The coalition of carriers make up, along with a few other carriers, the Trucking Alliance, a carrier advocacy group formed in 2010. One of the Alliance\u2019s chief objectives is to reform driver drug testing protocol to have FMCSA recognize hair sample tests as valid drug tests. Currently, carriers who want to drug test drivers via hair sample must perform both tests \u2014 both the hair sample test and the urine analysis.<\/p>
The Trucking Alliance petitioned FMCSA in October to immediately allow hair sample tests to satisfy federal drug testing requirements, as stipulated by the 2015 FAST Act. The FAST Act allows the agency to accept hair tests, but not until the Department of Health and Human Services establishes federal guidelines for hair sample tests. The FAST Act required HHS to develop the guidelines by Dec. 5, 2016. But the guidelines have not yet been produced.<\/p>
\u201cOn this issue, the private sector is already far ahead of the public sector in utilizing the latest methods to detect drug users,\u201d said Lane Kidd, managing director of the Trucking Alliance, in the October-filed petition. \u201cWhile we wait on HHS and FMCSA, we can possibly save lives with this exemption by keeping many hard drug users out of our trucks and off our highways.\u201d<\/p>
FMCSA will begin collecting comments on the petition at the regulations.gov<\/a> rulemaking portal Thursday. Search Docket No.\u00a0FMCSA-2017-0002 to see the petition and file a comment.<\/p> James Jailet-Editor CCJ \/ January 18, 2017 \/ www.ccjdigital.com<\/p> Certain trucking companies are being\u00a0randomly selected by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration<\/a> to submit their 2016 U.S. DOT drug testing results to the agency.<\/p> The random selection is part of FMCSA\u2019s annual Drug and Alcohol Information Survey. The results of the survey are used to determine random drug testing rates for the next year.<\/p> FMCSA says companies are already being notified and are required to complete the annual survey by March 15. Fleets that fail to respond could face civil penalties, the agency adds.<\/p> In December, FMCSA announced it would keep the random drug testing rate<\/a> for drivers at 25 percent based on information provided in last year\u2019s survey. As long as the positive test rate remains below 1 percent, FMCSA can keep the random testing rate at 25 percent. If the positive test rate rises above 1 percent, the random testing rate automatically jumps to 50 percent.<\/p> CCJ Staff \/ January 17, 2017 \/ www.ccjdigital.com<\/i><\/p> Following up on its December announcement that the new Unified Registration System\u2019s implementation would be indefinitely delayed<\/a>, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is publishing a final rule establishing the URS and immediately suspending it until the URS is ready for deployment.<\/p> With the publication and immediate suspension of the URS, existing carriers will need to continue to follow the same procedures and forms for registration updates as they do today. According to FMCSA spokesman Duane DeBruyne, the agency intends to lift the suspension once the technology to implement the URS is complete.<\/p> The URS \u2013 which existing carriers will use for their biennial updates, name changes and transfers of authority \u2013 was set to go into effect on Jan. 14. FMCSA says it is moving the implementation date for the system so it can move all of its existing registration data to a central database and conduct further testing with states.<\/p> The URS has been available for new carrier registrations since December 2015. As of its December 2016 update, FMCSA says it has issued more than 100,000 new USDOT numbers, removed more than 360,000 dormant USDOT numbers and has screened 100 percent of authority applications for disqualified carriers trying to \u201creincarnate\u201d as new carriers with the new URS.<\/p> The rule will be published in the Federal Register<\/i> on Tuesday, Jan. 17, but the URS and its suspension go into effect Saturday, Jan. 14.<\/p> Matt Cole, CCJ Editor - January 16, 2017 - www.ccjdigital.com<\/p> The American Trucking Associations has announced the members of the 2017-2018 America\u2019s Road team, a group of 20 elite truck operators to serve as trucking industry ambassadors for the next two years.<\/p> For the next two years, the newly chosen America\u2019s Road Team Captains will tour North America in ATA\u2019s Interstate One Image Truck, an American flag emblazoned Volvo VNL 780 with a\u00a0truck driving simulator. The Captains, who will remain full-time truck drivers with their various ATA member companies, will speak candidly about the life of truck drivers, the critical role trucking plays in the U.S. economy\u00a0and industry safety.<\/p> \u201cATA is proud to select these respected drivers as the newest America\u2019s Road Team Captains and we are thankful that they will continue to tell their important stories throughout the country,\u201d said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear.<\/p> The final round of the selection process for America\u2019s Road Team was held January 8-10 in Arlington, Va. A panel of industry officials and trucking industry press judged the finalists on their knowledge of the trucking industry, dedication to safety, ability to communicate the industry\u2019s messages and overall safe driving record.<\/p> \u201cVolvo Trucks is honored to sponsor the America\u2019s Road Team program and take part in this week\u2019s selection of the 2017-2018 Captains,\u201d said Volvo Trucks North America President G\u00f6ran Nyberg. \u201cAmerica\u2019s Road Team is one of the most visible groups of professional truck drivers in the country, and we believe their hard work and dedication pays dividends for our industry.<\/p> After receiving their navy blue America\u2019s Road Team blazers, the 2017-2018 Captains will immediately begin their work in bolstering the trucking industry\u2019s image to the motoring public, lawmakers and the media. The team\u2019s two-year journey will be chronicled on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>.