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12/01/23 - The electric trucks revolutionising the delivery industry

Fastertruck News - 12/01/23 - 10:28:15am - Adding a battery to a big, heavy truck was regarded as illogical, with concerns around range not helping progress. But thanks to advancements in battery technology and chemistry, electric trucks are ...

12/01/23 - World AIDS Day 2023 | Truckers' health — as HIV/AIDS there other concerns as well to be addressed

Fastertruck News - 12/01/23 - 04:27:36am - Apart from HIV/AIDS there are other health concerns like Refractive errors, Cataract, Hypertension, Diabetes, Tobacco and Alcohol Addiction and Tuberculosis that are also prevalent among the truckers ...

11/30/23 - Truck driver recruitment efforts hindered by federally required Entry Level Driver Training, says Trucking Association VP

Fastertruck News - 11/30/23 - 10:30:22pm -

The recruiting of new truck drivers is being hindered by the Entry Level Driver Training rule that began last spring, says a trucking industry executive. 

The ELDT rule went into effect on February 7th, 2022. The rule puts forward minimum requirements for entry-level driver training standards. The requirements apply to training providers and CDL applicants. 

Now, nearly two years later, Mid-West Truckers Association Vice President Matt Wells says the number of truckers remains steady, despite calls for more drivers – all because of the added barriers to entry created by the ELDT.  

Wells also says that the new rule requires people who don’t really fit the mold of truck driver to complete the ELDT. 

“You also have CDL requirements for your local township supervisors that operate their dump trucks. That need is completely different than the need of an over-the-road truck-driving company,” said Wells to 25 News Now.

Despite $48 million in grants aimed at bringing more people into trucking, Colleges that offer a trucking school, like Illinois Central College, have added only 30 more students to the course than the previous year. The grant even pays trucking students $15 an hour to go to school and covers the cost of the course.

In 2022 and 2023, efforts have been made to repeal the ELDT ruling, but for now it remains in effect. 

11/30/23 - Ohio trooper’s dash cam catches snowy 13 vehicle pileup as it happens

Fastertruck News - 11/30/23 - 10:30:22pm -

The Ohio State Highway Patrol released dash cam and body cam video from a snowy 13 vehicle pileup that occurred near Cleveland on Tuesday.

The pileup occurred shortly before 10 a.m. on November 28 amid winter weather conditions.

Thirteen vehicles including semi trucks collided on northbound I-271.

Several people suffered injuries, but none of the injuries were life-threatening.

In the dash cam video below, you can see an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper coming up on the beginning of the pileup. As he pulls off on the left shoulder, several other vehicles join the pileup. The video also includes body cam footage that gives you a closer look at the crash site as the trooper moves in on foot to respond to the pileup.

11/30/23 - Grants Expand Eastern Iowa Colleges’ Truck Driving Program

Fastertruck News - 11/30/23 - 10:05:34pm -

Eastern Iowa Community Colleges has received more than $875,000 in grants to expand its truck driving/commercial truck driving program.

11/30/23 - Tesla Cybertruck to Start at $60,990 as Deliveries Commence

Fastertruck News - 11/30/23 - 10:05:34pm -

After two years of delays and production snags, Tesla Inc. has finally handed the first Blade Runner-esque Cybertrucks over to customers.

11/30/23 - Feds show up for trucking against cyber threats

Fastertruck News - 11/30/23 - 09:23:19pm - The Secret Service is mostly known for protecting the president, but it has a critical function in cybersecurity – including investigations that help protect the nation’s financial infrastructure and ...

11/30/23 - Truckers could pay a $36 congestion fee to enter part of Manhattan

Fastertruck News - 11/30/23 - 08:31:51pm -

A new report suggests that truckers could pay a $36 congestion fee to enter part of Manhattan during certain times of day.

During a news conference on Thursday, New York City’s Traffic Mobility Review Board officials provided details on a planned traffic congestion fee for passenger and commercial vehicle drivers entering the Central Business District below 60th Street.

Officials say that the fee for large trucks would be $36. The fee for small trucks would be $24. Passenger vehicle drivers would pay $15.

There would be a 75% reduction in the fee from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The congestion fee program is expected to generate $1 billion in revenue each year for transportation system improvements.

