FMCSA Proposes Revised HOS Rule | Transport Topics Online | Trucking, Freight Transportation and Logistics News

from Transport Topics
December 28/2010

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Thursday issued its latest hours-of-service proposal, though the agency has yet to decide if truckers should be allowed 10 or 11 hours of daily driving time.
The proposal retains the 34-hour restart provision that allows drivers to restart their weekly clocks after 34 consecutive off-duty hours. However, FMCSA said the restart will have to include two consecutive off-duty periods from midnight to 6:00 a.m.

Seal of the United States Department of Transp...

Image via WikipediaIn addition, FMCSA said drivers will be allowed to use the restart only once during any seven-day period. As part of an earlier court settlement, FMCSA must publish a final rule by July 26.

“A fatigued driver has no place behind the wheel of a large commercial truck,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We are committed to an hours-of-service rule that will help create an environment where commercial truck drivers are rested, alert and focused on safety while on the job.”

To read the rest of the article click here

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DOT Opens Comment Period on Proposal to Ban Truckers’ Hand-Held Phones | Transport Topics Online | Trucking, Freight Transportation and Logistics News

From Transport Topics
Updated: 12/21/2010 1:00:00 PM
DOT Opens Comment Period on Proposal to Ban Truckers’ Hand-Held Phones

FMCSA Will Accept Comments Through Feb. 22

The Department of Transportation has published its proposed rule restricting truck drivers from using hand-held cellphones while operating and opened a two-month public comment period on the proposal.

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The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published the proposed rule in Tuesday’s Federal Register. Public comments will be accepted for 63 days, until Feb. 22.

FMCSA first unveiled its plan Friday, which would set fines for truck drivers as high as $2,750 per violation, while carriers’ could face fines of up to $11,000 for drivers’ using hand-held phones while driving a commercial motor vehicle.

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To read the full article go to
DOT Opens Comment Period on Proposal to Ban Truckers’ Hand-Held Phones | Transport Topics Online | Trucking, Freight Transportation and Logistics News

Yikes...the price of diesel is going up

I saw this article about the continued increase of diesel prices.

Diesel prices keep going up, up and away
From Trucker News
by Barbara Kampbell

On-highway diesel prices have risen 52.2 cents a gallon since this time last year.

12/20/2010

WASHINGTON — "Up, Up and Away" is a 1967 song written by Jimmy Webb and recorded by The 5th Dimension. The lyrics talk about taking a trip in a beautiful balloon.

Something else is going up, up and away these days and there's nothing beautiful about it — diesel prices.

Image via Wikipedia
The average weekly retail on-highway diesel prices jumped another 1.7 cents to $3.248 for the week ending Dec. 20, according to the Energy Information Administration of the Department of Energy.

That means a staggering increase of 52.2 cents since the same time last year.

To read the rest of the article click here
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90% of truck fleets still unranked by CSA....

Barely 12 percent of active motor carriers are ranked in any of the five safety categories within the new Safety Measurement System the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration made public for the first time on Dec. 12, according to an analysis by Commercial Carrier Journal.

To read the full article at Overdrive Magazine.com click HERE
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Truck techs getting even tougher to find

From Fleet Owner Magazine
December 2010

SAN ANTONIO, TX . Demand for truck technicians is surging again, especially among dealerships, as the overall age of the industry’s fleet reaches levels not seen in decades and sales of new equipment remains below historical norms.

“We are busy enough already, with all the older equipment out there now,” Mike Besson, vp-operations for Rush Truck Centers (RTC), a division of Rush Enterprises, told Fleet Owner here at the company’s fifth annual “Tech Skills Rodeo” competition.

With the average age of Class 8 trucks in U.S. fleets now pegged at 6.5 years – the highest it’s been in 30 years – dealers Like Rush are witnessing a spike in parts and service demand. Fred Scott, service manager for RTC’s San Antonio facility, said demand has “exploded” since this April.

To read the rest of the article click here

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Intermodal Traffic Gains 13.8% for Week

Intermodal Traffic Gains 13.8% for Week

from Transport Topics
12-13-10

Intermodal traffic rose 13.8% last week from a year ago, the Association of American Railroads said.

