The Kansas-based subsidiary of YRC Worldwide said it plans to hire in in Maybrook, NY; Buffalo, NY; St. Paul, MN; Chicago, Il; Salt Lake City, UT; Akron, OH; Cleveland, OH; Cincinnati, OH; North Indianapolis, IN; Charlotte, NC; Jackson, MS: Albuquerque, NM; and Kansas City, MO.

The headcount is about 200 drivers. YRC Freight said it recruits from approximately 100 truck-driving schools across the nation.

According to its website, YRC Freight offers full paid health care benefits and vacation time. Drivers are paid union contract pay rates. All equipment is provided and maintained by the company and all fuel cost is paid for by the company.

Many daily dispatches involve minimum time away from home. With the exception of team drivers, overnight stays for drivers are provided and paid for in hotel rooms.

“YRC Freight is a great place for drivers. We work as a team to get the job done and everyone treats each other with respect,” said Wilson Meier, 11-year veteran driver with YRC Freight who was just named as the New York State Motor Truck Association Driver of the Year. “We have excellent health care benefits and our equipment is well maintained too,” added Meier.

“We are the original LTL experts and while our name has recently changed, the caliber of our workforce and our commitment to our customers remains the same as it has been for the past 85 years,” added Rogers. “Our strength is built on the talents and dedication of each and every employee. We invite safety-minded professional drivers with a strong work ethic and the desire to succeed to join our winning team.”

Maverick USA, Schneider National, Stallion Transportation Group, Tyson Foods and Willis Shaw Express are still hiring individuals for these positions.

The effort is a part of an initiative by the Department of Workforce Services in partnership with the Arkansas Workforce Centers, Arkansas State University at Newport and the Arkansas Trucking Association.

According to Today’s TVH, tuition and related training expenses are covered for applicants who qualify, complete a four-week training course at the Commercial Driver Training Institute at ASU-Newport, and remain on the job for at least one year.

There are 683 projected annual openings for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers in Arkansas for 2011 through 2013, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.

Today’s THV writes that to ensure the best qualified candidates are chosen for the program, the selection process is very thorough. It involves successfully completing the KeyTrain instruction, which is part of the Arkansas Career Readiness Certificate process, as well as the JOBehaviors Long Haul Truck Driver aptitude assessment.

The company plans on adding 100 new jobs to the Indianapolis area. Jasper currently has offices in Atlanta, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver, Evansville, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and now Indianapolis; with plans to open in Nashville and Dallas-Ft. Worth in the near future.

Having already interviewed more than 50 candidates, Jasper recruiters will continue to conduct interviews and host job fairs until its hiring goal has been met.

New positions range from management, outside sales, office staff, warehouse and CDL drivers. Pay varies by position and ranges from hourly rates to base salaries with commissions and bonuses that can exceed $150,000 annually. Jasper provides 100% paid medical coverage to all employees and their dependents.

“We want to attract the best local talent by providing them with a realistic six-figure income opportunity,” says Brian Wedding, Owner and CEO of Jasper. “Our compensation package is unrivaled in the industry… in addition to full company paid health care for the entire family; management and outside sales representatives are provided with a company truck, laptop computer, smart phone and all the necessary tools to be successful. We are moving forward in 2012 with a great deal of optimism and we’re looking for the best to join our expanding team. Eighty percent of the openings will be designated for Outside Sales Professionals who are interested in making $100,000 plus.”

Jasper’s expansion comes at a time when Indianapolis-area residents may need help from roof and HVAC experts more than ever before. In February, a violent hail storm ripped through Indianapolis and surrounding communities causing considerable damage to roofs and HVAC units – and a sudden swell in insurance claims. The company said it’s unique approach to dealing with catastrophic events is a niche that has helped Jasper to prosper, even during a sagging economy in which they experienced a 98% increase in revenue from 2010 to 2011.

