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May 29, 2017

Advanced Commercial Information * Canada - For trucks on border USA

* Ontario - Temporary fix to avoid ACI penalties

--- Trucks that arrive at the Canada-U.S. border without Advanced Commercial Information (ACI) will for a 90-day period be allowed to turn around without incurring Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMPS), Canada Border Services Agency has announced... eManifest requirements have been mandatory for highway carriers since January 11, 2016, and carriers still have to transmit cargo and conveyance data electronically before arriving at the border... It’s good news for the Canadian Trucking Alliance. The group has recently been citing recurring delays and system outages, and for several months been working with the agency to solve issues surrounding the AMPS linked to ACI reporting requirements... The policy will apply to highway modes across the country as of May 29 and will run under a 90-day evaluation period, during which time the agency will monitor whether compliance rates improve or worsen. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will also be watching the frequency of trucks turning around... 
(Photo Maclean's: Truck traffic. Canadian customs officers waive duties on U.S. goods)  --  Ottawa, ONT, CAN - Today's Trucking - May 26, 2017

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posted by Unknown @ 5:12 AM  0 comments

Dec 10, 2016

WINTER TROUBLES * Canada: Straight through your windshield

* New Brunswick - Ice and snow tumbles from semi truck and shatters passing car's windshield

(Video by jeffrey cote - Dec 30, 2015: An ice sheet flew off the top of an SUV and destroyed my windshield, bent my wiper arm, and damaged my side mirror. Occurred at 8:45AM 12/30/15 on I-495S at Mile 112.8) 

--- A man and his wife got a nasty, wintry surprise this week when a chunk of snow fell from a semi truck and shattered the windshield on their car on a Canadian freeway (SEE VIDEO)... According to the UPI, Kevin McGraw and his wife were traveling along a stretch of freeway near Moncton, New Brunswick on a cold, snowy November 30. McGraw was passing a semi-truck in the left lane when a large slab of ice and snow lifted away from the top of the truck's trailer and smashed into McGraw's car. The icy missile shattered the car's windshield, showering McGraw's wife with bits of safety glass but thankfully not penetrating into the cabin. McGraw was able to get his stricken car across the freeway to the right shoulder while the trucker, blissfully unaware of the chaos he'd just caused, continued on his way... The American Automobile Association states in an Alexandria News article that drifted, compacted snow on top of a moving vehicle may weigh as much as 20 pounds per cubic foot... More than half of US and Canadian semi truck drivers surveyed in a 2009 study by the American Transportation Research Institute admitted that they "rarely or never" clear accumulated snow from their vehicles despite the fact that roughly 35% of truckers surveyed could relate a story about snow or ice falling from a moving truck and harming passing motorists... 
Moncton, New Brunswick, CAN - Autoblog, by Jason Marker - Dec 8th 2016

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Nov 4, 2016

TRUCK THEFTS * USA: The unbearable replay of

* DC - Preventing cargo, truck theft is a mutli-layered attack


--- The International Cargo Security Council estimates that more than $10 billion in merchandise is stolen or damaged each year, but when you factor in productivity losses and higher insurance premiums the annual cost soars to upwards of $60 billion... While trailer contents are often the most valuable part of a highway heist, they’re not always the only thing taken. CargoNet recorded more than 1,500 incidents of stolen commercial-vehicle cargo or equipment in the U.S. and Canada in 2015, with 619 reports involving stolen commercial vehicles. CargoNet reported 309 incidents of vehicle theft in the third quarter this year... In order to keep thefts low to round out the year, FCCI Insurance Group recommends fleets employ a layered defensive approach. 

  * Layer 1: Common sense. Drivers should remove the keys from the ignition when not in use, lock all doors and windows and park in well-lit areas. 

  * Layer 2: A visible device that alerts thieves that your vehicle is protected – like a dash-mounted air brake lock, pedal lock, steering column collars or wheel locks and clamps. 

  * Layer 3: An immobilizing device that prevents thieves from bypassing the ignition and hot-wiring the vehicle. These kill-switch type devices traditionally inhibit the flow of electricity or fuel to the engine until a hidden switch or button is activated. 

  * Layer 4: A GPS-enabled tracking device is basically the last line of defense. It emits a signal to police or a monitoring station when the vehicle is reported stolen. 
 Washington, DC, USA - CCJ - 1 Nov 2016

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Jun 4, 2016

AUTOMATIC BRAKING * USA & Canada: If for cars, it'ld work for trucks ?

