutive hours off. Now many are unable to do so.
As a result, <a href="http://atri-online.org/2013/11/18/atri-study-identifies-significant-operational-and-economic-impacts-from-new-hours-of-service-rules/">according to a survey from the American Transportation Research Institute</a>, more than 80% of motor carriers have experienced a productivity loss, with nearly half stating that they require more drivers to haul the same amount of freight.
"Smaller 'owner/operator' firms are increasingly dropping by the wayside as the cost of operations and maintenance are simply becoming too expensive to stay in business," Paul Pittman, a logistics planner at North Carolina-based Odyssey Logistics and Technology, told Business Insider by email. 
So drivers are suddenly faced with the choice of leaving the profession entirely or moving to a larger company where wages are likely to be lower. 
"As controls continue to tighten, many of the existing drivers currently employed are turning to other areas of employment simply to get off the road and escape some of the regulations implemented to govern their operations," Pittman said. 
To hang on, small operators are forced to cut corners. For Jeff, a driver who asked to be identified by just his first name, the pay isn't the biggest issue - it's the compromises some firms are making on driver compliance.
"With how my lifestyle is, [the pay] pretty decent. I don't go out and blow money on speed boats, or the best electronics, or hookers and blow," Jeff said. "I'm married I have four children. We prioritize our finances. Two years ago we finally bought an HDTV. My main issue is the safety aspect."
<h2>Violating rules</h2>
His primary issue with trucking companies is the pressure they put on drivers to violate federal rules. Jeff worked for a small outfit in the midwest. The owner of that company, he says, wanted him to take a dry van load from Hubbard, Ohio to Syracuse, New York, which is approximately 327 miles. 
Jeff explained that this trip takes longer for trucks than it does for cars, because trucks carry heavier loads, and it takes longer for them to speed up and slow down. It would take a truck approximately 5 hours and 15 minutes from Hubbard to Syracuse. 
The owner, whom Jeff didn't want named, asked him to drive back to Hubbard empty, do a drop-and-hook (drop one trailer, unhook another) and take another trailer up to Binghamton New York the same day. And the trip from Hubbard to Binghamton is approximately five and half hours, meaning a round trip would only leave him about 30 minutes of driving for the day and legally Jeff couldn't.
<div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53ebac1a6bb3f72a43056f53-1200-706/screen%20shot%202014-08-13%20at%202.16.21%20pm.png" border="0" alt="hubbard to binghamton" width="800">Google Maps</img></div></div>
"When you're non-compliant as a driver you run the risk of fatigue and the risk of hurting other people," he said. "...And as a driver it's my license on the line." Jeff said he was asked by multiple trucking companies to falsify his logs but he refused to.
"I consider myself a safety oriented driver, and I have found that is a bad thing," Jeff said. "Because since I got my CDL [Commercial Drivers License] in 2008, I have worked for about 10 different trucking companies. That doesn't look good because it looks like it is job hopping... I'm sticking to my guns."
<h2>Time away from home</h2>
Another problem is lack of time spent at home. Feucht says drivers can expect to spend as little as 52 days at home a year. Feucht, who hauls oversize loads, averages about three to five weeks. Last year he was home 54 days, including his vacation days. "Back in the days you were treated like a knight, but now you're treated like a peon," Feucht says.
All of this helps explain why the <a href="http://www.truckline.com/article.aspx?uid=33bc3361-8fef-4c73-bd38-98da53ef4d2a">turnover rate at large truckload carriers</a> was 92% annualized in Q1, according to the ATA. Turnover refers to the rate at which drivers leave the industry and are replaced.
"One-hundred percent turnover doesn't mean that every driver left," ATA chief economist Bob Costello says. "If you keep a driver for 90 days, the rate generally drops in half. However, there are a group of drivers that churn, and they generally stay at a carrier for a short length of time (just weeks or a couple of months). Many drivers stay with a carrier for years."
<h2>Getting Squeezed</h2>
Meanwhile drivers with less experience or bargaining power get squeezed. Todd Feucht of Wisconsin has been driving trucks for 20 years and thinks trucking companies need to be more honest when recruiting.
The new drivers are "greener than grass," he said. Those who attempt to lease trucks quickly discover the significant cost of maintenance and overhead. Young drivers that go this route end up having very little to show for it. 
"I meet these guys at truckstops and they can barely afford to eat ramen during the week," Feucht told Business Insider. "...They're dropping $850 on a truck a week."
Truck drivers typically get paid hourly or by the mile. Some get a percentage of the load. If you're getting less that 33 cents a mile, "you're getting ripped off," Jeff a 36-year old truck driver from Ohio told Business Insider.
The truck drivers suggest if these companies want to see this turnover decrease they need to focus on improving pay, improving training for new entrants, and they need to not push them to violate federal regulations. 
There may finally be some movement on this front. Last month Swift, one of the largest haulers in the country, announced they'd refocus expenditures on better labor conditions for their employees, including higher wages.
"After assessing the current and expected environment, we believe the best investment we can make at this time, for all of our stakeholders, is in our drivers," <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/swift-transportation-stock-update-2014-7">the firm said in its earnings release</a>. "Our goal is to clear the path for our drivers by helping them overcome challenges, eliminate wait times and take home more money." 
<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="ATA" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53d6dd3b6bb3f7ec122d921d-960/screen shot 2014-07-28 at 7.28.49 pm.png"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53d6dd3b6bb3f7ec122d921d-1200-522/screen shot 2014-07-28 at 7.28.49 pm.png" border="0" alt="truck driver shortfall" /></a>ATA</div></div></div>

