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  • Podcast: Driverless trucks hit the roads – what does it mean?

    Date: May 09, 2025

    We’ve entered a new era in the trucking industry, as the first truly driverless trucks haul freight on an American interstate highway. Also, Land Line Now has the latest on independent contractor rules, speed limiters and more. Then, summer brings higher heat and red-hot pavement. So some attention has to be paid to the components in your truck that might be affected. And the word “utility” typically means water or electricity and the like. But OOIDA tour truck driver Marty Ellis heard trucking fits the definition of “essential utility.”

    00:00 – Driverless trucks hit the roads – what does it mean?

    10:05 – Big developments on independent contractors, speed limiters

    24:32 – The top items on your truck’s summer prep list

    39:32 – Is trucking an ‘essential utility’?

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    Driverless trucks hit the roads – what does it mean?

    When Aurora Innovations announced it was going to be deploying fully driverless trucks on Texas roadways by the end of April, plenty of questions followed – namely, how was the company going to comply with federal regulations that require a human? We’ve now got some answers, but frankly, they only create more questions. Mark Schremmer and Tyson Fisher of Land Line Magazine join Land Line Now to run down what we know.

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    Big developments on independent contractors, speed limiters

    Mark Schremmer and Tyson Fisher of Land Line Magazine return to break down more of the biggest news from the week, including new developments with regard to independent contractor rules, speed limiter opposition and a final nail in the coffin of California’s electric truck mandate.

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    The top items on your truck’s summer prep list

    We’re well into springtime, which means that summer is just around the corner, with high temperatures as part of the package. And that means some of your truck’s components are going to need some special attention from you to get them through to the fall. So what are those items you should put on your to-do list? Bryan Martin, the boss man at Chrome Shop Mafia in Joplin, Mo., offers some advice.

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    Is trucking an ‘essential utility’?

    When we use the word “utility,” we often think of water, natural gas or electricity. But OOIDA tour truck driver Marty Ellis recently heard that trucking fits the definition of “essential utility.” He says that really appeals to him in that the term fits the trucking industry and the services it provides.

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