User-agent: Mediapartners-Google* Disallow: Trucks World News: February 2016
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Feb 29, 2016

BEWARE: NEW MOBILE THIEF TRUCKS * Europe: "Modus Operandi" against trucking

* Europe: Thieves stealing cargo from moving trucks?

 (Video from ODN, Report by Sophie Foster - Jun 12, 2012: Police have released footage of a Romanian gang attempting a truck robbery whilst speeding along a motorway in the dark) 

--  In an audacious move, cargo thieves in Europe appear to have started pilfering loads from the top of moving trucks... Cargo security specialist Freightwatch International reports that the new modus operandi (MO) has been seen in Italy and may be occurring elsewhere in Europe, although it cautions that for the moment reports are anecdotal... Dubbed the 'Romanian MO' after a string of incidents in recent years, it involves the use of specially-equipped vans that open the rear doors of trucks in transit to allow acrobatic criminals to climb aboard and steal boxes, which are then thrown to accomplices in a following vehicle... Freightwatch now reports details of a theft which hit the headlines in Italy and involved a shipment of cosmetics in transit on the Brescia-Bergamo-Milano (BreBeMi) A35 highway which - in a variation of the Romanian MO - was accessed via the roof...
London, EN, UK - Securing Industry - 28 Feb 2016

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* RUSSIA / TURKEY BORDER TROUBLES

* Russia - Keeps Turkish trucks parked

-- The cost of the political and economic crisis that erupted between Russia and Turkey after the shooting down of a Russian plane in November is multiplying by the day. First, the effects of the economic sanctions Russia has been applying on Turkey as of Jan. 1 were reflected by Turkish export figures in January. According to figures released by the Exporters Assembly of Turkey, January exports were 14.4% lower this year than in the same month in 2014... Russia stopped imports of Turkish fresh fruits and vegetables and terminated the work of Turkish tour operators by canceling all tours to Turkey... But another development not listed among Russian sanctions has inflicted even heavier damage on the Turkish economy. When Russia did not renew the Turkey-Russia Road Transport Accord that expired Feb. 1, all commercial road transport between the two countries and via Russia to Central Asia and other regions halted entirely. Thousands of Turkish 18-wheeler semis are now idle... According to the International Road Transport Union, Turkey retaliated by halting the movement of Russian trucks to Turkey. But the losses accruing to Turkey, which has the largest 18-wheeler fleet in Europe, will be far higher than those of Russia... Russia had already made issuance of temporary passage documents to Turkish roads more difficult after relations with Turkey began to sour flowing Russia’s entry to the Syrian war. The option of using ro-ro ferries via Azerbaijan has not been enough to solve the problem... Turkey and Russia had been annually issuing 8,000 documents for temporary passage, 1,500 for transit passage and 5,000 for transport to third countries. When Russia wanted to reduce this year's numbers to 2,000 temporary, 2,000 transit and 500 third-country passage documents, the accord could not be renewed. Moreover, as of Jan. 1, when Russia reimposed visa requirements for Turkish nationals, the problem has become worse as it has been difficult to find drivers who have Russia visas. Cetin Nuhoglu, the chairman of the board of the International Transporters Association, which covers all road transport companies in Turkey, said there was a 4.5% reduction in the hauling of exports last year... Turkey now has to decide whether it will use trucks from Belarus, Moldova and Georgia or will have Turkish companies haul its exports and then reload them onto trucks from third countries that have no problems with Russia. In that case, the winners, of course, would be the trucks and companies from other countries... 
(Photo REUTERS, by Umit Bektas - A Turkish driver waits under the shadow of his truck at the Cilvegozu border gate)   --  Reyhanli, Hatay Province, Turkey - Al-Monitor, by Zülfikar Doğan - 28 Feb 2016

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* Largest fleet order from EASTERN EUROPE for Mercedes-Benz Trucks

* Germany - Lithuanian logistics company orders 1,000 Mercedes-Benz Actros tractor units with Euro VI engines