Low Pay And A Horrible Lifestyle: Here's The Real Reason The Trucking Industry Is Running Out Of Drivers

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="Uber/Vimeo" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5384fc81eab8ea62166cd618-960/uber-17.jpg"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5384fc81eab8ea62166cd618-1088-816/uber-17.jpg" border="0" alt="uber" /></a><a href="http://vimeo.com/77249014">Uber/Vimeo</a></div></div></div>A former limo driver recently wrote a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, complaining about Uber. 
In the letter - sent to Holder last Friday - Joe Jordan says that Uber is actually violating federal law. 
<a href="http://www.lctmag.com/blogpost/104104/operator-launches-limo-website" target="_blank">Jordan left his post as president of the Limousine Association of Houston in March 2011 to start</a> the "Limo Insider Report," a site dedicated to limo and taxi industry news - it has a marked anti-Uber bent. So yes, he is a former lobbyist for an industry that wants to see Uber die. You should take his letter with a pinch of salt. 
On the other hand, government intervention is the main threat to Uber. There is only one reason Uber operates in San Francisco and New York but not in Las Vegas or New Orleans - in the latter cities, government has made Uber illegal. 
Taxi lobbyists want Uber to abide by the same laws that taxi companies have to. That includes licensing all cars and drivers, providing cars with access for the disabled and not discriminating against riders from minority neighborhoods. Uber can't guarantee any of these things.
"UBER is totally illegal and has overwhelmed the law enforcement, transportation and airport authorities all across America," Jordan wrote in a letter to Holder, provided to Business Insider. "The situation has gotten completely out of hand and will only get worse without Federal Intervention."
It's not clear whether the Department of Justice even read this complaint. But this is how DOJ investigations get started - by people complaining in writing. If the DOJ were to take any of this seriously, it could mean bad news for Uber.
In New York for instance, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/new-york-attorney-general-on-uber-2014-4" target="_blank">the New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is investigating whether Uber's surge pricing is actually legal</a>.
So even if this letter to Holder produces no response, it still underlines to biggest weakness in Uber's business model: It's vulnerability to the lobbying of established taxi companies and the government regulation that might produce.
Business Insider has reached out to the DOJ and will update this story if we hear back. 
Here's the full letter:
FORMAL COMPLAINT AGAINST UBER TECHNOLOGIES
Sent by CERTIFIED MAIL RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
Hon. Eric Holder Attorney General of the United States U.S. Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington DC 20530-0001
Dear Attorney General Holder,
I am writing you today as a concerned citizen and Licensed Limousine Operator.
In order for me to engage in the business of transporting the public for hire over US Roads, I have to be licensed, drug tested, fingerprinted and have a full FBI background investigation. My cars have to be inspected and I must carry first-dollar commercial livery insurance that is in force 24/7/365.
There are companies in San Francisco that claim to be "Ridesharing Companies" or an "Internet platform connecting drivers with passengers". These companies are dispatching specific vehicles, collecting the fare by credit cards and paying the drivers. These companies are in fact actual Limousine and Taxicab companies, but are crossing state lines and evading all laws, regulations and insurance requirements.
Here are some of the ways UBER Technologies is violating Federal Law:
1) UBER discriminates against handicapped persons in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). They do not have a single wheelchair accessible vehicle anywhere in the USA. UBER also refuses to let people with seeing eye dogs ride in their cars.
2) UBER discriminates against blacks, Latins and minorities by refusing to enter "Undesirable" neighborhoods for pickups or drop-offs. (Taxicab companies by law must go to any address requested).
