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Tractor-trailer
driver, company fined in Carlisle
A tractor-trailer driver faces $460 in fines and the
company
he drives for faces another $1,535 in fines for a variety of
violations, according to Carlisle police.
Police say Kenneth R. Smith, no age given, of Crawford, Ark., was found
illegally parked to the rear of Wal-Mart on Noble Boulevard, along with
several other tractor-trailers.
...
Smith was cited for disobeying the clearly posted "No Trucks" sign and
for a length of vehicle violation when the trailer was found to be
longer than permitted, according to police.
...
TruckWeight
Offers Free Weight-Recording Software
TruckWeight now offers customers free software that will
allow
users of the company's onboard wireless sensors for mechanical and air
suspensions to quickly and easily monitor and record weights.
...
GPS
Units So Faulty, They Showed Fire Trucks in New York Harbor
The Bloomberg administration spent millions of dollars
to put
custom-made GPS tracking units in fire and garbage trucks, only to have
vehicles inexplicably show up on computer screens as if they had sunk
to the bottom of Long Island Sound or New York Harbor, the city
comptroller has found.
Faulty devices, inaccurate locations, needless features and prices to
make a vendor blush - as much as $56,000 for a single unit in a
sanitation truck - characterized the two projects, according to two
audits released on Wednesday. ...
British
Columbia Officials Urge Chain Prep
If you're driving through British Columbia this winter,
make
sure you have your tire chains ready to go - especially on the
Coquihalla Highway #5 at Box Canyon (south/west of Great Bear
Snowshed).
...
Shorepower
Technologies to Host Truck Stop Electrification Webinar
With continued growth in the availability and use of
shore
power, drivers, vehicle owners and fleet operators need to know how
they can take advantage of truck-stop electrification and anti-idling
technology.
They'll get answers to their questions and an overview of how truck
stop electrification is changing the trucking industry through a free
one-hour webinar to be held 11 a.m. Pacific/2 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 15.
"Truck Stop Electrification: The Time Has Come" will feature
presentations from the organizations deploying TSE around the country,
as well as from truck-stop operators and equipment manufacturers. A
Q&A session is scheduled at the end of the webinar.
...
Shore power - similar to the electrical connections already in wide use
at RV parks and marinas - allows truckers to operate heaters, air
conditioning and other cab equipment without idling the engine. In
addition to the immediate cost savings - shore power costs about $1 an
hour, compared with $4 for each gallon consumed every hour it takes to
run the engine - TSE reduces noise and emissions as well as maintenance
and repair expenses that result from long-term idling. It also helps
drivers and fleet operators comply with the increasing number of laws
limiting or banning truck idling. ...
OOIDA
legal victory forces FMCSA to 'evaluate' full EOBR mandate
The recent OOIDA legal victory that vacated a regulation
mandating electronic on-board recorders for "bad actors" has also sent
the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration back to the drawing
board on its proposed full EOBR mandate.
...
New
coalition urges widespread interstate tolls
You paid for them, and continue to pay for them, through
fuel
taxes and user fees. We're talking about the interstates, the lifeblood
of the American economy and mobility. It may surprise some, but
certainly not all, that a new coalition of public and private interests
has sprung up to lobby Congress to allow a more widespread use of
tolling on interstate highways.
...
B.C.
trucker injured after pumpkin tossed from overpass
KAMLOOPS, B.C. -- A B.C. trucker has been sporting cuts
and
bruises on his face since Monday night - but not because he forgot to
wash off his Halloween make-up. Kamloops trucker Gary Henville, 55, a
driver with Arrow Transportation, was driving east on the Trans Canada
Highway around 9:30 p.m. on Halloween night when a pumpkin tossed over
an overpass in Dallas came smashing through his windshield, according
to The Kamploops Daily News.
The report says the pumpkin, estimated to be about a half-metre in
diameter, shot through the truck's windshield and clean through the
cabin's back window, causing broken glass to strike Henville in the
right side of his face.
...
Medical
certificate changes begin Jan. 30
A new law affecting medical certificates for CDL holders
will
begin implementation Jan. 30 and be phased in through 2014.
On Dec. 1, 2008, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
published a final rule to require CDL holders to provide a current
original or copy of their medical examiner's certificate to the issuing
state driver licensing agency.
CDL holders will have to continue carrying a paper copy of their
medical certificate (DOT medical card) and carriers also will have to
keep a copy of drivers' medical certificates until Jan. 30, 2014.
...
IRHA
condemn toll increase
The Irish Road Haulage Association has criticised the
NRA's
plans to increase tolls around the country.
...
"Many drivers are already avoiding toll roads and 90pc of trucks are
not using the Limerick Tunnel," said [IRHA president Eoin] Gavin. ...
...
Some
tolls set for increase
[IrishTrucker.com] The National Roads Authority has
confirmed
that the cost of using some tolls around the country is set to rise by
10 cent in the New Year.
Parts of the M1, M8, M6 and N25 are set to receive an increase in their
toll charges, ...
However, hauliers will have to pay the 10 cent increase on the M50 and
the NRA has stressed other private toll operators can increase their
tolls in line with the Consumer Price Index.
...
OOIDA
to Supreme Court: impact of electronic surveillance far from 'minimal'
Big Brother is fighting to be able to track your every
move
without your knowledge or a court's approval. And the Supreme Court
will hear arguments in a case next week that will ultimately decide if
that's OK or not.
