Heavy Duty Trucking has launched a podcast, HDT Talks Trucking, designed to give listeners expert analysis of industry trends and the stories behind the news.

HDT’s experienced team of editors will interview industry professionals and discuss the latest news, trends, and technology that affect fleets’ ability to operate efficiently, safely, and profitably.

Aimed at fleet executives from the shop to the corner office, each season will feature six episodes and are scheduled to be released once a quarter. Season one will be released in two or three mini-season installments. The first two episodes of season one are now available at www.truckinginfo.com/podcasts or via popular podcast platforms, such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify:

What Does It Take to Turn Around a Fleet with a Sagging Safety Record? Virginia Tech Senior Researcher Matt Camden provides insights into how changing driving hiring policies, building a better safety culture, and adopting some advanced safety technology can improve fleet safety performance and better CSA scores.

How Far Have We Come with Electric Trucks? Podcast host and Equipment Editor Jim Park and HDT Senior Editor Jack Roberts share their experiences driving and reporting on various electric trucks over the last several years, with comments from Bill Combs at Penske Transportation Solutions and Chris Nordh from Ryder Systems.

The podcast will be hosted primarily by Equipment Editor Jim Park, who hosted a podcast for two years before coming to HDT, was on an all-night trucking radio show on CHAM in Canada, and was hourly news anchor on SiriusXM Road Dog trucking.

He’ll be joined by HDT’s experienced team of trucking editors, who are also no strangers to being behind the mic. Heavy Duty Trucking editors have appeared on trucker news and call-in shows on SiriusXM Road Dog trucking, have been interviewed for public radio segments, and often host and moderate webinars.

Additional Season One episodes will cover:

• Does the trucking industry have a drug problem? Dave Osiecki, president and CEO of Scopelitis Transportation Consulting, talks about a rise in positive drug-testing rates, the new drug-testing clearinghouse, hair-testing, and more.

• ELDs: What now? Now that the electronic logging device mandate is fully in place, we delve into what fleets need to know to stay on top of compliance issues related to ELDs in the back office.

• Independent contractor misclassification: In the wake of California’s Assembly Bill 5, an effort to all but outlaw the use of independent contractors, Jim Park and HDT Editor in Chief Deborah Lockridge explore the issue of just how much abuse there is of the contractor model and what could be done to address it without banning motor carriers from using owner-operators.

• Getting started with electric trucks: Jim Park shares the highlights of a panel discussion he moderated at the Bobit Fleet Forward conference covering topics such as vehicle price and life cycles and charging infrastructure.