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Mexican trucking companies will soon be able to apply to make long-haul trips into the United States thanks to recent policy changes in Congress. This decision is a huge step forward in strengthening relations with Mexico, the third largest trading partner with the U.S. A three-year pilot program conducted by the U.S. determined that Mexican trucks were capable of meeting the safety standards of the U.S. and Canada. In order for a Mexican trucking company to pass the pilot test, it must pass a rigorous safety test, hold a U.S. or Mexican commercial license, and meet specific English language proficiency requirements.

In 2009, Mexico implemented tariffs on certain U.S. agricultural products, including tomatoes and potatoes, in retaliation for a U.S. appropriations bill that halted Mexican truckers from crossing the border. Since the beginning of the pilot program in 2011, Mexico has suspended the tariffs. The safe cross-border trucking system helps the U.S. Transportation Department meet NAFTA obligations by expanding opportunities for increased trade and investment between the nations.

While these policy changes are beneficial to truckers and the U.S. trucking industry, many drivers still face significant struggles due to clients failing to make timely payments on their invoices or other obligations. In such cases, the qualified team at TBS Factoring Service is ready to help. Please call us today at (800) 207-7661 to speak to one of our experienced staff members and learn more about how our freight factoring services can help you make ends meet.  

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is pushing ahead with new regulations requiring truckers to undergo their USDOT physicals with a health professional who is listed on the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. At the expiration of a trucker’s current medical certificate, therefore, it will be necessary to ensure that the practitioner performing the physical meets this requirement in order for it to be considered valid.

Organizations such as the American Trucking Association (ATA) and other groups had requested a six-month delay before the regulations take effect, citing concerns that there may not be an adequate supply of physicians who meet these new guidelines in order to allow truckers throughout the country, particularly in rural areas, to continue doing their jobs. Nevertheless, the FMCSA has decided not to delay the requirements.

At TBS Factoring Service, our focus is always on helping independent trucking operators adapt to the challenges they face on the road. To learn more about the services we offer and what we can do for you, contact us today by calling 800-207-7661.

A recent analysis conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) has found flaws in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) study concerning the efficacy of the federal agency’s new 34-hour restart rule.

The rule, which is designed to help reduce fatigue among truck drivers in order to prevent accidents, has been controversial since its announcement, particularly in light of the considerable number of new regulations the agency has announced in the past two years, a total of 29 new rules governing how truckers have to operate. The FMCSA had used the study in order to show that the 34-hour restart rule significantly decreased reported fatigue and led to better lane positioning.

However, ATRI has documented a considerable number of design flaws in the study, including problems such as failing to differentiate between drivers who had taken a 34-hour restart and those who had been off duty for longer periods of time; findings that the average lane deviation was only 1/10^th of a centimeter greater for drivers in the non-34-hour restart group; and a sample size which may have been too small to offer meaningful insight. Though the FMCSA has disputed these findings, controversy over the rule is likely to continue.

At TBS Factoring, we understand the challenges that truckers may face on the road, and we work to provide freight factoring and other services to independent trucking operators. Contact us today at (800) 207-7661 today to speak with a member of our support staff and learn more about what we can do for you.

In July of 2013, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation, amended the Hours of Service (HOS) allowed for trucking employees. The new HOS requirement prohibits a driver from being on the road for over eleven hours in a fourteen hour workday, making the maximum time a trucker can work in a workweek 70 hours.

Compared to 2012, when the HOS limit was 82 hours per workweek, the possible Hours of Service have decreased by 12 hours. The trucking industry has long since suffered from a labor shortage, so when the new stringent work limit was announced, many people in the trucking industry projected that productivity would suffer.

The FMCSA stands by the newly imposed rules, claiming that the changes will help reduce the likelihood of fatigue-related trucking accidents. Ray Lahood, secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, mentioned that they made these rules with safety in mind, not profits.

Unfortunately, HOS regulations are only one component that contributes to the overall financial standing of truckers and trucking companies. If you are having trouble making ends meet because you have clients who have failed to pay their invoices on time, freight factoring can offer you the relief you need. Contact TBS Factoring Service today at 800-207-7661 to learn more about how we can help. 

As of July 1st, new hours of service regulations from the U.S. Department of Transportation could go into effect, unless a current lawsuit challenging these hours of service changes is successful. 

If the changes go into effect, truckers will be limited to one 34-hour restart per week, and the average maximum allowable hours will be reduced from 82 hours to 70 hours per week. This amounts to an overall 15% decrease.

Proponents of the new regulations argue that they are meant to keep drivers healthier and to reduce instances of driver fatigue behind the wheel. However, many are opposing these changes, stating that they will not have the indended benefits on the industry and instead, will only do damage to motor carriers. 

Motor carriers and independent drivers find themselves regularly facing a number of challenges that affect their business and their financial standing. Fortunately, there are services out there that aim to help those in the trucking industry make ends meet when times are tough. To learn more about the potential benefits that freight factoring could have for you and your business, contact the team at TBS Factoring Service today by calling 1-800-207-7661.