Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Sept. 20, 2024:
Teamsters not giving presidential endorsement
After months of internal polling of rank-and-file members, the General Executive Board of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union has elected not to endorse any candidate for president in 2024.
The union said it “was left with few commitments on top Teamsters issues from either former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris -- and found no definitive support among members for either party’s nominee.”
Polling data released by the Teamsters suggested strong support for former President Trump since President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July. Prior to that, however, Teamsters polling indicated support for Biden.
From April 9-July 3, nearly 300 Teamsters local unions nationwide conducted town halls soliciting endorsement preferences from members via straw polls. The in-person voting was held prior to Biden’s withdrawal from the race. The Teamsters’ polling data shows members backed Biden 44.3% to Trump’s 36.3%.
[Related: Following the trucking money in Trump v. Harris and other races]
Following the Republican National Convention and Biden’s campaign exit, the Teamsters commissioned a national electronic poll of its 1.3 million members, overseen by an independent third party. During a voting window from July 24-Sept. 15, rank-and-file Teamsters voted 59.6% for the union to endorse Trump, compared to 34% for Harris.
In the past week, following the Democratic National Convention and recent Presidential debate, the Teamsters commissioned independent polling firm Lake Research Partners to conduct the union’s final national survey. In the poll ending Sept. 15, Teamsters selected Trump by 58% for endorsement over 31% for Harris.
“The Teamsters thank all candidates for meeting with members face-to-face during our unprecedented roundtables,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before Big Business. We sought commitments from both Trump and Harris not to interfere in critical union campaigns or core Teamsters industries -- and to honor our members’ right to strike -- but were unable to secure those pledges.”
[Related: Will you vote? Resources on registration, early voting, absentee ballots, more]
New 'Driver' documentary turns focus on truckers
A new documentary film, Driver, is set to make the rounds of film festivals this weekend starting in Newburyport, Massachusetts, on Saturday, then Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday. The film features part of the story of Real Women in Trucking founder Desiree Wood as well as a cast of other truckers, some of whom may be familiar to readers, including Jess Graham and Idella Hansen.
The 90-minute film is the first feature documentary directed by Nesa Azimi, whose career has included long-from broadcast production and other work for PBS's Frontline program, Fault Lines on Al Jazeera, National Geographic, and the Ciné Institute of Haiti, among others.
You can follow the Driver appearances via its social profiles on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Alongside an irreverent group of women truckers, she fights for a life on the road.
Using an intimate and observational approach, Driver captures the experience of Desiree and her fellow drivers within a system that routinely promises and denies them the safety and autonomy that they desire. The film follows Desiree as she struggles to balance the demands of being a working driver with her ambitions as the head of a driver-led movement run from her truck, which is constantly at risk of being repossessed. In a rapidly disappearing American labor landscape, Desiree and her sisterhood of truckers rally against the crushing forces of an industry that is indifferent to their survival.
As noted, two screenings are in the offing for Sept. 21 and 22, and another in October:
Saturday, Sept. 21, 10 a.m. (follow the links to each screening for more information/tickets)
Newburyport Documentary Film Festival
Newburyport, Mass
Followed by a Q&A with Ann Balay.
Sunday, Sept. 22, 3:30 p.m.
Nashville Film Festival
Followed by a Q&A with owner-operator Jess Graham
20% discount code: NFFDRIVER
Sunday, Oct. 6, 1 p.m.
Seattle International Film Festival
FMCSA grants fleet’s pulsating brake light waiver request
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration approved a request from Encore Building Products, which operates a fleet of 24 trucks out of Springdale, Arkansas, to allow the fleet to operate trucks with the Intellistop brake light module installed.
The module is designed to pulse the required rear clearance, identification and brake lamps from a lower-level lighting intensity to a higher-level lighting intensity four times in two seconds when the brakes are applied and then return the lights to a steady-burning state while the brakes remain engaged.
The Intellistop module requires an exemption for use because current Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard regulations require that installed brake lamps, whether original or replacement equipment, be steady burning.
FMCSA previously denied an industry-wide exemption request from Intellistop and instead asked individual carriers looking to use the module to apply.
In its request, Encore stated that previous research demonstrated that the use of pulsating brake-activated lamps increases the visibility of vehicles and should lead to a significant decrease in rear-end crashes. In support of its application, Encore submitted several reports of research conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on the issues of rear-end crashes, distracted driving, and braking signals. This same research was also referenced in Intellistop’s industry-wide exemption application.
Relying on these studies, Encore said the addition of brake-activated pulsating lamps would not have an adverse impact on safety and would likely maintain a level of safety equivalent to or greater than the level of safety achieved without the exemption.
FMCSA granted the waiver and said it will monitor the performance of Encore’s trucks with the modules installed to determine whether they were involved in a crash and whether they appear to be overrepresented in crashes compared to a control group. The waiver is effective through Sept. 24, 2029.
[Related: Four fleets get waiver for Intellistop brake light module]
Progressive awards truck to USMC veteran
Retired USMC Gunnery Sgt. Ondrae Meyers, shown here with family, was awarded the keys to a 2022 Freightliner Cascadia as part of Progressive's Keys to Progress program.Progressive Insurance
Progressive Insurance this week awarded a U.S. Marine Corps veteran with the keys to a 2022 Freightliner Cascadia, along with $50,000, as part of the company’s 12th annual Keys to Progress program.
The recipient of this year's truck is 22-year veteran U.S. Marine Corps Retired Gunnery Sergeant Ondrae Meyers, from Jacksonville, North Carolina. His specialty was USMC Motor Transport, where he specialized in heavy and medium motor transport, which sparked his passion for truck driving. Following his time with the military, Meyers obtained his CDL through "Troops in Transportation," a military program where he planned his future endeavors after his service.
"What started as a passion of seeing countries around the world and in the United States from behind the wheel can be turned into providing for my family," Meyers said. "I am so grateful to this program for allowing me to get my fleet and career started."
The program is part of Progressive's ongoing commitment to driving progress on the road by providing reliable transportation to military veterans and their families, the company said.
Progressive said the vehicles awarded in the program empower veterans to make the transition from being a driver to an owner by assisting with the largest capital expense of starting a business.
"We are celebrating the 12th year of our Keys to Progress program in November and our third semi-truck giveaway -- and our impact only continues to grow," said Karen Bailo, Progressive Commercial Lines President. "We are committed to giving back to our veterans who have given so much to our country. This program not only helps to shape the lives of veterans but also gives them the tools and ability to grow their small businesses. We are proud to be a part of an initiative that is critical to accelerating their journey."
