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Diesel
prices making life difficult for truck drivers
...When you're a truck driver, "It's your workplace,"
said
James Palmer as he pointed to his rig. "This is your home away from
home."
With diesel prices on the rise, "I'm not making any money right now.
It's eating it up right here," said another truck driver, Frank
Montgomery.
Montgomery says he's paying $1,500 a week for fuel which is $300 to
$400 more than what he was paying earlier this year. ...
How
One Company Lost Over $1 Million Dollars By NOT Having GPS Fleet
Tracking
In GPS fleet tracking we hear a lot of stories about how
GPS
tracking has increased productivity and reduced fuel consumption
however, many companies are still unconvinced about the benefits of a
fleet tracking system.
One such company is a leading bottling company in the U.S. During a
recent demonstration of our Fleet Tracking System, the owners and fleet
managers decided to put GPS tracking to the test on 100 of their
delivery trucks.
...
After only a few short weeks of using the new GPS system, our test
company noticed some very peculiar things happening. Some of their
drivers were not staying on their correct courses even though they knew
the GPS system was installed on the truck. Tom was one of these
drivers. Each morning before starting his delivery route he would drive
for 30 miles completely off course. After a brief stop, he'd head back
and then start his correct route. The bottling company thought that
this was awfully odd and they assumed that something must be wrong with
the GPS itself.
After a few more days of observation, Tom's route was still showing a
daily discrepancy of 60 miles. So management decided to ask him about
it.
...
Right
to Repair Act introduced in Oregon Legislature
The Right to Repair Act (HB 3243) has been introduced
into the
Oregon legislature that would allow the state's motorists and their
preferred repair facilities to have equal access to the same
nonproprietary repair codes and service information as the new car
dealerships. Under the bill, repair shops would pay a fair price for
the data that would give them the ability to compete on a level playing
field, resulting in lower prices for consumers.
"This legislation is critical to motorists all over Oregon, but
especially in rural areas," says Sen. Bruce Starr, R-Hillsboro, a chief
sponsor of HB 3243. "If local repair shops don't have fair access to
information and tools to repair cars, motorists will be forced to drive
miles to get those repairs at car dealerships."
...
FMCSA
extends comment period on EOBR mandate
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
announced that
it is extending the comment period on its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
regarding electronic onboard recorders and hours-of-service supporting
documents. Comments originally were due April 4, but the agency has
granted a 45-day extension to May 23.
...
Under the proposal, all interstate commercial truck and bus carriers
that now use logbooks to track compliance with HOS regulations would
have to use EOBRs instead. ... About 500,000 carriers would be affected
by the proposed rule, FMCSA said.
...
Traffic
congestion only getting worse, scorecard shows
According to the INRIX National Traffic Scorecard 2010
Annual
Report released Tuesday, March 8, analysis of traffic on major highways
in the nation's 100 largest metropolitan areas shows:
* Population growth combined with increases in interstate commerce
spurred by economic recovery are fueling increases in traffic
congestion and travel times nationwide;
* New analysis identifying the nation's worst traffic corridors finds
that drivers traveling our nation's 10 worst traffic corridors annually
spend an average of one month idling in traffic;
* 11 straight months of increases in traffic congestion on our nation's
roads translating into an average 10 percent increase in travel times
for drivers; and
* Freight traffic is back on the move as consumers begin spending
again.
...
2010
Cargo Theft Shows Significant Increase
The first annual cargo theft report from CargoNet shows
a
significant increase in cargo theft in 2010 compared to 2009, as well
as some interesting comparisons. In 2010 there were 1035 cargo theft
incidents, a significant increase over 2009, when there were 700
thefts.
In 2010 there was also a rise in cargo theft in certain coastal states.
...
Cargo theft is more likely to happen in high cargo concentration areas
such as California, the northeast, Florida and Texas. ... There are
more cargo theft incidents in California than any other U.S. state
annually.
...
Electronics, which are easily resold, accounted for almost 50 of all
cargo thefts -- 32 more than in 2010.
Prepared foodstuffs and beverages were the second most stolen group of
commodities in 2009, accounting for 9 of all thefts.
...
More
than 1,800 Drivers Comment on HOS Change Using TRANSFLO Express
... For the duration of the FMCSA's public comment
period
during February, professional truck drivers were able to transmit
letters commenting on the proposed hours-of-service rule change using
TRANSFLO Express truck stop scanning for free.