* DC -  Automatic emergency braking for trucks not ready for prime time
-- There’s a big push to load big trucks with the type of crash-prevention technology that is news USAstarting to be deployed in passenger cars. The thinking is that if automatic emergency braking can reduce crashes in consumer vehicles, it will do the same for commercial haulers... Already, data from safety organizations such as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety are showing about a 40 percent decrease in rear-end collisions in cars and SUVs equipped with the systems... The Truck Safety Coalition, the Center for Auto Safety, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, and Road Safe America filed a petition this year asking the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to make AEB mandatory for new trucks... But, my experience demonstrates that the technology isn’t quite ready for prime time. Regulators and safety advocates need to step back and do more research before they become a contributor to just the type of horrific crashes they are trying to prevent...

 
... Don’t think I am some stuck-in-the-cab truck driver, unwilling or unable to learn new technology. I am all for anything that will save me time and fuel, and prevent a crash. I really like how when it works, the system tells me the speed and distance of the vehicle in front. That’s really handy when you drive a truck governed at 65 mph. It helps me figure out when to pass in the left lane without affecting traffic flow. The fact that it slows you down gradually to keep you at a safe following distance also is beneficial... But I worry that turning over control of an 80,000-pound highway missile to sensors and software requires more research and thought. My experience is that these systems are not ready for our highways. Those who want to rush them onto the road in the name of safety better make sure they work... 
 (Photo: Shelley Uvanile-Hesch, chief executive of Women’s Trucking Federation of Canada) -- Trucks.com, by Shelley Uvanile-Hesch - June 2, 2016

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May 30, 2016

"International Roadcheck" * USA - A pre-announced check of commercial vehicles in N.A.

* Texas - Danger looms in annual road safety blitz. Some drivers take a “Roadcheck Vacation” to avoid getting caught


-- One of the most dangerous times of the year to be on the road is coming next week, although a majority of drivers will never realize the risks because they were never warned. International Roadcheck is a largely unnoticed annual three-day program in which law enforcement in the U.S. and throughout North America inspect as many commercial vehicles as possible, including tractor-trailers, buses and other heavy trucks, looking for safety violations. The 2016 initiative will be June 7-9. Although most of the public doesn’t even know Roadcheck exists, the trucking industry has been issuing related warnings to drivers and trucking companies for months. Unfortunately, a lot of improperly licensed drivers and those who operate unsafe trucks avoid work during Roadcheck in order to escape the scrutiny of safety regulators. The scenario of truckers deciding to stay away during this three-day stretch has become so common that it’s called a “Roadcheck Vacation” among trucking industry insiders...
(Photo Comstock Getty Images: Many unsafe truck drivers will schedule a vacation June 7-9 to avoid annual International Roadcheck)  --  Fort Worth, TXS, USA - The Star-Telegram, by STEVE LAIRD - May 27, 2016

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Dec 17, 2014

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA & Canada: UPS' -

* Indiana - Busy delivery season forces companies to lease extra trucks

Lafayette,IND,USA -WLFI, by Jamie Long -December 16, 2014: -- When you receive packages on your doorstep this holiday season, you might see the driver behind the wheel of an unfamiliar truck... According to United Parcel Service public relations director Susan Rosenberg, in order to keep up with the busy delivery season, UPS leases trucks from other companies. In the Lafayette area, many UPS workers are driving trucks from U-Haul... Even though some UPS drivers won’t be driving the brown truck, the drivers are still wearing the brown UPS uniform... According to Rosenberg, UPS delivers more than 500 million packages in the month of December...


* Georgia - Electric delivery trucks headed to UPS to get 18 Workhorse E-100 All Electric Walk-In Vans
Atlanta,GA,USA -Green Energy News -17 Dec 2014: -- The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) and the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) are excited to announce an award of project funding to UPS , in partnership with AMP Holding Inc., to deploy 18 Workhorse E-100 All Electric Walk-In Vans with 100 kWh battery packs in the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria area. The goal for this project is to demonstrate the capability of all-electric delivery vehicles to perform at the same level of operation as similarly sized diesel delivery vehicles, while also significantly reducing vehicle emissions and petroleum consumption...


* Alberta / Canada - Truckers to face steeper fines for leaving truck routes

(Calgary plans to hike its fine for truckers who drive off designated truck routes to $500, up from $100) Calgary,ALB,CAN -The Calgary Herald, by Jason Markusoff -December 14, 2014: -- Calgary is set to hike its fine for truckers who drive off designated truck routes to $500, after the industry officials and police agreed that drivers are shrugging off the current $100 penalty... City hall restricts truck traffic to a series of major Calgary roads, to keep heavy vehicles off quieter collector and residential streets... The report states that police, the trucking sector and city lawyers all agree that the proposed fine increase would decrease off-route driving. The $500 penalty is more closely in line with other fines for commercial vehicles...