Officials also hope that the congestion fee will curb traffic and improve air quality.

A public comment period is slated to begin early next year, and the congestion fee could be in place by spring 2024 pending a vote by transportation authorities.

New Jersey officials have filed suit over the plan, arguing that it will increase traffic and pollution in New Jersey as drivers try to avoid the fee.

“Tonight’s leaked report demonstrates the rushed and opaque process that the MTA and the Traffic Mobility Review Board have pursued to impose an unfair and ill-conceived congestion pricing tolling scheme on New Jersey commuters. Despite our interconnected and interdependent regional economy and transportation system, New York officials did not meaningfully consult with us from the outset and instead treated New Jerseyans as a convenient way to fill an MTA budget hole,” said Governor Phil Murphy in a public statement on Wednesday night.

11/30/23 - VIDEO: Trucker hauling doubles barely keeps it upright after taking a hit from a car

Fastertruck News - 11/30/23 - 08:31:51pm -

A trucker hauling doubles demonstrates some slick driving skills to keep the trailers from flipping after a car driver causes a crash.

The dash cam clip was captured on November 29, 2023, at the Oregon/California border.

In the video, you can see a small silver car sneak between the dash cammer in the left lane and a second truck hauling double trailers in the right lane. The car driver loses control and strikes the truck in the right lane. The crash causes the double to trailers to swing, but the truck stays upright.

Check out the dash cam video below.

[oc] Surprised trailers didn’t flip
byu/erock1758 inIdiotsInCars

11/30/23 - I-25 in NM shut down as ice and snow cover roadway

Fastertruck News - 11/30/23 - 08:31:51pm -

Interstate 25 in New Mexico shut down on Thursday as ice and snow caused issues all along the roadway. 

As of 1:35 p.m. CST on November 30th, Interstate 25 northbound was shut down at milepost 294 near Santa Fe, New Mexico due to a jackknifed semi truck blocking the road. Traffic was being diverted southbound. 

I-25 northbound is closed at milepost 294 due to jack knifed semi. Traffic being diverted back southbound. pic.twitter.com/mIxMWRRJkZ

— NMSP (@NMStatePolice) November 30, 2023

According to KOB 4 News, authorities also closed southbound I-25 at mile marker 299/Glorieta to make room for crews to plow and lay sand on the roadway. 

Earlier in the day, I-25 was shut down near the Santo Domingo Pueblo exit due to another crash in the ice and snow. 

People not required to travel are advised to stay home. All Santa Fe public schools and city offices are closed for the day. 

11/30/23 - Allego declares pilot for high-power EV truck charging a success

Fastertruck News - 11/30/23 - 08:22:11pm - It also underscores Allego's proficiency in providing successful ultra-fast solutions tailored for the expanding electric truck industry. “Commercial truck charging infrastructure is the keystone to ...

11/30/23 - Board votes in favor of truckers parking at their own homes in wake of sudden code enforcement, ticketing 

Fastertruck News - 11/30/23 - 07:32:38pm -

Board votes in favor of truckers who were recently subject to fines after parking on their own properties for a decade. 

The board of county commissioners voted in favor, 4 to 3, of truckers parking their rigs at their own properties in Loxahatchee and The Acreage in Palm Beach County, Florida on Wednesday, November 29th after over a year of fines and code enforcement aimed at the trucking residents of the towns. 

The measure was backed by Palm Beach County Commissioner Sara Baxter, who says part of the issue was a recent change in state laws that altered the weight limits that constitute a commercial truck, or what weight of vehicle is allowed in residential areas, reported WPTV.

“Most people have been able for a long time to park their semi-trucks in The Acreage,” Baxter said.

“They are trying to push us out of that area while we were there all along,” one trucker said outside of the meeting. 

“I’ve been living out there 24 years,” trucker Jim Laclair said. “They are saying that the roads can’t handle it. That’s what Indian Trail just got done saying, and it’s not right. I mean these big trucks, the tractor trailers when they are empty, they don’t tear up the roads near as bad as what the dump trucks do from Indian Trails.”

But opponents of truck parking say that parking trucks where they live is disruptive to their lifestyle. 

“I don’t want my AR district, where my wildlife and my rural lifestyle is gonna be disturbed due to semi-tractor-trailers,” one opponent said. “Dump trucks and tractor-trailers don’t belong in the neighborhood. You are taking away our property rights.”