...
NJ
transport chair wants to walk back 'snow job' rule
After backing a law that requires drivers in New Jersey
to
remove snow and ice from rooftops and trailer tops, Assembly
Transportation Chairman John Wisniewski has now introduced a bill that
would exempt truckers until "appropriate removal equipment" is
available.
...
Drivers complained that the rule is nearly impossible to comply with
since there's a lack of snow removal devices in the state and climbing
on top of trailers is dangerous and prohibited by safety rules.
...
Mileage
fees vs. fuel taxes
So ... could the use of so-called "mileage fees" help
reduce
traffic congestion in the U.S. - especially on urban roadways - without
affecting the flow of highway infrastructure upkeep funds typically
generated by fuel taxes? ...
First, some background: In 2006 and 2007, Oregon conducted a mileage
fee pilot program to address a number of issues; the biggest one,
though, NOT so much how to reduce traffic congestion but primarily to
figure out how to replace "lost" fuel tax revenue as more vehicles
transition to using little or no petroleum-based fuel. ...
Diesel
average tops $3.87 a gallon, oil at two-year high
If the past two weeks are any indication, it's going to
be a
rough spring for anyone buying diesel fuel. The national average has
topped $3.87 a gallon for the week ending Monday, March 7, and some
areas are already averaging above $4. Oil prices, meanwhile, have hit a
two-and-a-half year high.
...
Diesel prices are approximately $1 more per gallon than they were one
year ago.
...
Kansas
to Develop Web-Based Oversize Permit System
A new system that will streamline the permit process for
trucking companies hauling large loads, such as wind turbine
components, through Kansas has been announced by a cross-agency
partnership.
...
The system, which is being developed in conjunction with ProMiles
software, will help cut operating costs and provide easier, more
efficient ways for routing oversize/overweight loads. The state issues
more than 70,000 permits for oversize/overweight loads a year and the
demand is increasing in high-growth areas.
...
"The system being designed by ProMiles will make it faster and more
efficient for truckers to get permits. Having to wait costs them
money," [Jim Kowach, KDOT Bureau Chief of Design] said.
The new system, which will be in operation in about two years, will be
paid for by an increase in permit fees that was passed by the Kansas
Legislature and supported by the trucking industry.
Gas
prices pushing drivers to the end of the road
The pain at the pump is getting worse, and high fuel
prices
are hitting consumers and companies at every angle.
Diesel prices are up to almost $4.00 per gallon, making businesses and
city leaders nervous.
...
Small trucking companies are looking at the end of the road now that
they're paying $150 to $200 more to fill up their tanks.
...
High
prices fuel truck diesel thefts
Rising fuel prices might have motivated someone to steal
hundreds of dollars in diesel from a local trucking firm, but the
victims are confident the culprits are other truckers who are hard up
for fuel.
...
Dan Gamache isn't the only trucking company in the Dallas area that was
targeted. RCMP were called to another firm Sunday morning that had 600
litres of fuel siphoned from four work vehicles the previous night.
...
New
Owners of IdleAir take over IdleAire
... The new company IdleAir, now under new management,
is
determined to improve both the physical services as well as the past
customer service, addressing any negative experiences or complaints
that prior customers may have had. For starters, they are honoring all
customer balances, even if they no longer have their old IdleAire card.
...
6 "APU's are better and IdleAir not needed" APU's offer great comfort
and convenience for drivers. IdleAir now has a low cost package for APU
users designed to save them fuel and maintenance costs. Drivers with an
APU that has an electric pass through, can hook up to Idle Air and use
only the electricity and pay for only the electricity!
7 "Cigarette Smoke Smell from previous Driver" This has been a big
complaint from the "old IdleAire." There is now hotel grade cleaners
and regular maintenance and cleaning to eliminate this problem. No more
"flower scented" smoke smell.
8 "Hotels are cheaper for extended stays" There are times when you want
to stay in a hotel and that's just a fact! However, if you would rather
stay in your truck, IdleAir has an extended stay option (ready to be
launched), that will give drivers a much lower hourly rate after their
first 10 hours. This is appealing for many drivers approaching their 34
hr restart.
...
Are
the Proposed Truck Driver Safety Regulations Unsafe?
