500 Tesla Semis Are Joining an Autonomous Trucking Fleet. At 94, an Iowa Trucker Is Still Behind the Wheel, and Social Security Is Still Keeping Score.

Trucking is racing toward a very different future. Einride, a company built around electric and autonomous freight, plans to deploy 500 Tesla Semis across major U.S. freight corridors beginning in September, with the rollout continuing over the next two years. The trucks will operate on Einride’s AI-powered fleet platform in states including Texas, California, Illinois, Georgia and New Jersey.

Orrin Asmus represents the other end of trucking’s timeline. The Iowa trucker is 94, estimates he has logged nearly 5 million career miles and put in 30 hours during the week of his birthday. Commercial Carrier Journal reports that he still works part time for McLaughlin Freight Lines and is waiting to learn whether Guinness World Records will recognize him as the world’s oldest male heavy-truck driver.

Asmus says he does not need the money. He simply still wants to work. It’s unclear whether he receives Social Security. But his continued wages still reach his Social Security earnings record, and for beneficiaries who keep working into their 70s, 80s or even 90s, new earnings can still raise the monthly check.

One Social Security Clock Stops at 70

Delayed retirement credits stop at 70. Waiting beyond that age does not keep adding the roughly 8% annual increase available between full retirement age (FRA) and 70. The earnings record works differently. Social Security reviews the record of every working beneficiary each year. If new covered earnings are high enough to replace a weaker year among the 35 used to calculate the benefit, SSA automatically recomputes the monthly amount.

Any increase is generally retroactive to January following the year the new wages were earned. That rule does not expire at 70. Someone with 35 already-strong years may see no change at all. But a worker whose record still contains a thin year can potentially replace it long after retirement benefits began. At 94, another year of work can still matter if the wages are high enough to make the top 35.

At His Age, the Earnings Test Is Long Gone

There is another advantage to working this late. Before FRA, wages above the annual earnings limit can cause Social Security checks to be temporarily withheld. Once FRA arrives, that earnings test disappears. A worker in his 90s can earn as much as the job pays without losing retirement benefits because of the earnings test.

Payroll taxes do not disappear, however. Covered wages still go onto the earnings record up to the annual Social Security wage base, which is $184,500 in 2026.That produces an unusual late-career combination: the paycheck can no longer cause benefit withholding, but it can still potentially increase the benefit.

The Tax Bill May Move More Than the Check

The Social Security increase from another year of wages may be modest. Taxes can move more noticeably. Wages feed adjusted gross income, which helps determine how much of Social Security becomes federally taxable. For a single filer, combined income above $25,000 can make some benefits taxable, while income above $34,000 can result in up to 85% being included in taxable income. The thresholds for married couples filing jointly are $32,000 and $44,000.

Required minimum distributions can add another layer for someone well into retirement. So another year behind the wheel is not automatically valuable because Social Security might recompute the check. The actual benefit depends on what those wages replace on the earnings record and what the extra income does to the tax return. Phased work in later years comes with its own set of tax traps, which we walked through in a free semi-retirement playbook.

Five Million Miles and the Record Is Still Open

For someone working well past 70, three facts matter:

1. Delayed retirement credits are finished. Waiting beyond 70 does not earn another 8% increase.
2. New earnings can still count. If they replace a weaker year in the highest 35, Social Security can automatically raise the benefit.
3. The earnings test is gone after FRA. The paycheck itself no longer causes retirement benefits to be withheld.

Einride’s 500 Tesla Semis offer a glimpse of where trucking is headed. Asmus is still driving with paper maps after nearly 5 million miles. At 94, even Social Security has not necessarily finished counting them.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.