The votes in favor of truck parking are just the first step. A hearing on the ordinance change is the next step. The first hearing is scheduled for January 25th, when officials will revisit the issue and make changes to the ordinance if necessary. 

The next steps include a first hearing on the ordinance change on Jan. 25.

That’s when officials said they’ll revisit and make any tweaks.

Also expected to come up is another issue on how to handle the fines incurred for those who do come into compliance.

11/30/23 - Congressional Funding Negotiations Continue in December

Fastertruck News - 11/30/23 - 07:05:26pm -

After the enactment of a short-term government funding bill, congressional fiscal 2024 budget negotiations are expected to continue through the holidays.

11/30/23 - Navistar Sustainability Push Gathers Steam

Fastertruck News - 11/30/23 - 07:05:26pm -

Navistar’s sustainability commitments go back more than 20 years, but in 2023, it has sharpened its focus.

11/30/23 - ATA Criticizes Legislative Proposal on Trucker Compensation

Fastertruck News - 11/30/23 - 07:05:26pm -

American Trucking Associations is leading opposition to legislation in Congress aiming at recasting how certain commercial drivers are compensated.

11/30/23 - October Used Class 8 Sales Up 7% Year-Over-Year

Fastertruck News - 11/30/23 - 07:05:26pm -

Used Class 8 truck sales in October increased 7% year-over-year to 21,500 units from 20,100 units, ACT Research reported.

11/30/23 - Trucking company in deadly Ohio bus crash previously cited for defective brakes

Fastertruck News - 11/30/23 - 06:33:56pm -

A trucking company cited for defective brakes was involved in the recent bus crash that killed six people in Ohio earlier this month. 

The crash happened on November 14th in Licking County, Ohio on Interstate 70. This week, the Ohio DPS released a report stating that the truck driver in the incident, Jacob McDonald, was responsible for the incident because he was “following too closely” in the moments before striking a car and colliding with a charter bus. Now, newly released documents show that the trucking company McDonald was driving for, Mid State Systems, was flagged for brake issues in 2020, 2021, and 2023. Some of these issues even involved rigs driven by McDonald. 

According to ABC News, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio had first flagged Mid State Systems’ trucks in 2020, when they sent a letter accusing Mid State Systems of brake connections with leaks or restrictions, and brake system pressure loss on a truck driven by McDonald.The company was fined $150. 

In 2021, after another inspection of McDonald’s truck, violations including inoperative/defective brakes, excessive weight and “an automatic airbrake adjustment system that fails to compensate for wear,” were alleged in another letter by the commission. 

“The number of defective brakes is equal to or greater than 20 percent of the service brakes on the vehicle or combination,” the letters from 2020 and 2021 both stated. The company was fined $100 for those violations.

In 2022, the commission also alleged that McDonald had driven more than his 14 allotted hours, but no fine was assessed. 

Fewer than three weeks prior to the bus crash, Mid State Systems and the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio reached a settlement for $805 after inspections revealed “brake hose or tubing chafing and/or kinking” and placard/marking issues. That truck was not operated by McDonald. 

A second trucking company involved in the chain reaction crash earlier this month, G.A. Wintzer & Son Co., has also been accused by the commission of  “brake connections with leaks or constrictions,” “failing to secure load” and “inadequate brakes for safe stopping – brake lining condition” on the day of the crash. The company denied these allegations and stated that “we have received the letter from the PUCO [Public Utilities Commission of Ohio] and we disagree with their findings as we believe the accident caused the conditions noted in the letter.”

“Since this matter is still under investigation, we will reserve further comment at this time,” G.A. Wintzer & Son Co. continued. 

Although the Ohio DPS has stated that McDonald was “following too close,” he has not been charged for the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board is currently investigating the crash. 

New body cam footage of an officer responding to the incident can be seen below. Footage may be disturbing to some viewers.

11/30/23 - Indiana police shout out CMV drivers for slowing down in a school zone

Fastertruck News - 11/30/23 - 06:33:56pm -

Police in Delphi, Indiana, recently praised several truck drivers for slowing down in a school zone.

In a November 29 social media post, Delphi Police Department said:

“Shout out to a few commercial vehicles setting the pace in the school zone today! We appreciate you slowing down.

