Trucking news and briefs for Monday, July 12, 2021: Registration for Training Provider Registry opens ahead of ELDT implementationAfter more than four years since the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Entry-Level Driver Training rule was published, the agency has finally launched the long-awaited Training Provider Registry. Under the ELDT rule, which takes effect Feb. 7, 2022, only training providers listed on the TPR will be eligible to train pre-CDL truck drivers. CDL trainers can now register to be listed on the TPR. For a CDL trainer to be listed on the TPR, they must meet the requirements of the rule, which includes following the training curriculum listed in the rule; using facilities, vehicles and instructors that meet the criteria outlined in the rule; meeting recordkeeping requirements; and be licensed, certified, registered, or authorized to provide training in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations of any state where in-person training is conducted. The ELDT regulations establish minimum training requirements for entry-level commercial motor vehicle operators in interstate and intrastate commerce who are applying for: A Class A or Class B commercial driver’s license (CDL) for the first time An upgrade of their CDL (such as a Class B CDL holder seeking a Class A CDL) A hazardous materials, passenger, or school bus endorsement for the first time The requirements do not apply to individuals holding a valid CDL or an H, P, or S endorsement issued prior to Feb. 7, 2022. Individuals who obtain a commercial learner’s permit before the compliance date of Feb. 7, 2022, are not subject to ELDT requirements as long as they obtain a CDL before the expiration date of the CLP or renewed CLP. Pennsylvania Turnpike announces 2022 toll increaseStart saving your nickels and dimes – and more – if your trucking travels put you on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Tolls on the turnpike will rise by 5% in January, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission announced this week. The agency board voted to impose the higher rates as of Jan. 2, 2022. Officials say 2022 will be the first time in six years that fares will have jumped by less than 6% The most common truck fare will go from $13 to $13.70 for E-ZPass, and from $26.60 to $28 for toll-by-plate. ATA seeking America’s Road Team nominationsThe American Trucking Associations last week began accepting nominations for truck drivers to serve on the 2022-2023 America’s Road Team. Every two years, ATA searches for truck drivers with superior skills and strong safety records who are willing to take time away from the cab to demonstrate the trucking industry’s commitment to safety. Due to the pandemic, ATA postponed the selection process of the newest class of America’s Road Team Captains until now. To nominate a professional truck driver for America's Road Team, please review the eligibility requirements and complete the nomination form. “For 35 years, America’s Road Team has represented the best professional truck drivers in the industry,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “This diverse group of Captains are great ambassadors for our industry, representing all segments of trucking and every region of the country. We look forward to continuing the tradition of having dedicated, passionate and safe drivers educate America about our essential and powerful industry.” https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD
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United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 2069 members rejected for the third time a new labor agreement Friday evening, extending a strike at Volvo Trucks North America's New River Valley truck assembly operations (NRV) in Dublin, Virginia, that has dragged on for more than a month. Volvo Trucks and UAW leadership reached their most recent agreement July 1, and Friday the deal was put before local membership, which rejected it by a fairly wide margin. Hourly language was shot down 60% to 40%, common language 60% to 40% and salary language 67% to 33%. Brian Rothenberg, UAW International director of public relations, said the current strike will continue and that the elected UAW Local 2069 Bargaining Committee will continue to work on negotiating a new labor contract. “Given the significant wage gains and first-class benefits this agreement delivered, and the strong support it garnered from UAW leadership at every level, this outcome is unexpected and very disappointing,” said NRV Vice President and General Manager Franky Marchand. "Now that our employees have rejected three successive agreements endorsed by the leaders they elected to represent them, we need to consider our next steps." Volvo's NRV plant employs more than 3,300 people, about 2,900 of whom are UAW members. The plant is in the midst of a $400 million investment for advanced technology upgrades, site expansion and preparation for future products, including the innovative Volvo VNR Electric truck. The plant has added 1,100 jobs since the current union agreement was