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posted by Unknown @ 3:23 AM  0 comments

Nov 8, 2014

TRUCKER STORIES * USA

* DC - Trucking on, 60 hours a week, for 10 more years​

(Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images - They say the economy is getting better, but you can't tell out on the road) 
Washington,D.C.,USA -Marketplace, by Kai Ryssdal -November 5, 2014: -- If you talk to people outside the Washington Beltway, the view of life and the economy is pretty starkly different... Where economic messages were largely left out of midterm campaigns, the idea that we're growing our way into recovery doesn't resonate with a lot of Americans... Says Don Holzshuh who drives a truck in the upper Midwest, delivering to hardware stories in Iowa and Minnesota, "... business is a little worse" ... What he used to earn in four-and-a-half days now takes six. He's added another run in his truck, bringing him to 60 hours a week on the road... Lower gas prices help with costs, but Holzschuh says the price of diesel along his route in Iowa is higher by about a dollar more a gallon compared with unleaded. He doesn't benefit much from the savings... "I'll probably be working til I'm 68... another 10 years, another million miles" ... It's hard to imagine him continuing at 60 hours per week after 36 years on the road. Holzschuh has already clocked 4.5 million miles accident-free, but he doesn't see many alternatives... The extra years of work will go toward paying off the mortgage on his house. And if that doesn't work? ... "I'll be over at your house," he joked... 


* Wiscosin - H.O. Wolding driver named top U.S. rookie trucker

(Photo: Nathan Vine/Stevens Point Journal Media - Julie Matulle travels across the country as a driver for H.O. Wolding with her 13-year-old Italian greyhound, Rocky. Matulle, of Oshkosh, was recently honored with the Mike O’Connell Memorial Trucking’s Top Rookie Award) Amherst,WIS,USA -Stevens Point Journal Media, by Nathan Vine -November 5, 2014: -- Julie Matulle spends most of her week behind the wheel of a semi truck  ... As a driver for H.O. Wolding in Amherst, Matulle hops into her truck on Sunday morning and doesn't return home until Friday, traveling some 2,600 miles across the country in an average week... The cab of her truck is her home away from home, with modest living space — room for a cot and storage space for groceries and clothing and not much else. But Matulle has made it comfortable with a nice rug on the floor and an oven to cook her own meals... Matulle, 48, of Oshkosh said a career driving truck is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream that began as she watched her father run a family trucking business. And her trucking genes have proven important: She recently was named one of the best new drivers in the United States with the fourth annual Mike O'Connell Memorial Trucking's Top Rookie Award... Matulle said that being away from home for much of the week can sometimes be tiring, but she loves traveling and seeing different parts of the country...

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posted by Unknown @ 3:33 AM  0 comments

Oct 14, 2014

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA: Smaller fleet success

* Depends on smarts, not the number of trucks. Size doesn’t ensure a fleet’s success—how smartly it’s run does 

 -Fleet Owner, David Cullen -Oct 13, 2014: -- Smaller, over-the-road truck fleets can successfully compete against larger— not to mention mega-sized— motor carriers if their owners think and act big by fully leveraging the reduced footprint of their operations... Managers of smaller carriers can not only keep a toehold in today’s freight marketplace, but gain the upper hand when they’re smart enough to recognize opportunities they can exploit to their advantage... Here, then, are profiles of a dynamic trio of smaller fleets whose recent experiences amply demonstrate that what matters isn’t the number of trucks you run, but how smart you run with them...
(Photo: TILI Logistics, building on a niche)
According to Sergio Casas Silva Jr., operations manager for TILI Logistics, the San Diego-based nationwide carrier got its start back in 2007 as a regional carrier hauling manufactured goods from the free-trade zone (a maquiladora) across the border in Mexico into Southern California... From that initial niche, the fleet began expanding becoming the 48-state coast-to-coast operation it is today...
(Photo: A National Food Corp.'s truck. Not in one basket) 
While Everett, WA-based National Food Corp. (NFC) lays claim to being the Northwest’s leading producer of organic and cage-free eggs, its fleet provides refrigerated and dry-van truckload and LTL services throughout the Northwest to outside firms... According to transportation manager Kevin Bookey, his father and his uncle launched the private fleet operation back in 1956 to get the family farm’s eggs to market by delivering them to major retailers, food-distribution firms, and even mom-and-pop stores... Today, the fleet is truly multi-purpose, as it’s charged with hauling live chickens and feed to NFC’s farms and fresh eggs from there to its processing plants, if processing is not done right at a farm...
(Photo: A Holman Distribution truck. Spec'ing to win) 
Holman Distribution describes itself as a “one-stop shop for distribution and transportation needs.” For the Kent, WA-based operation, a key element of that is a highway fleet “capable of delivering any type of freight at competitive rates” in the Seattle and Portland areas as well as up and down the I-5 corridor that ties together Washington and Oregon.