The U.S. Transportation Department has proposed new
safety
regulations that would limit truck drivers' hours to 10 hours per day,
down from the current limit of 11 hours daily, and reduce their
overnight shifts. But the National Retail Federation on Friday said the
changes would not only raise business costs, but also would likely
result in more -- not fewer -- collisions.
The proposed rules would increase the number of truck deliveries during
the most congested hours, boosting transportation costs by as much as
20 because deliveries would take more time and, as a result, require
more trucks for the same number of deliveries, the federation claims.
Also, it adds, more wrecks would likely ensue.
...
Shorter
Hours for Truck Drivers Would Increase Costs, Retailers Say
The National Retail Federation (NRF) told government
transportation officials this week that a proposal to limit the number
of hours truck drivers spend behind the wheel each day will not
actually have a beneficial effect on the industry. It would actually
result in increased costs for businesses and consumers. As a
consiquence [sic] of the proposed regulations, more trucks will have to
be used to carry the same amount of goods per day, resulting in
increased congestion, which undermines the whole idea of safety. ...
The changes proposed would result in transportation cost increases from
3 to 20 percent for goods, depending on a specific retailer's supply
chain network and operations, according to [NRF Senior Vice President
for Government Relations David] French.
...
New
York Thruway section to use new toll tickets
Drivers who travel along the western section of the New
York
State Thruway will see new toll tickets beginning Sunday.
The Thruway Authority is updating the tickets and scanners as part of a
pilot program. Toll prices will not change.
...
Drivers who use E-ZPass are not affected.
...
Comment period on
hours
rules ends today
The public comment period ends today, March 4, for the
Federal
Motor Carrier Safety Administration's proposed rulemaking on
hours-of-service requirements for commercial vehicle drivers. FMCSA,
which is proposing seven changes from the rules in place today,
originally planned the 60-day comment period to expire Monday, Feb. 28,
but later announced an extension.
...
Truckers Outraged:
U.S.
& Mexico trucking agreement
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
(OOIDA)
expressed outrage on behalf of professional truckers at today's
announcement by the White House to open up U.S. highways to Mexican
trucks. "Simply unbelievable," said Todd Spencer, Executive Vice
President of OOIDA. "For all the president's talk of helping small
businesses survive, his administration is sure doing their best to
destroy small trucking companies and the drivers they employ."
...
Spencer added: "Small business truckers are in the midst of dealing
with an avalanche of regulatory rulemakings from the administration.
They are also struggling to survive in a very difficult economy. This
announcement is tantamount to rubbing salt in wounds already
inflicted."
...
Costly to keep on
truckin'
Jose Quiero has been an independently-contracted truck
driver
for five years now.
...
With his truck averaging 7 mpg, the roughly 380 mile trip he was about
to make would cost him roughly $200 in fuel costs.
He has tried to accustom his driving to minimize costs. The faster he
goes, the more fuel he burns, and over the years he has found that
driving 62 mph maximizes fuel efficiency for his truck.
"I used to go 70 and 80 mph," he said. "I got to go slower now because
it's cheaper. Company-employed truck drivers drive as fast as they want
because their companies pay for the increased fuel prices. It doesn't
cost them individually. They get paid the same regardless of how high
prices go."
...
IdleAir offering free
service Tuesdays in March
Free service from electric shore power provider IdleAir
will
be available at nine locations every Tuesday in March, the company
announced.
...
Fuel spikes setting
records
... The American Trucking Assns. (ATA) warns that rising
fuel
costs will impose a big fiscal burden on trucking.
In 2010, ATA estimated that the trucking industry spent some $101.5
billion on diesel fuel - a 28 increase over 2009. And even before the
current spike in crude oil prices, the truck lobby projected that motor
carriers would spend roughly $20 billion more at the pump in 2011, for
a total fuel bill of $121.5 billion.
Trucking company
ordered to
give fired whistleblowers job back
A truck driver who was fired two years ago should get
his job
back and more than $100,000 in damages. He had complained to his
Tennessee-based employer about a company-owned truck's mechanical
problems.
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health
Administration has ordered Memphis-based United Auto Delivery and
Recovery/Memphis Auto Action, to reinstate driver William Beecher and
pay Beecher $111,000 in back wages, interest, compensatory damages and
punitive damages.
...
"Employees have the legal right to report unsafe driving situations,
not only for their own safety, but also to protect the public from
unsafe trucks on the roads," Cindy Coe, OSHA regional administrator, in
a statement. "OSHA will not allow trucking companies to retaliate
against drivers who are exercising their rights."