-- Mercedes-Benz Trucks registered the largest fleet order in Eastern Europe in its history: A framework agreement for the delivery of 1,000 Mercedes-Benz Actros with Euro VI engines has been signed with Girteka Logistics, a Lithuanian logistics company, earlier this month. The agreement will be an important milestone in the partnership between Girteka Logistics and Mercedes-Benz Trucks. The majority of the trucks will be handed over to the logistics specialist within the current year... The Mercedes-Benz Actros is the most efficient vehicle in its class. The average fuel consumption of the truck has been cut by 13 percent since its market launch in 2011. All trucks will be equipped with the newest, further optimized generation of the OM 471 heavy-duty engine and Predictive Powertrain Control (PPC)... In order to further improve the fuel efficiency of the new trucks Girteka Logistics additionally decided on FleetBoard. The telematics system collects all vehicle data like consumption and break related driving style or vehicle wear-and-tear. FleetBoard supports full transparency of the entire fleet and shows further potential of savings... 
(Photo: MERCEDES BENZ ACTROS 2541 tilt truck, Lithuania, Vilnius)   --  Stuttgart, Germany - Automotive World (UK) - February 29, 2016

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* NAVISTAR's "International trucks" * USA - New "Engine Control Modules"

* Illinois - International Truck announces availability of over-the-air reprogramming

-- International Truck today announced that over-the-air (OTA) reprogramming of engine control modules (ECM) for all International® Truck models powered by its N9, N10 and N13 proprietary engines is now available as a no charge offering. Additionally, OTA will be available for purchase for all International truck models, powered by proprietary engines, 2010 and newer through International Truck dealers... OTA reprogramming of the truck's ECM will enable the driver or fleet manager to utilize a mobile interface to initiate reprogramming to approved International calibrations. This quick procedure can be performed at the customer's facility over a safe, secure Wi-Fi connection. The company continues to partner with industry-leading data and technology companies to ensure the system offers the highest level of security... 
(Photo: Heavy Truck Electronic Control Module (ECM): In addition to hard-brake data, a heavy-truck ECM may also record vehicle operational data around an engine fault code that might be set during an accident)  --  Lisle, ILL., USA - PRNewswire - Feb. 29, 2016

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TRUCKS ACCESORIES * USA: Reducing aerodynamic turbulence

* Tennessee - FlowBelow inks long-term supply deal with DTNA

-- FlowBelow Aero's quick-release wheel covers are now a data-book option on Daimler Trucks North America's Cascadia Evolution model... The tractor wheel covers reduce aerodynamic turbulence and drag on the truck by streamlining airflow over the tractor’s drive wheels. The wheel covers are made in the USA using extremely durable and flexible thermoplastic polyolefin material commonly used in automotive applications. FlowBelow says the quick-release feature provides instantaneous and tool-free access to the wheel end with its patented push-and-turn latching system... 
(Photo: the FlowBelow applied) -- Nashville, TENN, USA - Truckinginfo - February 28, 2016

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TIRE INFLATION SYSTEM * USA: More than 100 fleets now using Halo one

* Tennessee - The Halo Tire Inflator improved fuel economy by 1.1% and extended tire life by 14.4%


-- Aperia Technologies says its Halo Tire Inflator is now being used by more than 100 fleets... The system bolts onto truck and trailer wheels and generates its power to adjust tire inflation pressures through the rotational movement of the wheel. It does not tap into truck or trailer air systems... Josh Carter, CEO of Aperia, said that fleets have conducted comprehensive independent testing before deploying the system. More than 50 fleet tests have been conducted, he said... To facilitate fleet testing, Aperia offers a wireless data acquisition system that can be easily installed to monitor tire pressures and the device’s performance. One test indicated proper tire inflation pressures were maintained over a 100-day period while tires without the Halo installed lost as much as two psi per week on average. Another fleet found the Halo improved fuel economy by 1.1% and extended tire life by 14.4%... 
(Photo: Halo 6) -- Nashville, TENN, USA - CCJ, by James Menzies - February 28, 2016

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TRUCKING INTELLIGENCE * New Zealand: Moth balling a train line

* Northland - Fears KiwiRail decision will force more trucks on roads in


-- KiwiRail is mothballing a Northland train line and locals fear the decision will force an extra 150 logging trucks onto the region's roads to cope with the added freight demands... Following enquiries about a leaked email seen by the Herald, a KiwiRail spokesperson this afternoon admitted the contract with the only freight customer on the Otiria to Portland line expires at the end of August and is not going to be renewed. This will render the track useless but the line would remain open... The leaked email from a KiwiRail manager said woodchip company Marusumi would instead build a roadway for its trucks... Transport minister Simon Bridges said the Government has no intention on shutting any lines but there was little or no demand on the line at the moment...
(Photo / Andrew Bonallack - The leaked email from a KiwiRail manager said woodchip company Marusumi would instead build a roadway for its trucks) -- Whangarei, Northland, NZ - N.Z. Herald, by Amelia Wade - Feb 29, 2016