The United States Supreme Court will hear the case of the United States
of America v. Antoine Jones on Nov. 8.
The case started in 2004. Jones owned and managed the Levels nightclub
with a partner in Washington, DC. An FBI-Metropolitan Police Department
Safe Streets Task Force began investigating the two for narcotics
violations. The investigation culminated in searches and arrests on
Oct. 24, 2005.
During the course of the investigation, police tracked Jones' movements
in his Jeep Grand Cherokee with a GPS device they placed on the
vehicle. The evidence obtained from that tracking was challenged
because the police did not have a valid warrant. It had expired the day
before the device was placed on the vehicle.
...
That might or might not have been the end of the road if other circuit
courts had not ruled differently on similar cases. That lack of
consistency among the courts, and a patchwork of laws regarding GPS
surveillance, prompted the U.S. Department of Justice to take the case
to the Supreme Court to plead their case.
While the case revolves around a drug conviction, the case is
ultimately about Constitutional rights - rights of all U.S. citizens,
including truck drivers.
The government's position is that warrantless use of GPS is not a
violation of the Fourth Amendment and should be allowed. And those are
the issues the U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to settle.
Because of the far-reaching implications of this case on the trucking
industry, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association filed a
brief in the case ...
...
The
TSA's VIPR program: Mission leap, not mission creep By Bob Barr Former
Congressman (R-GA)
Not content with hassling air passengers at airports
across
the country, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is now
implementing plans to stop vehicles traveling America's highways and
byways, in the hope of finding terrorists and other lawbreakers. The
acronym that government brainiacs have concocted for this intrusive
program is "VIPR" - short for the "Visible Intermodal Prevention and
Response."
Last month, Tennessee proudly announced it had partnered with the TSA
to become the first state to implement an extensive VIPR program.
Volunteer State officials have dubbed their program the less catchy
"First Observer Highway Security Program."
To illustrate how this new program works, TSA and the Tennessee Highway
Patrol recently spent a day bothering truck drivers and passengers by
subjecting their cargoes to exhaustive searches. They also warned
drivers - in keeping with a common pastime at TSA and its parent
agency, the Department of Homeland Security, of developing a nation of
snitches - to "say something if they see something" that looks
suspicious.
...
Although the initial VIPR searches in Tennessee have been limited to
trucks, security officials are also cautioning car drivers to keep
their eyes open for potentially illicit activity; after all, anyone on
the road could be a terrorist. In fact, VIPR programs in other states
have not been limited to trucks, but have in fact targeted buses and
trains as well.
According to a June report in The Daily Caller, the TSA has "conducted
more than 8,000 VIPR operations in the past 12 months alone, including
more than 3,700 operations in mass transit and passenger railroad
venues."
Not surprisingly, TSA is citing the expanded VIPR program as an excuse
to request more funds from Congress; this despite the complete lack of
any evidence the program has accomplished anything other than massively
inconvenience people and tie up traffic. State and local law
enforcement officials like the program because they can use it to
secure additional federal funds. VIPR also has become a way for law
enforcement to find evidence of other crimes without resorting to
traditional law enforcement work, such as investigating and securing
warrants.
...
Truck
engine retrofitting part of emissions reduction grant
Twenty dump trucks and 10 garbage trucks in several
Missouri
municipalities are among other heavy-duty vehicles that will be
retrofitted to reduce diesel exhaust emissions, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency announced.
...
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources will partner with the
Ozarks Center for Sustainable Solutions in Springfield to retrofit the
dumps with diesel oxidation catalysts and close crankcase ventilation
to reduce emissions from trucks used for paving and asphalt.
...
No-cost
consultations for spine/lower back injury available
... Dr. Richard Kaul of New Jersey Spine and
Rehabilitation
has teamed up with the St. Christopher Truckers Development and Relief
Fund to provide no-cost consultations and MRI reviews for truck drivers
whose pain problems have gotten out of hand. ...
...
Federal
distracted-driving rule would still allow hands-free operation
A final rule that would restrict the use of cellphones
for
drivers of commercial vehicles continues to advance and may be only
days away from publication. One of several actions initiated by federal
agencies to target distracted driving, this rule targets hand-held
cellphone use but would permit hands-free operation.
...
A Virginia Tech study - the same one that showed texting while driving
was 23 times more dangerous than not texting while driving - shows that
true hands-free operation of a device (i.e., talking and listening on a
headset) is safe and actually has a protective effect on professional
truckers.
How
would mandatory speed limiters on trucks affect highway safety?
... "'Pro' arguments center on the operational
limitations of
trucks and the severity of their crashes," [Safety guru Ron] Knipling[,
whose book, "Safety for the Long Haul," is a definitive work on the
causes of truck crashes] says in his book. "Trucks have longer stopping
distances and are more vulnerable to brake failure and rolling over,
suggesting that speeds lower than other traffic would reduce crash
risks.
"An 'anti' argument is that differential speed limits increase the
variation among vehicle speeds on the highway, whereas uniform speed
limits reduce speed variation. Less speed variation among vehicles
reduces conflicts, and therefore reduces risk. FHWA studies indicate
that crash involvement rates increase for any vehicles traveling
significantly faster or slower than surrounding vehicles. The risk of
rear-end crashes in particular is reduced on roads with uniform speed
limits compared to those with different speed limits for different
vehicles."
...
So, in a nutshell: Speed limiters improve safety by slowing down
trucks. The consequent speed differential harms safety by introducing a
factor that can be difficult for drivers to manage. Which is more or
less dangerous? We don't know.