...
Cost of CSA Will Rise
as
Program Ramps Up
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration created
and
launched its new CSA safety enforcement program with a small number of
staff, outside contractors and existing budget, but now that the
program is ramping up it will require considerably more resources, said
the Government Accountability Office.
GAO prepared the report to answer concerns in Congress about delays in
CSA implementation, and whether or not the agency has the resources to
get the program up to speed.
In 2007, when CSA (then called CSA 2010) was still being planned and
tested, the program had budgetary obligations of $2.3 million.
Obligations increased to $6.6 million in 2008, and rose to $11.8
million in 2009 to cover software modernization.
Last year the obligation was $9.5 million, and the agency has requested
$14.3 million for this fiscal year.
...
... in fiscal year 2012, ... [t]he agency is requesting $78 million and
98 new full-time positions in addition to existing staff to fully
implement CSA and integrate it into its operations, GAO said.
...
Plans to limit US
truck
drivers' hours slammed
Proposals to reduce the amount of hours that US road
freight
drivers can spend behind the wheel in one trip have sparked a storm of
controversy.
The debate has been engendered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration's proposed initiative for reducing trucking accidents by
limit driving time.
...
However, the transport industry argues that cutting just one hour from
a driver's daily clock reduces their wages, adds to carrier costs and
has a ripple effect the length of the international supply chain,
according to a new report in The Journal of Commerce.
"Manufacturers and motor carriers alike are anxious about the impact on
productivity, however, in lost miles and driver shortages. It could
reverberate along supply chains from Beijing to Boise," according to
JOC Senior Editor William Cassidy.
He added that an hour lost in Idaho could mean a missed delivery window
for a shipment from China, adding up to a higher total landed cost. ...
How To: Maintain
Suspension
Do regular inspections for a smooth ride
...
2010 Engine Performance
... The 2010 fuel economy improvements are best viewed
alongside diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) consumption rates, given that any
boost in the former will be tempered by the necessity of buying the
latter.
"The price of bulk DEF is relatively close to the price of diesel, or a
little less," says [Steve] Duley [of Schneider]. "We'd rather have to
use a gallon of DEF to save a gallon of fuel. The 2010 trucks have
shown about a 5 percent improvement in diesel fuel consumption,
although some manufacturers are better than others. DEF consumption
rates vary by manufacturer, too, between 2 and 4 percent, so we watch
that carefully."
...
Fancher reports an average 5 percent fuel economy improvement with
Volvo engines, compared to 2007.
...
Williamson says Detroit Diesel customers are reporting "up to 5 percent
better fuel economy compared to 2007," which the company promised. "Our
customers have also commented on exhaust fluid consumption being in
line with estimates of 2 percent of diesel fuel."
Mack's also seeing a "solid 5 percent improvement in fuel economy,"
says McKenna. "We predicted DEF consumption at a rate of 3 percent
relative to the diesel fuel. We are actually seeing something closer to
2.2 percent overall - slightly higher with winter grade fuel."
...
Researcher says FMCSA
misrepresented findings
A leading researcher has accused the US Federal Motor
Carrier
Safety Administration (FMCSA) of misrepresenting his work to support
its case to revamp driver hours-of-service rules.
Dr. Francesco Cappuccio, a professor and researcher at Warwick Medical
School in the U.K., reviewed 16 published studies on the effect of
sleep duration on mortality. He also co-authored a 2007 study that the
FMCSA, according to the American Trucking Associations, "leaned on most
heavily to support its proposal" to rewrite hours-of-service
legislation. The agency used Cappuccio's study to conclude that short
projected increases in sleep could generate roughly US$690 million in
annual health benefits for drivers.
Cappuccio, however, has said the FMCSA cannot use his findings to
quantify benefits to justify its proposed regulatory changes.
...
He also said there is "no evidence to prove, that without additional
measures, a simple reduction in work hours will result in increased
sleep time."
...
The Healthy Trucking
Association of America (HTAA) and Convenient Care Association (CCA)
Launch Drivers Health Initiative: Making High-Quality Health Care More
Accessible and Affordable for Millions of Drivers
The Healthy Trucking Association of America (HTAA) and
the
Convenient Care Association (CCA) have announced plans to launch a
nationwide initiative aimed at making high-quality health care more
accessible and affordable for our nation's professional truck drivers.
