Load-post volume on the DAT network fell 9% for the week ending Oct. 24 compared to the previous week and is now down 15% month-over-month as higher contract rates and jammed supply chains contribute to lower spot volumes. National average load-to-truck ratios for dry van, refrigerated and flatbed freight all declined week-over-week and at 5.1 loads per truck, the van ratio hit its lowest point since the third week of June. It has declined for four straight weeks. Spot van freight averaged $2.48 a mile excluding a fuel surcharge last week – 30 cents higher than this time last year and up 72 cents over the same period in 2018. Flatbed rates continue to weaken seasonally across much of the country. At $2.58 per mile, the average line-haul flatbed rate was down 3 cents week over week. It’s the first time since April that the 7-day national average flatbed rate has been lower than $2.60 a mile. The flatbed load-to-truck ratio dipped from 46.5 to 42.6. The average spot reefer line-haul rate rose 4 cents to $2.84 a mile while the national average reefer load-to-truck ratio slipped from 11.7 to 10.8. Late-season harvests in northern markets are driving demand for temperature-controlled equipment as well as flatbeds and vans, depending on the commodity. Nearly 85% of the country’s annual apple and pear harvest comes from Washington State and Oregon and according the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, truckload carriers in the two states can expect to move around 3,100 loads per week in November, peaking at almost 4,000 loads per week by January. Reefer spot rates in the Pendleton, Oregon, market averaged $2.98 a mile excluding fuel, a 10-cent increase week over week as load post volumes continue to climb in the area (up 24% month-over-month). Many of these loads are headed to California. The average rate to Stockton hit a 12-month high at $2.64 a mile last week, while the rate to Los Angeles averaged an all-time high of $2.58 a mile. Line-haul rates exclude a fuel surcharge. The national average price of diesel was $3.71 per gallon last week, a seven-year high. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD
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Trailer orders improved in September to 28,300 units, according to FTR, driven mostly by a few large fleet requirements for next year. September orders were up about 109% month-over-month but down 45% year-over-year. Trailer orders now total 316,000 units over the past twelve months. September total net trailer orders grew mainly as the result of a 268% month-over-month surge in dry van orders for the month, as some 2022 orderbooks were cautiously cracked open, according to Frank Maly, ACT Research director of commercial vehicle transportation analysis and research. "Dry van and reefer OEMs are trying to walk a very delicate line, setting their pricing in a very challenging inflationary environment while also balancing production commitments with component and material availability and staffing concerns.” he added. “Staffing seems to have become a more challenging issue for the industry. Adds to staff are very difficult, while consistent attendance of existing staff is also reported to be problematic.” Many OEMs have unfilled orders from 2021, which will roll into the first quarter of 2022 and makes production planning difficult. Don Ake, FTR vice president of commercial vehicles, said he expects orders to surge when OEMs are more confident about future manufacturing conditions. "The supply chain bottlenecks which hampered production throughout 2021 will, unfortunately, continue into 2022. Trailer OEMs are facing shortages of over two dozen components including steel, aluminum, rubber products, wood flooring, wiring harnesses, and plastic parts, etc.," he said. "The supply chain is now expected to improve only at a modest pace throughout 2022.” Fleets are desperate for new trailers, Ake said, adding there are reports from the field of trailers breaking down because they are being run for an extended time due to the shortage of new trailers. "The pent-up demand is growing every month, so when the trailerOEMs are finally able to ramp up production, they will be under pressure to produce at elevated rates for an extended time," he said. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD Ryder System (CCJ Top 250, No. 14) said Wednesday it will acquire Midwest Warehouse & Distribution System, a Woodridge, Illinois-based provider of warehousing, distribution and transportation solutions primarily for food, beverage and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies. Midwest operates nine multi-client and eight dedicated-customer warehouses in five regions, primarily in the greater Chicago area, but also New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas. Midwest’s warehouse space totals approximately 7 million square feet and is supported by a company-owned fleet of trucks. Ryder's President of Global Supply Chain Solutions Steve Sensing said the company has been eyeing multi-client warehousing and distribution capabilities "for some time," adding Ryder currently serve nine of the Top 10 U.S. food and beverage companies, "and this acquisition enables us to offer those customers – as well as additional blue-chip customers in Midwest’s portfolio – even more capacity and greater flexibility.” Ryder will integrate Midwest’s facilities and operations into its CPG business, retain Midwest’s executive team and continue operations with the company’s workforce. “Multi-client warehouse environments are a great entry point for new customers looking for a 3PL that can meet their needs now and in the future,” said Darin Cooprider, senior vice president of CPG for Ryder. “As our customers’ businesses grow and evolve, we can seamlessly transition them from multi-client warehouses to dedicated facilities. We offer dedicated transportation solutions for guaranteed capacity and a robust transportation management offering which can help mitigate market fluctuations. And, we offer proprietary technologies that set the standard for real-time visibility and collaboration across the end-to-end supply chain, so we can help our customers avoid costly delays and continually find efficiency gains. We do what we do best, so our customers can focus on what they do best.” The transaction is expected to close next month. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD COVID-19 contact tracing could prove to be the downfall of President Joe Biden’s hotly contested vaccine mandate. Employers with 100 employees or more may soon be required to have their employees vaccinated against the highly contagious coronavirus or face costly fines. A provision for weekly testing in lieu of vaccination is expected to be added to the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS), which awaits OSHA approval. The American Trucking Associations, one of several industry groups meeting with White House officials to caution against implementing the vaccine mandate for fear of further straining an already anemic labor supply, reported that the mandate will likely push out 37% of drivers at a time when they say 80,000 more are needed to help alleviate unprecedented kinks in America’s supply chain. [Related: Economist says trucking short 80,000 drivers] Legal challenges are mounting against the president’s tough stance on COVID, including in Florida where Governor Rick DeSantis said recently that the state will challenge Biden’s mandate in court. Legal battles from states and businesses are expected to grow and may prove devastating to the president’s mandate given the disease’s most troubling characteristic: its highly contagious and invisible mode of transmission, which cannot be so easily traced to the workplace where OSHA holds jurisdiction. “OSHA must prove that a hazard exists in order to issue a citation where the employer is found to violate the standard,” said Angelo Filippi, the leading business attorney at the Kelley Kronenberg law firm, which specializes in trucking and transportation law. “Proof that a hazard exists will be difficult, especially where employers have complied with CDC guidelines to socially distance workers, require masks in common areas and establish strict sanitization procedures,” Filippi continued. When challenged in court, the toughest part for the Biden administration will be proving that a COVID case was transmitted at work, thus making it a workplace hazard. “Where an incidence of COVID does occur among the workforce, proving that it occurred in the workplace as opposed to any other circumstance where exposure was possible is extremely difficult,” Filippi said. “Should a citation be issued, the employer has a right to contest it and be heard before an administrative law judge,” Filippi continued. “An appeal to a federal circuit court could follow any adverse ruling.” [Related: ATA asks White House for trucking exemption from vaccine mandate] Fisher Philips, which also specializes in trucking and transportation law, told CCJ that OSHA ETS directives don’t always hold up in court. “We expect industry groups and some states to mount court challenge to the OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard when it is issued,” said Fisher Philips attorney Kevin Troutman. “Specific rules and limitations apply to the issuance of an ETS and many such standards have been successfully challenged in the past.” Troutman and Filippi both advised that court challenges and contrary state laws, such as the recent ban on the vaccine mandate in Texas, do not override federal law. “Until those challenges are resolved or a court issues an injunction, however, covered employers who do not comply with the ETS will risk incurring significant fines,” Troutman said. “Keep in mind that the rule is expected to include an option for weekly testing instead of vaccination, which may be helpful to some employers.” Costs for vaccine testing can vary with