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* SCANIA's SELF-DRIVING TRUCKS * Sweden

* Stockholm - Scania begins testing remote-controlled mining trucks with broader transport goals


-- Swedish truck maker Scania has begun testing specialised mining trucks for autonomous roles with an eye towards container and freight trucking in ‘tomorrow’s transport system’... Developed in conjunction with Swedish researchers, the project focuses on how remote-controlled European prototype vehicles withstand mining conditions at a company test facility and assesses how the vehicles respond without hands on the steering wheel... The self-driving ‘Astator’ vehicles operate with an empty driver’s seat, Scania says, and are carrying out mining simulations of loading and unloading... 
(Photo: A Scania truck being remotely controlled on the test track) -- Södertälje, Sweden - Trade Trucks (Australia) - 29 Feb 2016

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Feb 28, 2016

INFRASTRUCTURES * Europe: A new St. Gottard tunel ?

* Switzerland - Safety and environment drive road tunnel vote

-- Voters on Sunday will decide on the construction of an additional road tunnel through the central Swiss Alps, one of Europe’s main north-south links for cars, buses and trucks... A broad coalition of environmental groups and mainly leftwing parties is challenging last year’s decision by parliament to build a second 17km tube through the Gotthard massif in the heart of Switzerland... The government says the existing tunnel needs renovation after more than 35 years. A second parallel arm would absorb the more than 17,000 vehicles on average passing the thoroughfare every day... Later on, the two tunnels will only be used for one-directional traffic and limited to one lane only, the authorities have pledged... The government and parliament claim the second tunnel – costing about CHF2.8 billion ($2.8 billion) – will help ensure road safety and provide continuous access to a north-south road link all year round both for economic and political reasons... The southern Ticino region - bordering Italy's Lombardy and Piedmont regions - would be cut off from the rest of Switzerland if the existing tunnel closed without an equivalent offer, they say... Nearly 40 people have died in road accidents in the 17km tunnel since 1980, including 11 victims of a fire in 2001... Opponents a coalition of environmentalists and leftwing parties say their proposal it's to cap transalpine road traffic and to promote a plan to put long-haul trucks onto rail went down as a major upset at the ballot box... Critics have since accused the government and parliament of failing to implement the initiative, as targets to reduce the number of trucks crossing the Alps of trucks were missed and deadlines later extended... Turnout in Sunday’s ballot is expected to be clearly above average, at least 55%...
 (Photo from Keystone - The Gotthard road tunnel is the main transport link for cars and trucks crossing the Swiss Alps) -- Zurich, Swiss - SWI/Swiss Info, by Urs Geiser - Feb 27, 2016

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* CHEVROLET SILVERADO * USA: Chevy is stepping back into the pick-up truck hybrid market

* Michigan - Chevrolet Silverado hybrid truck delivers 13 percent fuel economy boost


-- This time, however, the American automaker is taking things slow and steady, by setting up shop in California first. For the 2016 model year, only 500 examples of the Silverado with eAssist hybrid hardware will be available, and all of them are going on sale solely in The Golden State... The new Silverado's eAssist system is what's commonly known as a "mild hybrid," as the electrical motor and battery pack are smaller than what would normally be used for a true hybrid vehicle... Mild or not, the eAssist system in the Silverado will reportedly boost mileage by 13 percent, or up to an estimated 24 mpg average during highway driving... 
(Photo by KEN PAGLIARO - The Chevrolet eAssist goes on sale in California first. For the 2017 model year, Chevy promises to expand sales based on the initial interest in The Golden State)  --   Detroit, MICH, USA - NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, by NICK KURCZEWSKI - February 26, 2016

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TRUCKER'S PAYMENT * USA: Complexity increasing for