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Oct 3, 2014

AUTONOMOUS TRUCKS * USA: Laws may slow they

* New York - Self-driving or caravanning technology


NY,USA -Go By Truck -September 30, 2014: -- Several companies, including Mack and Peterbilt, have debuted self-driving or caravanning technology for the trucking industry, but legal and liability issues may prove to be roadblocks to their innovations. A recent report from ABI Research indicates that legislation will have to come a long way in order to address the new circumstances surrounding autonomous vehicles... The report examines existing legislation, concluding that in the United States, California is leading the way. It looks at areas where new laws may be necessary, including parking, testing new equipment, vehicle collisions, public and private roadways, and other mandates. The second half of the report tackles liability questions, including “liability of things” and "collective liability"...

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Sep 5, 2014

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA: Celadon's

* Indiana - Celadon makes investments in newly-acquired flatbed business


(Photo) 
Indianapolis,IND,USA -The Trucker News Services -2 Sept 2014: -- Following on the heels of their acquisition of Evans Trucking earlier this summer, Celadon Trucking Services has recently ordered tractors for the flatbed fleet, including Kenworth W900, Peterbilt 579 and International LoneStar tractors... In addition, the company also is buying 100 new 53-foot aluminum flatbed trailers. To complement this equipment, Celadon has also purchased deluxe, enclosed head racks...

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Aug 29, 2014

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA: FedEx's

* Indiana - Court rules FedEx Ground drivers employees, not independent contractors, reverses earlier finding

(Photo: FedEx Volvo pulling triples taken east of Spokane, WA)
Indianapolis,IND,USA -The Trucker -27 Aug 2014: -- FedEx Ground, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp., said today that a decision by a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed previous rulings by the District Court for the Northern District of Indiana in three class-action cases involving mostly former independent contractors for FedEx Ground... The court held that those independent contractors operating in California from 2000 to 2007 and in Oregon from 1999 to 2009 were employees according to the panel’s interpretation of state laws, MSN Money reported... The model that the court reviewed is no longer in use. Since 2011, FedEx Ground has only contracted with incorporated businesses, which treat their drivers as their employees. FedEx Ground will seek review of these decisions, including review by the entire Ninth Circuit, the report stated...

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Aug 20, 2014

HOS DEBATE * USA: ATRI's Research

* Virginia - Identifies flaws in 34-hour restart rule


Arlington,VA,USA -Fleet Equipment -(originally publiched) Jul 9, 2013: -- The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) has released findings of its assessment of the Regulatory Impact Analysis used by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to justify changes to the Hours-of-Service 34-hour restart provision, which took effect July 1, 2013. ATRI’s analysis was based on industry survey data of over 2,000 commercial drivers and 500 motor carriers, as well as a detailed analysis of 1.4 million driver logbooks from more than 40,000 commercial drivers... The ATRI analysis quantifies that FMCSA’s purported industry benefit and actual costs resulting from the restart changes differ by more than $322 million. Identified were several flaws in the FMCSA Regulatory Impact Analysis, including the reliance on driver logs from carriers undergoing compliance reviews and safety audits, which ATRI says skewed the data toward drivers operating at the higher limits of available hours. In addition, ATRI pointed to the assignment of industry costs associated with the change to only 15% of the driving population, ignoring operational changes and associated costs, which are likely to be experienced by a much larger percentage of drivers... Analisys: Among the operational and economic impacts identified by ATRI are: 
* More than 80 percent of motor carriers surveyed have experienced a productivity loss since the new rules went into effect, with nearly half stating that they require more drivers to haul the same amount of freight. 
* Among commercial drivers surveyed by ATRI, 82.5 percent indicated that the new HOS rules have had a negative impact on their quality of life, with more than 66 percent indicating increased levels of fatigue. 
* Commercial drivers are forced to drive in more congested time periods, although the FMCSA Regulatory Impact Analysis did not address increased safety risks with truck traffic diversion to peak hour traffic. 
* The majority of drivers (67%) report decreases in pay since the rules took effect. 
* The impacts on driver wages for all over-the-road drivers total $1.6 billion to $3.9 billion in annualized loss.

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Aug 18, 2014

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA: Truckers' payment

* Minnesota - TransForce owned carrier raises driver pay 

(Photo: TransForce company, a Canadian leader in the trucking and logistics industry) 
Eagan,MN,USA -Today´s Trucking -Aug 15, 2014: -- One of the U.S. branches of Canadian trucking giant TransForce, Transport America, has increased driver pay for all current and potential drivers... Owner-operators will receive a two-cents per mile increase in pay, team drivers will receive a one- cent per mile increase and hazmat pay will increase by four cents per mile. Newly hired drivers can start as high as 40 cents per mile and drivers with more than four years of experience can start at 43 cents per mile... TransForce, bought Transport America in June 2014 for $310-million. More recently, TransForce bought Contrans, which ranks 10th on Today’s Trucking’s top 100 fleet list, for $495 million in cash... 


