TDMST Weekly Round-Up 2022.12.10 is the trucking commentary on news affecting professional truck drivers for the week ending December 10, 2022, written by Vicki Simons.
We welcome your comments, thoughts and feedback on the items of your choice below.
1. Regarding fuel, oil, Detroit, and autonomous vehicles:
Fuel
Please also see the section below on California.
- AAA retail diesel average now $5.077 Fuel prices
- ATA, Others Oppose Bill That Would Drop Renewable Diesel Labeling
- Average US diesel price drops below $4 per gallon
- Benchmark diesel’s 17.4-cent plunge comes amid broad market slide
- Carrier One Fixes Owner Operator Fuel Costs
- Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont Extends Gas Tax Holiday
- Diesel Ducks Under $5 a Gallon After 17.4¢ Drop
- Diesel prices will continue to drop, says EIA outlook
- Driver safety, ideas on reducing fuel use top concerns for SMB fleets
- Fuel price spread favors large fleets
- Fuel tax relief is the topic of multiple California bills Fuel prices
- Is There a Diesel Fuel Shortage? [Video]
- Keystone Pipeline Is Shut Down After Oil Spills Into Creek
- States continue fuel tax relief efforts
- Tax Credits Kick in Jan. 1 for Alternative Fuel Infrastructure, Commercial EVs, Related Items
- US Hydrogen Hubs Formed in Southwest, Southeast
Oil
According to this resource, an oil industry insider from the 1890s paid a group of trained people to call “oil” a “fossil fuel” in order to promote the idea of scarcity (and thus attach a commensurate price to it).
The resource goes on to say that oil is “actually the second-most prevalent liquid on earth next to water, and regenerates within the earth faster than it can ever be deleted.”
Is the “oil scarcity” claim true or is this liquid extremely plentiful?
What are the financial repercussions of any associated deception?
Please comment through the form below.
Detroit
- Detroit celebrates production of millionth heavy-duty engine
- Detroit produces 1 millionth engine at Redford plant
Autonomous vehicles
I totally oppose the operation of autonomous commercial motor vehicles on the same roads as the motoring public.
However, I share these articles to help you stay current on this topic.
- Apple Scales Back Self-Driving Car, Delays Debut Until 2026
- Autonomous truck developers lay out plans for law enforcement
- Commentary: TuSimple could absorb reputation hit
- Einride announces $500M for autonomous, electric vehicle development
- Kodiak Robotics Wins Army Self-Driving Contract
- Navistar, TuSimple shelve autonomous trucking co-development plans
- TuSimple and Navistar end development agreement
- TuSimple, Navistar End Agreement to Co-Develop Autonomous Trucks
- TuSimple, Navistar end autonomous partnership
- TuSimple, Navistar End Autonomous Truck Partnership
- TuSimple, Navistar end co-development agreement
- Uber Launches Robotaxis but Driverless Fleet Is ‘Long Time’ Away
2. Regarding electric vehicles, Tesla, and ATRI:
Electric vehicles
Please also see the section on ATRI below.
- BrightDrop adds DHL Express as EV customer, announces start of production at CAMI plant
- DHL Signs Deal With Ford to Add 2,000 Electric Delivery Vans
- Ford to supply 2,000 EVs to DHL
- Hawaii DOT Advocates Road Usage Tax for EVs
- New Programs, Resources Emerge to Help Communities Plan for EVs
- New report suggests US isn’t ready for mass vehicle electrification
- Rising Battery Prices Threaten to Derail the Arrival of Affordable EVs
- Ryder leases VNR Electric trucks to service Volvo Group plant
- Schneider adding almost 100 battery-electric eCascadias to its fleet
- Schneider grows electric truck fleet
- Study identifies hurdles to an all battery-electric trucking fleet
- Tesla to Cut Output of EVs at Shanghai Factory
- Volvo delivers 7 VNR electric trucks to Ryder
- Volvo delivers seven electric VNRs to Ryder
Tesla
ATRI
According to the PDF entitled “Charging Infrastructure Challenges for the U.S. Electric Vehicle Fleet”:
New research from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) provides an assessment of the infrastructure needs for electrification of the U.S. vehicle fleet, with an emphasis on the trucking industry.
This analysis focuses on three infrastructure components that may prove challenging for electrifying the nation’s vehicle fleet:
1 U.S. Electricity Supply and Demand
2 Electric Vehicle Production
3 Truck Charging Requirements
Please see the full PDF for details.