The flat-bed trucking company has a line of 300 flatbed carriers and covers the eastern half of the United States, including I-35 from Texas to Minnesota. People who are searching for flatbed carrier jobs will find Jordan Carriers offers excellent pay, benefits and an employer that cares about its drivers. The ownership at Jordan Carriers takes pride in getting to know each of its drivers and their families on a personal basis.

The company has been in existence since 1992 and enjoys an excellent safety record, according to its website. As of April 1, 2012, the starting pay for drivers at Jordan Carriers will be 43 cents per mile for loaded flatbed truck runs. There are also numerous bonuses available, ranging from a sign-on bonus to a bonus for every passed inspection from the Department of Transportation (DOT).

Major medical, vacation time and other standard benefits are also available. A complete job description, including qualifications, experience and education required, is available to review on the company’s website.

SocialTruck is a new platform for truck drivers. It was created by dispatchers for truck drivers, dispatchers, and logistics companies to share their pictures, videos, knowledge, and experiences with other industry professionals to create a safer supply chain.

The founders of Socialtruck currently work as fleet managers for global logistics company’s nation wide and have now created this tool to increase supply chain productivity while decreasing rollovers and accidents to better the industry.

According to the website, when a truck driver has not been to a location previously is when rollovers and accidents happen, 9 out of 10 times. The driver using Socialtruck would contact experienced drivers about the drops while prior planning their trip. Details the driver would want to know from the experienced drivers range from; the shortcuts, to what stop lights to be mindful of, who works at the shipping docks. Before Socialtruck the driver would contact their dispatcher for advice on these matters. “Nobody knows the nations truck stops and locations better than the truck drivers that have been there previously apparently,” Co-founder Steve McGarry states.

It will expand by building a new Shuttle Fleet, or drop and hook trailer delivery service, as well as expanding its existing Commercial Truckload Division. For the new Shuttle Fleet, Atlas is currently filling both over-the-road and regional driving jobs, allowing flexible home for drivers in this fleet.

“For more than six decades, Atlas has earned its reputation through our expertise and care in full-service moving and transportation,” said Jack Griffin, president and COO of Atlas Van Lines. “The Shuttle Fleet positions we are filling are very specific to the transportation of loaded trailers, which means the drivers we are seeking will truly be responsible to just drive. As an addition to the existing agent fleet, this new fleet allows more ways in which Atlas will grow, succeed and deliver on the promises we make to our clients.”

Shuttle Fleet drivers are strictly responsible for drop and hook trailer delivery service and are paid by the mile. Drivers receive an average of $1.52 per mile, which includes fuel surcharge and payment on loaded and empty miles. Benefits include a discounted fuel program, weekly pay, free PrePass, free truck washes, optional health, dental and life insurance coverage, fuel-saving light loads and more. Drivers signing on by May 1st will also receive a $5,000 sign-on bonus, which will be paid in $1,000 installments to be issued at the contract signing and then at 30, 60, 90 and 180 days from the date of lease with Atlas. The Commercial Truckload Division job opportunities also come with a $5,000 bonus, which will be paid in installments throughout the first year of employment.

“With more than 100 job openings to fill, Atlas is poised to make a considerable impact on the local economy,” Griffin said. “We encourage all interested local drivers to apply early, as we are looking to fill these positions by late spring.”

While Atlas is primarily seeking owner operators, the company has worked with representatives of Freightliner of Evansville and other third party partners to offer a lease-to-purchase tractor program as well. Both new drivers and existing drivers looking to upgrade equipment are eligible.

The company will focus on certifying people to drive trucks for future jobs.

Baker is a private, nonprofit career college with campuses throughout Michigan.

It plans on partnering with Anthony Luurtsema Truck Lines to open a truck driving training facility in Zeeland.

There is a shortage of truck drivers nationwide, and this school hopes to plug this gap.

The program will take about 20 weeks to complete. It will be housed in a 200,000-square-foot warehouse owned by Luurtsema in Zeeland.