...
Time
for Truckers to Unite on Cargo Crime, Says CTA
The $5 billion problem of cargo crime is still not being
taken
as seriously as it should be, said the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA)
in a press release.
The press release came on the heels of a six-hour police chase
involving a stolen flatbed tractor-trailer in Toronto along the QEW.
The CTA pointed out that the majority of media focused on a "trucker"
leading the chase, when in actual fact the suspect in custody,
according to various reports, is a tried and true criminal who is known
to Halton Regional Police.
...
Monday's theft occurred in a well-lit, secure parking lot that is
monitored 24/7. The owner of the truck had been parking it in the same
place for 20 years. The trailer was even equipped with an immobilizing
device, and yet the thief was still able to drive away with the load.
...
New
TIRES blog pushes safety for truck drivers
Truck drivers are exposed to a slew of hazards, from
slips and
falls to highway collisions. Now, the Trucking Injury Reduction
Emphasis project, or TIRES, is rolling out a new tool to help keep
truckers safe and on the road - the TIRES blog.
TIRES is an injury prevention project developed by the Safety and
Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP) program, the
research unit for the Department of Labor & Industries
(L&I). ...
"The goal of the TIRES project is to cut down on the injuries truckers
suffer and the costs to employers associated with these injuries," said
Caroline Smith, TIRES project manager. ...
...
New
skirt configurations displayed by Solus
Solus Solutions and Technologies showcased 10 EPA- and
CARB-certified products at the recent 2011 American Trucking Assns.
Maintenance Conference & Exhibition in Grapevine, TX.
Among the products displayed were seven versions of its split skirt
configuration. The split skirt offers fuel savings exceeding
5[percent], Solus said, and the unique design allows easy access to the
undercarriage of the trailer. ...
DMVs
to begin verifying medical certification in 2012
... The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
issued a
final rule in 2008 that changes the way states must verify the medical
certification for truckers either renewing or applying for a CDL.
Phased-in compliance deadlines for states, motor carriers and truckers
start kicking in on Jan. 30, 2012.
...
TCA
Invites Carriers to Apply for Trucking's Weight Loss Showdown
The Truckload Carriers Association is looking to improve
the
general health of the trucking industry. It will host Trucking's Weight
Loss Showdown, a competition with prize incentives for the fleet and
individual who achieve the greatest percentages of weight loss.
...
According to a December 2007 study by the American Dietetic
Association, 86 percent of trucking industry professionals are
overweight or obese. Though it might be tempting to blame this on
truckers' sedentary jobs, this statistic actually applies to all
trucking employees, not just drivers. ...
Salt
Lake City Adopts 2-Minute Idling Ordinance
On October 25, Salt Lake City passed a bylaw restricting
vehicle idling to 2 minutes or less. The law does not apply when the
temperature is below 32F or above 90F.
...
Unlike some other municipal ordinances, Salt Lake City's rule does not
exempt vehicles on private property.
...
First-time offenders will receive a warning. Second offenses will set
motorists back $160 ($50 if the fine is paid within 10 days), and a
third, $210. ...
...
ATDynamics
Works to Reduce Drag in the Slow-to-Change Trucking Industry
... ATDynamics founder and CEO Andrew Smith says rigs
with the
$2,000 "TrailerTail" burn 8 gallons less fuel for every 1,000 miles
driven. Suppose diesel costs you $3.75 per gallon at the pump-you'd
only have to drive your TrailerTail-equipped trailer about 66,000 miles
to earn your money back. "If you're driving over 25,000 miles a year,
this becomes a no-brainer," says Smith. ...
...
Section
of westbound I-90 in Fairview to be closed Tuesday for bridge work
A section of the westbound lanes of Interstate 90 will
be
closed starting today for the emergency demolition of the Platz Road
Bridge in Fairview Township.
The bridge was damaged when a tractor-trailer truck that was too tall
for the overpass struck the bridge Monday morning.
The westbound lanes will be closed from the Interstate 79 interchange
to Exit 16, or Route 98, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
said. The Platz Road bridge is between those two exits.
Westbound traffic will be detoured south on Interstate 79, west to
Route 6N and north on Route 98 to get back to I-90. The detour is
expected to be in place for two to four days.
...
Android
radar app aims to prevent collisions
A new application is hitting the street, designed to
turn the
Android smartphone into a "visual radar device" to warn drivers of
potential vehicle collisions. ...
Getting
the Most from Your Limited Budget Through Life-cycle Cost Analysis
Financial constraints often force fleet managers to make
tough
equipment decisions. Should I repair a vehicle or replace it? If I do
repair it, how much work should I do? Just enough to get by or a
complete overhaul? Is it better to replace two low-cost units or one
higher-cost unit?
In far too many cases, the answers to these questions are based on
educated guesses or are driven by external decision-makers with their
own agendas. One of the best financial analysis tools available to
fleet managers for making decisions of this nature is the net present
value (NPV) life cycle cost analysis. Instead of relying on guesswork,
and not being able to fully defend your position, a NPV life-cycle cost
analysis will show you the true total cost of each alternative.
Many fleet managers have used life-cycle cost studies for years.
Unfortunately, the usual study only considers direct cash flows. A
typical logic thread might be something like: If I spend $1,000 today,
I will save $250 a year, which means I will recoup my investment in
four years.
There are two faults with this type of analysis. ...
...