<\/p> The 2017-2018 America\u2019s Road Team Captains are:<\/p> Steve Brand<\/strong>, FedEx Freight<\/p> Jon Brockway<\/strong>, Walmart Transportation LLC<\/p> John Gaddy<\/strong>, Carbon Express, Inc.<\/p> Scott Harrison<\/strong>, K Limited Carrier Ltd<\/p> Rhonda Hartman<\/strong>, Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc.<\/p> Gary Helms,<\/strong> Covenant Transport, Inc.<\/p> Bill Krouse<\/strong>, YRC Freight<\/p> David Livingston<\/strong>, TCW, Inc.<\/p> Charles Lobsiger<\/strong>, Walmart Transportation LLC<\/p> Timothy Melody<\/strong>, ABF Freight System, Inc.<\/p> James Moore<\/strong>, Saia LTL Freight<\/p> Chris Outen<\/strong>, FedEx Freight<\/p> Charlton Paul Jr.<\/strong>, UPS Freight<\/p> Jeffrey Payne<\/strong>, Reddaway, Inc.<\/p> Stephen Richardson<\/strong>, Big G Express, Inc.<\/p> Michael Sheeds<\/strong>, Werner Enterprises<\/p> Steven Smalley<\/strong>, ABF Freight System, Inc.<\/p> Gary Smith<\/strong>, Garner Trucking, Inc.<\/p> Earl Taylor<\/strong>, Penske Logistics<\/p> Tim Taylor<\/strong>, FedEx Freight<\/p> CCJ Staff \/ January 11, 2017\/www.ccjdigital.com<\/p> The first full week of 2017 ushered in the highest diesel fuel prices seen across the United States since August 2015.<\/p> The average price of a gallon of on-highway diesel in the U.S. is now $2.597 for the week ending Jan. 9, up 1.1 cents over the previous week and 4.2 cents higher than the same week in 2016, according to the Department of Energy\u2019s weekly report.<\/p> Prices increased in all regions during the week except for the Gulf Coast region, which saw a three-tenths of a cent drop. The most significant increase came in the Central Atlantic region, where prices rose 3.7 cents. This follows a jump of 8.9 cents in the region the previous week.<\/p> The most expensive diesel can be found in California at $2.953 per gallon, followed by the Central Atlantic region at $2.813 per gallon.<\/p> The cheapest fuel can be found in the Gulf Coast region at $2.448 per gallon, followed by the Lower Atlantic region at $2.526 per gallon.<\/p> Prices in other regions, according to the DOE, are:<\/p> ProMiles\u2019 numbers during the same week also show diesel prices increasing by 1.2 cents to $2.553 per gallon nationwide.<\/p> According to ProMiles\u2019 Fuel Surcharge Index<\/a>, the most expensive diesel can be found in California at $2.91 per gallon, and the cheapest can be found in the Gulf<\/p> Coast region at $2.458 per gallon.<\/p> Sedentary lifestyles can cause a great number of health risks, including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and obesity. The career demands of driving a commercial truck puts truck drivers at particularly high risk with hours each day sitting behind the wheel. Stressful job conditions such as traffic congestion and lengthy detention times only compound the problem.<\/p> At the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Mercedes-Benz<\/a> put driver health at the center of innovation introducing several \u201cFit & Healthy\u201d concepts for the company\u2019s passenger car line. Although these ideas aren\u2019t yet available in passenger cars much less commercial trucks, they could soon find their way into truck cabs after their initial product launch.<\/p> \u201cWhen we introduce innovation, we move quickly to put that technology into other vehicles in our portfolio,\u201d said Ola K\u00e4llenius, member of the Daimler Board of Management responsible for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development.<\/p> From a trucking application perspective, motion seating is an intriguing Fit & Healthy concept that K\u00e4llenius said soon will be in production. It uses Mercedes-Benz\u2019s Active Seat system to detect when the driver has been sitting in the same position for an extended period and automatically makes subtle adjustments to the seatback and cushion positions and engages massage functions to improve the body\u2019s circulatory system, reduce back stiffness and relieve tired muscles.<\/p> The company also introduced its Predictive Emergency Defense for commercial applications that incorporates wearables into the Fit & Healthy concept. Mercedes-Benz researchers developed a vest equipped with electrocardiography sensors to monitor a driver\u2019s health.<\/p> K\u00e4llenius said the vest is designed to detect a heart attack before it happens. \u201cIf this PED system detects irregularities, the vehicle will ask if you are OK,\u201d he explained. \u201cIf you don\u2019t react, it will place an emergency call for medical assistance and stop the vehicle.\u201d The PED system also will automatically engage the vehicle\u2019s hazard warning system.<\/p> Other components of the \u201cFit & Healthy\u201d concept provide physical and mental relaxation or stimulation by injecting cabin fragrances or adjusting ambient light conditions, ionisation and climate control.<\/p> Jeff Crissey-Editor CCJ\/January 6, 2017\/www.ccjdigital.com The U.S. DOT is honing the techniques it uses to perform on-site compliance reviews of trucking companies by expanding the number of interviews performed with carrier employees and checking carriers\u2019 social media accounts.<\/p> The DOT\u2019s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has in recent years found an appreciation for \u201cEnhanced Investigative Techniques,\u201d says compliance consultant Jeff Davis of Fleet Safety Services. \u201c[FMCSA is] changing the way they\u2019re doing audits throughout the U.S.,\u201d Davis told attendees of November\u2019s annual National Association of Small Trucking Companies meeting.<\/p> In the past, when FMCSA came calling to do a full on-site compliance review at company headquarters, contact with company representatives might be limited to safety directors and a handful of other administrative personnel, said Davis.