implemented in 2016 and is on track to have a net increase of approximately 600 positions this year. "The ongoing strike – which we continue to believe is unnecessary – is hurting our customers, and has already set back our project to expand and upgrade the facility," Marchand said. "No one is gaining from the current situation, and we will consider all options related to the bargaining process.” Contract negotiations between UAW and Volvo started Feb. 8. UAW Local 2069 workers went on strike Saturday, April 17, following the lapse of a 30-day extension to a five-year contract that expired March 15. The union strike ended April 30 after a two-week work stoppage when the parties reached a tentative agreement on a new five-year deal, but local members ultimately rejected the proposal. Local 2069 members rejected a subsequent six-year labor agreement June 6 and returned to strike the following day. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD In the process of complying with the ELD mandate many fleets have invested in new mobile technology that supports a wide range of present and future needs. Amid the current driver shortage, a panel of fleet executives on July 8 said using a real-time driver coaching app included in their ELD system has resulted in improved fuel efficiency, safety and retention. Real-time driver coaching is becoming more common with many ELD and telematics systems today having cameras, edge computing and software algorithms that can instantly detect and alert drivers to underperforming behaviors and risks, such as distraction. The panel of fleet executives participated in a webinar hosted by the Truckload Carriers Association that was sponsored by ISAAC Instruments. Putting a coach in the cabWhen CNTL was searching for an ELD platform, Derek Gaston, supervisor of trucking operations for the trucking subsidiary of railway Canadian National (CN), said the company wanted “an industry leading system” for safety and compliance. When evaluating a platform from ISAAC, “we saw the potential of live driver coaching,” he continued. “It was definitely a bonus in the scope of our product and company goals.” ISAAC has a live coaching feature that gives drivers instant feedback on their fuel behaviors such as throttle input, shifting and cruise control use. It also monitors safety behaviors and has a camera system that records critical safety events. In total the ISAAC platform monitors more than 40 vehicle inputs at a rate of 100 times per second and gives driver intuitive feedback, said Jean-Sebastien Bouchard, co-founder and executive vice president of sales of ISAAC Instruments. Tucker Freight Lines, a dry van and flatbed carrier based in Dubuque, Iowa, has been using ISAAC for about two years. “The Driver Coach app really works well with the driver,” said Cody McClain, director of safety and human resources for Tucker Freight. “In talking to drivers, that has been the number one thing they love.” Drivers know what they need to do to make themselves better, he explained. To that end, McClain attributes an overall increase in fleet mpg of 1.0 to the use of ISAAC's Driver Coach. With an improvement of 1.0 mpg, drivers are saving about $200 per week in fuel. Lease-purchase contractors and owner-operators are taking these savings to the bank, and in the course of one year are saving up to $10,000, he said. “[$10,000] is a big number, and it can seem to be such a big goal,” McClain said. ISAAC's driver scoring system lets drivers monitor their progress towards their fuel-saving goals on a daily basis, he explained. Streamlining administrationTucker Freight Lines is using driver scores from ISAAC as the basis for an incentive plan to reward company and contractor drivers for making positive contributions towards the fleet's safety and fuel efficiency goals, among other areas. Deryk Gillespie, vice president of information technology and Innovation for Trimac (CCJ Top 250, No. 63), one of the largest tanker carriers in North America with more than 2,000 trucks, said the company has been using weekly driver scores to qualify its employees and contractors for prize drawings. The Driver Coach feature has removed the administrative headaches of tracking and reporting driver data and talking to drivers about their performance over the phone or bringing them into the office, said Gillespie. “It’s proactive and a lot easier to administer,” he said. Trimac first installed the platform in about 200 trucks and did not use Driver Coach for nearly a year. During this period, the platform established a baseline for MPG. Since implementing Driver Coach, Trimac has seen fuel efficiency improvements in the 7 to 10 percent range compared to the same trucks, drivers and routes. Fleetwide savings are lower, between 2 and 3 percent, due to a wide variation in operating conditions. All three fleet executives also praised a feature that allows them to remotely view the screens drivers see on their tablets to assist with training. “That has been a lifesaver for us,” McClain said. “This has helped with our retention numbers more than anything else.” When