Roadside
Attractions: CHANNEL 19
... Don't get burned!
Next time you hear the term "hot load," check out plaintiff's attorney
Kent Emison's Aug. 29 story in the National Law Journal. He details how
legal teams working truck accident cases have access to vast amounts of
data on over-the-road drivers. "Every time that they swipe a card, make
a call, an email, a text-message, that is data that goes somewhere," he
says. Emison hopes a growing awareness of this will give a driver
leverage over a dispatcher who would pressure the driver to work beyond
hours of service limits. If you do and an accident happens, "you're
going to get caught," he says. For a link to his law journal story, and
more about this novel "hot load" strategy, see the Sept. 6 entry on the
Channel 19 blog.
...
Tired
Truckers Versus Efficiency Is Focus of Regulation Fight
Allen Parker tried an experiment. He scrapped his
routine of
driving his powder-blue rig across the Great Plains for 11 hours a day.
Instead, he drove it for 10. That one-hour difference wreaked havoc.
...
Paid by Mile
Drivers stay on the road as long as they can because they're paid by
the mile, not the hour. Parker said he typically works 65 hours a week,
driving 3,000 miles. He said he has driven 2.8 million miles without a
crash.
Parker calculated the lost hours of driving would personally cost him
$5,700 in lost wages annually. ...
Fewer Fatalities
The need to work long hours to eke out a living is part of the problem,
said Joan Claybrook, president emeritus at Public Citizen, the
Washington-based consumer group that sued the Transportation Department
in 2003, 2005 and again in 2009 to force the current rule making.
Drivers are chronically over scheduled, she said.
"They should be paid by the hour, just like everybody else in America,
and they should be paid overtime," Claybrook said. "You can't blame the
hours-of-service rule for all the other deficiencies that exist in the
system."
...
FMCSA
delays new HOS rules for a month
In a tersely worded statement, the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration (FMCSA) said it is delaying yet again new hours
of service (HOS) rules by a month to Nov. 28 - the second time this
year the agency has delayed the imposition of its proposed HOS
overhaul.
...
Northwest
Missouri truck owners eligible for diesel grants
Truck owners from northwest Missouri may be eligible for
money
to replace or retrofit their commercial trucks.
The Mid-America Regional Council has opened up applications for its
Clean Diesel Grant Program. ...
...
Report
questions motives for red-light cameras
The latest report from the U.S. Public Interest Research
Group
says red-light cameras and other types of automated enforcement are
largely profit-driven instead of being about safety.
"Privatized traffic law enforcement should be used solely as a tool for
enhancing traffic safety not as a cash cow for municipalities or
private firms," report author Phineas Baxandall stated.
In an interview with Land Line Now, Baxandall says about 700
municipalities use enforcement cameras. ...
...
OOIDA has long believed that profit, not safety, drives the red-light
camera industry. And Congress has questioned the motives behind the
systems as well. In June 2010, the Highways and Transit Subcommittee of
the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a hearing on
the subject.
Some studies have shown that crashes and injuries actually increased
when cameras were put into use and then decreased when the cameras were
taken away.
Then there are the contracts that call for revenue sharing between
municipalities and camera vendors, something PIRG has called into
question.
...
House
approves bill nixing 3 percent withholding on government contractors
A bill that seeks to kill a controversial plan that
mandates
all government contractors - including truckers hauling
government-funded loads - have 3 percent withheld is one step closer to
becoming law.
...
The withholding would be required of anyone who contracts with a
government entity - including larger local governments. That means
truckers who haul for any government agency, ranging from Department of
Defense to state highway departments to local school systems, risk
having 3 percent of their income for the load withheld.
...
Detroit
Diesel Introduces New Driver Training Video Series
Detroit Diesel launched the first of its new, four-part
driver
training video series developed to help drivers enhance their engine's
performance.
The four videos include general product background on Detroit Diesel's
Dd13, Dd15 and Dd16 family of engines; guidelines on driving for
optimal fuel economy and power; specifics on BlueTec SCR Emissions
Technology; detailed information about diesel exhaust fluid (DEF); and
updates on DDEC, Detroit Diesel's proprietary electronic engine
monitoring system.
The videos also provide step-by-step guidance for drivers on ...
...
IdleAir's
$1.25/hr Winter Savings Special
Sunday, October 30, 2011
IdleAir is pleased to announce our $1.25/hr Winter Savings Special at
four locations:
* Madera, CA - Pilot #365 - CA 99 and Ave 18-1/2
* Boonville, MO - Pilot #044 - I-70, Exit 101
* Claysville, PA - Petro #83 - I-70, Exit 6
* Shepherd, TX - Champion Travel Plaza - Hwy 59 North of Houston
Premium Service at these locations will be available at the discounted
price of $1.25/hr (plus tax) for any length of stay, from November 1,
2011 through March 31, 2012.
This is a great way for customers to enhance the value of any on-board
idling alternatives, like APU's, bunk heaters, and battery-powered
systems.
...
Banks
Back Off Unpopular Debit Card Fees
A month after Bank of America announced plans for a
widely
derided $5 monthly fee for debit card use, BofA, Wells Fargo and Chase
are all backing off their plans to charge for debit card use. It's a
rare about-face prompted by a groundswell of consumer anger. Will it
placate furious customers, or is the response too little, too late?
Citing unnamed sources at the bank, the Wall Street Journal says Chase
will stop testing a $3 monthly debit card fee next month. Wells Fargo
went a step further, announcing yesterday that it was immediately
abandoning its test of a $3 debit card fee in five states.