 * Tennessee - U.S. Xpress, and Con-Way, raise driver pay 

(Photo by Eliyahu Gurfinkel/The Ann Arbor News: A tractor trailer backs in into a row of trailers at Con-Way Freight's distribution center in Green Oak Township on Wednesday)
Chattanooga,TN,USA -Today´s Trucking -Aug 15, 2014: -- U.S. Xpress is raising its base mileage pay for over-the-road, solo, non-dedicated truck drivers by an average of 13 percent, effective Aug. 25, 2014... The company will also eliminate the sliding pay scale for all OTR solo drivers based on feedback from its current driver population. For many, the sliding pay scale made it difficult for drivers to calculate their base pay from week to week, so U.S. Xpress will use a simpler pay structure where all OTR solo drivers will earn the same base mileage pay regardless of the length of haul that they are running for the company... Meanwhile, Con-way Truckload is also raising per-mile pay, effective Sept. 7, for both company drivers and independent contractors... When combined with company’s existing compensation and incentive programs, the increases bring per-mile pay for new-hire experienced drivers to a total of 42.5 cents per mile, according to the company... Con-way drivers can also gain additional earning through an annual bonus of between 1.5 cents and three cents per mile, on miles driven over the previous 12 months from their anniversary date. And the company is also increasing layover pay from $60 to $75 per day...

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posted by Unknown @ 5:52 AM  0 comments

May 26, 2014

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA: Werner Enterprises'

* Nebraska - Gloria Werner's hard work a big part of trucking company's success 


 Omaha,NEB,USA -Omaha World-Herald, by Paige Yowell -May 24, 2014: -- Gloria Werner was always known as creative and tenacious... The co-founder of the Werner Enterprises transportation company was never afraid to do what was necessary to see the business succeed in its early days, when cash was tight and she juggled multiple roles... Gloria Werner died Tuesday after a 17-month battle with lung cancer. She was 79... She and her then-husband, Clarence L. Werner, founded Werner Enterprises in 1956 with one truck. She worked there until she retired from the business in 1984. Werner Enterprises now operates internationally and has about 13,000 employees and independent contractors...

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May 23, 2014

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA:

* Alaska - A. West Express awarded for safety 


(Video from YouTube, by LyndenInc - Feb 2, 2012: Alaska West Express provides truckload transportation throughout the United States and Canada, specializing in your shipment to and from Alaska, where we are the leader in transporting liquid- and dry-bulk products, hazardous and non-hazardous chemicals and petroleum products. With terminals in Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska, as well as Tacoma, Washington, our fleet can handle all of your shipping needs) 
Anchorage,AK,USA -Today´s Trucking -May 22, 2014: -- Alaska West Express won the Alaska Safe Truck Fleet of the Year Award from the Alaska Trucking Association (ATA) at its annual awards banquet this spring. Alaska West Express provides truckload transport of liquid- and dry-bulk products throughout the U.S. and Canada and specializes in trucking to Alaska with terminals in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Tacoma...


 * Iowa - Class 8 trucking company begins dual-fuel natural gas deployment in up front

(Photo: Freightliner Cascadia 113 CNG Daycab) 
Dubuque,IOW,USA NGT News -May 21, 2014: -- Foodliner, a heavy-duty carrier serving the bulk-food industry, has deployed its first five dual-fuel natural gas Freightliner Cascadia trucks in partnership with Diesel 2 Gas Inc. (D2G), Fitzgerald Glider Kits and Agility Fuel Systems... The sleeper-cab trucks can run on up to 60% compressed natural gas (CNG) and 40% diesel with the D2G DualFlex+ system, the company says. Other equipment on the vehicles includes CNG tanks from Agility paired with Detroit Diesel Series 60 engines rated at 500 hp. The five Cascadias are also equipped with D2G's integrated electronic cruise control... D2G says the 60% gas substitution will result in "one of the lowest-fuel-cost trucks in America while maintaining all of the original diesel performance." The DualFlex+ system defaults to 100% diesel in the absence of CNG, the company notes...


* Illinois - Stateline trucking companies in need of drivers

Rockford,ILL,USA -My State Lines, by Phillip Reed -22 May 2014: -- Rockford- Trucks are parked at R.L Leek’s parking lot with nobody to drive them because the company says they are short-staffed. The owner, Ron Leek, says, “What we are not able to do is take on new business, [of] which there is an abundance of business right now because of the shortage [of drivers]” ... The shortage of truck drivers is happening all across the country. Leek says the baby boomers are retiring and young people don’t want to drive trucks, or deal with the job’s tough schedule... His company will be at Spirit CDL’s transportation job fair on June 18th looking to hire workers...