drivers are trying to explain something that's happening inside or outside the cab, CTNL’s Derek Gaston said fleet managers in the office can see exactly what drivers mean when they turn a camera on in the tablet and show the office a live video feed. “That is a game changer for us,” he said. Trimac’s Deryk Gillespie mentioned strides in efficiency the company has made with the electronic Driver Vehicle Inspection Report (eDVIR), a third-party document scanning app, and by giving drivers electronic access to company documents. “We are pretty much paperless in the back office side,” he said. Gillespie said third-party applications can be installed on the ISAAC platform and be locked down while the vehicle is in motion for safety. “I am convinced that’s where the future of the industry needs to go,” he said. All fleet executives agreed that real-time driver coaching also reduces job stress when drivers have information to hone their skills. “I really do think it helps the health of a driver if they follow the Coach,” Gaston said. Tucker Freight Lines’ Cody McClain recalled a conversation he had with a driver who had significantly improved his driving score, mostly by taming his penchant for speeding. The driver, McClain said, told him that “when I get home at the end of week, my wife likes me better. I’m in a better mood and less stressed.” https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD Trucking news and briefs for Friday, July 9, 2021: DOT, Labor Department officials discuss driver recruitment, retentionAs part of the Biden administration’s ongoing work addressing supply chain disruption, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, and Deputy Administrator Meera Joshi of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration hosted a roundtable Thursday to discuss truck driver recruitment and retention. "Our economy is getting back on its feet, but the pandemic has exposed and exacerbated longstanding challenges in our supply chain - including truck driver retention.” Buttigieg said. “We are bringing government, industry and key stakeholders together to help support truck drivers and all the consumers and businesses who rely on them." The American Trucking Associations was one trucking group included in the roundtable discussion. ATA’s Executive Vice Presidency of Advocacy Bill Sullivan joined the group to discuss challenges and opportunities facing the trucking workforce and federal policymakers. “The COVID pandemic made Americans more acutely aware of how critical truckers are in sustaining the high standards of living we enjoy in this country,” Sullivan said. “We appreciate Secretaries Buttigieg and Walsh and FMCSA Deputy Administrator Joshi for their leadership in providing a forum to strengthen collaboration as we work together on positive solutions that improve highway safety, make our supply chain more resilient and grow our workforce.” Sullivan stressed the industry’s high priority of reaching new talent – including the recruitment of more urban, rural, female and younger drivers – to help stem the tide of attrition. The median age of truck drivers is well above national average of all workers. And since federal regulations prevent younger drivers from participating in interstate trucking earlier in their careers, the average age of new drivers being trained is 35 – making trucking a career of last resort, rather than first choice, for many. Buttigieg moderated a conversation with stakeholders to surface best practices to improve driver retention and limit turnover. Walsh provided an overview of the Department of Labor’s registered apprenticeship programs and how they can be a tool in driver retention. "Registered Apprenticeship - which offers workers quality, on-the-job training along with wage progression, and has been shown to improve job retention - can help build a more stable and resilient workforce,” Walsh said. “I look forward to working with Secretary Buttigieg and industry leaders to expand Registered Apprenticeship in order to improve access and retention in the trucking industry." Apprenticeships can allow drivers to enter the industry without debt from training, help drivers prepare for the challenges of the job, and receive training on innovative technologies, DOT said in a press release. FMCSA will also facilitate connections between stakeholders and DOL apprenticeship resources and help support the implementation of best practices and administrative actions to improve long-haul truck driver retention. In addition to Thursday’s meeting, FMCSA is working to address other challenges in trucking, including supporting state DMVs as they return to pre-pandemic commercial driver’s license issuance rates, which is helping address the truck driver shortage, DOT added. In 2021, an average of 50,000 CDLs have been issued each month, which is 14% higher than the 2019 monthly average and 60% higher than the 2020 monthly average, DOT said. Further, FMCSA granted operating authority to more than 92,000 motor carriers, which is an 88% increase from the same time period in 2020 and a 60% increase from