Bank of America is keeping its fee, Reuters says, also citing unnamed
sources, but it will offer consumers more ways to dodge the fee.
Conditions like ... ...
Herbert
opposes I-15 toll proposal in Arizona
A proposal that would require drivers to pay to use a
stretch
of I-15 in northwest Arizona is drawing fire from elected officials in
Utah.
And those who live or work in St. George and Mesquite, Nev. - or travel
between the two - don't like it, either.
Gov. Gary Herbert said he "strongly opposes" the Arizona Department of
Transportation's plans to explore tolling on the 29.4-mile stretch of
I-15 within Arizona's border.
"The I-15 corridor through Arizona is part of the ... (federal)
interstate program," Herbert said during Thursday's taping of his
monthly news conference on KUED. "It's paid for by taxpayer dollars. I
think it would be very bad policy to take a little stretch there that
goes through Arizona and suddenly cause a toll situation there."
...
Say
good-bye to Michigan's fuel tax?
A plan to improve Michigan roads and create better jobs
was
unveiled Wednesday, Oct. 26, by Gov. Rick Snyder. The plan includes a
first-of-its-kind initiative to eliminate the state's fuel tax.
Speaking to the Legislature on Infrastructure, the governor announced
his strategy to increase transportation funding and improve roads,
bridges and public transit.
"Michigan's infrastructure is living on borrowed time," Snyder said in
prepared remarks. "We must reinvest in it if we are to successfully
reinvent our economy."
Snyder said the public is not happy with the condition of roads and yet
the state is faced with a $1.4 billion shortfall simply to maintain the
current system.
Among the governor's recommendations is to make dramatic reforms to
Michigan's transportation user fees. He wants to eliminate the state's
19-cent-per-gallon gas tax and 15-cent-per-gallon diesel tax in favor
of a percentage wholesale tax on fuel.
...
New
freight-finding Android app from ATS
A new freight matching app for owner-operators and other
carriers comes by way of Anderson Trucking Service's brokerage wing,
ATS Logistics.
...
I-10
closures planned for Phoenix
Interstate 10 westbound lanes in Phoenix will be closed
periods of Oct. 27 and Oct. 29 to repair and replace overhead message
boards, the Arizona Department of Transportation said.
Westbound I-10 will close near Sky Harbor International Airport from 9
p.m., Thursday, Oct. 27, to 5 a.m., Friday, Oct. 28. Traffic will
detour to I-17, ADOT said.
...
Congress
primed to vote on contactor tax withholding
A controversial plan set to go in effect in January that
mandates all government contractors - including truckers hauling
government-funded loads - have 3 percent withheld is on the chopping
block in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Back in 2005 when Congress was working to extend tax cuts, commonly
referred to as the "Bush tax cuts," they passed the Tax Increase
Prevention and Reconciliation Act or TIPRA, which was signed into law
by President George W. Bush.
To offset the cost of the tax cuts and credits in the bill, Congress
included several provisions that were intended to address tax
collection loopholes. One of those was the 3 percent withholding
requirement, included in Section 511. The general idea behind the
provision was ...
...
Travel
plaza shuts down after receiving electrification grant
As the crackdown on truck idling continues and a federal
five-minute idling limit on new trucks, truckers without APUs on their
rigs are seeking other idle-reduction technologies for their heating,
cooling and electrification needs.
Currently, truckers' access to these idle-reduction APU alternatives is
somewhat scattered across the country.
In Tennessee, a travel plaza owner was awarded the state's first-ever
truck stop electrification project grant for more than $400,000. The
funds were made available through federal stimulus money by way of a
grant from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Tennessee
Department of Transportation.
However, the TR Auto Truck Plaza, located off Interstate 40, in
Dandridge, TN, is already closed despite being funded by grant money.
...
...
Pennsylvania
Senate green lights increased red-light camera use
Nearly 20 Pennsylvania cities are one step closer to
being
able to enact ordinances to use red-light cameras.
The Senate voted 35-14 on Tuesday, Oct. 25, to advance a bill to
protect the use of automated enforcement in Philadelphia and allow more
communities throughout the state to post red-light cameras. The bill -
Sb595 - now awaits consideration in the House.
Currently, only the city of Philadelphia is authorized to use the
revenue generator. The revenue from the program is split between the
city and the state for pedestrian safety improvements.
The program in Philadelphia is scheduled to expire Dec. 31, 2011. The
bill would extend the expiration date to Dec. 31, 2017, and also
authorize Pittsburgh, Scranton and 17 third-class cities with
populations of at least 18,000 people to post red-light cameras for the
next six years.
...
Alternative
Fuels 101: The future of trucking?
... At the moment, the majority of alternative fuel
options
are just in their infancy, but they're gaining momentum. Federal
requirements to cut fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 20
percent by model year 2018 are a major driving force. States with
higher emissions issues, like California, are testing alternative fuels
in government fleets for viability and cost effectiveness. Certain
alternative fuels, like biodiesel for instance, can natively run in
existing trucks without costly conversions-sometimes without any
conversions at all.
...
I-
95 toll plans could be double-dip for truckers
Truckers traveling the I-95 corridor through both
Virginia and
North Carolina could face a double-dip situation if plans to charge
tolls on the highway are approved for both states. Truckers traveling
through the area say that the cost of doing business will rise
significantly if both states receive permission to toll the highway.