Co-Alliance tanker, didn’t catch the name on the truck, 22mph NB 421

MS Transport dump truck, 24mph NB 421

Davis Mail Service box truck, SB 421. We see you every day and every day you are well under the speed limit.“

More than 700 people liked the post in less than 24 hours.

Many of the people commenting on the post appreciated the Delphi Police Department for taking the time to highlight safe commercial vehicle drivers.

“Being a truckdriver myself and traveling the Heartland everyday great job to the drivers on doing their job and doing it safely and the Delphi Police Department for making the recognition to them!!! Keep up the GREAT work!!!!” a Facebook user said.

“As a truck driver there’s a few things we don’t mess about. School zones, construction zones & of course school busses. Obviously the list can go on and on but these are my main ones,” said one commenter.

“Thank you for recognizing them, setting the example,” another person wrote.

11/30/23 - Family accused of offering bribes to inflate earnings at truck stop chain Pilot

Fastertruck News - 11/30/23 - 06:12:09pm -

OMAHA, Neb.  — Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway says the billionaire Haslam family tried to bribe at least 15 executives at the Pilot truck stop chain with millions of dollars to get them to inflate the company’s profits this year because that would force Berkshire to pay more for the Haslams’ remaining 20% stake in the company.

The Berkshire claim in a counter lawsuit filed this week comes after the Haslam family — which includes Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and former Tennessee governor Bill Haslam — accused Berkshire of trying to understate Pilot’s earnings this year by changing its accounting practices.

A hearing on Berkshire’s counter lawsuit is planned for Thursday, Nov. 30. The Haslams’ lawyers and a representative for the family didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Berkshire said in a court filing that it only became aware this month of the Haslams’ attempts to bribe executives who used to work for the family at the company Jim Haslam — Jimmy and Bill Haslam’s father — founded before Berkshire became the majority owner at the start of this year. A senior executive who had been promised a bonus revealed that to the current Pilot CEO, who Berkshire appointed after it took over, according to the filing.

Berkshire said Jimmy Haslam offered to personally pay bonuses to the executives that would far exceed their annual salaries based on the price the family received for its remaining stake. Berkshire redacted the number of employees it believes agreed to accept bonuses, but it said Haslam made the offer to about 15 employees at a country club dinner in Knoxville, Tennessee, in March and repeated that offer to at least four other high-level executives. Pilot’s former CEO also extended the offer of under-the-table payments to at least 10 other executives in April, according to Berkshire’s filing.

It’s not clear exactly how much money is at stake because some of the figures in the lawsuits have also been redacted, but the Haslams said their 20% stake in Pilot was believed to be worth $3.2 billion before the accounting change Berkshire made.

The price Berkshire will eventually pay when the Haslams decide to sell their remaining stake is determined by a formula based on Pilot’s reported earnings that Buffett and the family agreed to in 2017.

Berkshire initially bought 38.6% of Pilot back then for $2.758 billion before more than doubling that to 80% this year for an additional $8.2 billion. Buffett told Berkshire shareholders this spring that he wishes he could have bought the entire company at once because the price was better in 2017, but the Haslams wouldn’t sell it all then.

Pilot is the nation’s largest network of truck stops with more than 850 locations and roughly 30,000 employees in the United States and Canada. It has already provided a meaningful boost to Berkshire’s revenue and profits this year.

The Haslams said Berkshire’s decision to shift to something called “pushdown accounting” this year forced Pilot to take on higher depreciation and amortization costs and that resulted in lower net income. The Haslams were outvoted on that change at Pilot board meetings.

Berkshire said it’s impossible to calculate how much Pilot’s profits may have been inflated this year because of decisions executives who were promised bonuses made. It said some recommendations to sell off assets or abandon valuable hedge positions to boost short-term profits were rejected but other decisions likely went undetected.

Berkshire is asking for a January trial date so its claims can be judged alongside the Haslam’s initial lawsuit to help determine the proper value of Pilot and whether the Haslams should be allowed to sell their stake in 2024 when there are so many questions about whether the company’s 2023 earnings are proper.