...
Through the partnership between the CCA, the national trade association
representing the retail-based health care industry, and the HTAA,
retail-based convenient care clinics nationwide will begin offering DOT
exams, expanded medical treatments and wellness services designed
specifically for transportation industry employees. Of the 1,100
clinics in CCA's membership, nearly 1,000 have committed to engage in
the partnership to date.
...
FMCSA Expands
Pre-Employment
Screening Program
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration added a
new
feature to the screening program that gives carriers a look at the
history of a driver who is applying for a job.
The agency is making data available on co-driver safety and post-crash
violations, in addition to the roadside inspection and crash records
that employers already can see. The agency said it also has begun
showing the date that a driver's safety records were updated.
The Internet based pre-employment screening program
(www.psp.fmcsa.dot.gov), gives employers five years of an applicant's
crash history and three years of his inspection history - with the
driver's permission.
...
Truck drivers suffer
at the
hands of law-enforcers in twin cities
ISLAMABAD: The aggravating law and order situation is
not only
taking its toll on general public, the truck drivers carrying goods
entering the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad are also suffering
badly, as they are being treated inhumanely by the officials of
law-enforcement agencies.
Many of them confront highwaymen and lose lives during their job but it
is strange that every time truck is insured not the life of the driver.
Moreover, a number of trucks have been taken away from different areas
of the cities but the relevant departments took no action.
...
Update: Gas Prices
Rise
Again Monday, AAA Says
... Diesel prices have jumped up just as much as regular
fuel
and the trucking industry is feeling the pinch as well.
"I've been out on the road 46 years... and these last 10 years have
been the worst in trucking ever." said former owner operator Rick
Dixon.
Fuel prices Dixon said are the reason it's been so tough that he's
nervous he can't survive.
"But I got out of being an owner operator because what's happen today,"
said Dixon.
Drivers we talked to said they've seen prices skyrocket and it's
getting expensive for everyone involved.
...
Drivers say their companies are taking drastic measures to keep their
wheels spinning.
"The company is always asking us to conserve fuel somehow," said Terry
Burge, a truck driver.
One driver said his company limits where they can go and even restricts
the speedometer on their trucks so they can't drive faster than 60
miles per hour and in some cases it's even affecting drivers pay.
...
CARB posts fact sheet
for
new low-rolling-resistance tire requirements
... The greenhouse gas emission (SmartWay) rule requires
use
of EPA SmartWay-certified tractors and trailers or retrofit of existing
trucks and trailers with a combination of SmartWay-approved tires and
aerodynamic features designed to improve fuel efficiency.
...
New Hampshire House
advances
anti-idling incentive
An incentive to reduce truck idling is halfway through
the New
Hampshire statehouse.
The House approved a bill that would increase the maximum weight limits
for large trucks equipped with idle-reduction technology. Its next stop
is the Senate. If approved there, Hb117 would advance to Gov. John
Lynch.
The bill would authorize commercial vehicles equipped with auxiliary
power units to weigh up to an additional 400 pounds.
...
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 25 states have laws that
allow the weight exemption. New Hampshire is one of 18 states where the
weight allowance is granted by enforcement policy rather than by state
law.
...
Texas Cuts Truck Tolls
on
Highways near Austin
The Texas Transportation Commission has voted to lower
truck
tolls on two Austin-area highways in an attempt to encourage trucks to
use them.
Tolls will drop by about 25 on state highways 130 and 45 effective
Tuesday, television station KVUE reported Thursday.
...
Tolls for trucks with more than four axles will drop to about $16 for a
one-way trip on the roads, compared to $27 before the vote, KVUE said.
...
Snow and ice removal
bills
pile up at statehouses
... Speaking in opposition to Ld283, Lt. Brian Scott of
the
Maine State Police said the rule would create a practical problem for
trucks.
Scott, the head of the traffic safety unit, said "we believe this bill
would create a practical problem for tractor-trailer drivers operating
in our state to remove accumulated snow & ice from the top of
their vehicles."
Tim Doyle of the Maine Motor Transport Association said that while the
bill is well-intended, it is not practical.
He said clearing snow and ice from atop a trailer "is not safe, and
sometimes not even possible."
Doyle also pointed out motor carriers that require drivers to make the
climb "would be in violation of OSHA regulations, which prevent working
at such heights without proper safeguards."
...