3) UBER's App has secret codes for rating passengers. This could be for people of color, bad tippers, old people needing help getting in and out of the car, etc. Again, racial profiling and discrimination.
4) A prominent Houston regulator was on a recent visit to Washington DC and told us he used the UBER App to get a ride. He asked the driver if he had licenses and insurance. The driver replied, "Yes but not for this jurisdiction. UBER encourages us to cross state lines and go where they need more cars. They say they will pay our tickets if we get caught"
5) UBER misclassifies its drivers as "Independent Contractors" when in fact, they are working as employees. Using the IRS 21 point checklist, you will see that UBER micro-manages drivers, trains them and has them do things only employees do. No UBER driver has workers comp. If they are injured in an auto accident, UBER will not help them or pay any of their medical expenses.
6) Distracted Driving. In order to use the UBER App, a driver must always be focused on the smart phone screen and a GPS screen. This distraction was listed as a probable cause of a fatal accident on new Year's Eve when an UBER driver ran over and killed a six year old girl.
7) Evasion of USDOT insurance requirements. UBER is sending commercial vehicles across state lines without proper insurance. The insurance they do have is a surplus commercial liability line that is not real car insurance. Several states have issued warnings about UBER's fraudulent insurance.
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2014/05/22/3197321/ride-share-services-such-as-uberx.html?sp=/99/103/
8) FORMAL RICO CHARGES AGAINST UBER. There are three active Federal Lawsuits against UBER,in Houston, Chicago and Connecticut.
http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-22/uber-lyft-face-racketeering-lawsuit-by-connecticut-cab-groups.html
UBER goes into cities like Bonnie and Clyde and just starts operating illegally. City, County and State law enforcement and transportation agencies and airport authorities are overwhelmed and need Federal Assistance to control this illegal plague of unlicensed pirate taxis sweeping the nation.
9) ILLEGAL STOCK FRAUD. UBER claims to have ten billion dollars in Venture capital, yet there is no SEC filing on obtaining these funds. The venture capital investors knew or should have known that UBER is considered totally illegal in 13 states but provides them with funds to operate anyway. This is aiding and abetting a continuing criminal enterprise.
10) UBER cars cross the Canadian border and operate illegally there. The whole operation is controlled and manipulated from offices in San Francisco. So here you have not only crimes committed by illegal unlicensed vehicles crossing state lines; but international borders as well. This is undisputedly within the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Justice.
http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/unlicensed-uber-car-service-facing-charges-1.1835374
11) UBER FREELY ADMITS THEY ARE FLAUNTING THE LAW.
Here are some troubling quotes by the UBER CEO, Travis Kalanick:
a) On the UBER website investor blog, he states: "We will begin operations in any city where we perceive there to be little or no enforcement of transportation law".
b) "If they don't enforce, they must endorse" (Our behavior)
c) "A Cease and Desist letter only means "You shouldn't be doing that", but we say, oh yes we should".
SUMMARY: UBER is totally illegal and has overwhelmed the law enforcement, transportation and airport authorities all across America. The situation has gotten completely out of hand and will only get worse without Federal Intervention. Already one six year old girl has been run over and killed and an UBER driver has been charged with rape of a passenger. There also allegations of massive bribery of public officials.
RECENT OBSERVATIONS OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE:
1) There is a link on the USDOJ website listing the accomplishments since you took the office of Attorney General. These are impressive and certainly something you should be proud of:
http://www.justice.gov/accomplishments/
The latest update was July of 2013, however. Don't you feel it would be nice to make a major arrest and successful conviction of a group of people who brag about breaking state and federal laws while getting away with it?