the Kaiser Family Foundation reporting a median cost of $148 per test. OSHA has yet to determine how those costs will be covered, which may ultimately be billed to employers. A recent survey conducted by Fisher Phillips showed that 43% of employers subject to the ETS “were considering implementing a testing program instead of a vaccine mandate.” East Florida Hauling in Miami, Florida, which handles drayage and general freight wants neither. “Driver recruitment is hard enough already without having anything additional added to it,” said East Florida Hauling controller Lissette Lesmes. “I got vaccinated,” Lesmes continued. “I thought it’s important and we want to be active as far as trying to stay healthy and not catch COVID. But don’t mandate it because everyone’s different and everybody has different points of views and needs especially when it comes to health.” U.S. Senator Rick Scott (R-Florida), who has continued to push back against Biden’s vaccine mandate, advocates for COVID vaccinations based on personal preference. He pointed to a recent report from the Federal Reserve, which cites vaccine mandate and childcare concerns as top reasons for low labor participation. “The Federal Reserve admitted what I have been warning about for weeks: Joe Biden’s unconstitutional vaccine mandates are causing higher turnover, driving Americans out of their jobs and further fueling the devastating supply chain and inflation crises plaguing American families,” Scott said in a Senate office press release. “I had COVID and got the vaccine,” Scott continued. “While I encourage others to do the same, that was my personal choice. Getting the vaccine should be the personal choice of every American and government has no right to force this decision on them.” https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021: U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree begins cross-country journeyThe 2021 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree began its journey from the Mad River Ranger District of the Six Rivers National Forest in California to Washington, D.C., following its harvesting on Oct. 23. The harvest ceremony included brief remarks by USDA Forest Service leadership, local elected officials and project partners, as well as a blessing by the Lassic Band of Wylacki-Wintoon Family Group Inc. A Kenworth T680 will transport the 84-foot White Fir, nicknamed “Sugar Bear,” to a full slate of community celebrations during a 3,300-mile journey from Northern California to Washington, D.C. ‘Six Rivers, Many Peoples, One Tree’ is the tour theme. System Transport, the official designated tour carrier, is using its new T680 equipped with a 76-inch mid-roof sleeper to carry the special tree. It marks the eighth consecutive year that a Kenworth truck will deliver “The People’s Tree.” Below is the 2021 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Tour public schedule:
Mack to offer electric APU on Anthem sleeper modelsMack Trucks announced this week it will offer a factory-installed electric auxiliary power unit (eAPU) for its 70-inch Mack Anthem sleeper models. The Idle Free Series 5000 eAPU offers customers increased air-cooling capacity, reduced idling and simplified maintenance for improved total cost of ownership. “Reduced idle time means increased fuel savings and engine life for Mack customers, along with decreased engine maintenance costs,” said Stu Russoli, Mack Trucks highway product manager. “The Idle Free eAPU also improves driver comfort because of its high-performing electric cooling capacity, which runs more quietly than diesel-powered APUs and can help drivers have uninterrupted rest time.” The Idle Free eAPU features a 10,000 BTU compressor and three-speed evaporator fan to direct the airflow to the sleeper without duct work, allowing the driver to easily adjust temperature and fan speed from the control panel located on the evaporator in the bunk. The system can be retrofitted with an automatic start-stop kit, which allows the truck to automatically idle to recharge the batteries, turning the engine off when they are fully charged. The Idle Free eAPU will be available for order in Q2 2022. Hogan earns EPA SmartWay awardHogan Transportation (CCJ Top 250, No. 64) was honored with the SmartWay Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as an industry leader in environmental performance and energy efficiency. Hogan has adopted many fuel saving strategies, including auxiliary power units, speed restrictions, halos, trailer skirts, fuel efficient tires and longer side extenders. The company says it works to constantly update its fleet in order to have newer trucks on the road emitting less carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and particulate matter. Hogan Transportation was one of 62 truck and multimodal carriers to receive the distinction, representing the best environmental performers of SmartWay’s nearly 4,000 partners. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD Call the National Guard? California businesses call port backlog an 'emergency' situation10/26/2021 President Joe Biden on Thursday mentioned the possibility of calling in the U.S. National Guard to address the truck driver shortage as port backlogs and inflation swell heading into the holiday season, and while the troops haven't deployed just yet, other industry watchers are already calling for a state of emergency. Asked point blank if he'd consider involving the National Guard to move freight, Biden said yes at a CNN town hall on Thursday. “The answer is yes, if we can’t move—increase the number of truckers, which we’re in the process of doing,” Biden said without clarifying what actions his administration was taking to increase the number of truckers on the road. Later, his press secretary would walk back those claims, saying the administration was "not actively pursuing the use of the National Guard on a federal level." But even short of boots on the ground, many industry watchers are calling for California Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency. Nineteen business organizations in California, including the California Truckers Association, the California Retailers Association, and the Southern California Logistics Council wrote a letter to the state's executive asking him to take extraordinary measures to combat the port backlog, including rolling back some of the state's ambitious regulations. The letter praised Biden's plan to move to 24/7 port operation, but ultimately said it "will do little without immediate action from the state to address other barriers that have created bottlenecks at the ports, warehouses, trucking, rail, and the entire supply chain." The letter's assertion tracks with CCJ's reporting that showed trucking industry professionals see more trouble at the ports than simply hours of business. Beyond simply providing retail goods for the holiday season, the letter said the crisis at the ports would increase inflation, which it called a "de facto regressive tax." Indeed, recent economic data has suggested that despite wage growth across the economy, inflation has outpaced these gains and the coming Thanksgiving holiday could hit its most expensive level on record with everything from coffee to meat to furniture soaring in price. Citing the environmental risk of having an unprecedented backlog of steamships sitting at sea and the impact on California's considerable agricultural exports not getting to port on time, the letter called for the following steps.
Could temporary deregulation help the driver shortage?CCJ sister publication, Overdrive, has extensively reported on the challenges at the ports and heard from many professionals who say overregulation has deincentivized drivers from doing port and drayage work even as rates soar. Recently, the American Trucking Associations' Chief Economist Bob Costello upped his estimate on the driver shortage by 30%, saying the industry is now 80,000 drivers short and that could easily grow to 160,000 by 2030. Costello mostly blamed this problem on demographic trends, but also mentioned poor infrastructure and lack of investment in things like truck parking as reasons. Similarly, for the fifth straight year, the American Transportation Research Institute's Top Industry Issues report found the driver shortage the industry's number one problem, this time by an incredibly wide margin. The trucking industry in California seems convinced that clawing back some of the state's many regulatory initiatives, specifically the vaccine mandate and rules around emissions, could help get goods flowing again. On the federal side, Biden's administration has made it clear they're considering every angle on how to get more trucks leaving the ports, including calling in the national guard. As the letter from the California business groups points out, the state is no closer to its climate goals with "floating warehouses idling off the coast, wasting fuel" than it would be by letting a few trucks idle a bit longer outside of warehouses and port gates. And if, for some reason, Newsom prefers the emissions at sea to the emissions on land, a newly imposed $100 daily fee on ocean carriers that leave containers lingering at the ports of Long Beach or Los Angeles may further convince him to act. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD Embracing artificial intelligence (AI) is a transformational growth move for any business that needs a faster and more accurate path to product development. At an industry level and in almost every field imaginable, "AI for good" is the convergence of the best minds and technologies gathering and sharing data to speed up innovation and solve the world’s most urgent challenges. The most high profile example of such AI for good is the massive, international effort that is driving Covid-19 drug discovery and vaccine development in record time. Improving and saving lives is the cornerstone of AI for good and, like any movement, AI is thankfully sweeping across the automotive industry at an inspired pace to help solve the worrisome rise in distracted driving roadway fatalities. Drivers, passengers, cyclists and pedestrians all stand to benefit. When it comes to driving, commercial fleet vehicles and drivers log more miles than anyone else, and these are not leisure miles. Fleets drive a disproportionate number of urban miles, which are the most complex, highest-risk roads where fatalities take place. Despite advancements, road safety continues to be a major issue. A fleet accident typically costs $16,500 in damages and $57,500 in injury related costs for a total of $74,000. This does not include a broad range of hidden costs including legal fees, insurance increases, lost employee and vehicle time, negative publicity and dampened morale. Collisions and fatalities continue to grow. According to the National Safety Council, motor vehicle deaths in 2020 were estimated to be the highest in 13 years, despite high drops in miles driven with losses running into the tens, if not hundreds of billions of dollars. Yet, for decades, the fleet industry’s efforts to meaningfully lower risk and avoid collisions have been stifled by a limited ability to identify, quantify and therefore mitigate the most critical driving risks in real-time. Historically, fleet operators have managed safety risks with training programs, manual coaching sessions and manager ride-alongs with drivers. In the early 2000s, fleets started to introduce telematics, which measures characteristics of driving based on vehicle motion (such as speed, acceleration and braking) and reports that data to centralized databases and applications in the corporate office. Telematics offer data, but the data generated is a crude, indirect, and poor proxy for actual driving risk. For example, a hard braking event, which would be considered a negative in a telematics system, may actually be a result of excellent defensive driving that helped avoid an accident. But this all changed with the emergence of AI. Augments human decision makingWe’re only human. Even the safest driver can become preoccupied easily. Especially in today’s environment where there have never been more distractions at a driver's fingertips: GPS, adjusting the radio, texting, talking on the phone, etc. This is all in addition to the things happening outside of the car: bikers, runners, other cars, construction crews and so forth.Over 95% of what happens on roadways is predictable. Yes, you read that correctly. This is all made possible with the collection of data and with the help of AI. By utilizing data that is gathered from various avenues, we’ve been able to make strides in predicting accidents before they occur. For example, when an AI-enabled device sees someone approaching a stop sign at high speeds without the indication of actually stopping, tech can step in and alert the driver of an imminent threat. Beyond what’s happening outside the car, AI can also look inside the car and analyze the drivers behaviors. Things such as driver drowsiness can be evaluated and identified and, if applicable, will set off an alert to help give the driver extra time needed to take a preventative action and avoid the collision. Provides real-time infoFor collision prevention to actually work, AI algorithms that analyze the situation must be highly precise and not issue too many false alerts that cause a driver to disengage.Real-time, in-cab alerts are a welcome, automated coaching feature for fleet safety managers. These behavioral nudges can dramatically improve driver performance in mere weeks without human intervention. These gains can then be reinforced with cloud-based scoring models and analytics that enable the automatic identification of highest risk drivers for additional targeted coaching, but also top performers for rewards and recognition. Finally, if needed, video footage of a collision can be used to exonerate drivers and accelerate claims resolution procedures. AI-based technologies combined with data science are truly driving revolution in fleet safety and risk management. Auto and truck manufacturers are building this advanced vehicle safety technology into the next-generation of vehicles to enable all drivers, including consumers, teens and elderly, to benefit from significant collision reduction. Within the next decade, we’ll see it being used to help push along the adoption of electric vehicles and semi autonomous vehicles as well. Stefan Heck, is CEO of Nauto, a real-time, AI-enabled driver and fleet safety platform that predicts, prevents and reduces high-risk events in the mobility ecosystem. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD Few things can shut a trucking company down faster than a crash – either through substantial premium increases or a crippling financial judgement. Want to know the secret to lowering insurance costs? It's driver data. Do you know which drivers are causing your insurance rates to soar? What small driver management changes can you make that will pay off big in reduced risks and lower insurance costs? With decades of experience in the transportation insurance market, experts from the Central Analysis Bureau will use their deep data analysis to show carriers what insurers are looking for and demonstrate steps they can take to keep premiums down and avoid nuclear verdicts. Join us in person at the the 2021 CCJ Solutions Summit, Nov. 30 - Dec. 2, in Chandler, Arizona. CCJ Summit assembles fleet executives, thought leaders, industry analysts and leading suppliers to explore ways equipment, technology and corporate culture can shift the driver paradigm and overcome your No. 1 challenge: Cultivating a qualified workforce. Don’t miss your chance to collaborate and socialize in-person with your peers at the picturesque Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass. Over the last six years, nuclear verdicts have grown 235% (there have been more than 300 in the last 60 months) and have reached the point "they are becoming incredibly common," said Hayden Cardiff, founder of driver management platform Idelic and the company's chief innovation officer. "Plaintiff attorneys don't put the facts of the case on trial," he said, adding, instead, they focus on putting the carrier on trial because that's where the money is. "They're putting these fleets under a microscope." [Related: Experts explain how to make your fleet defensible from nuclear verdicts] Brandon Guiliani, agency principal with transportation insurance specialist Seubert & Associates, conceded that trucking company's insurance rates are indeed going up, but despite rate increases he said transportation's property and casualty market hasn't turned a profit since 2010. "Unfortunately, when that happens, you have a lot of [insurance companies] exiting the marketplace," he said, adding that underwriters can't make money because losses outweigh premiums thanks to factors like inflation, the looming threats of nuclear verdicts and the increasing cost of vehicles. Nuclear verdicts have also changed the capacity levels that insurance carriers will offer, with some dropping policy coverage capacity from $5 million down to $1 million, leaving carriers who want a safety net of coverage to piece policies together from multiple providers. Lost in that price-driven piecemeal process is the relationship between the carrier and the insurance company, which Guiliani said can help uncover savings and opportunities. "These insurance carriers are trying to mitigate risk as much as they can," Cardiff added, "and if they don't know something, they're going to assume the worst." The biggest hurdles when approaching a renewal, Guiliani said, is showing an underwriter that the fleet is utilizing data to prevent and document incidents. He said carriers should be open with their underwriters because that relationship can help uncover opportunities to increase safety, even if that includes opening up fleet data to the underwriter. [Related: Watch, coach & delete: Using data to fight off accident verdicts] "They're underwriting you. If you give them any ammunition to increase that rate, they'e going to take it," he said, noting it's often a question of when not if regarding an accident. "Carriers need to start evaluating what they are doing in preventing accidents, evaluating drivers and any proactive approaches in driver training. If we're doing everything we can to prevent (accidents), why aren't we letting (underwriters) in?" That so many providers have left the segment, insurance markets left are evaluating fleets on rings of costs, and fleets that don't embrace all levels of available safety technologies should expect a bump in rates. "93% of all accidents are caused by human error," Cardiff said, "and technology gives you a predictive tool on when accidents might happen." Cultural shiftGuiliani said making a case that a fleet is as safe as possible starts at the top and hits every person on the way down, adding it's not solely about safety. Safety is tangental to prevention."It's all about developing, changing, the culture of prevention," he said. "You need to start preventing. What are we doing from a driver management standpoint to either minimize or prevent accidents in the beginning?" [Related: New Texas law deals blow to Reptile Theory trial strategy in crash litigation] Love County Sheriff's OfficeIt's not enough to simply gather data. Fleets have to do something with it. Guiliani conceded many trucking companies see that as difficult since a spectrum of safety systems generates mountains of information and that data flow can be overwhelming to one person responsible for hundreds – if not thousands – of drivers. Cardiff said a pivot toward "operationalizing safety" can streamline the flow of data because it gives all stakeholders involved skin in the game. "All data needs to be shared among all safety individuals," Guiliani