Bill would end Georgia
400
tolls
In response to a decision to keep charging tolls on a
roadway
north of Atlanta, one Georgia state lawmaker wants to make sure it
doesn't happen again.
Sen. John Albers, R-Roswell, has introduced a bill that would prohibit
the State Road and Tollway Authority from continuing to charge
motorists 50 cents - truckers pay more - for using the Georgia 400 toll
road.
For the past 20 years tolls have been applied to pay for bonds used to
finance construction. Truckers and other drivers who use the roadway
had been promised that toll collection would end this July. Even though
the Georgia 400 is paid off, the state agency in charge of toll roads
voted last fall to continue operating the roadway as a toll road for
another 10 years.
...
Ontario trucker
Ingratta
goes back to court in speed limiter case
Last year, owner-operator Lee Ingratta of Gravenhurst,
Ontario, beat a speed-limiter ticket in court when he used a homemade
waiver that asked roadside inspectors to accept any possible damages to
his truck's ECM caused during an inspection. Last week, the province
filed an appeal and Ingratta is headed back to court.
Ingratta carried the self-produced waiver with him because he was
concerned the province's method for testing for speed limiters under
the law could lead to computer damage in his truck. He was especially
worried about static electricity produced as an inspector hooked up a
portable device to his truck's ECM port under the dash.
...
Ingratta, a former computer technician, is not confident in the device
being used or in the inspectors who use them.
"I've got over 2 million kilometers on my truck and it's over $5,000 to
replace that computer, and these guys don't really know what they're
doing," Ingratta said.
...
Used commercial
vehicle
registrations hit record levels in 2010
Used commercial vehicle registrations (Class 3-8) in the
United States achieved a record level in 2010 with about 672,000 units
registered, according to Polk, a provider of data-driven solutions for
the commercial vehicle industry. This represents an increase in used
commercial vehicle registrations of 21.7 percent over 2009. With this
increase, used commercial vehicle registrations accounted for nearly 65
percent of the total commercial vehicle market (new and used) in 2010.
...
Higher Road Tolls Will
Hit
Freight Haulage Companies
FRANCE - In January we highlighted the discontent which
freight hauliers in the UK felt as road, tunnel and bridge tolls seemed
destined to rise despite the severe downturn which many were subjected
to especially in the light of seemingly inevitable higher fuel costs.
Now it appears truckers on the other side of the Channel are also
facing increased motorway tolls which rose this month after a much
criticised short consultation period.
...
New Jersey Senate
votes to
oppose toll increases
The New Jersey Senate voted Thursday, Feb. 17, to
approve a
bill to roll back future toll increases. Tolls were intended to be a
revenue source for a now-defunct tunnel plan. ...
Truckers and other drivers have been paying more since 2008 to access
the roadways. Tolls for heavy commercial vehicles to travel the full
length of the turnpike were increased from $26.55 to $37.15 to help pay
for a commuter rail tunnel under the Hudson River.
...
Texas bill covers
idling
issues
A Texas Senate bill would permit certain trucks to idle
while
also providing an incentive to reduce idling.
...
Owner-operator and OOIDA Senior Member Danny Schnautz of Pasadena, TX,
said the idling issue in Texas warrants attention.
"During the summer months we're forced to sit in this hotbox. Anything
that moves toward the flexibility of letting the truck idle is a good
thing," Schnautz told Land Line.
The bill - Sb493 - is in the Senate Natural Resources Committee.
A separate provision in the bill would increase the maximum weight
limits for large trucks equipped with idle-reduction technology.
Commercial vehicles equipped with auxiliary power units would be
authorized to weigh up to an additional 400 pounds.
...
Cargo theft: Where are
trucks most vulnerable?
Distribution centers and terminal lots were the No. 1
location
for stolen cargo in the last year, though truck stops also rank high on
the list of cargo theft locations.
FreightWatch International, a logistics security firm, recently
released its monthly report on cargo theft. ...
ATA: "Independent
review"
knocks hours-of-service proposal
According to the American Trucking Assns.(ATA), an
independent
review of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's (FMCSA)
Hours of Service (HOS) "Regulatory Impact Analysis" prepared for the
trucking lobby has "found the Agency wildly overstated the proposal's
benefits." ATA said that "while the agency claims its proposal would
result in up to $380 million in annual benefits, an Edgeworth
Economics' independent review finds that proposal would result in net
costs, and not benefits, of approximately $320 million a year."