* Missouri - Private fleet pay still well-surpasses for-hire pay

-- Driver pay scales are rapidly becoming complicated as fleets across the trucking spectrum – from for-hire to private – seek to reduce turnover and bring in new blood... Driver pay among private fleets in 2015 averaged $66,000 to $82,000 versus $54,000 in the for-hire segment – a gap made worse on the for-hire side by what Gordon Klemp  - founder and president of the National Transportation Institute - calls “lumpy pay” and driver-paid living expenses... The “glut” Klemp referred to is the growing problem of finding drivers with the right qualifications and safe records to hire... “A lot of driver applications are ‘abysmal’ in the words of one fleet we talked to; one that rejected 2,300 driver applications,” he stressed. “So while there may be a lot of driver applications, there are not a lot fleets want to put on the payroll. This still remains a problem ” ... Perhaps the greatest problem is that driver pay, tracked in parallel with inflation, remains far below what the industry used to offer over three decades ago.... “If you take 1980 average [driver] pay of $38,618 and index it to inflation, it normalizes at $111,455 today,” Klemp said. “And volatility of income per driver is much greater than what U.S. household income has been”... 
(Photo by Sean Kilcarr/Fleet Owner: For-hire driver pay averaged $54,000 in 2015, while private fleet driver pay averaged between $66,000 and $82,000)   --  St. Louis, MO, USA - Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr - Feb 26, 2016

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BROOKERS' JOB * USA: How much do truck driver dispatchers make?

* New York - Dispatchers to drivers: ‘Don’t blame us’

-- Carol was a dispatcher for eight years but could no longer take the pressure, so she became a driver... "As a dispatcher, I found it very stressful and frustrating. I would make appointments, and the drivers couldn't make those appointments," says Carol (all the dispatchers in this article asked that their real names not be used). "Then I'd have to reschedule for the following day or the day after that, and I would find that extremely frustrating. I went back to driving, because it's just so much easier ... The dispatcher is on the frontline with the customer,” Carol continued. “When there are complaints, it goes through the dispatcher, and they get an earful. Then they get it from the other side, too, the drivers, and they weren't happy about the changes. I guess nobody likes change, but that's the trucking business" ... Now, as a truck driver, Carol understands better the dispatcher's side of things, and she's more sympathetic to their challenges. "The dispatcher has to keep the customer happy, avoid complaints from them," she says. As for driving, "I have no one to be responsible for except myself. And I love it" ... Other dispatchers agree that they're caught between the driver and the customer, trying to keep both sides happy. It's not easy because dispatchers don't have the power or flexibility that drivers think they have... Dispatcher Bill adds: "I know that sometimes things don't make sense from the driver's perspective. I understand that, but you have to look at it from a broader viewpoint. I tell my drivers that we plan for success, but plans change. There are outside influences. I try to do the best for my drivers, but sometimes a new situation is not ideal for anyone" ...
 (Photo: How much do truck driver dispatchers make?)   --   NY, USA - Fleet Owner, by Larry Kahaner - Feb 26, 2016

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CUTTING TRUCK TURN TIMES * Canada: A Vancouver port's drayage initative

* British Columbia - An action plan to reduce truck wait times


-- Port Metro Vancouver’s 14-point action plan to reduce truck wait times, improve terminal fluidity and ensure compensatory earnings for the approximately 1,700 drayage truck drivers that serve Canada’s largest container port is celebrating its two-year milestone with dramatically reduced turn times... The complex but creative port drayage program is credited with having reduced the average truck visit time, from the queue outside the arrival gate until the trucker is processed through the out gate, to 38 minutes. During the tumultuous winter of 2013-14, truck visits of more than one hour were the rule... The rapid turn times provide a solid foundation for further development of the action plan. The key advancement that the port authority hopes to roll out by early 2017 will be a single electronic portal through which truckers will have visibility into container availability at each of the four container terminals... Known as Common Data Interface, the portal will help terminals plan and assign their labor and equipment requirements to improve the delivery of containers to truckers. At the same time, CDI should enhance truckers’ revenue potential by making it easier to drop off outbound containers or empties and pick up inbound loads during each visit, a practice known as a dual transaction... 
(Photo: Deltaport, Port Metro Vancouver)  --  Vancouver, BC, Canada - JOC, by Bill Mongelluzzo - Feb 25, 2016

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Bathroom breaks for truck drivers * USA