According to MLive, the idea for the partnership started in 2010, when Ross Luurtsema, owner of the trucking company, came to Baker’s Cadillac campus with the goal of recruiting graduates from the school’s truck driving program.

The poll asks transportation professionals, including pilots, train operators, truck, bus, taxi and limo drivers about their sleep habits and work performance.

About one-fourth of train operators (26%) and pilots (23%) admit that sleepiness has affected their job performance at least once a week, compared to about one in six non-transportation workers (17%).

A significant number say that sleepiness has caused safety problems on the job. One in five pilots (20%) admit that they have made a serious error and one in six train operators (18%) and truck drivers (14%) say that they have had a “near miss” due to sleepiness.

Sleepiness has also played a role in car accidents commuting to and from work. Pilots and train operators are significantly more likely than non-transportation workers (6% each, compared to 1%) to say that they have been involved in a car accident due to sleepiness while commuting.

“Driving home from work after a long shift is associated with crashes due to sleepiness,” says Dr. Sanjay Patel, a sleep researcher at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. “We should all be concerned that pilots and train operators report car crashes due to sleepiness at a rate that is six times greater than that of other workers.”

“Unfortunately, many in the transportation industry are afraid to seek help for their sleepiness issues for fear of punitive action from employers,” says David Slamowitz, MD, Medical Director of The SleepWell Center in Greenwood Village, CO. ”However, it is important they realize that sleep issues, if left unaddressed, may have consequences that are far worse.”

The organization recently changed its standards for commercial driver’s license testing and made them stricter.

It defined a tank vehicle as one designed to transport any liquid or gaseous material in tanks that are either permanently or temporarily attached to the chassis and are rated at more than 119 gallons and aggregated to 1,000 gallons or more. A flatbed carrying empty tanks rated at 1,000 gallons or more is not considered a tank carrier.

According to TruckingInfo, the problem is that under the new definition these types of shipments cause the need for a tank endorsement on the driver’s commercial license. This affects many private fleets but large less-than-truckload carriers are especially hard hit, ATA said in a letter to the FMCSA.

The letter said, “These motor carriers do not know in advance what types of containers will be moving on shipments between their terminals. Obtaining this endorsement is burdensome, requiring additional training, time off work and substantial costs and fees.”

States have until July 2014 to adopt the new definition, unless the definition is once again changed.

They have announced the first-ever federally proposed guidelines to encourage automobile manufacturers to limit the distraction risk for in-vehicle electronic devices.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it is concerned about the effects of distraction due to drivers’ use of electronic devices on motor vehicle safety. Consequently, NHTSA is issuing nonbinding, voluntary NHTSA Driver Distraction Guidelines (NHTSA Guidelines) to promote safety by discouraging the introduction of excessively distracting devices in vehicles.

This notice details the contents of the first phase of the NHTSA Driver Distraction Guidelines. These NHTSA Guidelines cover original equipment in-vehicle device secondary tasks (communications, entertainment, information gathering, and navigation tasks not required to drive are considered secondary tasks) performed by the driver through visual-manual means (meaning the driver looking at a device, manipulating a device-related control with the driver’s hand, and watching for visual feedback).

The proposed NHTSA Guidelines list certain secondary, non-driving related tasks that, based on NHTSA’s research, are believed by the agency to interfere inherently with a driver’s ability to safely control the vehicle. The Guidelines recommend that those in-vehicle devices be designed so that they cannot be used by the driver to perform such tasks while the driver is driving.

For all other secondary, non-driving-related visual-manual tasks, the NHTSA Guidelines specify a test method for measuring the impact of task performance on driving safety while driving and time-based acceptance criteria for assessing whether a task interferes too much with driver attention to be suitable to perform while driving. If a task does not meet the acceptance criteria, the NHTSA Guidelines recommend that in-vehicle devices be designed so that the task cannot be performed by the driver while driving.