the same time period in 2019. TMC reports unscheduled roadside maintenance on the riseThe American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council found an industrywide increase in the frequency of unscheduled roadside maintenance in its first-quarter 2021 TMC/FleetNet America Vertical Benchmarking Program. The survey found that during the first quarter of this year, fleets averaged 29,506 miles of operation between unscheduled road repairs, which was down 18.7% from the fourth quarter of 2020. TMC reports that truckload carriers averaged 21,856 miles between breakdowns, a 13.1% decrease in miles from the previous quarter. The time between breakdowns for LTL carriers dropped 18.7% to 44,380 miles in the first quarter from the final quarter of 2020. The tank truck sector saw an average of 17,420 miles between breakdowns in the first quarter, down from 12.4% from the previous quarter. XPO unveils new benefits for driver traineesXPO Logistics (CCJ Top 250, No. 6) has launched new benefits for participants in its driver training programs. The company’s recent enhancements to student compensation and training options are designed to provide industry-best career paths, with access to schools in approximately 30 states, and the flexibility to arrange local attendance. XPO driver trainees now receive:
“Our recent investments in LTL training will give more students an edge in becoming highly skilled drivers,” said Josephine Berisha, chief human resources officer for XPO Logistics. “We welcome all applicants with an interest in driving for XPO as an industry leader, including our non-driver employees who want to pursue a career behind the wheel.” https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD Lawmakers in Texas last month passed a bill, which has since been signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott, that adds a layer of protection for motor carriers in post-crash litigation. The law will go into effect Sept. 1. 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 new law, known as HB19 from its path through the state legislature, requires a jury to find a trucking company or truck driver liable for a crash before exemplary damages can be sought in a civil case. It allows a defendant trucking company to request a two-phase trial in which the first phase would be used to determine liability for the crash itself and the amount of compensatory damages awarded. The second phase would be used to determine any negligence from the motor carrier, such as driver training or equipment problems, and the amount of exemplary damages awarded. The law strikes a blow against plaintiff’s attorneys who have used the Reptile Theory to go after trucking companies for large verdicts during a trial, regardless of whether the trucking company was at fault for the accident. As previously covered by CCJ, Reptile Theory is a tactic used by the plaintiff’s bar to paint a trucking company as a bad actor without necessarily focusing on the facts of the crash the trial is about. Keep Texas Safe, a group managed by Ruben Herrera with Thomas J. Henry Injury Attorneys, argued that “HB19 excuses truck and commercial vehicle driver fault for accident[s] in all but the most extreme cases, virtually giving truck drivers a ‘get out of jail free’ card. It also absolves the companies that employ these drivers from any independent compliance with federal or state safety regulations, like training or maintenance for their vehicles.” Despite the criticism of the legislation, Texas Trucking Association President and CEO John Esparza said the new law will still protect the rights of Texans and all Americans traveling through Texas who may be involved in a crash with a commercial vehicle, “but at the same time reduce opportunities for some of these trial lawyers to manipulate evidence at trial in which they’ve been seeking millions and millions in damages in cases where the commercial vehicle owner was not at fault and where the plaintiff in many cases was not even injured.” Esparza noted that in recent months, one TXTA member “spent over eight hours of deposition over an accident that occurred, and not a single one of those questions were about the accident itself. It was all about the company.” Hear more about what Texas' new law will mean for trucking companies on this week's 10-44 webisode in the video above. One high-profile case that helped spur this legislation was the nearly $90 million verdict against Werner Enterprises for a 2014 crash in which the Werner driver, Shiraz Ali, was not at fault. The jury in that case, however, determined that due to Werner policies, Ali should not have been on the road at the time of the accident given weather conditions, even though the driver of the pickup truck that struck Ali lost control and crossed a median. Esparza said he believes the case with Werner would not have played out that way had this law been in place. “I believe that in that case, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation about Werner right now,” he said. “Mr. [Derek] Leathers over there would be a lot happier with the court