* DC - Bitter battle erupts on Capitol Hill over: In other words about truckers

-- A bitter battle over a simple issue — how long truck drivers should be allowed for bathroom and meal breaks — was renewed on Capitol Hill on Thursday and may be the death knell for a vital House bill to fund aviation... The overall bill has nothing to do with truckers. Instead, it just prohibits states from regulating the “hours of service” of certain workers who are regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation... The legislation is needed because some states (specifically California and its courts) have repeatedly failed to recognize that federal preemptions under the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 (F4A) apply to interstate trucking operations. As a result, trucking companies could be required to schedule and pay drivers according to the employment laws of each state in which they operate... Twenty-two states have laws that give truckers more frequent or longer bathroom and meal breaks than current federal regulations, which stipulate that truckers take a minimum 30-minute break eight hours after they climb behind the wheel... “I think that if your employer told you that you would get docked [in pay] when you go to the bathroom or have a meal break, I think you would be outraged, too,” Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) told reporters Thursday. “This terrible anti-safety, anti-worker provision is a poison pill" ... “And it’s about more than pay,” Boxer said. “A truck driver who fears their pay will be docked—which will be most of them—will suffer from driver fatigue. We know that driver fatigue and distracted driving are significant causes of truck-involved accidents. This terrible anti-safety, anti-worker provision is a poison pill and has no place in the FAA bill” ... Safety groups oppose the provision, which they say will be used by companies to pressure drivers to continue behind the wheel when they are tired or hungry. Boxer cited support from a dozen trucking, labor, and highway safety groups, including the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Assn. (OOIDA), the Truck Safety Coalition, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters said in a statement: “These elected officials are doing the bidding of the American Trucking Associations, which wants drivers on the clock as much as possible” ... To emphasize her point that not compensating truck drivers for time spent on “non-driving” responsibilities is dangerous, Boxer cited a letter from OOIDA on the issue: “This unpaid time creates undue pressure incentivizing drivers to drive farther and faster in order to remain economically viable” ... The federal aviation authorization was extended last September; that extension expires at the end of next month...
Washington, DC, USA - The Washington Post, by Ashley Halsey III - February 25, 2016

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Feb 27, 2016

* CATERPILLAR * USA: End vocational trucks

* Illinois - Caterpillar to end production of on-highway vocational trucks


-- Caterpillar Inc. today announced it will discontinue production of its on-highway vocational trucks. Based on the current business climate in the truck industry also in line with the company’s ongoing restructuring to align its businesses with existing conditions. As a result of this action, the company will cease taking new orders for vocational trucks, although Caterpillar remains committed to existing truck customers and will support the existing trucks currently on the road... Caterpillar launched its first vocational truck in the North American market in 2011, working with Navistar on the products’ design and build. Last year, the company announced its intention to begin independently designing and manufacturing its vocational truck products at the Caterpillar plant in Victoria, Texas... This announcement will impact approximately 70 positions. The reductions will begin in March and will take place over a period of time... 
 (Photo: Cat CT680 tractor 01)  -- Peoria, ILL, USA - Construction - Feb 26, 2016

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* USA - VOLVO: "... can now predict when certain parts will fall, warning to customers..."

* DC - Trucking just ‘scratching the surface’ of what technology and connectivity can achieve

-- Goran Nyberg wants Volvo’s trucks to be the iPhones of the trucking industry. The president of Volvo Trucks North America told trucking journalists this week the future of trucking is all about connectivity and creating a vehicle that can be enhanced with third-party applications... Nyberg said trucking is just “scratching the surface” of what can be achieved through emerging technologies. He pointed out there are now 100,000 Volvo trucks using Remote Diagnostics and that the system is becoming more predictive. The vast amount of data collected from those trucks now allows Volvo to predict when certain parts will fail and to warn customers. However, Nyberg said a change of mindset is required by fleets to truly take advantage of this opportunity... Nyberg used the airline industry as an example. Aircraft parts are replaced before they break because unplanned stops and failures aren’t acceptable. With Volvo now collecting data from thousands of trucks it can now predict when parts will fail and encourage fleets to be more proactive about replacing those parts... Volvo executives also hinted of a major powertrain breakthrough that will be announced in late March. But despite the best efforts of journalists, they weren’t revealing any details about what it will involve... 
(Photo: "Volvo On Call", includes smartphone connectivity through a free app)   --  Washington, DC, USA - Truck news, by James Menzies - February 24, 2016