<\/p> <\/p> He used the example of the requirement for carriers to have for each of its trucks an annual inspection. \u201cIn the past,\u201d he said, \u201cwhat you\u2019d been able to do was, as long as you had that piece of paper\u201d showing you did the inspection, \u201cthe auditor would check the box and move on. What they\u2019re doing now is looking past the documents and looking into the culture of the company. They\u2019re holding sequestered one-on-one interviews with accounting, with sales, with drivers, and checking social media.\u201d<\/p> In the quarterly Guardian<\/i> publication from the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (second quarter 2015), FMCSA training center director Ron Crampton outlined the intention to make training in EIT available to state auditing personnel, to add to the already-trained federal force. \u201cThe training is taught by seasoned investigators and uses case studies to help students apply the techniques,\u201d Crampton wrote on p. 12 of the publication. \u201cSince implementing the EIT program at FMCSA, the agency has significantly increased the enforcement rate for investigations and has issued numerous out-of-service orders.\u201d<\/p> Davis says carriers should seek the \u201cPart C\u201d of the audit report from any compliance reviews conducted by FMCSA or state officials. Obtaining the Part C may require a Freedom of Information Act request, Davis says, but the information provides \u201cinvaluable learning\u201d for carriers, he said. Carriers do receive Parts A and B, which detail general company information and violations found, respectively.<\/p> \u201cThey do not release [Part C] to you,\u201d Davis said, and what it shows essentially are the auditor\u2019s notes, the method of operation of how you went through your audit. \u201cIt will list who they talked to and what their responses were, down to the nth degree\u201d of detail.\u201d<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> The Environmental Protection Agency hinted in a court EPA, facing a lawsuit from the Truck and Trailer EPA did not respond to a request for the agency to clarify Under Trump, EPA has already announced plans to revise fuel A three-judge panel overseeing TTMA\u2019s lawsuit on May 8 TTMA President Jeff Sims says his group is also pursuing a Sims says his group\u2019s lawsuit seeks to revert efforts to Phase 2 emissions standards do not dictate how equipment EPA, along with DOT\u2019s National Highway Traffic Safety The standards for the first time set emissions benchmarks James Jaillet\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The trucking industry accounted for nearly 80 percent of the United States\u2019 freight revenue in 2016, a slight decrease from 2015\u2019s numbers, according to a report released by the American Trucking Associations this week. CCJ Staff<\/p> www.ccjdigital.com 8\/16\/2017 Another increase is the price of diesel fuel during the week ending Aug. 14 brought prices to its highest point in two years, according to the Department of Energy\u2019s weekly report. Matt Cole CCJ<\/p> www.ccjdigital.com<\/p> 8\/15\/2017<\/p>","img":"Money in Hand.jpg","date":"2017-08-17 11:38:11"},{"id":"17","title":"Coalition backs two-year delay for ELD mandate","text":" In a late-game effort to postpone the date by which truck The move is the latest attempt by OOIDA to have the mandate Despite drawing dozens of co-sponsors, Babin\u2019s bill has seen Attempt to delay ELD mandate fails in House<\/p> An amendment brought to a 2018 appropriations package to OOIDA filed a lawsuit challenging the mandate in 2016, but The group also filed a petition with the Federal Motor OOIDA\u2019s new coalition includes industry trade groups \u201cThe electronic logging device mandate is written so broadly ELDs in cyberspace: evaluating the risks to data security, With millions of ELD devices about to go online, could they The coalition\u2019s formation comes just a week ahead of a Absent from OOIDA\u2019s coalition are the American Trucking In response to the formation of OOIDA\u2019s coalition, the Here\u2019s a list of the coalition\u2019s members \u2014 few of which are Agricultural Retailers Association<\/p> American Pipeline Contractors Association<\/p> American Pyrotechnics Association<\/p> Associated Equipment Distributors<\/p> Distribution Contractors Association<\/p> Livestock Exporters Association of the USA<\/p> Lucas Oil Products<\/p> Mid-West Truckers Association<\/p> National Association of Chemical Distributors<\/p> National Association of Small Trucking Companies<\/p> National Aquaculture Association<\/p> National Corn Growers Association<\/p> National Cotton Council<\/p> National Electrical Contractors Association<\/p> National Federation of Independent Business<\/p> National Grain and Feed Association<\/p> National Ground Water Association<\/p> National Hay Association<\/p> National Motorists Association<\/p> National Precast Concrete Association<\/p> National Ready Mixed Concrete Association<\/p> National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association<\/p> New England Fuel Institute<\/p> North American Wood Pole Council<\/p> Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association<\/p> Petroleum Marketers Association of America<\/p> Power & Communication Contractors Association<\/p> Precast\/Prestressed Concrete Institute<\/p> SikhsPAC<\/p> Southern Pressure Treaters\u2019 Association<\/p> United States Cattlemen\u2019s Association<\/p> \u00a0-CCJ Digital<\/p> A trade group representing electrical contractors is seeking The National Electrical Contractors Association, which The group states the operation of commercial vehicles by the If granted the exemption, the group says its commercial NECA says it is unclear how many how many drivers would be Raymond P. Martinez, President Trump\u2019s choice to head the Trump nominated Martinez in September. Martinez has spent Testifying before a panel of U.S. Senators in October, Martinez succeeds Scott Darling, who ran the agency in the \u00a0\u00a0www.ccjdigital.com\/senate-confirms-raymond-martinez-to-run-fmcsa-under-trump\/<\/p> Thousands