system in the state of Texas than he is today.” Esparza also credits the American Transportation Research Institute for a study on nuclear verdicts and the impacts large verdicts have had on insurance rates for trucking companies. He said in the previous legislative session, lawmakers asked for more data rather than anecdotes about rising insurance costs. “Things have to be broken before they’re fixed, far too often, and that can be a dangerous proposition when you talk about the risk that small companies take when they’re trying to survive year over year, and whether or not they have a recordable accident, they’re seeing insurance rates rise as a result,” he said. “This is a tide that, unfortunately, lifts all boats. And more frustrating for those companies that said, ‘I’m not even involved in an accident,’ yet they’re seeing significant increases because of the abuse out there. So, we were able to exact some measure of change we believe is going to have a lasting impact on the abuse out there.” Esparza believes the new law will have a positive impact on insurance rates in Texas down the road, and added that a provision in the law requires the Texas Department of Insurance to conduct a six-year study on the effect of the law on insurance rates. While Esparza said this law is a step in the right direction, it will likely not be the last form of tort reform TXTA and others work toward in the future. “We’re going to watch this and see how the plaintiff’s bar reacts, see what other areas they may look to abuse,” he said. Wondering if the new law will help rising insurance costs? Check out the video above. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD CCJ’s technology news and briefs for the week of July 5 EROAD brings in trailer telematics from Phillips ConnectEROAD is offering smart trailer devices, sensors and dashboards from Phillips Connect to its fleet customers that already use EROAD’s telematics, safety and compliance platform. With the addition of EROAD Asset Tracker powered by Phillips Connect, the company says its fleet management platform has end-to-end visibility. EROAD and Phillips Connect are integrating their systems to have information about drivers, tractors, fleet assets, and geofences from EROAD available in the Phillips Connect interface. Fleet Complete rolls out new version of AI dashcamTelematics provider Fleet Complete released Vision 2.0 of its dual-facing dash camera, now with advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), edge artificial intelligence processing, driver monitoring (for drowsiness and distraction), and coaching via a companion app. Nella, a Toronto, Canada-based company that distributes restaurant equipment and supplies, is one of the first to use the new technology. “Our drivers have to be very efficient and careful with their loads, because this equipment is very expensive, delicate – or really sharp,” said Rob Nella, chief executive of Nella. “Fleet Complete's Vision 2.0 is a very intelligent onboard solution that adds that extra layer of safety and a heads-up for our drivers on the road to avoid any mishaps that can cost us both financially and in customer satisfaction.” Vision 2.0 works as a plug-and-play installation for any vehicle with an OBDII, 6-pin or 9-pin port. It integrates with the Fleet Complete management platform for clients to access vehicle data, driving analytics and video through a single interface. CXT Software automates final-mile routing with Wise SystemsCXT Software has a new license agreement to use Wise Systems’ AI-driven routing and dispatching platform, making it the first courier technology company to license Wise’s software. “We are bringing to market arguably the most powerful and only AI-driven route optimization for the industry,” said Shaun Richardson, chief executive of CXT Software. Technology from Wise Systems and CXT Software will automatically recommend optimal drivers to assign to orders based on the fleet’s capacity and constraints. In addition, Wise Systems and CXT Software will deliver a product suite of last-mile delivery software to help drivers and dispatchers manage distribution operations. Wise Systems continues to expand in dynamic delivery industries, which include parcel and courier, with customers such as Anheuser-Busch and Lyft. Loadsure expands platform for pay-as-you-go cargo insuranceLoadsure, an insurtech provider specializing in cargo insurance, has updated its pay-as-you-go smart cargo insurance platform with higher limits, broader commodities coverage, and dynamic products — with quotes available in 40 seconds or less. “The economy is beginning to reopen, and highly targeted freight, like food and beverage, is moving in volume for the first time since 2019,” said Loadsure CEO Johnny McCord. “Leveraging AI and automation, brokers, shippers, and carriers can now expand coverage for these high-value loads and protect commonly excluded specialty freight on the fly, all through direct platform access, custom integrations, or third-party platforms.” Loadsure’s digital platform has limits of up to $2M in coverage for any single mode of transport and $100,000 for LTL shipments, broader commodities coverage, and products that match the unique specifications of each load available in increments of $10K, which it says help cut per-load coverage costs by as much as 80%. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, July 8, 2021: Tropical Storm Elsa prompts HOS waivers in Florida, GeorgiaIn preparation for a major storm making landfall, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp this week issued emergency declarations, suspending hours of service regulations for haulers providing direct assistance to any emergency related to the storm. The waiver in Florida applies to carriers in 27 counties in the state – Alachua, Charlotte, Columbia, Citrus, Collier, Dixie, Franklin, Hamilton, Hernando, Hillsborough, Gilchrist, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Lee, Levy, Madison, Manatee, Marion, Monroe, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor and Wakulla counties. Georgia’s declaration is effective in 92 counties across the southern and eastern parts of the state. The full list of counties can be seen in the emergency declaration. Georgia’s declaration is set to expire July 14, while Florida’s will expire Aug. 2. Tropical Storm Elsa made landfall Wednesday morning in northwest Florida after weakening from hurricane status overnight Tuesday. As the storm moves inland, it is expected to travel up the Southeast coast, bringing heavy rain and winds to parts of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. Three major European OEMs partner to develop EV infrastructureVolvo Group, Daimler Truck and the Traton Group have signed a non-binding agreement to install and operate a high-performance public charging network for battery-electric heavy-duty long-haul trucks across Europe. The goal of the partnership is to initiate and accelerate the build-up of charging infrastructure in Europe. The agreement lays the foundation of a future joint venture (JV) – equally owned by the three parties, planning to start operations in 2022. The parties intend to invest together 500 million Euros to install and operate at least 1,700 high-performance green energy charging points close to highways, as well as at logistic and destination points, within five years from the establishment of the JV. The future JV is planned to operate under its own corporate identity and be based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The future JV will be able to build on the broad experience and knowledge of its founding partners in heavy-duty trucking. Fuel prices hit highest average since late 2018Diesel prices across the United States hit the highest national average in two-and-a-half years during the week ending July 5, according to the Department of Energy’s weekly report. The U.S.’ average price for a gallon of on-highway diesel now stands at $3.331, up 3.1 cents over the previous week. The last time prices were higher was during the week ending Nov. 5, 2018, when prices averaged $3.338 per gallon nationwide. During the most recent week, the most significant increase was seen in the Rocky Mountain region, where prices jumped by 8.3 cents. The nation’s most expensive diesel can be found in California at $4.185 per gallon, followed by the West Coast less California region at $3.55 per gallon. The cheapest fuel can be found in the Gulf Coast region at $3.076 per gallon, followed by the Lower Atlantic region at $3.204 per gallon. Prices in other regions, according to DOE, are:
ProMiles’ numbers during the same week saw fuel prices increase by 1.9 cents, bringing its national average to $3.241 per gallon. According to ProMiles’ Fuel Surcharge Index, the most expensive diesel can be found in California at $4.079 per gallon, and the cheapest can be found in the Gulf Coast region at $3.028 per gallon. HHG company owners plead guilty to federal fraud chargesMichael and Yarin (Joe) Nadel pleaded guilty on June 24 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud after allegedly defrauding customers of various New York-based household goods moving companies. The Nadels reportedly owned and operated State to State Moving NY, Inc.; Green Peace Transportation, LLC; Around the Clock Moving Services, Inc., and other moving companies. The pair allegedly defrauded customers – directly or through brokers – by misrepresenting the estimated charges for their moving services. They then extorted customers by refusing to return or threatening to sell or auction customers’ goods unless they received more money. In addition, they allegedly submitted falsified information to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration by failing to disclose affiliations with other motor carriers whose operating authority had been revoked or suspended by FMCSA. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD Increasing driver retention is one of the holy grails of fleet management. One approach that has been gaining traction follows the simple philosophy of treating drivers fully as people in a demanding occupation, rather than as commodities or monetized assets. The job of driving requires a lot of time, effort and attention. As such, fleets can show drivers a great deal of respect by valuing their time and making their work easier. The following two ideas will do just that and provide an added benefit of improving fleet operations and profitability. Create a single sign on experienceTo make the work experience more seamless for drivers, get everything that drivers need from the office (or as much of it as possible), onto one platform. For example, drivers should not need to enter their name/credentials more than once when starting their workday to receive messages from dispatch, see their scorecard and so forth. 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. Any additional logins waste time that could be more effectively spent driving, or worse, contribute to drivers trying to multi-task while in motion. Distraction comes easily when drivers have to switch between apps or enter multiple log-ins. Creating a “single sign-on” experience for drivers also boosts security. Users will not have the risky but common behavior of carrying a single password across several gateways. Not only does it make sense for drivers but it also improves the work experience for office team members. The menace of the working world, “app overload,” is a prime driver of inefficiency and poor productivity. Studies estimate that it takes 20 minutes to get back into the groove after being distracted or sidetracked. Further, studies show that app-switching wastes more than an hour a day, which adds up to more than a month of workdays per year. Cleaning up this messy way of operating will create a more effective workforce. Digitize paperworkDocument management is another area that positively impacts the lives of drivers, office-based team members and the overall health of a business. It is no secret that transportation is a paperwork-heavy industry, so this is an area of focus that doesn’t need to take a back seat to much else. Fleets do not want their drivers to have more reasons than necessary to get out of their vehicles to perform non-driving tasks. One way to help accomplish this is for the driver to scan a bill of lading after delivering a load and send it electronically. It’s easy to see how this moves the driver along. He or she just has to take a picture, transmit it and get back on her way without fuss. But what happens from there might be a different story. A common set-up would have team members back at the office performing data input from incoming scanned files. This time-consuming manual process is redundant and prone to data input errors from document overload. If five workers receive 100 documents in a day, only 80% of them may get done because of manual labor and other issues. This amounts to another 100 documents at the end of the day that go into the next day’s pile or have to be addressed with overtime. A relatively simple automated process can monitor emails that come in with files; perform a scan for the relevant data; conduct ICR data extraction of text with impressively high accuracy rates for translating all but the very sloppiest handwriting; input the data into an appropriate system; and notify personnel of any fields needed for manual intervention. In this way, 10 to 15 minutes of data entry are transformed into one to two minutes of review. Initial estimates indicate that businesses following this strategy can see immediate savings. As the daily workload gets cleared, team members gain more time to do more critical tasks. Sending out more invoices in a quicker window also speeds up the payment cycle. These and other efforts that ease the work-life of drivers and team members will have a boomerang effect that creates both immediate and long-lasting benefits for the business. George Thellman is senior director of transportation management solutions at EOX Vantage, a provider of custom applications and digital services based in Beachwood, Ohio. https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD Knight-Swift acquisition of AAA Cooper part of 'an ongoing evolution' of industry's largest players7/7/2021 The trucking industry saw a handful of mergers and buyouts in the first six months of the year. Among the more notable moves was when CCJ Top 250 No. 1 carrier UPS announced in January the sale of its UPS Freight business to TFI International (No. 8) for $800 million. In May, CSX Corp. acquired Quality Carriers from Quality Distribution (No. 34), and Hirschbach Motor Lines (No. 64) acquired Eagan, Minnesota-based Lessors, Inc., a nearly 300-truck reefer fleet last month. 