Deborah Lockridge

Editor and Associate Publisher

Since 1990, Deborah Lockridge has covered all aspects of the trucking industry for leading industry publications. She has been with Heavy Duty Trucking since 1998 and is currently the chief editor and associate publisher.

Lockridge has written about nearly every topic associated with the trucking industry, including maintenance stories ranging from lubes to technician training; hot issues such as counterfeit parts and the driver shortage; regulatory and legislative news; safety and compliance; and interviews with drivers, truck dealers, technicians, owner-operators and fleet executives.

Her monthly editorial in HDT, addressing timely and often controversial issues affecting trucking, is widely read and garnered her a Jesse H. Neal award from the Software & Information Industry Association (formerly Connectiv), as well as being a finalist several times for the award.

Her numerous awards for writing in the trucking field include 30 Jesse H. Neal honors, as well as twice being part of a team winning the association’s prestigious Grand Neal award. She also has received honors for her trucking writing from the American Society of Business Publication Editors and the National Federation of Press Women, and was part of staff recognized for editorial excellence by Folio: magazine.

A graduate of the prestigious University of Missouri School of Journalism, she is a member of the American Trucking Associations' Technology & Maintenance Council and the American Society of Business Publication Editors. She can be reached at (205) 989-6467 or dlockridge@truckinginfo.com.

New Jersey Cracks Down on Independent Contractor Misclassification

While one New Jersey bill that attempted to change the way the state determines who's an independent contractor did not make it through the recently ended special legislative session, the state’s governor has signed several other new laws that “create extreme risk for anyone utilizing independent contractors,” according to one labor attorney.

XPO Looking to Sell or Spin Off Some of its Business

After several years of building a logistics giant through rapid-fire acquisitions, XPO Logistics now says it’s looking into the possible sale or spin-off of one or more business units – anything but the core less-than-truckload business – as part of a “review of strategic alternatives.”

6 Things You Need to Know About the New Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse

The federal Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse is finally rolling out this month. This electronic database will track commercial driver’s license holders who have tested positive for prohibited drug or alcohol use, as well as refusals to take required drug tests, and other drug and alcohol violations.

Faster Truck Development Cycles Help Muddy the Definition of Production

What does it mean for a medium- or heavy-duty commercial truck to be “in production”? It’s a question that has come up more and more as startup truck makers developing new electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles enter the market, so the North American Council for Freight Efficiency has put out a report attempting to formulate an answer.