of public comments were filed in the recent 60-day If the proposal to remove glider kits from the Phase 2 Here\u2019s a sampling of comments filed on the proposal, ATA noted it is opposed to repealing the standards for The Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA) states EPA formally proposes repeal of Obama-era glider kit The agency is proposing to alter the Obama-era Daimler Trucks North America echoes EMA\u2019s comments and adds OOIDA says removing glider kits from Phase 2 of the A single truck owner-operator commenting as Kristopher says A number of owner-operators who commented anonymously had Another small trucking company owner says he will be looking One commenter in favor of the repeal says glider kits are Another driver who says he bought a glider in 2016 says While glider kit manufacturers and some dealers are in favor Tennessee-based Fitzgerald Glider Kits also weighed in on The Glider Kit Association of America echoes Fitzgerald\u2019s Iowa-based Harrison Truck Centers, a new and used An anonymous OEM dealer that currently also builds glider TriState Truck Center, a Volvo and Mack truck dealer The Truck Renting and Leasing Association, whose members \u00a0\u00a0www.ccjdigital.com\/debate-over-regulating-glider-emissions-in-full-swing-as-epa-moves-to-rescind-obama-era-regs\/<\/p> <\/b><\/p><\/h1> Diesel prices<\/a><\/b>\u00a0continued their month-long climb during the week ending April 23, rising by another 2.9 cents, according to the latest numbers from the Department of Energy.<\/p> With the jump, the U.S.\u2019 average price for a gallon of on-highway diesel is now $3.133. This climb began during the week ending March 26 and has brought diesel prices to their highest point of the year once again.<\/p> During the last week, prices jumped in all regions across the country with the most significant increase being seen in the Rocky Mountain region, where prices increased by 4.4 cents.<\/p> The Gulf Coast region is now the only region across the U.S. with average diesel prices below $3. The region\u2019s average price stands at $2.936 per gallon, followed by the Lower Atlantic region at $3.028 per gallon.<\/p> The most expensive diesel can be found in California at $3.815 per gallon, followed by the West Coast less California region at $3.366 per gallon.<\/p> Prices in other regions, according to the DOE, are:<\/p> ProMiles\u2019 numbers during the week saw fuel prices during the week jump 3.3 cents to $3.079 per gallon nationwide.<\/p> According to\u00a0ProMiles\u2019 Fuel Surcharge Index<\/a>, the most expensive diesel can be found in California at $3.839 per gallon, and the cheapest can be found in the Gulf Coast region at $2.93 per gallon.<\/p> \u00a0 \u00a0ccjdigital.com<\/p> TuSimple, a 30-month-old San Diego-based autonomous truck startup, says it is\u00a0currently testing three Class 8\u00a0Peterbilt trucks<\/a><\/b>\u00a0in Arizona and has already achieved more than 15,000 Level 4 autonomous test miles using its\u00a0computer vision system.<\/p> Level 4 autonomy (on a scale of 1 to 5) doesn\u2019t require any action by a human driver and is widely considered the first level of \u201cfully autonomous\u201d driving.<\/p> Chuck Price, TuSimple vice president of product, says the company\u2019s advanced vision system uses up to ten cameras in conjunction with sensors, GPS, three millimeter wave radar units and automated HD mapping to achieve a sensing range of up to 300 meters \u2013 three-times the range of standard LiDAR.<\/p> \u201c[LiDAR] is powerful in that you can get your perception problems solved very quickly \u2026 however, the perception quality of LiDAR is lower resolution and the sensor itself is very expensive and doesn\u2019t have the range that we can get from our [camera] sensor,\u201d he says. \u201cWe don\u2019t believe any competitors can launch a commercial product with a LiDAR solution. It\u2019s too expensive, too fragile and they don\u2019t see far enough. It will take years to commercialize a system based on LiDAR. Those sensors are not ready for production and they won\u2019t be for a number of years.\u00a0We think that we are closer to commercialization than any of the competitors.\u201d<\/p> With high-precision visual positioning and multi-sensor fusion\u00a0technology<\/a><\/b>, Price says the company\u2019s test trucks achieve consistent decimeter-level localization, even in tunnels.<\/p> Price says the truck can \u201csee\u201d to within four inches on the road and 360 degrees around the truck while its HD mapping provides precise lane-level information.<\/p> The company\u2019s goal, Price says, is to deploy a system that allows fleets to travel autonomously dock-to-dock, bypassing needing a driver \u2013 either in-cab or remotely \u2013 to pilot the truck on any stretch of its route.<\/p> \u201cOur Level 4 system is fully automous end-to-end,\u201d Price says. However, since regulations in most states require a person in the cab, TuSimple deploys a driver with its units.<\/p> Later this year, Price says TuSimple will begin hauling freight with a fleet of 25 trucks through its shipper partners, allowing the company to develop a real-world testing platform.<\/p> \u201cWe will be generating revenue, hauling freight, with the retrofit autonomous vehicle by the end of this year,\u201d he says. \u201cOur goal is to provide as reliable a service in delivery as compared to today.\u201d<\/p> The TuSimple platform is also designed to\u00a0detect faults \u2013 like low tire pressure or temperature warnings \u2013 and pull itself over before signaling a designated resource for help.<\/p> TuSimple says it has already broken autonomous driving world records for object detection, object tracking and road segmentation.<\/p> Last year, TuSimple secured $23 million in a Series B funding round, and the company raised an additional $55 million of Series C funding in November.<\/p> \u00a0 \u00a0ccjdigital.com<\/p> The familiar brown box trucks that run your neighborhood roads and deliver your Amazon packages are getting a facelift \u2026 if you live in Europe, or plan to move there by year\u2019s end.