Per an ATA news release, the Edgeworth report states "...we find that
FMCSA has overstated the net benefits of the proposed rule by about
$700 million annually." ATA said Edgeworth Economics is "an
internationally renowned consulting firm that's done work for the
Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission and the National Football League Players Association" and
that it found that FMCSA "used questionable logic, inadequate data and
sloppy math in attempting to justify its proposed changes to the
hours-of-service rules..."
...
Speakers at hours
listening
session support status quo
... Referring to the impact of the proposals on
business,
[Don] Osterberg[, senior vice president of safety and security at
Schneider National,] said productivity would drop 4.72 percent.
Schneider drivers would get home 25 percent less under the proposal, he
said. The average daily mileage would fall from 501.7 miles to 478. To
compensate for that loss, the company would have to increase driver pay
by $3,000 annually to offset the productivity decline, Osterberg said.
"We will have to increase driver pay anyway [because of ongoing supply
and demand], but that would be a component that would add cost to the
supply chain," he said.
...
OOIDA surveys truckers
on HOS
The proposed hours-of-service regulations make several
changes
to the existing regs - with the potential to deeply affect some
trucking operations.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is conducting an
online survey of its membership to help analyze the implications of the
proposed regulations.
...
Right to Repair Act
Reintroduced in Massachusetts
The Right to Repair Act has been introduced in
Massachusetts
for the 2011-12 legislative session. The 2011 legislation is sponsored
by Rep. Garrett Bradley (D-Hingham) and Sen. John Hart (D-South Boston)
and has over 60 co-sponsors.
The Right to Repair legislation would ensures better choices for
consumers because independent shops would have equal access to the same
non-proprietary repair codes and service information as the new car
dealerships, supporters say. Repair shops will pay for the data, giving
them the ability to compete on a level playing field and resulting in
lower prices for consumers. ...
ATA: Independent
Review
Casts Serious Doubt on HOS Proposal
An independent review of the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety
Administration's Hours of Service "Regulatory Impact Analysis" has
found the Agency wildly overstated the proposal's benefits.
While FMCSA claims its proposal would result in up to $380 million in
annual benefits, a review compiled by Edgeworth Economics' finds the
proposal would result in net costs, and not benefits, of approximately
$320 million a year. The Edgeworth report states " ... we find that
FMCSA has overstated the net benefits of the proposed rule by about
$700 million annually."
...
Its "go time" for
trailer
aerodynamics
... In Graham's view [Sean Graham, president, Freight
Wing],
side skirts still offer the "biggest bang for the buck" in terms of
return on investment (ROI) calculations. Freight Wing's SAE/TMC J1321
track tests conducted by Energotest in 2008 verified fuel economy
savings of up to 7; meaning a fleet would be able to pay off its
investment in trainer side fairings after roughly 50,000 miles of
operation.
...
Bridgestone Bandag
announces
price increase
Truck and bus radial tire prices have increased 12
percent,
Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions announced recently regarding both the
Bridgestone and Firestone brands.
...
Fuel economy proposals
may
change engine oils
As the trucking industry begins to contemplate what
changes to
equipment may be needed to meet heavy truck greenhouse gas (GHG) and
fuel economy standards proposed by the federal government, some
lubricant makers believe "thinner" engine oils could be one likely
solution.
...
[Reggie] Dias[, director of commercial products for ConocoPhillips
Lubricants,] expects a more general shift from 15W-40 down to 10W-30
oils over the next five years, a shift that would lead to roughly a 1
to 3 fuel economy improvement depending on the truck's application and
how it's operated by the driver. ...
Shorepower project
launched
Cascade Sierra Solutions and ShorePower Technologies
have
launched the Shorepower Truck Electrification Project which is making
power pedestals available for long-haul truckers at 50 truck stop
locations around the country.
...
The STEP system power connections will be about $1 an hour with a small
connection fee and will include cable TV access. Wireless Internet will
be available for an additional fee.
To help ensure adequate numbers of vehicles are equipped to take
advantage of the fuel savings offered by TSE facilities, a rebate
program for idle reduction upgrade equipment is included in the
project.
More than 5,000 vehicles will be awarded rebates for approximately 20
percent of the installed equipment cost. To qualify, upgrades must
enable the vehicle operator to get electricity for cooling and/or
heating the truck cab from the nation's power grid.
...
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