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BATTERY MANUFACTURERS * USA: Oakridge Global Energy Solutions

* Florida - A new era in Battery Manufacturing Systems to fully electric interstate trucking in the USA

-- Oakridge Global Energy Solutions, Inc. is excited to announce that it will be supplying batteries to Freedom Trucking in Minnesota... Freedom Trucking has developed a fully electric interstate truck propulsion system that will immediately enable interstate trucks with a gross vehicle weight of 80,000 pounds to travel more than 400 miles. By utilizing a proprietary logistical system, powered by specially designed Oakridge battery systems, Freedom Trucking can now begin to utilize its revolutionary fully electric interstate trucks in the interstate logistics industry to move product from Chicago to Minneapolis on a daily basis commencing in the last half of 2016... Using fully electric trucks to move this cargo will save each truck in excess of $0.60 per mile over traditional diesel fuel according to initial analysis for Freedom Trucking by the US Department of Transportation, which will completely revolutionize the economics of the interstate trucking business in the USA, by saving on fuel costs, maintenance costs, and weight... 
 (Photo: Fully electric interstate truck) -- Melbourne, FL, USA - Global Newswire (P,R,) - February 24, 2016

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TAKATA's AIR BAGS: Test manipulated & Data falsified * USA's RECALL

* New York - Takata udged data on defective air bags, Senate reports 

 -- Takata Corp. officials manipulated test data for potentially defective air bag inflators that have killed at least nine people and injured dozens in the U.S., before and after the massive recalls of millions of vehicles began, according to a report by the Senate Commerce Committee released on Tuesday...The minority staff report — unveiled by the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation — reveals that Takata employees altered test data for the potentially defective air bags even after recalls began... 
New York, NY, USA - Law360, by Kelly Knaub -Registration required- - February 24, 2016


* DC - Senators renew call for NHTSA to speed up Takata recall 

 -- On the heels of a Senate Commerce Committee report that revealed Takata Corp. falsified data to cover up problems with its exploding air bags, two U.S. senators on Wednesday urged the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to speed up the air bags’ recall... Senators Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., and Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., have previously expressed concern about the pace of Takata recalls and repairs, but came down hard on both Takata and NHTSA again Wednesday with a statement saying that what has been done so far... 
Washington, DC, USA - Law360, by Aebra Coe -Registration required- - February 24, 2016

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BORDER SOLUTIONS * Ukraine / Russia ** Belarusia / Lithuania *** Russia / Poland

* Ukraine, Russia: Lift bans on cargo-truck transit

-- Ukrainian Prime Minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, has accepted a Russian proposal to lift mutual bans on cargo truck transits the two countries imposed earlier this month... Infrastructure Minister, Andriy Pyvovarskiytold a cabinet meeting in Kyiv on February 24 that Russia had proposed lifting all limits on road cargo... With Russia moving to lift its ban, Yatsenyuk said Ukraine would reciprocate... He added that Ukraine may involve law enforcement officers to ensure safe transit of Russian trucks, some of which have been held up by protesters in Ukraine recently... 
(Photo: Russia allow traffic of Ukrainian trucks)   --   Kiev, Ukraine - Radio Free Europe - 27 Feb 2016


** Belarusian / Lithuanian border - Lines of trucks considerably decrease on

-- Lines of trucks at the Belarusian-Lithuanian border have considerably decreased by the morning, Belarusian State Border Committee said on Thursday... As of 8am Moscow time, around 130 trucks are waiting in line to enter Lithuania from Belarus. In the evening of February 24, more than 400 trucks were waiting in line. Around 100 trucks are also standing in line in Lithuania waiting to enter Belarus... Minsk hopes that lines on the Belarusian-Lithuanian border will decrease after Russian trucks will head for Poland... According to State Border Committee, there are currently no trucks at the Belarusian-Polish border...
 (Photo: In the evening of February 24, more than 400 trucks were waiting in line) -- Minsk, Belarusia - TASS (Russia), by Alexandrova Lyudmila - February 25, 2016 