said, "from your safety (department) to your risk (department)." Guiliani said drivers often offer the best insight into the company's safety culture because if its not a priority for management, it's not a priority for drivers. He added instilling a culture of prevention should be a priority in the driver onboarding process and drivers who are not a cultural fit should be weeded out. "10% of your fleet causes 90% of your problems," he said, adding that the 90% should be rewarded for being safe drivers because a rewards program is good proactive safety measure. Embrace technologyBoth Cardiff and Guiliani advocate the effectiveness of driver and forward-facing cameras as a defense mechanism in a court case and as a driver training tool. Guiliani said it's likely that insurance carriers will eventually mandate technology like cameras and event recorders.While these can be unpopular with drivers, Guiliani said fleet managers can spin the Big Brother perception, adding that fleets have the most success when "drivers know that you're watching after them, not over them," he said. "Drivers want to know you've got their back." Cardiff suggested having driver advocates explain to fellow drivers how cameras can be a benefit, not only for the fleet but also for the driver personally. "At the end of the day, everybody just wants to avoid litigation," he said. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021: Volvo recalls certain 2022 VNL tractorsVolvo Trucks is recalling approximately 162 model year 2022 VNL tractors for an issue with the ECM that affects the transmission, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents. According to the recall, the electronic control unit software may allow the transmission to shift into neutral unexpectedly. Included in the recall are 2022 VNLs manufactured between Jan. 4, 2021, and Oct. 4, 2021, with a Cummins ISL and Eaton Endurant transmission. The software issue is with Volvo Electronic Control Unit software and is not an Eaton or Cummins issue, the recall states. Dealers will reprogram the ECM free of charge. Owners can contact Volvo Trucks' customer service at 1-800-528-6586. With recall number RVXX2104. NHTSA’s recall number is 21V-781. Uber Freight adds partners for quicker carrier payments, fuel cardUber Freight has partnered with card issuing platform Marqeta and payments platform Branch to offer fast, reliable payments and carrier-first financial services to carriers. Through Marqeta’s card issuing platform and Branch’s digital wallet, Uber Freight can pay carriers significantly faster at no additional cost. Rather than waiting 30 days or longer for the traditional accounts payable process, carriers on Uber Freight can get paid two hours after approved proof of delivery, the company says. In addition to faster payments, Branch’s digital wallet features a suite of financial services to help carriers grow their businesses, including a fee-free, FDIC-insured checking account and a commercial card specifically designed to enable the fastest carrier settlements in the trucking industry. The Uber Freight Card powered by Branch provides Uber Freight carriers a free-to-use card to easily spend funds from the Branch Wallet, and fuel rewards to support drivers on their biggest expense. “We started Uber Freight with a commitment to empowering carriers of all sizes to get the most out of their workday. We were first to market with transparent pricing and have grown to support the world’s largest network of digital carriers,” said Lior Ron, Head of Uber Freight. “This partnership allows us to continue building our suite of carrier-first tools and offer the small carriers on our platform — the mom and pop shops and new authority carriers just starting their businesses — the opportunity to take advantage of lightning-fast payments, fuel discounts, and other benefits typically reserved for larger carriers. We’re proud to give underserved carriers this competitive edge and help them grow their businesses.” Merchants Fleet partners with EV charging firmFleet management company Merchants Fleet has partnered with electric vehicle charging network operator EVgo to offer a variety of services to Merchants Fleet customers. EVgo will provide a full range of solutions including infrastructure planning, hardware, software, Operations and maintenance, and infrastructure deployment services to Merchants Fleet clients to support the electrification of fleets nationwide. The new partnership is the first of its kind for EVgo, and gives Merchants Fleet clients the ability to leverage a combination of depot charging solutions, dedicated charging networks and EVgo's public network comprised of over 800 fast-charging and 1,200+ Level 2 locations. EVgo's locations bring the reliability of more than 98% uptime and deep coverage in urban core areas, with its solutions backed by superior 24/7 customer support that further reinforces convenience, safety and interoperability for EV fleets. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD During the annual State of the Industry and Association address at the 2021 American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference and Exhibition in Nashville, ATA President Chris Spear on Monday celebrated the organization’s advocacy and legislative achievements while citing challenges from politicians, organized labor and trial lawyers. With a vote on the Infrastructure and Jobs Act not expected until Wednesday, Spear confidently chalked up its pending passage as “an example of what is possible when we tell our story,” he said to the audience of motor carriers, state trucking associations, suppliers and industry stakeholders. “In the House and Senate, ATA testified 24 times over the last five years and held countless Calls on Washington on Capitol Hill, where our members walked the halls, knocked on doors and made an ask. Talk about your voice being heard.” Spear noted the bill’s $477 billion in new funding – including $347.5 billion for highways and $37 billion for bridges – is the largest federal investment for road and bridge infrastructure since the creation of the Interstate Highway System. It also includes ATA’s Drive Safe Act policy that would develop training and open the door for under-21 drivers to operate across state lines, establishes a Women in Trucking Advisory Board at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and fund a Department of Transportation advertisement campaign to promote the trucking profession. “What is in this bill is good, but what is not in this bill is even better,” added Spear. “While the radical left pushed hard for them, we fought successfully and kept harmful anti-trucking measures out of the bill, including the PRO Act, independent contractor reclassification, a reversal of our meal and rest break pre-emption victory, as well as hours of service rollbacks and a return to the old, flawed CSA scoring program.” Spear said ATA also fought efforts by Senate Republicans that would have funded the bill “solely on the backs of truckers, proposing a truck-only tax and broadening state tolling authorities… This bill received ATA’s support because it paves way for America’s future, not yesterday’s politician.” Spear identified several issues ATA and the industry are currently engaged in, beginning with the proposed COVID-19 vaccine mandate and a warning to politicians of its ramifications on the supply chain. “[Trucking] remains committed to customers, consumers and the nation, delivering milk, eggs and bread, as well as PPE, test kits and now vaccines,” Spear said. “Elected officials would be wise to take that into consideration, especially with mounting shortages of talent not just in trucking but in every sector of the nation’s economy where labor participation is at an alarming 61%." Spear continued to press Washington politicians, noting the change in White House administration and federal agencies as well as the power shift in the U.S. Senate since ATA last met in San Diego in 2019. “All with new leaders and all with a new agenda, and not all of it is together aligned with our priorities. These changes have also emboldened our foes, giving them the platform to promote self-serving needs laced with rhetoric and emotion.” Two years ago, nuclear verdicts and lawsuit abuse were identified as a tier-1 priority issue for ATA. Spear said in that time, the federation and state trucking associations have racked up multiple victories, including wins in Iowa, Missouri, Louisiana, Montana, West Virginia and Texas. “Let’s be clear. For two and a half centuries our nation’s justice system has been blind, not political,” said Spear. “We are done subsidizing this vile profession. We are alerting defense attorneys of the science and arming them with the proper response. This approach ensures the cases center on the facts and merits, not Powerball payouts.” Turning his attention to organized labor, Spear highlighted three instances where unions are pushing agendas that threaten the trucking industry. “Now they are pulling out all stops on their so-called PRO Act, which would take decades-old federal labor laws in favor of unions, removing employer protections, state right-to-work laws, and make it a breeze to organize open shops,” he said. “They want to take California’s AB5 classification of independent contractors to the national stage, and not surprisingly, they want to reverse our hard-fought win pre-empting California’s duplicative meal and rest breaks. “At every chance to legislate one or all of these issues, these big labor bosses have come up short,” he added. “They have lacked the votes on all three, driven largely by what folks back home are telling their elected officials, ‘This is America where individual freedom to decide one’s path still means something.’ Once again, your voice is being heard.” https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD |
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