Other articles referring to this are:
- ATRI Study Takes Hard Look at BEV Infrastructure Requirements
- ATRI: Electric truck infrastructure needs enormous
3. Regarding accidents, fatality, staged, and drugs:
Accidents
Please scan through these articles to familiarize yourself on the accidents and what you can do to protect yourself and your rig from being involved in a similar situation:
- 30 vehicle pileup closes I-90 in Washington
- Major pileup snarls traffic along Interstate 90 in Washington State
- Sauerkraut strewn along campsite after truck plows down embankment
- Stretch of I-80 in Nebraska shut down for multiple winter weather crashes
- Truck driver found clinging from bridge after big rig plunges into river
- Trucker cited for driving too fast for conditions in 38 vehicle I-90 pileup in Washington
- UPDATE: Box truck driver fell asleep, leading to trucker’s dramatic dangle from Grand Parkway
- VIDEO: Car hauler loses just a little bit of his load to overpass
- VIDEO: CHP troopers team up to push/pull a stuck semi truck
- VIDEO: Tanker truck slams into disabled semi, causing trailer rollover and hazmat spill on Utah interstate
- Washington interstate to remain closed for 10-12 hours for massive 18 car, 12 semi truck pileup
- Watch crews remove (and destroy) the semi wedged between two bridges last week
- WATCH: Driver of 40 years says this wreck with a teenager almost “broke his spirit”
Fatality
Please be careful driving around those pulled over in the breakdown lane, so that you don’t hit the people or their vehicle(s).
Staged
Drugs
Never, ever haul illegal drugs in or on your tractor trailer, no matter how much you are promised.
- $3 million worth of meth discovered in truckload of carrots
- Customs agents seize more than $3M of meth hidden inside big rig’s carrot load
- Driver of truck loaded with $13 million in cocaine arrested in Indiana
- Trucker busted with $13 million in cocaine after Indiana police receive ‘reliable’ tip
4. Regarding economy, pay, tolls, and rates:
Economy
These are some of the most recent articles on this topic.
- China’s surprise COVID pivot offers new hope to shipping markets
- Class 8 Orders Fall from Record Highs
- Class 8 orders plummet, but market remains ‘strong’: FTR
- Class 8 truck orders — nowhere to go but down
- Daily Infographic: Physical Stores Regain Ground Amid Broader Holiday Trend
- Descartes says customer supply chain investment still firm amid ‘cautious’ backdrop
- Fewer Homes Being Built With ‘Challenging’ 2023 Ahead
- Forward Air sees near-20% tonnage decline in November
- In the parcel industry, 2023 looks like revenge of the shipper
- Midterm Analysis: Expect Election Results to have Minimal Impact on Trucking
- November Class 8 Orders Stay Strong
- Old Dominion, ArcBest log November tonnage declines
- Strong November Class 8 tractor orders likely pushed backlog, according to ACT Research
- Thriving in the midst of uncertainty
- Trade Deficit Widens on Greater Imports, Drop in Exports
- Transportation capacity up, prices see ‘sharpest rate of contraction’ in November
- Truck orders tumble off record highs
- Trucking equipment demand high despite interest rates
- US warehouse development to hit 7-year low in 2023, Prologis says
Pay
Tolls
- Tennessee Considers Toll Lanes, Electric Car Fee Hike
- Toll revenue’s way off in Louisiana, thanks to Hurricane Ida
Rates
5. Regarding winter, operations, distractions, and idling:
Winter
- Bendix offers wintertime insights on advanced driver assistance systems
- Daily Infographic: What to do in a winter emergency
- Daily Infographic: Winter driving preparations
Operations
- Iowa DOT says this truck’s hauling setup is actually legal and ‘creative’
- Is Downspeeding Bad for Brakes? – On the Road
Distractions
- Cellphone use blamed for Ever Forward grounding
- Distracted driving on the high seas
- Top 10 Risky Truck Driver Distractions
Idling
- Debunking 3 Myths about Idling Your Truck
- New York Pays Informants To Turn In Idling Trucks As Major Crime Surges
6. Regarding California, comments, speed limiter, inspections, legal, and HOS:
California
- Big oil’s high fuel prices focus of California special legislative session
- California eyes penalties for oil companies’ big profits
- California Lawmakers Eye Big Oil’s High Gas Prices
- California’s Newsom Proposes Fines on Oil Companies
- Price gouging the focus of special session in California
Comments
“The public will have through Dec. 13 to comment on the proposed worker classification test.”
Speed limiter
Inspections
If you keep yourself and your truck in perpetual readiness for an inspection, you’ll never be caught off-guard.