<\/p> UPS, among the world\u2019s largest carriers, announced today it is working with UK-based technology firm Arrival to develop a state-of-the-art pilot fleet of 35 electric delivery vehicles (EVs) that will run trial routes in London and Paris. Arrival is the first commercial vehicle manufacturer in Europe to provide purpose-built electric delivery vehicles to UPS\u2019s specifications. The two companies have been developing prototypes of different sizes for nearly two years.<\/p> These zero tailpipe emission, lightweight composite vehicles have a battery range of more than 150 miles, higher than other EVs currently in service.<\/p> The vehicles come equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that help to improve safety and reduce driver fatigue. These features, combined with a highly advanced vehicle display provide the driver with an intelligent and connected vehicle.<\/p> \u201cWe\u2019re excited to collaborate with UPS to create an affordable, modular, fully electric delivery vehicle designed to make deliveries in our busy cities clean and quiet,\u201d Arrival CEO Denis Sverdlov says. \u201cWith its unique, wrap-around front window the driver has a much wider field of view that improves not only the safety of the driver but also that of cyclists and pedestrians.\u201d<\/p> UPS first introduced EVs into its U.S. fleet in the in the 1930s, and reintroduced modern EVs in 2001. Currently, UPS has more than 300 electric vehicles deployed in Europe and the U.S., and nearly 700 hybrid electric vehicles.<\/p> CCJ Staff\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span>www.ccjdigital.com\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span>https:\/\/www.ccjdigital.com\/ups-set-to-deploy-new-loner-range-evs\/\u00a0<\/p>","img":"UPS_Loading_Bay_preview-2018-05-09-15-56-500x329.png","date":"2018-05-09 16:34:39"},{"id":"24","title":"FMCSA\u2019s examiner registry outage caused by attempted malware plant","text":" An attempt by an unknown source to plant malicious software (aka malware) on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration\u2019s database of agency-approved medical examiners is the root cause of\u00a0the lingering outage<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0of FMCSA\u2019s National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners (NRCME), the agency has told\u00a0CCJ<\/em>.<\/p> \u201cMalware was introduced to the server but was not activated,\u201d\u00a0FMCSA<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0says. \u201cIt does not appear that an intentional attempt was made to access or compromise data.\u201d<\/p> The attempted malware attack itself is not to blame for the site\u2019s outage. Rather, the agency says it took the system offline to do a risk assessment and to redeploy a new, more secure system.<\/p> The agency said it is \u201cworking diligently\u00a0to deploy a functional and secure solution as quickly as possible.\u201d The ongoing technical issues prompted FMCSA last week to delay the enactment of a system meant to combine drivers CDLs and medical certificates by three years \u2014 to June 2021.<\/p> The agency\u00a0told\u00a0CCJ<\/i>\u00a0in late March<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0that no personal information of drivers, examiners or carriers had been compromised in the attempted malware plant.<\/p> The NRCME has been down now for more than 5 months, and the agency says it does not have a date by which the system will come back online. It has operated on limited functionality since March, allowing truckers to find certified medical examiners by zip code. However, medical examiners have been unable to upload the results of drivers\u2019 DOT physicals since the site\u2019s outage began in early December.\u00a0Examiners interviewed by\u00a0CCJ<\/i>\u00a0in January<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0said a backlog of exam results had already started to mount then, meaning there\u2019s likely a daunting number of backlogged exam results awaiting to be uploaded now.<\/p> \u00a0|\u00a0ccjdigital.com<\/span> WASHINGTON \u2014 An infrastructure package will probably take a back seat to bills relating to the Federal Aviation Administration, farming and water resources, which will continue to dominate Congress\u2019 attention in the coming months, according to Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.).<\/p> Graves, who serves as chairman of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee, delivered remarks at the Coalition for America\u2019s Gateways and Trade Corridors (CAGTC) meeting May 16. His statement echoed that of White House Press Secretary\u00a0Sarah Sanders, who announced one week earlier that Congress will probably not pass infrastructure legislation\u00a0<\/a>this year. CAGTC\u2019s meeting was one of many events recognizing Infrastructure Week, which is marked nationally by education and advocacy sessions that highlight the state of roads, bridges, rails, ports, airports and more.<\/p> \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s going be any major infrastructure bill at all in this Congress. Nothing moves forward,\u201d Lowenthal said. \u201cWe are not going to end up with an infrastructure billunless I\u2019m in total shock and all the points come together.\u201dVarious lawmakers and experts agreed with Graves on the sluggish status of the infrastructure bill. Sanders\u2019 announcement was \u201cjust kind of belaboring the obvious,\u201d according to Jeff Davis, senior fellow for the\u00a0Eno Center for Transportation<\/a>. According to Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.), members of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure have often discussed raising revenues to fund infrastructure, but they have yet to act on any piece of legislation.