2) Attorney General Holder, your recent article on "Nobody Too Big to Jail" was certainly a bold statement and in a perfect world, would make many things right and secure your place in history as a great Attorney General. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/05/doj-too-big-to-jail_n_5267238.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl11%7Csec3_lnk4%26pLid%3D472520
UBER claims to have ten billion dollars in capital. Their major investors are Goldman Sachs, Google and Amazon. How about it, Mr. Attorney General, are those people "Too Big to Jail"? We are waiting..........
HERE IS THE SOLUTION: Everyone is annoyed by constant complainers who never seem to have an answer for all the problems they experience in life.
The crux of the matter is that UBER cars use a smartphone for assignments. City, county and state governments do not have the electronic resources to see the extent of the problem, identify the cars and drivers and issue them tickets. The cars are undetectable to the naked eye.
The National Security Agency (NSA) does have these resources and while the military and intelligence communities are constrained by the Posse Comitatus Act, there is a program called CALEA. (Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Agencies).
As a former Senior Intercept Analyst at NSA, I can assure you that my colleagues there could easily solve this conundrum for you in very short order. I would be glad to recommend some of the right people to talk to at the Puzzle Palace at Ft Meade if you have difficulty pursuing this.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Your job description, more than any other person in government, is to ensure justice, law and order and see to it that people and corporations behave and operate in ways that maintain and enhance the American Way of Life.
Here in Houston, the commencement ceremony was recently held at Texas Southern University, which is predominantly minority. The speaker was prominent Houston attorney Joe Jamail.
1985, a Texas jury returned a $10.53 billion verdict for Jamail's client, Pennzoil Co., against Texaco Inc. It remains the largest verdict upheld on appeal in legal history anywhere in the world. ...
In his closing comments, Mr. Jamail commented on his life experiences and people and events that shaped him. One was his parent's admonition, "Always be outraged at injustice; an injustice to anyone anywhere is injustice to everyone everywhere"
If you could define UBER with one word; it would be INJUSTICE.
Attorney General Holder, all Americans in their heart of hearts want to be proud of you. You only have a relatively small amount of time left to ensure your place in history as a man of honor, integrity and a man who had the courage in the face of great opposition from those who would tell you to look the other way as you pushed them aside and did what needed to be done anyway.
It is our sincere hope that you take this issue up and return the transport of the public to conform to established laws and regulations designed to protect public safety, prohibit discrimination and enhance the efficient movement of people in commerce across state lines.
You have the power to make this a reality if you choose to do so.
The eyes of Texas, and the rest of the country, are upon you.
Respectfully,
Joe L. Jordan, Editor Limoinsider Report 14173 Northwest Freeway #166 Houston TX 77040

You Searched For "cdl" and got 10 results

America's truck drivers have to ace this test before controlling a 26,000-pound vehicle on the open road - see if you can pass it

Rachel Premack,Samantha Lee

A trucker explains the truck driver shortage: We're 'tired of carrying the country on our backs'

Grace Kay

Amazon is poaching school bus drivers for delivery jobs amid a shortage

Hannah Towey

Best camera bags in India in 2021

Shradha Aneja

None of the people who oversee the federal laws that govern truck drivers were ever truck drivers themselves

Rachel Premack

Here are the 15 top jobs companies are hiring for amid the pandemic

Allana Akhtar

Oxford COVID-19 vaccine: Serum Institute seeks emergency use nod for Covishield vaccine in India

PTI

Thousands of truckers in a Facebook group called 'Black Smoke Matters' are planning a one-day nationwide strike this April

Rachel Premack

Low Pay And A Horrible Lifestyle: Here's The Real Reason The Trucking Industry Is Running Out Of Drivers

Mamta Badkar,Rob Wile

This Letter To The Justice Department Could Be Uber's Worst Nightmare

Megan Rose Dickey