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Feb 13, 2014

TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA - Winter & Traffic troubles

* New York - Helping cargo, truck drivers weather winter's wrath
(Photo courtesy of VDOT)
NY,USA -Fleet Owner -10 Feb 2014: -- As winter weather continues to create havoc for roadway users of all stripes in the U.S. – with yet another winter storm taking aim at Georgia this week – a variety of tactics are being deployed to help trucking companies deal better with snow and ice conditions, but help better protect cargo in transit as well... Recommends that transport companies take following precautions before sending drivers out on the road: 
 ° Plan ahead. Fleet managers need to help drivers by planning for inclement weather in advance and factoring in road and weather conditions. Appointments may need to be rescheduled and customers notified. Drivers may be more likely to drive safely if they know a customer has been notified and understands the situation. When driving conditions are tough, it’s not a good time for drivers to feel pressured to keep an appointment. 
° Conduct inspections and maintenance. It’s important to make sure vehicles are in good working condition to avoid a situation where a driver becomes stranded because their vehicle broke down. Breakdowns are not only costly, but can also be dangerous. A lot of serious accidents involve vehicles that are stranded on the side of the road. 
° Take the driver’s judgment into account. Companies need to trust their driver’s judgment about local driving conditions and encourage them to make safe decisions about how to drive or whether to park and wait for conditions to improve...


* Texas - Port San Antonio truck traffic focus of Thursday protest

(Photo: Port-San-Antonio-truck-traffic-focus) 
San Antonio,TXS,USA -My San Antonio, by ELAINE AYALA -February 12, 2014: -- The Southwest Workers Union and the Committee for Environmental Justice Action will stage a protest at Port San Antonio on Thursday about neighborhood health, environmental and safety concerns they say stem from the increased truck traffic serving the Eagle Ford Shale energy boom... Formerly Kelly AFB, the inland port and its clients have become a focal point for residents and environmental justice activists who want to keep the trucks out of neighborhoods in the Quintana Road area... The two groups are calling on the Port San Antonio board and the city of San Antonio to prohibit long-haul trucks from passing through or idling there. Many of the trucks carry sand that arrives at the port by rail and is then transported to oil and gas industry fracking operations outside San Antonio...


* Utah - C.R. England replacing some Ttucks with LNG powered units

South Salt Lake City,UH,USA -Truckinginfo -February 12, 2014: -- Refrigerated carrier C. R. England has announced it will replace some existing diesel trucks serving the southern California market with LNG powered rigs. All will be powered using the new Cummins Westport 12-liter spark ignited ISX model engine... In making the announcement it said the region is “the most mature market for natural gas on-highway transportation in the United States” ... The Utah-based company says it has also signed a multi-year liquefied natural gas bulk fueling agreement with Shell...

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Oct 3, 2013

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA: New broker law

* New York - Business and the Shutdown: Industrials Will Not Keep on Trucking

NY,USA -The WSJ -1 Oct 2013: -- For the third straight fall the industrial sector is dialing back in response to a federal stalemate over the budget or the debt ceiling, and demand for trucks is likely to fall... A federal government shutdown looms, and while understanding the politics of it all is a matter for the crew over at Washington Wire, its impact on American businesses is something Corporate Intelligence will be watching closely... The industrial sector is always vulnerable to shifts in the economic mood, and this marks the third year running that is prospects have been shaped by struggles in Washington, report’s the WSJ’s Bob Tita... This year a stalemate over the budget and the debt ceiling threaten to run the U.S. economy aground... ACT now expects 252,000 heavy-duty trucks to be built this year, compared with an earlier estimate of 261,000. In the likelihood that the weakness persists, it would spill into early next year. So, ACT took down its 2014 projection to 281,000 trucks from 298,000... The slow-growing U.S. economy has kept production of new trucks far from its pre-recession levels... 


* DC - Impacts carriers who forward freight

Washington,DC,USA -Fleet Owner, by Deborah Whistler -Sep. 27, 2013: -- Beginning Oct. 1 anyone acting as a broker or a freight forwarder, including motor carriers who broker loads, are required to register and obtain broker or freight forwarder authority from FMCSA. Brokers and freight forwarders will also now be subject to a minimum $75,000 financial security requirement...  Beginning Nov. 1, FMCSA will mail notifications to all brokers and freight forwarders that have not met the $75,000 minimum financial security requirement. FMCSA said it will provide 30 days advance notice before revoking freight forwarder and broker operating authority registrations... FMCSA will then work toward developing a comprehensive enforcement program... FMCSA also noted that motor carriers brokering loads without properly registering with FMCSA as brokers may be subject to private civil actions...