Besides the truck stops, Berkshire owns dozens of other businesses including Geico insurance, BNSF railroad and several major utilities along with an assortment of smaller manufacturing and retail businesses. It also holds a sizeable stock portfolio with big stakes in Apple, Coca-Cola, American Express and Bank of America among other holdings.

11/30/23 - Trucking analyst presents state of industry report to WIT members

Fastertruck News - 11/30/23 - 06:12:09pm -

DALLAS — The government’s handling of the COVID pandemic reshaped the freight market, causing a record number of new carrier registrations and spot rates to surge.

Avery Vise, vice president of trucking at FTR Transportation Intelligence, explained the details and offered analysis of the current state of the trucking industry at the Women in Trucking Association’s conference, held Nov. 5-8 in Dallas.

“People received stimulus checks,” he said. “Since so many things were shut down, they couldn’t take vacations, so they bought stuff. The spot market went crazy.”

Vise also spoke about the difficulty in finding drivers to deliver goods during the pandemic.

“The overall market, however, is that there is no shortage of drivers,” he noted, referring to the record numbers of new carrier registrations reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) during the pandemic years.

In pre-pandemic 2019, the DOT reported an average of 27,779 new carriers added per quarter. That average jumped to 35,159 per quarter in 2020 with the third quarter seeing 42,412 new carriers. By the second quarter of 2021, new carrier registrations reached 62,578, slightly topping that number in the third quarter.

The reason? Company drivers were buying their own trucks and registering as carriers to take advantage of record-setting high spot market rates. There were as many trucks on the road as before, but more of them ran under their own authority. Spot rates peaked early in 2022 and then began falling.

By mid-2022, trucking companies were going out of business in record numbers.

The DOT reported new records in carrier revocations. Those can happen for safety reasons, but two of the biggest reasons a carrier’s authority is revoked is failure to maintain required liability insurance and failure to file required forms. Both of those events are frequently connected to a business closing.

That doesn’t mean there are fewer trucks, however. Owners who surrendered their authority can choose to lease their trucks to other carriers and continue running them. Or, they can sell their trucks and become company drivers again. Either way, the number of working trucks remains the same.

Vise pointed out that, despite being low, freight rates aren’t really that bad.

“We’re still running well above 2018 levels,” he said. “The problem is, everything else is more expensive.”

Diesel fuel averaged $3.18 per gallon in 2018, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That’s up to an average of $4.19 in 2023, a 32% increase. Prices for new, Class 8 trucks have increased 22.5% in the same time period, according to the Consumer Price Index, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The cost of fluids, filters, tires and parts have all risen dramatically, too.

Federal Reserve efforts to curb inflation have resulted in higher credit costs, too. The interest rates on equipment loans have grown.

So, how did we get to a “freight recession?”

Vise cautioned that the term isn’t accurate.

“When we say ‘freight recession,’ I think we really mean ‘freight rate recession,’” he said, explaining in terms of utilization. “Utilization is very much an indicator of what’s going to happen. Utilization of 92% is not very strong.”

According to the slide shown during the presentation, utilization is “the number of seated trucks that are actually hauling freight.”

When empty trucks must travel farther to pick up loads or are unable to reload after delivery, utilization goes down. The slide showed that 92% utilization is the industry’s 10-year average. Utilization hovered between 98% and 100% for 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 before dropping. It reached a low of 88% in the second quarter of 2023 and has been slowly climbing since, but is expected to remain below average through 2024.

Simply put, there are too many trucks for the amount of freight being offered.

Improving that ratio entails more freight, produced by an expanding economy, or fewer trucks, or a combination of both.

Vise made it clear that it’s not the economy.

“The economy looks pretty good, frankly. We had a really strong third quarter with 4.9% annualized growth,” he explained.

New trucks have been built and delivered at a pace that, as of Oct. 31, was still 10.7% ahead of the 2022 pace.

August was the first 2023 month in which new U.S. truck sales were lower than the corresponding month in 2022. Sales are trending downward, but total 2023 sales will still exceed sales in 2022.

Eventually, the pendulum will swing the other way, Vise said.

Truck numbers will decrease, freight levels will rise and rates will increase, but it won’t happen overnight. FTR predicts a flat 2024 rate outlook for all trucking segments.

It will take time to remove the excess capacity from the market, while the economy in terms of Real GDP is expected to grow at a rate under 2% for 2024.