*** Russia / Poland: Reach agreement on truck haulage

-- Russia and Poland agree to extend transitional period for freight traffic until April 15... On February 1 truck haulage licenses between Russia and Poland expired. The sides did not reach an agreement on extending licenses for one more year, and truck haulage between the two countries was suspended from the start of February. Negotiations on this matter continued for three days in Warsaw but the sides could not reach an agreement. The new round of talks will took place in Russia on February 19. The sides reached an agreement to exchanged 20,000 licenses each until April 15. Until then, the sides will continue negotiations to agree on quotas for 2016... Poland is discontent with the adoption of legislative and regulatory acts in Russia that bring more order into the international haulage operations on the Russian territory, including the truckage of cargoes for third countries... Russian officials say the revised legislation has eliminated the shortcomings in the regulatory acts that enabled unscrupulous foreign haulage companies to bring in cargoes from third countries under the cover of a privileged regime for bilateral truckage...
  (Photo: Russia-Poland ground freight standoff)  -- -- Minsk, Belarusia - TASS (Russia), by Alexandrova Lyudmila - February 25, 2016 

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WEATHER TROUBLES USA: * NW Illinois & Indiana ** Ohio Turnpike

* NW Illinois / Indiana: Blizzard dumped 12-15 inches of snow

   (Video from ab 7 news: Many drivers in northwest Indiana found themselves stranded overnight since the Wednesday evening commute after a blizzard dumped 12-15 inches of snow)

 -- Many drivers in northwest Indiana and the Illinois-Indiana border found themselves stranded overnight since the Wednesday evening commute after a blizzard dumped 12-15 inches of snow in northwest Indiana... Porter County declared and then lifted a state of emergency Thursday. County officials say the travel ban is lifted, but drivers are encouraged to stay off the road unless absolutely necessary as many east-west county roads are still down to one lane... LaPorte County also lifted its state of emergency... In Grant Park, Ill.east of Kankakee, drivers got stuck in two- to three-foot snow drifts along Route 17, which turns into State Road 2 in Indiana...
 Chicago, ILL, USA - abc 7 news - February 25, 2016

** Ohio Turnpike bans big trucks because of snow, high winds


-- The Ohio Turnpike is banning big trucks and some trailers on the toll road between Toledo and the Indiana state line because of snow and high winds... The turnpike says it expects the ban to last through 6 p.m. on Thursday... The ban applies to triple-trailer commercial vehicles and box-type, double-trailer commercial vehicles longer than 90 feet... Also not being allowed on the western end of the turnpike are mobile home trailers, boat and horse trailers and high-profile campers... The National Weather Service says the highest snow totals were in Indiana's Lake and Porter counties, where the storm dumped over a foot. Authorities declared a state of emergency there and in Newton County. Emergency crews spent the night assisting drivers trapped in snow drifts. Even snow plows became stuck in the hardest-hit areas... The highest recorded wind gusts hit 60 mph during Wednesday's blizzard... 
Berea, OH, USA - Associated Press/WDTN — February 25, 2016

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CROSS BORDER TRUCKING * USA / Mexico

* DC - FMCSA expanding truck freight zones at Mexican border in Texas and New Mexico

-- Cross-border freight haulers now have new access points to carry loads to and from Mexico. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration intends to officially codify New Mexico’s Dona Ana County and Luna County as commercial border zones and expand the commercial border zone around El Paso, Texas, thanks to opening of a new cross-border bridge in the city... Commercial border zones along the U.S.-Mexican border allow Mexican-domiciled carriers and drivers and U.S.-based carriers and drivers limited access to cross the international border to deliver freight. Cross-border loads are generally dropped at a warehouse or some other facility within the commercial border zone... The expansion of the El Paso commercial border zone, meanwhile, comes in response to the looming opening of the Tornillo-Guadalupe New International Bridge, which is expected to open to truck traffic next month... 
(Photo: Trucks pause at the border 20 seconds before entering the United States)   --  Washington, DC, USA - Truck News, by James Jaillet - February 23, 2016

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* TRUCKING E-COMMERCE * USA - It's Amazon or Logistics Firms wich compete with