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Sep 26, 2013

* USA - TRUCKING INDUSTRY: "The industry is not adding much capacity today”

* California - ATA Economist: Industry faces capacity crunch

(Photo: Big American trucks on highway 163 with the silhouette of Monument Valley in the background)
Anaheim,Orange County,CAL,USA -Truckinginfo, by Jim Beach -September 24, 2013: -- The trucking industry is looking at a severe capacity crunch in coming years with a variety of factors contributing to the situation, according to Bob Costello, chief economist of the American Trucking Associations... Speaking at TMW Systems’ Transforum 2013 user conference, Costello said, “‘we are headed for a capacity problem. The industry is not adding much capacity today” ... That makes sense, considering the recent downturn and slow growth. Looking at for-hire trucking, Costello said that about the same number of trucking firms added tractors as decreased tractors (39% to 37%) while 24% of fleets reported no change in their fleets. Some of the companies reporting no change have moved trucks to different work, from dry van to tank for example, but on the whole, the industry has added few trucks the last two years... Further reducing the number of trucks is an increase in used Class 8 truck exports. Costello forecasts up to 22,000 units exported for sale this year, with half of those going to Mexico. Earlier in the decade, most of the used trucks exported went to Nigeria and Russia during those country’s energy booms... Costello also pointed out that overall, the number of independent contractors (owner-operators) has stayed somewhat flat since 2012, while the number of company drivers had increased. For small truckload carriers, there has been an 8.6% increase in company drivers while independent contractors have dropped 7%. He theorized that could be caused by owner-operators moving to larger carriers who have programs in place to help owner-operators get newer trucks... While the industry is not replacing trucks, other factors are also contributing to future capacity problems, among them reduction in productivity due to electronic logging devices, fewer qualified drivers and increased demand for trucks and less supply... The driver situation could become a big problem, Costello said...

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posted by Unknown @ 6:39 AM  0 comments

Sep 25, 2013

TRUCKERS AGAINST SMUGLERS & POLLUTION & REGULATIONS * USA

* Oregon - Law enforcement, truckers try to deep ahead of smugglers

Seattle,ORE,USA -Northwest News Network/OPB -Sept. 17, 2013: -- For drug smugglers, getting a truckload of illegal narcotics past border authorities means potentially huge profits... But they’re often up against two levels of security: that of U.S. law enforcement, and that of private export and shipping companies. With more than 5 million trucks crossing into the U.S. from Mexico last year, the authorities and trucking companies are trying to stay ahead of smugglers... In the control room of a cross-border trucking company, dispatchers spend their days talking over the radio with drivers, and poring over computer screens, constantly monitoring the whereabouts and activities of their 150 trucks... The company president asked that we not identify the firm or its employees out of security concerns... The company is meticulous about security measures. All of its trucks are equipped with GPS monitors. Exact routes for the trucks are established from a warehouse in Mexico to the customer in the U.S., and software tells dispatchers if a truck goes off that route, or stops for more than two minutes... The trucking firm even hires private investigators to follow trucks at random to make sure they’re not involved in anything illicit...


* California - Air board has allies in diesel pollution crackdown

(Photo by Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Yimes - Air Resources Board inspectors Jose Andujar and Valente Armenta look over the engine of a truck for possible air pollution violations at a checkpoint in Boyle Heights) 
Los Angeles,CAL,USA -The Los Angeles Times, by Tony Barboza -September 15, 2013: -- Truckers want tougher enforcement and point to competitors who violate state rules to install filters or upgrade to cleaner engines... As state air pollution officials step up inspections of diesel exhaust from big rigs, some of their best allies are truckers themselves... They are pushing the Air Resources Board to enforce pollution rules more aggressively for trucks in advance of a Jan. 1 deadline... Truckers are also the No. 1 tipsters, placing anonymous calls and sending emails to finger competitors they say are gaining an unfair advantage by not upgrading their engines or installing expensive filters that capture harmful diesel particulates before they are released into the air...


* Colorado - Wanted: Smarter, simpler, more streamlined trucking regulations

COL,USA -OverDriveOnLine, by Greg Fulton -September 15, 2013: -- Colorado Motor Carriers Association President, Greg Fulton’s, argued for government better serving the interests of independents and small fleets... Recent statistics reflect that more than 90 percent of the trucking companies in the country are made up of businesses that have 20 or fewer employees. Very few of these companies have a staff attorney, regulatory director, or tax specialist. Yet because of the increasing complex web of laws and regulations in our country, almost all of these companies at one time during the year will need to retain the services of one of these specialists... The point is that every year, our state legislatures and the U.S. Congress, as well as officials with federal, state, and local governments, pass hundreds of new laws, regulations, ordinances, and rules that affect trucking in one way or another. In most cases these laws and regulations are approved by well-meaning elected officials or government agencies who are seeking to address particular issues that have been brought to their attention... Rather than investing in new trucks and trailers, creating additional jobs, and improving their facilities, our trucking companies find themselves spending more and more money on attorneys, tax consultants, and regulatory experts. Companies have little choice, because the cost of failing to comply with even one of these regulations, along with defending themselves against a perceived violation that may or may not even have existed, could mean the loss of their business or serious financial implications...