"(My trucks) cross the Virginia border daily," Scott Aman, president of
New Dixie Oil in Roanoke Rapids told the Daily Herald. "If North
Carolina tolls me at the North Carolina border and Virginia tolls me at
the Virginia border, that's double."
Both North Carolina and Virginia have applied for admission into the
Interstate System Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Pilot Program
designed to permit tolling programs on the Interstates.
...
Toll
for the gorge? Arizona considers making motorists pay to travel on I-15
Arizona is proposing a toll for travelers who take
Interstate
15 through the Virgin River Gorge.
According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, the state could
apply to the Federal Transportation Administration to create a $1 to $3
toll for passenger cars and $6 to $10 toll for semitrailers to help
fund maintenance of the 30-mile stretch of road, which passes through
Arizona's northwestern tip on its way between Utah and Nevada.
The news drew criticism from Utah residents Monday, many of whom
commute regularly through the gorge on the way to Nevada and
California.
...
Toll
Booth-, Transponder-free Tolling now Possible
TransCore has introduced ROVR, a GPS device with GSM
communications that allows infrastructure-less tolling and includes an
optional driver safety monitoring feature shown to dramatically reduce
accidents, improve fuel economy, and decrease Greenhouse gases.
As forms of tolling or road user charging become a more viable means to
fund transportation infrastructure, the infrastructure-less tolling
capability eliminates the need for costly toll structures and can be
quickly implemented on new or existing roadways.
...
Right
to Repair Question Makes it to 2012 Mass. Ballot
... The Massachusetts Right to Repair voter initiative
would,
for the first time, allow consumers to access all of the
non-proprietary repair information required to have their vehicles
repaired where they choose, at a new car dealership or an independent
shop. The proposed law would level the playing field between the big
car manufacturers' dealerships and independent, neighborhood repair
facilities, allowing the latter access to the same non-proprietary
automobile diagnostic and repair information that is currently only
available to the manufacturers' dealers and their new car dealerships.
...
Free
Health Checks For Freight Truck Drivers At BP Truckstops
AUSTRALIA - To coincide with National Safe Work
Australia
Week, BP Plus - in cooperation with the Australian Trucking Association
- is offering free heart health checks to its transport customers. ...
12
Things You Should Know About Oil & Coolant Analysis
Oil and coolant are like your blood and your sweat,
respectively, and they have to work together to keep you alive,
explains Dave Tingey, senior data analyst with Polaris Laboratories.
"If your body is sweating while you're running, you're healthy," he
explains. "If you stop sweating, your blood is going to heat up, and
you're going to die. If your coolant doesn't do its job, it's going to
oxidize that oil prematurely, and next thing you know, your vehicle's
going to die."
Like your body, your engine fluids should have regular tests to check
on their health. Here are 12 things you should know about today's oil
and coolant analysis.
...
HybriDrive
said to generate 30[percent] fuel savings
Road tests conducted by BAE Systems reveal that
commercial
trucks powered by the company's green HybriDrive parallel hybrid
electric propulsion system use 30[percent] less fuel than trucks
running on traditional diesel engines, according to a company
announcement.
...
Efforts
to freeze Ohio Turnpike tolls fail
Despite efforts by the Ohio Trucking Assn. and others to
freeze tolls on the Ohio Turnpike, toll hikes of about 10[percent] will
go into effect on Jan. 1, 2012 as planned. The trucking association
said it is "adamantly opposed" to the hike that will hit truckers
hardest, according to a report in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Trucks
typically generate 60[percent] of the toll road's revenue while
responsible for only 22[percent] of the highway's traffic.
The 241-mi. toll road connects the Midwest and the East Coast.
Cross-state rates for truckers using E-ZPass - specifically, trucks
with six axles that are more than 7 ft., 6 in. high - will rise to $50,
from $45. Tolls for drivers who don't have E-ZPass remain higher. It's
an incentive for drivers to switch to E-ZPass, an electronic-tolling
system that allows traffic to move more quickly through interchanges
and lessens the need for toll takers. ...
Diesel
fuel prices will remain volatile into year ahead
Diesel fuel prices will remain volatile for the
remainder of
this year and likely well into next year. That trend will continue so
long as the cost of crude oil remains tied to financial markets, which
themselves are being roiled by continued bad economic news out of
Europe - most damaging being the threat of a default by the government
of Greece on that country's monumental debt load. ...
Truckstop
electrification now at R Place in Wendover, Utah
Shore power now is available at R Place Trucker's Plaza
at
Wendover, Utah, on Interstate 80 at the Utah-Nevada border. The
service, with 32 power hookups, was unveiled at a grand opening
celebration on Oct. 13 during a ribbon-cutting ceremony, complete with
demonstration of the technology, food specials and giveaways of free
nights of shore power service.
...
"We are proud to be among the progressive truckstops and plazas
offering shore power technology as an alternative to idling,' says
Bryan Reed, president of R Place. "Having shore power available reduces
the noise, emissions and fuel and maintenance costs that come with
idling, and provides one more reason for truckers to stop here. As we
transition into the cool nights of fall and go into winter, we expect
all the Shorepower pedestals to be used each night. More and more
truckers have the prewired convenience of shore power on their truck.
And even if they don't, they can simply plug in a space heater at night
to stay warm - avoiding the need to waste fuel idling."
...
Shorepower pedestals provide access to 120, 208 or 240 VAC power
sources, sold at a rate of $1 per hour, and to cable TV at most
locations, with wireless Internet available for an additional charge.
