News - Friday, April 1, 2022

The American Trucking Association sounded an alarm in October concerning the nation’s “historic high” truck driver shortage, estimating that an additional 80,000 drivers were needed to meet freight demands.

At the same time, the ATA warned driver shortages could double to 160,000 by 2030, a date when having autonomous trucks on the roads might be closer to reality.

The year was 1979, and Ingrid Brown was keen on the idea of becoming a truck driver during an era when there were few women in the industry – and even fewer in Mountain City, near Bristol.

Brown wasn’t the first woman behind the wheel in a commercial truck – Luella Bates is credited as being the first licensed female driver during World War I – but Brown knew that truck driving was the life for her.

Even as the need for drivers grows, the industry is moving toward an electric and autonomous truck future. Though years away, what was fantasy could become reality with autonomous trucks serving delivering goods that keep the nation rolling.

Many in the industry note the trucks are already filled with futuristic gadgets that erase the “Smoky and the Bandit” images of the life of a trucker.

The American Bar Association Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel has recognized Miller & Martin attorneys David Kesler and Merrill Nelson as the 2021 recipients of its Military Pro Bono Project Outstanding Services Award for their representation of a paralyzed Navy veteran in connection with his successful appeal for additional disability benefits.

The nomination of federal appellate judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court is one of the top national stories being covered in the media today. With this nomination receiving so much media coverage, it’s an excellent time for a primer on the nomination and confirmation process.

Jay Robinson with the Robinson Team of Keller Williams recently sold one of region’s best-known properties: The home of the late Sharon Mills.

Located on the top of Elder Mountain on 26.5 acres, the 11,266-square-foot house sold for over $4.6 million.

Like many people, I’ve been interested in the media’s coverage of world events over the past several weeks. While the images have been heartbreaking, the courage of the Ukrainian people has been inspiring.

These events have affected people around the world, although their impact can’t be measured in mere dollars and cents.

Flooring choices have seen a major shift due to the global pandemic. With consumers spending more time at home, both comfort and functionality are driving current flooring trends.

While carpet has been less popular than hardwood, luxury vinyl and other solid surfaces in recent years, it’s making a slow and steady comeback in homes.

Robert Maclellan recently joined Rise Partners as director of brokerage services. Maclellan will apply his knowledge of sales leasing and site selection to commercial real estate, residential developments and mixed-use projects.

Maclellan began his career as an assistant project manager with CBL. In 2019, he joined NAI Charter as commercial broker.

To achieve most goals in life, you need some type of strategy. And that’s certainly true for your financial goals. Since you likely have multiple financial goals, you may need to pursue several different strategies – but they all should follow a similar process.

After a working lifetime of alarm clocks and meetings, you might be looking forward to a lot more unstructured time once you retire. But taking care of one more to-do list early on can set you up for a better retirement.

The following assumes you’ve already done some basic financial planning. Ideally, before you retire, you’ll create a budget, decide when to claim Social Security, settle on a sustainable withdrawal rate from your retirement funds and figure out how you’ll cover health care expenses.

Sure, you want to feel joy and love upon receiving a wedding invitation. But one little postcard or email can also pack loads of pricy pressure.

Perhaps you must secure travel and lodging, buy gifts and attire or call off work. Or maybe you have the honor – and extra expense – of being in the wedding party.

Reaching the Sweet 16 used to be a birthright for the Tennessee women’s basketball program. It was just another stop on the road to the bigger prize.

But after six years away, the Lady Vols can appreciate how much it took to get back while also wondering what might have been if the team had ever been at full strength.

We’re living in a golden age of off-road pickup trucks that you can buy straight from the factory, and the Ford F-150 Raptor and Ram 1500 TRX are the most high-profile examples.

They’re similar in many respects and offer full-size truck utility combined with exceptional high-speed desert-running performance. But there are some differences that make each performance pickup unique.

News that the U.S. Senate had passed a bill that could establish permanent daylight saving time took me quite by surprise.

What’s more, and even more surprising, it passed unanimously. This despite the fact that red and blue senators can’t be relied on to agree on what day it is, much less what time it ought to be.