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posted by Unknown @ 5:33 AM  0 comments

Sep 19, 2013

TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA & Canada

* Ontario - It’s an increasingly digital world for drivers



(Photo)
Oakville,ONT,Canada -Fleet Owner/Trucks at Work, by Sean Kilcarr -Sep. 18, 2013: -- An interesting factoid gleaned from this year’s “King of the Road” survey, compiled by Atlas Van Lines, pretty much confirms what most in the trucking business already know: the truck driving job is in many ways increasingly becoming a digital one... By that I mean the paper-laden processes that used to consume a goodly portion of the driver’s day – filling out logbooks, collecting fuel receipts, organizing freight bills and using dog-eared map books to plan out daily routes – are increasingly going by the wayside... Heck, it even seems the venerable citizen’s band (CB) radio, long a staple of the trucker’s way of life, is becoming something of a relic... That’s where the “King of the Road” findings come into play, as Atlas Van Lines found that 66% of its drivers polled in this survey use smart phones, a 6% increase from 2012, with the iPhone outpacing Android phones (58% to 38%) as the model of choice... More broadly, the survey Atlas conducted found that drivers are continuing to use technology to stay more connected while on the road, with across-the-board increases in email and Internet usage as more than three-fourths of the drivers polled check email daily, with 84% accessing the Internet on a daily basis and 56% checking social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter every day...


* Washington - Staying compliant in an uneven CSA world

Tulalip,WASH,USA -Fleet Owner, by Deborah Whistler -Sep. 18, 2013: -- If your rig gets inspected in Texas, you are more likely to get a light or lamp violation. And trucks traveling through Indiana are more likely to get speeding violations. In Oregon, truckers get more hours-of-service (HOS) violations and in Louisiana it’s more likely you will get cited for not buckling up... These are a few of the tales circulating among truckers since the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration began its Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program almost three years ago. The complaints about disparity in CSA enforcement throughout the various states has gone on, but until now, much of this scuttlebutt was purely anecdotal. Now Vigillo’s IQ Lab has created comparative analysis of inspections, violations and crashes for the 48 contiguous United States, drilled down to the county level and normalized by the number of commercial vehicle miles traveled to offer fleets unprecedented detail on CSA violations in various areas of the country...


* California - Safety efforts get mixed reaction from governor

Sacramento,CAL,USA -Land Line, by Keith Goble -17 Sept 2013: -- Two bills in California that would benefit road safety received different responses from the governor... Gov. Jerry Brown signed one bill into law allowing counties throughout the state to double a local fee on cars and trucks for vehicle-theft prevention... California law already authorizes Los Angeles, San Bernardino and San Diego counties to charge more to fight vehicle theft... The new law authorizes fees throughout the state to increase from $1 to $2 for personal vehicles and from $2 to $4 for commercial vehicles... Critics said that although vehicle-theft prevention is important to public safety, they don’t want a tax disguised as a fee that’s intended to cover the costs of vehicle registration... A separate bill vetoed by the Governor called for boosting the fine for violating the state’s “move over” rule... State law requires vehicles approaching a stopped emergency vehicle with flashing lights to move into a lane away from the vehicle. If unable to change lanes, the driver is required to reduce speed... Gov. Brown said that he believes the higher fine is more punitive than deterrent...


* Missouri - OOIDA takes issue with 'toll the interstates' study

Grain Valley,MO,USA -Land Line, by David Tanner -17 Sept 2013: -- OOIDA takes serious issue with a Reason Foundation study that suggests all interstate highways should become toll roads in the future. The average toll for a truck, as suggested by the D.C.-based think tank, would be 14 cents a mile... Reason Foundation Director Robert Poole authored the interstate study, which urges Congress to open the door to interstate tolls in the next highway bill... Current law prohibits interstate highways from being tolled except for those that apply for a pilot program that allows up to three facilities to be tolled. Even though the pilot program has been around for 20 years, no state has successfully converted toll-free lanes to tolled lanes... Truckers butting up against an hours-of-service clock and making “just in time” deliveries to shippers and receivers do not always get to choose when they enter an urban or congested area. A higher toll rate for them would amount to an extra tax for doing their jobs... OOIDA Director of Government Affairs Ryan Bowley points out, that a tolled interstate system will also lead to more traffic, including heavy trucks, on state and local roadways as America’s truckers work to make ends meet...

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