Access and payment can be handled with a card, smartphone, laptop or
telephone activation system. To see the network of Shorepower sites, go
to www.plugintosavings.org.
Existing
Intelligent Transportation Technologies Could Eliminate Almost All
Traffic Accidents
Nearly every traffic accident caused by driver error --
up to
90 percent of all crashes -- could be eliminated if existing
intelligent transportation technologies were implemented in our
vehicles and roads, say experts at IEEE, the world's largest technical
professional association.
These include electronics and computing technologies such as in-vehicle
machine vision and sensors to detect drowsy drivers, lane departure
warning systems, and vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure
communications for safety applications. However, costs of such
technologies need to fall so the average consumer can afford such
vehicle safety features.
...
Toll
company reports massive losses
[IrishTrucker] The group operating the N25 Waterford
City
Bypass Toll bridge have made losses up to [Euro]16 million in the year
ending 2010.
Celtic Road Group (CRG) Waterford recently published their annual
return and it was revealed that their losses have increased four-fold
on last year.
The group, when they opened the toll bridge in 2009, anticipated that
14,000 commuters would use the bridge every day. However, the report
show that daily traffic levels at the plaza stands at just over 5,000.
...
The toll cost is [Euro]1.80 per car to pass through the toll and
[Euro]5.70 per truck that has four or more axles.
...
The
Only Hope for Reducing Traffic
... no matter how many lanes of road you build in and
around
American cities, you can't stop cars from jamming them up. ...
...
"We cannot think of any other solution," says Gilles Duranton, the
paper's co-author. "As soon as you manage to create space on the road,
by whatever means, people are going to use that space. Except when
people have to pay for it, of course."
Duranton points to other cities around the world as evidence that
congestion pricing decreases traffic. London's pricing program has
created a number of benefits: car use is down, carbon emissions are
down, delays are down, even taxi fares are down because the roads move
more swiftly. Meanwhile the bus system has grown at exceptional rates,
with its expansion largely paid for by the congestion pricing revenue.
...
New
side fairings option
Aerofficient has released new fixed side fairings made
from
automotive-grade TPO material and weighing just over 100 lbs. The
hinged three-panel construction, which consists of a top, middle and
bottom panel, was quality tested to validate the design, the company
said. The panels have a 10-year expected life span.
The hinged design allows the fairing to clear 24-in. high obstacles
without damage. The bottom panel swings 180 deg. and can bend 90 deg.
in either direction. ...
[Jim Reiman, CEO, said,] "Industry executives want to save money, not
spend money fixing broken fairings."
...
Small
fleet route optimization tool
For small fleets and owner-operators looking for a route
optimization tool, OnTerra Systems has released a new solution with
them in mind. RouteSavvy Online leverages Bing Maps' web mapping
technology and runs in nearly any web browser. Cost is just $5 per
month, per vehicle, said Steve Milroy, OnTerra Systems' president
& co-founder, and reduces time, labor, and fuel costs due to
out-of-route miles.
...
Marten
ups pay 5 cents per mile
Owner-operators' pay has been increased 5 cents per mile
for
hauls 151-800 miles, Mondovi, Wis.-based Marten Transport announced.
...
Could
more Pennsylvania communities soon use ticket cameras?
One step closer to passage at the Pennsylvania
statehouse is
an effort billed to improve safety on roadways.
The Senate Appropriations Committee voted 21-5 on Monday, Oct. 17, to
advance a bill to protect the use of automated enforcement in
Philadelphia and allow more communities throughout the state to post
red-light cameras. The bill's next stop is the full Senate. If approved
there, Sb595 would advance to the House for further consideration.
...
Opponents, including the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers
Association, dispute any claim that the primary focus of the cameras is
to keep people safe. OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer said
it is obvious that Pennsylvania's use of the enforcement tool is
primarily focused on filling coffers instead of simply trying to keep
people safe.
...
California
law gives speed power to local governments
A new law gives California communities leeway in setting
speed
limits and, as a result, reduces yellow light intervals.
...
Critics of the plan to authorize lower speeds said the change provides
communities an opportunity to set up speed traps. They said if
politicians in California and elsewhere are truly concerned about
safety, they should make a point of extending yellow times or providing
advance warning signs.
...
ATDynamics
launches campaign to sell 50,000 trailer tails
Trailer tail manufacturer ATDynamics announced at the
American
Trucking Associations convention, an ambitious goal to have another
50,000 trailer tail devices deployed on US highways by 2014.
The devices, not yet approved in Canada, are US EPA SmartWay-verified.
Currently, about 5,000 trailer tails have been sold into the US market.
The 'Campaign for the next 50,000 tails' aims to grow that number
tenfold over the next three years. ATDynamics is launching several
initiatives to help make it happen: increasing options for
factory-installed trailer tails at OEM facilities; launching an
expanded 2012 swing door TrailerTail product line for low and high
mileage dry vans and reefers, including drop deck and rolling tarp
trailers; launching a roll door product line in 2012; and expanding an
existing Fleet Trial Program that allows carriers to test up to 200
TrailerTails at no risk.
...
"The side skirt successfully established in the minds of fleet owners
and executives the legitimacy of trailer aerodynamics as a major
opportunity to save fuel," added Kyle Houston, ATDynamics
vice-president of sales. "Skirts save fuel, and tails double those
savings. Ordering fuel-efficient trailers for 2012 means ordering
trailers with skirts and tails. Non-aerodynamic trailers will burn 14
gallons more fuel per 1,000 miles at highway speeds than those with
tails and skirts."