<\/p> Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) said his main concern is compiling an infrastructure package that is less significant than the proposal President Donald Trump introduced Feb. 12. Denham, chairman of the Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee, said the package would lose gusto if it were divided into separate, smaller pieces to address various issues, such as dedicated truck lanes and tolling.<\/p> \u201cOur biggest issue is going be the infrastructure package itself. I think it\u2019s critical to put everything in there and have the full debate now. That is the debate we need to have,\u201d Denham said. \u201cWe need to be bold. We need to have a big package. Ultimately, I would expect an infrastructure package to be bipartisan as well.\u201d<\/p> <\/i>Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.) said an infrastructure package would likely need to have bipartisan support. (Eleanor Lamb\/Transport Topics)\u00a0<\/i><\/em><\/p><\/div> years to maintain its solvency.<\/p> Lowenthal said dedicated grant programs, such as Infrastructure For Rebuilding America (INFRA) and Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD), will not go far unless there is a sustainable source of funding for highway projects.<\/p> \u201cWithout a sustainable funding stream, those are just good intentions. Those are not a real commitment to making the infrastructure in this nation work,\u201d Lowenthal said. \u201cThese investments are desperately needed. If we think we\u2019re going to rely on the general fund to do this, we\u2019re dreaming.\u201d<\/p> At the Infrastructure Week kickoff event May 14<\/a>, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said that the administration is weighing about 16 funding mechanisms for infrastructure investment. Graves diluted these options into two basic schools of thought: raising the fuel tax, which has stagnated at 24.4 cents a gallon for diesel and 18.4 cents a gallon for gasoline since 1993, or enlisting vehicle miles\u00a0traveled fee<\/a>, which several states have piloted.<\/p> \u201cEverything is on the table, including tolling, which I am not a fan of. [There are] more and more vehicles that don\u2019t pay any tax. It\u2019s going to continue to get worse all the time,\u201d Graves said. \u201cThe trust fund is going to go broke here in two years.<\/p> Efforts to increase women\u2019s share of the driving workforce have earned less-than-stellar results, barely increasing to 7 percent from 5 percent 10 years ago, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.<\/p> That number seemed low to many in the industry, prompting the Women In Trucking Association to partner with the\u00a0National Transportation Institute<\/a>\u00a0to develop the Women In Trucking Index, which they say offers a more accurate accounting of the percentage of female drivers. NTI added gender questions to its surveys and in 2016, after a year of data collection, reported the percentage of female drivers at 7.13 percent, which since has climbed to 7.89 percent in the most recent report.<\/p> Large carriers that focus on recruiting and retaining women report higher shares, often more than 12 percent and even as much as 30 percent. But in an industry plagued by negative stereotypes of what it means to be a trucker and the challenges many women face in being their family\u2019s primary caretakers, attracting them to driving jobs is an uphill battle.<\/p> Best practices from carriers with a high number of female drivers include emphasizing pay and benefits but also spotlighting female trainers, safe equipment and more home time.<\/p> Joanne Fatta, a driver, and trainer for Ephrata, Pa.-based Sunrise Transport for 18 years, trains female drivers out of CDL school. Many come from retail, food service or other low-paying fields and are searching for financial security. Most heard about trucking through friends and family or through social media hobby and interest groups.<\/p> But reaching potential female drivers through social media may not be as simple as running an ad on Pinterest. A recent Facebook survey of Women In Trucking members found 80 percent own or drive motorcycles. \u201cSo why not place your recruiting message on a women biker\u2019s forum or chatroom?\u201d asks Ellen Voie, WIT founder, and president.<\/span> Stephanie Klang, a retired CFI driver and former captain of the\u00a0American Trucking Associations<\/a>\u2019 America\u2019s Road Team, drives her truck to Girl Scout troops in rural areas to help girls earn their transportation patch. Klang emphasizes the economic security she\u2019s earned over the years and how the field, while still predominately male, is gender-blind when it comes to paying.<\/p> Beyond pay, respect ranks high as a motivator for all drivers, and women are no different. Katlin Owens, manager of corporate relations for Joplin, Mo.-based CFI, says 14 percent of the company\u2019s drivers are female. \u201cWe provide female trainers, and many of our management team are females,\u201d Owens says. \u201cFemale drivers have equal footing in driver award criteria.\u201d<\/p> Brooke Mosely, female driver liaison, and training specialist for Springfield, Mo.-based Prime Inc.\u00a0(CCJ Top 250, No. 15)<\/a>, says most of the fleet\u2019s nearly 900 female drivers come to Prime via word of mouth. While Prime doesn\u2019t actively target women in its ad campaigns, female drivers account for 12 percent of its drivers, well above the national average.<\/p> \u201cWord gets around about how women are treated here,\u201d Mosely says. \u201cWhen female drivers go into their real and virtual communities to tout their profession, that\u2019s an organic marketing pitch you can\u2019t buy with an ad budget.\u201d<\/p> Driven partially by the rise of e-commerce, the average length-of-haul for trucking has fallen more than 34 percent over the last 17 years.<\/p> American Trucking Associations<\/a>\u00a0Chief Economist Bob Costello says the for-hire truckload dry van average length-of-haul has dropped from nearly 800 miles in the year 2000 to 524 miles in 2017.<\/p> \u201cSince 2000, large big-box retailers had a handful of distribution centers around the country, but today they have dozens,\u201d he says. \u201cMore distribution centers have reduced the average length of haul into and out of those centers.\u201d<\/p> Kenworth<\/a>\u00a0Marketing Director Kurt Swihart says he\u2019s not seen any major trends of truckload customers moving significantly into the less-than-truckload or local pickup and delivery businesses, but changes in the distribution model \u2013 where you have an increasing number of distribution centers outside urban areas that use trucks for more for regional haul and final mile applications \u2013 has sent some fleets back to the drawing board with truck specs.<\/p> \u201cWe are starting to hear more conversations from customers on how they should spec vehicles differently,\u201d says Navistar On-highway Marketing Director Jim Nachtman.<\/p> The reason for boosting more distribution centers, Costello says, is due to more online retailing. \u201cIf I order something in the Washington, DC metro area and expect it in two days, it\u2019s not coming from California,\u201d he says. \u201cIt is coming from somewhere not too far away.\u201d<\/p> On-demand shipping isn\u2019t the only factor driving change. The competition for drivers, namely getting them home, is also changing freight patterns.<\/p> Wesley Slavin,\u00a0Peterbilt<\/a>\u2019s on-highway marketing manager, says the company\u2019s customer council has noted a regional shift in the marketplace but says \u201cmanufacturing [location] hasn\u2019t moved and the end user hasn\u2019t moved. They haven\u2019t gotten closer together. What\u2019s happened is fewer carriers are going from dock-to-dock. Maybe they\u2019re dropping halfway and another driver takes it the rest of the way.\u201d<\/p> Such a dramatic change in traffic patterns has also influenced equipment trends. According to IHS Polk, day cabs made up 27 percent of the North American market in 2008. By 2013, day cabs reached 37 percent of the market before leveling off to about 39 percent in 2016 and 2017.<\/p> Nachtman says currently, about 40 percent of the trucks International builds are day cabs, and he expects that number to continue to climb.<\/p> \u201cAll of our predictions show that the amount of vehicles that are day cabs will be going higher and higher throughout next few years,\u201d he says. \u201cWe do predict going over 50 percent in the next few years will be day cabs.\u201d<\/p> Similarly, Slavin says the Peterbilt sleeper\/daycab split is about 60\/40 and climbing.<\/p> Even with more day cabs on the road the need to keep the driver inside happy remains.<\/p> \u201cThe driver environment, whether it\u2019s a day cab or a sleeper, needs to be very friendly to the driver,\u201d says Stu Russoli, highway marketing manager for\u00a0Mack Trucks<\/a>. \u201cIf you\u2019re doing more local deliveries, I think the question then becomes do you get the more basic fleet-style interior because it\u2019s just a tool going point-to-point.\u201d<\/p> \u201cWe\u2019re seeing an increase in companies using the trucks as a recruiting tool,\u201d Slavin adds, \u201cand that includes regional tractors.\u201d<\/p> Dating back five years, Freightliner\u2019s build rate on day cabs has bounced around 30 percent and Segment Marketing Manager Make McHorse says he doesn\u2019t anticipate that changing measurably until the industry is comfortable navigating its way through the electronic log mandate.<\/p> \u201cGuys are getting trapped out on the road in kind of a regulatory timeout,\u201d he says, \u201cand [fleets] need to have a place for drivers to stay in. You can\u2019t do that in a day cab.\u201d<\/p> Shrinking hauls, Russoli says, have given even more momentum to automated transmissions.<\/p> \u201cYou\u2019re probably doing more backing into docks and moving around smaller parking areas, a lot more stop and starting traffic,\u201d Russoli says.<\/p> About 90 percent of all new Cascadia are spec\u2019d with an AMT, which McHorse attributes to increased traffic congestion and the extra fatigue that comes with running through a manual gearbox in stop-and-go conditions.<\/p> \u201cMost of the guys who really want a manual [transmission] are doing longer hauls,\u201d Russoli says.<\/p> |<\/i>ccjdigital.com<\/p> Spot market rates find new heights:<\/strong>\u00a0Per-mile rates on the spot market continued to surge upward in May, according to monthly data from loadboard Truckstop.com, with the three major truckload segments \u2014 dry van, reefer and flatbed \u2014 pressing to new record highs. Flatbed rates jumped 9 cents in May to $2.75 a mile, the segment\u2019s highest average since Truckstop.com began distributing monthly rates data. It\u2019s also a 50-cent jump from the same month last year.<\/p> Reefer rates grew 10 cents in May from April, to $2.81 a mile \u2014 a 74-cent increase from May 2017 and the highest monthly average on record for reefer haulers.<\/p> Dry van rates climbed 3 cents in May, to $2.52 a mile, second only to January\u2019s $2.54 a mile monthly average. Compared to last May, van rates were up 60 cents in May.<\/p> \u2014<\/p> Trucking employment rallies after April slip:<\/strong>\u00a0Employment in the for-hire trucking industry grew by 6,600 jobs in May, according to the Department of Labor\u2019s monthly Employment Situation Report. The gain makes up for the 5,500-job dip from April.<\/span><\/p> Trucking employment<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0has seen steady gains since November, climbing by 21,800 jobs since. April\u2019s slump was the lone standout among otherwise steady gains.<\/span><\/p> Employment in the\u00a0for-hire trucking industry<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0totaled 1.4774 million in May, up 24,200 jobs from the same month last year.<\/span><\/p> The U.S. economy as a whole added 223,000 jobs in May, and the unemployment rate fell to 3.8 percent. The construction sector in May gained 25,000 jobs. Manufacturing added 18,000 jobs, and the transportation and warehousing sector (under which trucking falls) grew by 18,700 jobs.<\/p> Trucking\u2019s total is based on payroll statistics of employers and does not account for those who change jobs in the month or for those working for private fleets.<\/em><\/p> |ccjdigital.com\/<\/i><\/p>","img":"Screen-Shot-2018-06-04-at-9.44.13-AM-2018-06-04-15-07-500x305.png","date":"2018-06-06 08:44:17"},{"id":"29","title":"Nomination period ongoing for top military vet rookie trucker contest","text":" A\u00a0brand-new\u00a0Kenworth T680 Advantage<\/a>\u00a0is once again up for grabs as part of the 2018 \u201cTransition Trucking: Driving for Excellence\u201d military veteran trucker recognition program.<\/p> Kenworth,\u00a0Fastport<\/a>\u00a0and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation\u2019s Hiring Our Heroes initiative are joining together for the third consecutive year to promote trucking and to recognize the top rookie military veteran driver.<\/p> The nomination period runs through June 30.\u00a0Nomination forms can be found online here.<\/a><\/p> The top driver will be chosen by a panel of judges and will receive the Kenworth tractor, which features a 76-inch sleeper, 455-hp Paccar MX-13, and Paccar 40,000-pound tandem rear axle. To qualify for the program, drivers must meet the following requirements:<\/p> Last year, U.S. Army veteran and Stevens Transport driver Gregg Softy\u00a0won the award<\/a>.<\/p> |\u00a0\u00a0www.ccjdigital.com\/<\/i><\/p> Truck inspectors will ramp up enforcement Sept. 16-22 as part of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance\u2019s annual Brake Safety Week, CVSA announced Monday.<\/p> This year\u2019s Brake Safety Week is a return to the norm for CVSA, after paring the blitz down to a single day last year.<\/p> CVSA says most of the inspections performed during the weeklong blitz will be full Level I inspections, the most comprehensive inspection. However, inspectors will have a keen focus on brake components, including loose or missing parts; air or hydraulic fluid leaks; defective rotor conditions; measurement of pushrod travel; mismatched air chamber sizes across axles; air reservoir integrity and mounting; worn linings, pads, drums or rotors; required brake-system warning devices; and other brake-system components. Vehicles with defective or out-of-adjustment brakes will be placed out of service, says CVSA.<\/p> \u201cProperly functioning brake systems are crucial to safe CMV operation. Brakes must be routinely inspected and carefully and consistently maintained so they operate and perform to the manufacturer\u2019s specifications throughout the life of the vehicle. Improperly installed or poorly maintained brake systems can reduce braking efficiency, posing a serious risk to public safety on our roadways,\u201d CVSA said in a press release on Monday.<\/p> Last year, 14 percent of trucks inspected during the one-day\u00a0brake\u00a0blitz were placed out of service for brake-related violations. In the annual Roadcheck inspection spree (which took place earlier this month), brake violations usually comprise the largest percentage of out-of-service violations, CVSA notes.<\/p> Also upcoming is Operation Safe Driver week. Scheduled for July 15-21, the weeklong blitz will focus on driver-specific violations such as speeding, use of a seatbelt, following too closely and the like.<\/p> |\u00a0\u00a0www.ccjdigital.com<\/i><\/p> Like their fleet counterparts<\/a>, leased and independent owner-operators brought in higher revenue and better take-home pay\u00a0in the first quarter of 2018, according to data from ATBS, the country\u2019s largest owner-operator services firm.<\/p> The industry\u2019s smallest carriers were able to capitalize on the tight trucking market and soaring rates seen in 2018\u2019s first three months. Large publicly traded carriers also saw climbing revenues and profits in the first quarter compared to the same period a year ago.<\/p> Owner-operators\u2019 mileage was mostly flat from both the first quarter of last year and the final quarter of 2017. Fuel expenditures increased, however, negating some of the revenue gains.<\/p> Flatbed owner-operators were the highest earners, taking home on average $17,328 in 2018\u2019s first quarter. That\u2019s a $2,100 gain from 2017\u2019s first quarter, but a slight dip from 2017\u2019s final three months.<\/p> Dry van operators earned$15,195 in the quarter in net income \u2014 a gain of $1,000 from 2017\u2019s first quarter, but also slightly down from 2017\u2019s fourth quarter.<\/p> Independent owner-operators took home $15,586 in the first quarter, also a gain of around $1,000 year over year.<\/p> Reefer haulers fared the worst in 2018\u2019s first three months, taking home $12,671 in net income. That\u2019s an increase of $1,100 from the same quarter a year ago and flat compared to 2017\u2019s fourth quarter.<\/p> |\u00a0ccjdigital.com<\/span><\/p> Operation Safe Driver Week, an annual enforcement spree put on by the\u00a0Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance<\/a>, is set this year for July 15-21.<\/p> During the weeklong blitz, enforcers will be focusing on traffic violations, seat belt enforcement, driver\u00a0roadside inspections and driver regulatory compliance. CVSA says driver behavior is the cause of more than 88 percent of large truck crashes and 93 percent of passenger vehicle crashes.<\/p> Driving behaviors that will be targeted during the week include speeding,\u00a0distracted driving<\/a>, texting, failure to use a seatbelt, following too closely, improper lane change, failure to obey traffic control devices and more.<\/p>![\"Jeff](\"http:\/\/www.ttnews.com\/sites\/default\/files\/denham-0521.jpg\"\/)
<\/i><\/p>Eleanor Lamb |\u00a0Staff Reporter|\u00a0ccjdigital.com<\/span>
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Data precision comes from vehicle and engine electronics, cameras, sensors and IoT devices in vehicles. With precision, technology suppliers are able to apply machine learning models to accurately identify relevant patterns.<\/p>