David Cullen

[Former] Business/Washington Contributing Editor

David Cullen has been covering trucking for top-tier media platforms continuously since 1981. He served as executive editor of Heavy Duty Trucking from 2015 to 2020. Prior to that was executive editor of a fleet-focused magazine, where he was on staff from 1989 to 2015. He launched his career in 1981 with DES (Diesel Equipment Superintendent), where he served as managing editor from 1985 to 1989.

Cullen is known for his coverage of legislative and regulatory issues affecting the trucking industry, as well as fleet business related topics.

Cullen is a recipient of several Jesse H. Neal Awards for Outstanding Journalism and numerous ASPBE AZBEE Awards for Excellence in business-to-business journalism, as well as ASPBE's Annual Stephen Barr Award for Individual Feature Writing.

Articles•by David Cullen•March 21, 2018

ELD Mandate: Don’t Rest Easy If You’re Grandfathered with AOBRDs

The roughly two-year grace period for grandfathered users of AOBRDs buys time, but it risks complicating things for trucking fleets in the future.

News•by David Cullen•March 21, 2018

FMCSA Widens Stance on AOBRD Grandfather Clause

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has slightly liberalized its stance on the use automatic on-board recording devices by some fleets that are using those devices under the terms of the AOBRD grandfather clause within the electronic logging device rule.

News•by David Cullen•March 20, 2018

OOIDA Sues Pennsylvania Turnpike over Toll Hikes

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has filed a class-action lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission for what it claims are excessive toll increases.

News•by David Cullen•March 13, 2018

FMCSA Issues New 90-Day ELD Waiver for Ag Haulers

The FMCSA is granting an additional 90-day temporary waiver from the electronic logging rule for “agriculture-related transportation.” During that time period, the agency says it will also publish "final guidance" on both the agricultural air-mile exemption within the hours of service rule and on the use of the personal conveyance adjustment by all motor carriers operating under the ELD rule.

News•by David Cullen•March 7, 2018

Daimler’s Schaefer Redefines What it Means to be Green

As Kary Schaefer sees it, what’s green for trucking shouldn’t be narrowly defined. Rather, it should embrace any number of innovative advances that enhance efficiency.

Passing Zone•by David Cullen•March 1, 2018

Infrastructure Plan: Here’s Hoping Action Will Speak Louder than Words

When it comes to the glacially swift rollout of President Trump’s infrastructure plan (now under way for well over a year), it can be perhaps be said, to paraphrase Winston Churchill broadly, that never before has so little been said to so many about so much.