...
LNG
Fueling Station for Trucks Opens in Quebec
MONTREAL -- Canada's first liquefied natural gas (LNG)
fuelling station opened in Boucherville, on Montreal's South Shore,
reported The Montreal Gazette.
...
As part of a $5.4 million demonstration project, the LNG station is the
first of many that are planned to open between Quebec City and the
Greater Toronto corridor. The next one will open in Mississauga, and a
third in Quebec City.
...
Tollways
overloaded with debt
BEIJING - Traffic authorities in the capital said on
Saturday
the city's toll roads are still in heavy debt, as one-third of the
tolls collected from highways were paid as interest to creditors who
financed construction of the roads.
Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport, the city's traffic watchdog,
said on its website that at the end of 2010 there were 816 km of toll
roads in the city, with unpaid loans worth as much as 44 billion yuan
($7 billion).
Although 6 billion yuan was raised from motorists using the roads last
year, 2 billion yuan of that was paid to creditors as interest,
according to a financial statement issued by the commission.
The traffic authority said the city now has 17 toll roads managed by
seven companies. It also mentioned the locations of the city's 22
tollgates. ...
China's highways have been long criticized for the exorbitant cost of
their tolls, which puts pressure on truck drivers and logistics
companies.
Last year, Shi Jianfeng, a driver in Central China's Henan province,
received a life sentence for avoiding paying highway tolls worth almost
4 million yuan in only eight months. The case sparked heated discussion
online as Shi's income was far less than the toll fees he was being
charged.
In June, the State Council launched a campaign to cut highway fees
across the nation to reduce the cost of transporting goods. The
Ministry of Transport and four other departments jointly announced that
they would better regulate the country's toll roads by closing illegal
tollgates and abolishing improper charges.
...
Georgia
county adds 24 Freightliner M2 112 CNG trucks to fleet
Freightliner Trucks announced that DeKalb County, Ga.,
has
ordered 24 Freightliner Business Class M2 112 compressed natural gas
trucks for sanitation and maintenance applications. DeKalb County -
considered one of the greenest counties in America - will power the new
trucks using its methane gas-to-energy process that converts landfill
waste to useable natural gas.
...
Tennessee
Electrified Truck Terminal Files for Bankruptcy After $400,000 Stimulus
Injection
Just months after obtaining more than $400,000 in
federal
stimulus funds, TR Auto Truck Plaza off Interstate 40 sits idle.
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) handed out the
$424,000 Environmental Protection Agency stimulus grant for electrical
hookups so that truckers wouldn't have to burn diesel fuel while
resting. Both the state and EPA were apparently unaware that owner Rick
Lewis had a history of legal and financial problems and had filed for
bankruptcy.
What was originally lauded as Tennessee's first electrified truck
terminal is now boarded up.
"It is Solyndra in miniature," said Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga., referring
to a Silicon Valley solar panel manufacturer that filed for bankruptcy
shortly after receiving a $535 million loan guarantee from the U.S.
Department of Energy.
...
SmartDrive
shows commercial truck drivers they can reduce fuel consumption by
22[percent]
Anyone can benefit by using eco-driving techniques, even
long-haul truckers, who can reduce their rig's fuel consumption
substantially with a lighter touch. That's the conclusion of SmartDrive
Systems' new Commercial Transportation Fuel Efficiency Study.
Commercial fleets can cut fuel consumption by 22 percent, saving up to
$12,500 per vehicle per year, by engaging in fuel-efficient,
eco-driving practices. ...
...
Senate
measure seeks to block hours rule
Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) is proposing to add language
to the
transportation appropriations bill (H.R. 2112) that would block the
planned changes to truck driver hours-of-service regulations. The
measure, Senate Amendment 754, states that "none of the funds made
available under this heading may be used to finalize, enforce, or
implement the hours-of-service regulations proposed by the Federal
Motor Carrier Safety Administration on December 29, 2010."
...
Attention
Long Haul Truck Drivers Whose Trucks Are Powered by Liquid Natural Gas
(LNG)
We would like to know: Do you have an auxiliary power
unit
(APU) on your truck for climate control and electrification? If so, is
it powered by LNG, too? Please contact us.
Volvo
Drivers Fuel Challenge on horizon
On Saturday October 22nd some of the world's best
experts in
fuel-efficient driving will meet for the finals of the Drivers' Fuel
Challenge competition, which will be held at the Volvo Demo Centre in
Gothenburg, Sweden.
The is a truly global competition arranged by Volvo Trucks in which
professional truck drivers compete to drive in the most fuel-efficient
manner possible. A suitable driving style can promote significant
savings for both the environment and the haulage company's economy.
...
... no matter how advanced the truck's technology, the driver is still
the key factor when it comes to fuel-efficient transport.
"The driver is the most decisive factor when it comes to cutting
emissions and therefore we want to encourage professional drivers to
adopt a fuel-efficient driving style. A skilled driver can reduce fuel
consumption by 5 to 10 per cent, which cuts not only Co2 emissions, but
also transport costs," explains Staffan Jufors.
The prize for the winner of the Drivers' Fuel Challenge will be a Volvo
Lifetime Experience - a trip for two to a destination with a Volvo
operation - valued at about 15,000 US dollars (approx. [pounds] 9,500).
...
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