* Illinois - The evolution of the middleman in trucking

... In 2008, Robert Nathan co-founded Load Delivered. In 2015 the Chicago-based third party logistics firm’s revenues were approximately $82.5 million. This year it moved to a new office building in the technology epicenter of Chicago to begin the next stage of growth... Nathan, its 34 year-old chief executive, plans to grow revenues from $100 million in 2016 (projected) to $1 billion with a staff of fewer than 500... Over the past year, Load Delivered has become more than a freight brokerage provider by adding supply chain engineering, omni-channel delivery, and a higher level of managed transportation services to its portfolio, he says... Load Delivered fulfills online orders of LTL-sized freight, such as outdoor furniture, for omni-channel retailers that spend between $3 and $10 million in transportation annually; these companies are often looking to outsource logistics... In summary, motor carriers that have a presence in e-commerce will either be pulling Amazon trailers or working for a 3pl that competes with Amazon... 
(Photo: Load Delivered has an Innovation Department focused on creating new technologies that add value for its shipper and carrier customers)   --  Chicago, ILL, USA - CCJ digital, by Aaron Huff - 24 Feb 2016

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* UPS with DELIV * USA

* Georgia - UPS invests in same-day delivery firm

-- UPS Inc. said that it is joining other investors in providing $28 million in funding for Deliv, a start-up company in Menlo Park, California, that offers same-day delivery of merchandise purchased by consumers from major retailers and shopping malls... Deliv uses a network of freelance drivers to deliver goods for more than 4,000 merchants, including Macy’s, Best Buy, Kohl’s and Walgreens. It operates in 17 markets and more than 100 cities...
Atlanta, GA, USA - Transport Topics - 26 Feb 2016

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TRUCKS TOLLS * USA: Pilot program don’t allow to use the high-occupancy tolling lanes

* Washington - Expansion of Tolling Program concerns 

-- A pilot tolling program in Washington state is working so well, in the view of the state’s Department of Transportation, that it might be expanded, a possibility that concerns Washington Trucking Associations... Although trucks aren’t allowed to use the high-occupancy tolling lanes on the 17-mile stretch of Interstate 405 that went into effect Sept. 27, that won’t necessarily be the case on future toll roads. The Washington State Department of Transportation is preparing an environmental impact statement to evaluate the effects of tolling I-90 between I-5 in Seattle and I-405 in Bellevue... During the HOT lanes’ first three months, they generated 2.75 million trips and revenue of $4.7 million, as well an average time savings of 14 minutes for drivers in the regular lanes thanks in part to an additional lane that WSDOT added going south... Inslee’s announcement drew a backhanded compliment from state Sen. Curtis King, chairman of the Transportation Committee, who voted for adding the tolls but only with the two-year sunset provision... King said he won’t support keeping the tolls after their September 2017 expiration if they are earning money for the state but costing drivers, including those in trucks... 
(Photo by WSDOT/Flickr)   --   Olympia, Wash, USA - Transport Topics, by David Elfin - 23 Feb 2016

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Feb 25, 2016

TRUCKERS DIAPER-WEARING ? * Why they'ld be doing this ?

* Really: I’ve yet to meet a diaper-wearing trucker. But ... How can I be sure?

(Photo: Can you imagine these macho truckers wearing diapers?) 

... There’s an article making the rounds this month, as much for its unusual source as for what it contains. Cosmopolitan, the women’s magazine that’s better known for its ‘10 Great Ways to Improve Your Sex Life’-type articles, featured the perspective of Arielle Pardes, a former professional driver... There in the article that caused me to do a double take. None more so than this one: “You learn to get by on a shower a few times a week (or less) and hold your bladder for as long as possible, because every minute you’re stopped at a rest stop is lost income. Some truck drivers even wear diapers to avoid stopping at bathrooms – not kidding” ... That far-fetched line alone probably chased off many more potential recruits from this industry than the rest of it could have drawn in... But did they really do that? ... In 15 years of covering this industry and interacting daily with professional drivers, I’ve yet to meet a diaper-wearing trucker... How can I be sure? Well, true, I’ve never asked, but let’s call it a pretty good hunch... Yes, bathrooms are few and far between and stopping for breaks will cost you a couple bucks when paid by the mile, but if you need to wear a diaper to make money in this business then you probably need to ask yourself some questions about who you’re working for and why you’re doing this... Hey, there has never been more information and resources available for professional drivers who want to lead a healthy lifestyle!...
-- CAN, USA - Truck News (CAN), by James Menzies - February 23, 2016

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