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 second half of 2021 – all of one week old – has proven just as eventful with Werner Enterprises (No. 11) acquiring an 80% equity ownership stake in Pennsylvania-based regional hauler ECM Transport Group for $142.4 million, and Knight-Swift (No. 4) this week acquiring Dothan, Alabama-based less-than-truckload carrier AAA Cooper Transportation (No. 49). "AAA Cooper’s interchange partners have to be feeling pretty good." ACT Research Vice President and Senior Analyst Tim Denoyer In its investor call announcing the acquisition Tuesday, Knight-Swift CEO Dave Jackson said many of his company’s existing customers also ship LTL freight, so bringing in AAA Cooper will allow them to offer more services to existing customers. He added that, despite the differences in truckload and LTL, the companies “believe there are capacity and pricing trends and business intelligence tools between truckload and LTL that both Knight-Swift and AAA Cooper can learn from each other to make us more effective in the markets we serve.” The addition of AAA Cooper to Knight-Swift’s portfolio will make LTL the company’s second-largest segment, representing 14% of the Knight-Swift’s revenue, behind only truckload revenue at 63%. “We targeted LTL because the market is growing due to e-commerce and supply chain trends,” Jackson said. “Driver retention is more favorable and even though volumes can be cyclical, the rate structure has less volatility. Additionally, the equipment has longer lives, which can improve the free cash flow profile compared to full truckload at similar operating margins. For these reasons, we believe LTL offers a strong line of business to leverage as a growth platform.” ACT Research Vice President and Senior Analyst Tim Denoyer called Knight-Swift's move into LTL "transformational," noting the deal "certainly has potential for more deals down the road as they build out a network." The rationale that lured Knight-Swift into the segment, Denoyer added, was consistent with ACT's long-held views that the LTL cycle will be less volatile than truckload over the long-term, and LTL has growing strategic importance in the freight market because of e-commerce supply chain trends. "AAA Cooper’s interchange partners have to be feeling pretty good," he said. Donald Broughton, managing director and principal of Broughton Capital, specifically noted e-commerce as a primary driver for the deal. “Really, even just until a few years ago, if someone asked me what the customer base of an LTL carrier looked like, it looked far more industrial,” Broughton said, "but e-commerce changed that. Now you look at the complexion of that business, and it’s far different than five to 10 years ago.” Broughton added that the acquisition of AAA Cooper “will fit within Knight’s concept of having regional terminals everywhere, which will dovetail nicely into an LTL network. It provides backhaul, linehaul capacity, velocity – all the things you need to run an LTL business.” FTR Vice President of Trucking Avery Vise said the transaction reflects "an ongoing evolution of the largest players in trucking becoming comprehensive solutions providers as opposed to leaders in discrete industry segments." "We expect more transactions where large truckload carriers purchase major regional LTL carriers and, perhaps, where large LTL carriers purchase major regional and even national truckload carriers," he said. "Trucking remains far less concentrated than just about any other industry, so we could see numerous such transactions without any real change in the industry's overall competitiveness." https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance of truck-enforcement jurisdictions around the country, federal enforcement representatives and trucking industry representatives stages its annual traffic enforcement event, Operation Safe Driver, next week, July 11-17. The enforcement effort this year responded to what some have called a veritable epidemic in speed-related fatality crashes all around the nation during and in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. That's across all vehicle types but, anecdotally among truckers, particularly evident in witnessed reckless behavior by garden variety motorists. There could be good news in next week's enforcement blitz in that regard for owner-operators and other professionals. Following last year's event, CVSA reported about three times as many warnings and citations issued to passenger vehicle drivers as to truckers during the event, the largest category of violation being speeding. (Operation Safe Driver is unique among CVSA-promoted enforcement initiatives in focusing not just on truckers' compliance with safety regs and state laws governing operation on the roadways, but also passenger-vehicle drivers' behavior around trucks.) When it comes to moving violations issued to truckers, though raw numbers nationally declined in 2020 by roughly 20% from 2019 levels, the long-term upward trend of greater and greater percentages of violations indicating enforcement focused on driver behavior continued last year. Speeding violations, as usual, were the biggest single contributor to those numbers.
Find further resources related to the Level 3 driver-only inspection often conducted attendant to a traffic stop, fighting tickets where justified and more related to roadside enforcement via the following links to past coverage: **Fighting tickets, with or without legal help https://ift.tt/2ytPsnD |
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April 2023
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