Safety

Your May 21 Pre-Trip: “Uber for truckers” helps business grow

May 21, 2015

Here are five things worth knowing today: 1. An app known as the “Uber for truckers” is helping one independent trucking company in California bring in more business. The app, Cargomatic, was designed by Jonathan Kessler and Brett Parker to help truckers fill more space on their trucks with additional shipments. According to a report in USA Today, the app operates in only southern California and New York for now, and it connects shippers with drivers looking for extra shipments to haul. USA Today has more. 2. The driver of the truck that crashed into seven Georgia State nursing students last month allegedly has a history of falling asleep behind the wheel, according to a WSB Radio report. An attorney representing one of the families of the late students provided documents revealing that the driver was fired from a job four years ago after wrecking his truck when he fell asleep at the wheel, WSB said.3. Officials with the Michigan Department of Transportation are considering using drones to monitor road conditions, WZZM 13 reports. Officials told WZZM that the drones could improve safety for construction workers and save time for drivers. Currently, MDOT uses 56 cameras to monitor traffic in West Michigan, WZZM said. 4. Corporate wellness programs may be hurting and stressing out employees more than employers may think, according to researchers Andre Spicer and Carl Cederström. Over the last four years, the two have studied wellness programs at hundreds of companies, according to a report in The Bulletin. Using Swedish trucking company Scania as its main example, The Bulletin said the researchers found that the company’s “extensive wellness efforts stressed some employees.”5. A tractor-trailer accident has shut down all westbound lanes on I-285 at Jonesboro Road in Atlanta, 90.1 FM reports. The truck was the only vehicle involved in the accident, according to the report, and the Georgia DOT is urging westbound drivers to find an alternative route.

About the Author

Cristina Commendatore

Cristina Commendatore was previously the Editor-in-chief of FleetOwner magazine. She reported on the transportation industry since 2015, covering topics such as business operational challenges, driver and technician shortages, truck safety, and new vehicle technologies. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut.