Commercial Carrier Journal has named USAT Capacity Solutions its 2021 CCJ Innovator of the Year for allowing drivers to decide their workflow, which improved load planning and driver home time and, in turn, slashed turnover. The Van Buren, Arkansas-based carrier used feedback to identify pain points, like drivers not getting home on time, wasted time between loads, communication delays and rapidly changing driver dynamics to determine the fix was to give drivers more control over the loads they take and when and where they take them. In late 2018, USA Truck developed an internal load board for owner-operators to mitigate the potential risks of the employer-contractor model, and expanded the custom load board app in to company drivers July to launch its Drive Your Plan program. The app allows company drivers to see all available loads in a specific market, pre-plan themselves for the week and plan their home time. A Load Checker tool ensures that any loads that drivers select will fit within their hours of service limits. Ewell said, thus far, the company has seen a 50% reduction in driver turnover thanks to the program, a 30% increase in production for load board drivers, increased interest in driving for the company and higher conversion rates from company drivers seeking to become owner-operators. Ewell said, the carrier is also seeing its highest driver satisfaction scores. USAT Capacity Solutions was selected by CCJ editors as the 2021 CCJ Innovator of the Year at the 17th annual CCJ Innovators Summit in Key Largo, Florida. The event gathers current and previous CCJ Innovators for three days of networking, presentations and idea sharing among some of the trucking industry’s most forward-thinking fleets and leading executives. During the year, CCJ, a national leading business magazine for truck fleet executives, highlights one fleet each month as part of its CCJ Innovators program. USAT Capacity Solutions was in a class of other industry-leading fleets recognized by CCJ editors throughout 2020 including Paper Transport, Trimac Transportation, Roadmaster Group, Liquid Trucking, Penske Truck Leasing, Groendyke Transport, Halvor Lines, Estes Express Lines, Variant, USA Truck and Southeastern Freight Lines. The CCJ Innovators program is sponsored by Comdata, EOX Vantage, Freightliner Trucks, Omnitracs and Pilot Company. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD
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The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse has now been in effect for a year and a half, and through the first quarter of 2021, drug and alcohol violations are on pace to be higher than in 2020, according to data from FMCSA available through March. As of April 1, there were more than 2.1 million users registered in the Clearinghouse, including truck drivers, fleet representatives, consortia/third-party administrators (C/TPAs), medical review officers (MROs) and substance abuse professionals (SAPs). While none of the regulations regarding drug and alcohol testing and reporting has changed, the Clearinghouse is starting to make it easier for fleets to conduct pre-employment screenings of their drivers. Jared Rosenthal, founder and CEO of drug consortium Health Street, said fleets are required to look back three years when hiring a new driver. Prior to the Clearinghouse, this has required reaching a driver’s previous employers to get their drug testing records. Now, for at least half of the required time period, that is done with a simple query of the driver’s CDL number in the database. By January 2023, when the Clearinghouse has been in place for three full years, carriers will be able to conduct their pre-employment checks solely in the Clearinghouse, Rosenthal added. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Another benefit to the Clearinghouse, Rosenthal said, has been that when a driver fails a drug test, it’s more difficult to hide. “Sometimes, obviously, there’s an incentive if you’re a driver who fails a test two years ago, maybe you don’t mention that you worked at that previous place,” he said. Since the Clearinghouse took effect at the beginning of 2020, through the end of March 2021 there were 69,100 total drug violations reported, which includes actual knowledge violations (1,642), drug test refusals (9,967) and positive drug tests (57,491). There were also 1,552 alcohol violations, which included actual knowledge violations (233), alcohol test refusals (369) and blood alcohol concentration of 0.04 or higher (950). Through the first three months of 2021, there were 14,324 drug violations and 367 alcohol violations reported to the Clearinghouse compared to 54,776 drug violations and 1,185 alcohol violations through all of 2020. If that pace keeps up through the rest of the year, there will be considerably more violations this year than last. The majority of positive and refused drug tests occurred in pre-employment screenings and random drug tests, while most positive and refused alcohol tests were found via random tests and reasonable suspicion. FMCSA’s data also shows that marijuana remains by far the most used illegal substance among CDL holders with 37,261 positive marijuana tests through March. The next-highest substance identified in positive drug tests has been cocaine, with 9,848 positives. Rosenthal said a big reason for the high number of marijuana test-positives is the rapidly changing laws at the state level across the country. While weed is legal in some states for recreational use, legal in others for medical use or not legal at all, it is still considered a Schedule I drug at the federal level. He said he expects to see at some point in the future a device that will be able to detect marijuana, like a breathalyzer detects alcohol, which could change the federal stance on the drug. “My prediction is there is one thing that will change the law for sure, and that is the invention of a so-called ‘weedalyzer,’ so a breathalyzer for marijuana,” he said. “Nobody is supporting putting truckers on the road that are high, but the problem with this issue, legal or not, is we don’t know based on a drug test if you’re high at that moment.” He added that the general public, by and large, doesn’t have a problem if a truck driver has a beer at night, then gets up the next day and drives. “Once we have a device that tests for marijuana the same way, I think that law will change,” he said. For drivers who do have a drug or alcohol violation recorded in the Clearinghouse, they must complete the return-to-duty process before they can get back behind the wheel. FCMSA said, as of April 1, there were 64,846 drivers in the return-to-duty process with their status in the Clearinghouse and only 10,609 of those had completed their RTD test with negative results. The remaining 54,237 drivers had either not started their RTD process, were working with an SAP, or were eligible to take their RTD test and had just not yet completed it. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, June 24, 2021: AB 5 injunction to remain in place as case elevates to Supreme Court That same court on Monday denied CTA’s request for a rehearing of the case after ruling in April that AB 5’s ABC test for determining independent contractor status in California should apply to the trucking industry, essentially banning the leased owner-operator model in the state. In its motion to grant the stay of the injunction, the Ninth Circuit says the injunction will remain in place pending the Supreme Court’s decision on whether to hear the case. If SCOTUS chooses to hear the case, the injunction will be stayed until the Supreme Court’s disposition of the case. If SCOTUS declines to hear the case, the injunction will be lifted immediately. Embark going public in $5.2 billion deal, Chao joins Board In addition to the acquisition agreement, Embark also announced that former Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao has joined the company’s Board of Directors. Embark, through its Partner Development Program, is currently working with shippers and carriers including Anheuser-Busch InBev, HP Inc., Werner Enterprises, Mesilla Valley Transportation, and Bison Transport, to help prepare their fleets to integrate self-driving technology and scale with Embark’s technology. Embark has logged more than one million real-world miles without a DOT-reportable incident using its technology. The transaction reflects an equity value of $5.16 billion and enterprise value of $4.55 billion. Upon closing, the combined company is expected to receive approximately $614 million of gross cash proceeds, comprised of approximately $414 million of cash held in the trust account of Northern Genesis 2, and a $200 million fully committed private investment at $10 per share. “The recent accomplishment of key technical milestones – including handling highway work zones on the fly – and the announcement of our Partner Development Program mark the start of Embark’s transition from research to commercialization,” said Alex Rodrigues, co-founder and CEO of Embark. “After many years of R&D on the world’s most mature self-driving truck software stack, we plan to enable carrier operation of self-driving trucks in the U.S. sunbelt beginning in 2024. Following the transaction with Northern Genesis we expect to have a war chest that fully funds this commercialization plan, and then some.” The Boards of Directors for both Embark and Northern Genesis 2 have unanimously approved the proposed business combination, which is expected to be completed in the second half of 2021. FTR’s Shippers Conditions improved in April “Shippers conditions improved in April but are likely to remain decently negative through the balance of the year as utilization, rates and overall transportation capacity remain tight,” said Todd Tranausky, vice president of rail and intermodal at FTR. “While April reflected some improvement, it is important to put that gain in the context of March’s record negative result. So, while things improved in April, they did so from an incredibly weak level, meaning conditions remain highly challenged for shippers in the marketplace across all modes.” FTR’s SCI is calculated based on freight demand, freight rates, fleet capacity and fuel price. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD Hirschbach Motor Lines (CCJ Top 250, No. 64) announced as acquired Eagan, Minnesota-based Lessors, Inc., a nearly 300-truck reefer fleet. The Dubuque, Iowa-based temperature-controlled carrier has a current driver/operator base of 2,200 and is expected to exceed 2,400 after completing integration with Lessors. “We’re very excited to welcome the Lessor drivers along with their mechanics and office staff to the Hirschbach family,” said Brad Pinchuk, CEO and owner of Hirschbach. “It’s an organization I’ve admired for decades.” The acquisition will allow Hirschbach to expand its freight capacity and offer additional services to its customers. Lessors was founded in 1983 by James and Wendy Shapiro. The company specializes in transporting time sensitive, temperature-controlled products, and operated with three terminals in Eagan, Minnesota; Dover, Florida and Caldwell, Idaho. “Lessors has a reputation of providing a high level of service to their customers, an outstanding safety record, low driver turnover, and running very nice equipment, which is meticulously maintained,” Pinchuk said. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD According to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, the total aggregate cost for the 2020 hurricane season was almost $47 billion, making 2020 the seventh costliest hurricane season in history. Predictions don’t look any better for 2021. The forecast calls for 17 named storms this year, including eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes, according to Colorado State University. This impending busy hurricane season means that asset owners must effectively ensure they can keep employees and equipment safe while curbing significant losses. Telemetry technology is a solution used in fleet management, but over the years the technology has progressed to provide big data for deeper intelligence and meaningful analysis. Advancements in telemetry tech can now easily pinpoint employees and assets, as well as products, and rapidly respond to changing environmental conditions to ensure ongoing safety and security. Prioritizing safety When companies are able to effectively react and respond to developing environmental conditions, they can help to reduce the impact on their business. Telematics can contribute to proper material handling, creating a risk-free environment. Especially after the storm has passed, critical relief efforts are needed. As such, companies can move quickly to provide medical supplies and equipment to those affected. And, with visibility into the condition of supplies, companies can ensure they are well-maintained in refrigerated assets if there is no power in the affected regions. Locating employees, assets and products Using logistics telematics, companies can also enable real-time monitoring of the security, location and condition of high-value enterprise assets such as industrial trucks, tractor trailers, containers and truck fleets. With access to this data, the security, control and management of precious cargo is also assured. Assets can be equipped with high-definition cameras, image recognition processors and door sensors, while the cargo area can be equipped with environmental sensors for true supply chain visibility. Remote readings can also provide the specific cargo’s temperature, light, humidity and movement to easily detect any issues and report them to the driver and management. Knowing what products are on what assets – such as the product type, condition, quantity and quality – is a critical level of visibility companies need during hurricane season. Predictive and preventative analysis In addition, AI and machine learning capabilities provide predictive analysis and/or preventative analysis that helps improve strategic plans and minimizes the impact of future weather systems – such as impending hurricanes. This is especially beneficial for fleet owners operating in hurricane-prone areas such as Florida, Texas, Louisiana and the Carolinas. As environmental conditions continue to be quite volatile, predictive weather data tells us that temperatures and sea levels are likely to rise leading to more extreme weather conditions like hurricanes, tropical storms and tornadoes. To reduce the impact to the supply chain, owners can circumvent some of these issues with access to robust telemetry data to better prepare and improve readiness, response and recovery efforts. There’s a tremendous amount of cooperation that occurs when there are hurricanes as organizations come from all over the country to help troubled areas. Having access to real-time data on the location and status of assets and human resources are critical in the coordination of relief efforts as well as adjustments needed to keep the supply chain moving. With telemetry tech providing extensive data, companies have insights into their employees, fleets and cargo and can make more informed decisions to ensure their safety. Telemetry tech helps companies to increase efficiency and productivity while reducing costs and improving profitability throughout the supply chain regardless of hurricane disruptions. Mark Stanton is the GM of PowerFleet for Supply Chain Solutions. In his role, Mark is responsible for all business-related activities including sales, engineering, product management, finance and administration, and warehouse operations for both the industrial and logistics sides of PowerFleet’s business. Prior to joining I.D. Systems (PowerFleet) in 2014, Mark was the vice president of corporate sales at Isotrak Inc. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD The term “nuclear” joined the lexicon of the transportation industry in the last decade as insurance costs have been rising from runaway jury verdicts. In a June 2020 report, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) counted a 967% increase in the average size of verdicts, from $2,305,736 in 2010 to $22,288,000 in 2018. CCJ Symposium: Time to Transform Future-proofing your fleet operations for the road ahead Join us in person at the the 2021 CCJ Symposium, August 9-11, in Birmingham, Ala. CCJ Symposium assembles fleet executives, thought leaders, industry analysts and leading suppliers to give you concrete action items for trucking’s most pressing issues. We'll have multiple sessions to talk through how to:
Don’t miss what might be your first chance in a long time to collaborate and socialize in-person with your peers at the picturesque Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa. The Reptile Theory approach is often used by the plaintiff’s bar. When deposing the truck driver involved in the accident, the line of questions from the attorney is aimed at getting the driver to claim ignorance of certain regulations or training they have received by their carriers. For this reason and others, driver training is not a one-time event, argues Mark Murrell, co-founder of CarriersEdge, a provider of online driver training for the trucking industry. “An effective program instills in drivers and employees alike a sense that safety is not only a significant part of the company’s culture, but also an ongoing process,” he said. Another cornerstone of effective safety programs is to provide regular feedback and measurements to employees and employers that show whether or not the approaches being used are effective in terms of improving safety performance, he noted. “When companies face liability claims, the ability to produce records demonstrating a serious, concerted effort in safety training can significantly reduce the amount of a potential settlement,” Murrell said. Getting down to business Chris Haney, director of health, safety, security, environment (HSSE) and human resources at Payne Trucking, has revamped the fleet’s driver training program over the past year. The Fredericksburg, Virginia-based company has a niche in dry bulk and hazardous materials transport with more than 800 end dump trailers, dry vans and storage containers powered by a fleet of 130 tractors. [Related: How Payne Trucking quickly adapted its driver training to work during a pandemic] Payne Trucking is using the Luma eNugget learning management system (LMS) that comes with a collection of more than 750 courses on various orientation, safety and compliance topics in mixed mediums. As an added layer of training, Payne Trucking sends periodic “safety flashes” to educate drivers and document their awareness when management sees incident or accident trends developing. “Not only am I getting proof that drivers have received [the training] and completed it, but more importantly from the liability side, there is a realized level of comprehension, and that is priceless,” he said. Boyle Transportation uses a methodical hiring and training approach that focuses on the learning needs of the individual driver. The Billerica, Massachusetts-based company specializes in high-value and high-security freight markets with customers in defense, life sciences and radioactive materials industries. “We try to hire the best of the best,” said Michael Lasko, manager of safety and quality. All driver hires, regardless of previous work experience, go through a comprehensive five-day orientation training program. “We really invest in the people we’ve hired,” he said. “Our focus is making sure drivers are equipped with all the tools they need to succeed.” [Related: Fleets use technology to individualize training for driver needs] During orientation training, drivers get hands-on instructions for specialized equipment, regulations, hours of service and fatigue management, company policies and defensive driving using the Smith System. After orientation, drivers are paired with mentors – tenured drivers they can contact any time they need help with policies or procedures. Drivers are provided a reference manual of company policies and customer-specific instructions. The manual also has an online version that drivers access through Boyle’s proprietary company app. For ongoing driver training, Boyle identifies specific needs based on the feedback of driver mentors, from fleet personnel in operations and safety, and from a video-based safety system. The training assigned to each driver could be hands-on from CarriersEdge or simply a conversation. “It’s all about equipping drivers with the tools and skills they need to succeed,” Lasko said. “Everybody has different learning styles. We take that into consideration. Some respond well to online training, some not so much.” Eric Nelson, vice president of safety and recruiting at Roaring Spring, Pennsylvania-based Smith Transport, rolled out a new video-based driver safety platform across the company’s 900-truck fleet last year. [Related: Racing into 2020: Smith Transport shifts strategies to fast-track growth] Motor carriers that use advanced safety technology, particularly video-based telematics systems, have been able to manage a constant flow of information to address risky driving behaviors proactively. The SmartDrive system that Smith Transport uses from Omnitracs gives driver trainers a dashboard that “really tells the story” about drivers and critical safety events to manage accident risk proactively, Nelson said. The SmartDrive system calculates safety scores that represent the observed rate of risk for every driver based on numerous behaviors such as speeding, following distance and aggressive maneuvers. The scores are normalized by hours and miles driven. The higher the score, the higher the collision risk. “What we are trying to do is coach the driver, mitigate risk and change behaviors before it becomes a collision and a terminating offense,” Nelson said. Visit this site to see the full agenda of the CCJ Symposium and register to attend the in-person event in Birmingham, Alabama. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, June 23, 2021: ATA Truck Tonnage Index falls for second straight month “Tonnage, despite falling slightly over the last two months, remains well above the lows of last year,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “This is no small deal considering that truck tonnage fell significantly less than many other indicators during the depths of the pandemic in the spring of 2020.” Costello noted that gasoline shipments are helping keep tonnage elevated as demand for travel increases. “I’m also expecting retail freight to remain robust as inventories are at historic lows,” he said. “As retail stocks are rebuilt, it will boost freight. As has been the case for some time, trucking’s biggest challenges are not on the demand side, but on the supply side, including difficulty finding qualified drivers.” Compared with May 2020, the seasonally adjusted index rose 3.7%, which was preceded by a 6.7% year-over-year jump in April. Year-to-date, compared with the same five months in 2020, tonnage is up 0.4%. The not seasonally adjusted index, which represents the change in tonnage actually hauled by the fleets before any seasonal adjustment, equaled 113.8 in May, 0.2% below the April level (114). ATA’s For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index is dominated by contract freight as opposed to spot market freight. Trucking serves as a barometer of the U.S. economy, representing 72.5% of tonnage carried by all modes of domestic freight transportation, including manufactured and retail goods. Motor carriers collected $791.7 billion, or 80.4% of total revenue earned by all transport modes. Minneapolis considers ban on overnight truck parking “The Minnesota Trucking Association strongly opposes the truck parking ban under consideration by the city of Minneapolis,” said MTA President John Hausladen in a written statement. “If approved, this ban would force truck drivers to park outside of the city, which would impede on-time deliveries and disrupt daily commerce.” The proposed ban says all vehicles that weigh or have a carrying capacity over 26,000 pounds would be prohibited from parking on any street unless one of the following criteria is met:
Citations for violation of the ordinance could be written to the driver, lessee or owner of the vehicle. The fine for violation of the ordinance would initially be $100 through Dec. 31, 2022. Thereafter, the fine would be $250. Hausladen noted that many trucks parked overnight in the city are independent contractors from the area. “These small businesses, many of whom are minority owned, would have no viable alternative for overnight parking,” he said. “This ban could effectively force many of these hard-working residents to choose between their livelihood and the place they call home. With an existing truck driver shortage we simply cannot afford to have qualified drivers leave the industry.” Hausladen called on the city to look for ways to provide more safe parking for truckers rather than taking parking away. “We call on the Minneapolis City Council to craft a fundamentally fair policy that balances parking management concerns with the essential services truck drivers provide,” he said. “We would welcome the opportunity to work with Minneapolis leaders to develop a smart solution.” MTA urged its member fleets and their drivers to testify at the hearing. Pricing continues record-setting trend in for-hire trucking ACT found that a drop in load-to-truck rations on DAT during May, combined with a softening of consumer-related factors, led to the lowest Volume Index reading since the start of the pandemic, ACT President and Senior Analyst Kenny Vieth said. Vieth noted, however, that despite the drop in volumes, “we continue to witness the strongest rate environment in the survey’s history, with capacity re-engagement extraordinarily challenging as a result of driver and manufacturing constraints limiting the supply response.” Regarding the supply-demand balance, Vieth said, “The pullback in the freight gauge and a tough seasonal factor on top of that were contributing factors in the sharp decline of the Supply-Demand Balance reading, which dropped 9ppts month-over-month to a 13-month low 50.6 in May. Strong freight visibility suggests this metric will rebound from here as rebalancing continues into the medium-term.” Trucker Tools acquired by ASG ASG has other properties in the transportation sector, and the freight brokerage market is “ripe for innovative companies,” said Jesse Buckingham, who joins Trucker Tools from ASG as chief revenue officer. In the last 5 to 7 years, a number of well-funded digital freight brokers have tried to disintermediate the transportation industry by developing freight matching technology that connects shippers directly with carriers, but their impact “hasn’t been quite as significant as many were expecting,” he added. “Brokers are here to stay.” Freight brokers that are trying to innovate while honoring their relationships with carriers have created space for technology providers, like Trucker Tools, to help with digital transformation, he explained. “We are excited about Trucker Tools as a leader in that space.” ASG has made 35 acquisitions to date and specializes in helping software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies grow and build out reliable, resilient software services. “Their philosophy, mindset and approach complement Trucker Tools culture and values, and are well-aligned with our laser-focus on superior customer engagement and product performance,” said Prasad Gollapalli, founder and CEO of Trucker Tools. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Trucker Tools was founded in 2013. About 300 freight brokers are on the platform today, along with almost 1.4 million truckers and 170,000 small fleet operators using the mobile booking and tracking app. Gollapalli added that Trucker Tools plans to accelerate its software development under the new ownership. “There are a lot of things we have been wanting to do in this space,” he said. “We are still faster than most companies, but we’d like to take it to the next level. With this partnership, we will be able to do that.” Trucker Tools and ASG did not announce financial terms of the acquisition. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD It seems my colleagues at NACFE and I have several conversations and email threads going about electric trucks all of the time. Part of it is because we are in the run-up to Run on Less -Electric, but it also has to be because there is so much momentum behind electric vehicles (EVs) at the moment. In certain corners of our industry, there are ongoing discussions about which trucks could be electric today, how many more could be electric tomorrow, and who will be involved to make it happen. There is no doubt that electric trucks are not yet ready to replace all diesel- or gasoline-powered ones. But the benefits, including no tailpipe emissions, lower operating costs, independence from oil and more, are enticing enough that there is a large amount of investment leading to confidence that problems with range, charging infrastructure, purchase price and other issues will be solved. I was recently in some conversations about natural gas trucks, and what I find interesting is the benefits and challenges are nearly exactly the same as they are for EVs. Proponents of natural gas tout lower emissions, lower operating costs and its abundance in North America, while recognizing the challenges of range, fueling infrastructure and purchase price. Natural gas has been around in our industry for a several decades. I’m not exactly sure how long it’s been used in transportation but my earliest memories are of a CNG powered bus that took me to grade school. I could tell this bus was quieter. It had that unmistakable smell of natural gas instead of diesel fumes, but did not quite have as much power as it struggled over the hills of suburban Pittsburgh. So, without getting into specifics on how long it’s been since I was in grade school, suffice it to say that natural gas has had a multiple decades head start on EVs. I think it’s fair to say that natural gas has not found the success as a transportation fuel that its proponents have hoped, and optimism around the fuel is waning. Not that long ago, investment and enthusiasm were pouring into natural gas as fracking made it cheap and abundant. There was even the hope that it would fuel our passenger cars. On the surface, it seemed to make sense. It was cheaper than gasoline and many of us have natural gas in our homes, opening up the possibility of re-fueling at home (again, the parallels to EVs are uncanny.) But clearly, natural gas-powered cars have not taken over our garages. The story is the same with trucks. There are fleets that are enthusiastic about their natural gas trucks, and some are taking delivery of their first natural gas trucks today. But the fact is, the technology has stagnated and the investment money has moved elsewhere. The cost premium for a natural gas truck today is about as much as it was a decade ago, the range hasn’t really improved, the fueling infrastructure remains spotty and it still needs massive incentives to make financial sense to most fleets. I will confess my ambivalence towards natural gas as a transportation fuel. In grade school, I did not think one was better than the other, just that they were different. But I also never wanted a car powered by it, and in my years in this industry I have rarely had any discussions on it, much less multiple ones in the same week. What I’m wondering is, how did we get here? Why did EVs go from geeky science experiment to cutting edge cool to the future of transportation while another technology with the same challenges languished? Yes, battery costs have come down dramatically, but it took hundreds of millions of dollars in investment to get there. I suspect that amount of money could have solved some of the problems with natural gas as well. And most investment money is a trend follower, not a trendsetter. I think the reason is Tesla. The Model S took electric cars from “No, that’s not my Prius” to “I want that Tesla!” I almost hate to say it, because Elon Musk gets enough accolades already while so many others have quietly done so much to help our industry along, but that was the turning point for me and, I suspect, our industry. Would natural gas have taken off if it had its own Elon Musk? Who knows? Would EVs still be in our transportation future? Probably. But I don’t think we’d be having nearly as many meetings and projects about electric trucks today as we are without him. Thanks Elon. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD Kinedyne’s has released its new Kold-Front Refrigerated Curtain System as a driver-friendly alternative to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) strip curtains typically used to keep refrigerated cargo at a safe temperature during transport. The company claims its new solution also provides better thermal resistance and greater durability than traditional refrigerated side curtains. Kold-Front is effortless to use and sturdier than a standard refrigerated side curtain, which provides better insulation to maintain required low interior temperatures while loading and unloading cargo. “The Kold-Front system makes drivers’ lives significantly easier while they’re making all those trips in and out of the truck,” said Roger Perlstein, vice president – sales and marketing, Kinedyne. “Because it’s a solid curtain, it keeps the cold air inside the truck to protect cargo and, thanks to Kinedyne’s exclusive ultra-glide design, drivers have no trouble opening and closing it.” One of the major weaknesses of traditional refrigerated side curtains is the use of two-wheeled plastic rollers. The wheels often bind, causing the curtain to get stuck. Drivers tug on the curtains to get them moving, and then the plastic breaks. Instead of plastic rollers, Kold-Front curtains are equipped with a patented five-roller system – a precisely balanced combination of five steel wheels with ball bearings for minimal friction. Kold-Front’s solid curtain provides better insulation with a curtain that is 40% heavier than a standard side curtain, helping to maintain the required low interior temperatures in a refrigerated trailer. The Kold-Front Refrigerated Curtain System kit includes an 84-inch Kin-Slider aluminum roller track; three five-wheel rollers; standard-sized 26 oz. PVC commercial-grade curtain – 60 inches wide by 102 inches long, ballast-weighted; and four hook and loop fasteners. While the kit comes with a standard-curtain, the color and dimensions are customizable based on fleets’ needs. The curtain has a 15-inch trimmable bottom sweep to allow for length adjustments. Kinedyne provides instructions for fleets to install the kit themselves or arrange for their dealer/distributor to do it. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, June 22, 2021: Attorney enters guilty plea for role in staged-accident fraud scheme According to Evans, attorney Danny Patrick Keating Jr. pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud for his involvement in the case. Keating was the 33rd defendant charged in the federal probe into the intentional staging of accidents with trucks in the New Orleans metro area. Of the 33 indicted defendants, 23 have entered guilty pleas in federal court. Keating admitted to conspiring with Damian Labeaud and others to defraud insurance companies, commercial carriers and trucking companies. Labeaud referred staged accidents to Keating and other New Orleans personal injury attorneys for $1,000 per passenger for accidents involving trucks and $500 per passenger for accidents not involving trucks. Keating reportedly advanced Labeaud thousands of dollars for the accidents and instructed Labeaud that he owed Keating a certain number of accidents based on the amount of money advanced. Keating admitted he knowingly paid Labeaud for 31 staged truck accidents. He represented 77 plaintiffs involved in the 31 accidents staged by Labeaud. He also settled 17 of the 31 staged accidents, earning his clients approximately $1.5 million. Keating faces a maximum term of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to any person of the offense. FMCSA officially delays implementation of electronic med cert rule The agency published an interim final rule in 2018 extending the compliance date for the rule until June 22, 2021. However, the proper systems are still not in place, so the agency is delaying the implementation until June 23, 2025. The extension “will provide FMCSA time to complete certain information technology (IT) system development tasks for its National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners and to provide the state driver’s licensing agencies (SDLAs) sufficient time to make the necessary IT programming changes when the new National Registry system is completed and available,” FCMSA said in the notice. The rule, part of which took effect in 2015, requires FMCSA to electronically transmit to SDLAs the results of drivers’ medical certifications once the exams have been completed. FMCSA receives this information from medical examiners, who are required to upload exam results to FMCSA by midnight the day after the exam is completed. State agencies, once they receive results from FMCSA, will send the results to the Commercial Driver’s License Information System (CDLIS) to make other states aware of the results. Once the rule is fully implemented, motor carriers will no longer be required to verify that CDL/CLP drivers were certified by a certified medical examiner listed on the National Registry. The proposal to delay the compliance date means that through June 22, 2025:
Reopening date still unknown for closed I-40 bridge in Memphis The bridge, which normally carries some 41,000 vehicles a day, has been closed since May 11 when a routine inspection found a major crack in a steel support beam. Currently, all interstate traffic in the Memphis area is being diverted to I-55. See details of the detour here. Earlier this month, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited the bridge . "The situation with this bridge may be a regional issue, but it is a national concern," Buttigieg said. It's been estimated that the closing of the I-40 bridge costs the trucking industry some $2.4 million a day. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD |
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