Legal
- Car driver fined hundreds of dollars for driving five miles with snow-covered windshield
- Carl Bradley Johansson sentenced for death of trucking employee
- FedEx contractor arrested after body of 7-year-old Texas girl found
- Man arrested for breaking into sleeping couple’s semi to “get away from everyone”
- Man sentenced to life for the road rage murder of semi truck driver in Georgia
- Texas trucking company fined $44K for Oregon fuel spill
- Trucker faces up to life in prison after cops find coke, fentanyl, during NJ Turnpike traffic stop
- Trucker fined $4340 for after hours oversized haul without permit
- Trucking company sues over impounded trailers Crime & Courts
- Trucking company suing Wells Fargo for trailers impounded in United Furniture shutdown
- U.S. Marshals, Connecticut troopers, arrest ‘fugitive’ trucker for illegal gun sale in New York
- Uber, city of Chicago reach settlement
HOS
- Borderlands: Mexico proposes to modify truck driver hours-of-service rule
- Emergency declaration rules may change with new proposal from FMCSA
- FMCSA considering limiting scope of emergency waivers
- FMCSA Denies Livestock Haulers HOS Exemption
- FMCSA looks to narrow scope of automatic emergency exemptions
- FMCSA looks to narrow scope of automatic emergency exemptions
- FMCSA proposes changes to emergency declaration rules
- FMCSA proposes changes to limit emergency declarations
- FMCSA proposes limits on emergency declarations
- FMCSA Proposes More Narrow Scope for Emergency Waivers
7. Regarding injuries and theft:
Injuries
Theft
- ALERT: Sheriff warns truckers about rising part theft from parked big rigs
- Don’t be a victim: How to guard both personal and business identity to prevent theft
8. Regarding ports, recalls, LTL, parking, trailers, and roads:
Ports
- Consumers Enjoy Tentative Relief as Supply Chains Unclog
- Savannah Port Terminal to Get $410 Million Upgrade Amid Big Growth
- Savannah port terminal to get $410M upgrade amid big growth
- South Carolina celebrates deepening of Charleston’s port
- Supply chains are unclogging as port backlogs ease
Recalls
- International trucks recalled over lock nuts
- Navistar recalls certain models due to faulty hex flange lock nuts
LTL
Parking
- Briefly: Ohio converts weigh stations to truck parking facilities
- Four new Love’s locations include combined total of 290 parking spots
- Laser focused companion bill to Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act introduced in Senate
- Love’s opens new truck stops in four states, adding 290 new truck parking spaces
- Ohio opens 2 former weigh stations for truck parking
- Residents “don’t mean to be a brat,” but want semi trucks to stop endangering neighborhood school bus stop
- TA opens truck stop in California with 78 truck parking spaces
- Two former Ohio weigh stations are now open as truck parking facilities
Trailers
Roads
- Colorado runaway truck ramp reopens after three month closure for repairs
- Highway 30 to remain partially closed as crews work to clear landslide
- I-20, I-820 loop upgrades planned in Fort Worth, Texas
- Interstate 69 plan progresses with Texas bypass project
- Major traffic delays expected on I-95 ‘Mega Work Zone’ in Virginia this week
- North Texas highway projects hit major milestones
- Tennessee roads plan mulls toll lanes, electric car fee hike
- Tolls on I-5, I-205 being explored in Portland
9. Regarding employment and discrimination:
Employment
- 5 Ways Fleets Can Compete for Truck Drivers in a Tough Labor Market
- Trucking Eases Up on Recruitment Efforts
Discrimination
- Real Women in Trucking File Discrimination Lawsuit Against Facebook
- Trucking group accuses Facebook of age, gender discrimination
10. Regarding 3PL, holidays, and last mile:
3PL
Holidays
- Forward Air is making the holiday season bright for drivers with a festive truck decoration contest
- Parcel carriers post strong early holiday delivery performance, consultancy says
Last mile
11. Regarding technology, quiz, and lottery:
Technology
- ‘Data Driven’ explores use of Big Brother in trucking
- E-SMART speed limiter controls speeds based on location
- Risk of Truck Driver Cell Phone Use
- Verizon’s 3G network will sunset on New Year’s Eve
- Whip Around launches new program to help drivers, fleets with digital documents
Quiz
Lottery
I hope that this driver has some degree of financial discipline.
12. Regarding recognition and award:
Recognition
We are grateful whenever we read that someone had compassion on a fellow human being in need.
Award
We congratulate the finalists named in the article linked just below.
Quote:
“The National Tank Truck Carriers recently announced the eight Champion Finalists of the 2022-2023 Professional Driver of the Year contest, sponsored by Great West Casualty Company.”
My husband Mike and I wish you — and all professional truck drivers — safe travels and lots of money saving opportunities on the road.
Return from TDMST Weekly Round-Up: 2022.12.10 to our TDMST Weekly Round-Up Trucking Commentary or our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips home page.