Image via Wikipedia
Traffic for the week ended Saturday totaled 235,835 trailers and containers, led by a 15.3% gain in containers to 197,526 units. Trailers rose 6.5% to 38,309 units.

U.S. railroads originated 303,570 carloads for the week following Thanksgiving — up 6.8% from a year ago, AAR said in its weekly report.

Railroad volume is considered an important economic indicator. Intermodal traffic, which tends to be higher-valued merchandise than bulk commodities, uses trains for the long haul and trucks for the shorter distance at either end of the trip.

From Transport Topics
December 13, 2010

Consumer Confidence Hits Six-Month High

Consumer confidence rose to a six-month high this month, according to the preliminary monthly Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index released Friday.
The index rose to a reading of 74.2, from 71.6 in November. Economists had forecast a reading of 72.5, Bloomberg reported.
The final index will be released later in the month. An improvement in confidence may increase consumer spending, which accounts for 70% of the economy.
Consumer Confidence Hits Six-Month High | Transport Topics Online | Trucking, Freight Transportation and Logistics News

From: Transport Topics

Oil Slips After Topping $90 a Barrel

Oil declined Wednesday a day after topping $90 a barrel, following a Department of Energy report that showed higher gasoline and diesel inventories, Bloomberg reported.

Image via Wikipedia

Crude futures fell more than $1 to below $88 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after topping $90 in intraday trading on Tuesday, the highest level since October 2008.

Tuesday’s $88.69 per-barrel Nymex closing price was the highest since October 2008, when oil was falling from its record high levels of that summer.

Gasoline inventories rose 3.8 million barrels for the week ended Saturday, DOE reported in its weekly survey. That was in contrast to the 300,000-barrel decline forecast by economists, Bloomberg reported.
Distillates, which include diesel and heating oil, rose 2.15 million barrels, in contrast to the 900,000-barrel decline forecast, Bloomberg said.

Oil supplies fell by 3.8 million barrels, more than the 1.4 million-barrel drop predicted, Bloomberg reported.
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How to save thousands of trucking jobs in America!

Over 100,000 trucking jobs up in smoke!

Image via Wikipedia

Maybe yours!

The new CSA regulations pose a risk to every American Trucker. Under CSA, your records are made public and can cost you your livelihood . To understand how CSA could HURT YOU and stop it please do 2 things...

1-Look at this article and its summary listed below

http://www.transportationlaw.net/articles/2010.07article.html

2- Contact Congressmen on the Federal Transportation committee (the contact links by state are listed below)

Article Summary

A-Under CSA a qualified trucker received a rating number from the government based on old information that was not illegal when it was recorded under Safestat.

B-A client of the transporter stopped doing business with them because they determined that the truckers rating number meant the trucker was a risk even though the trucker had broken no laws since CSA went into effect.

Imagine this happening to YOUR trucking company. Imagine being barred from doing business because of a random number. This has to be changed. We cannot lose more jobs.

This is going to require we contact people in positions of influence to let them know they can prevent job loss.

Please copy and paste the letter below and email these Congressman on the Federal Transportation Committee whose names are listed below, especially if they are from your home state or home district.

If we don’t fight this it could cost us our Jobs

Congressman,

I have a job in the trucking industry. Under CSA regulations over hundreds of thousands of jobs could disappear because of the rating system. Please keep the initial findings closed to the public so insurers and other freight companies don’t blacklist firms due to an arbitrary number. This is not democratic and does not give due process. Additionally, we can’t lose more jobs…or an entire industry. Please contact the Department of Transportation and get this stopped.

We are referencing this case…

http://www.transportationlaw.net/articles/2010.07article.html

Please do your part to protect our jobs!

Contacts

Here are the contact page links for the Congressman on the committee

if possible, please focus on Congressman in states you are from

Florida

John Mica

http://mica.house.gov/Contact/ContactForm.htm

Mario Diaz

https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml

Connie Mack

https://mack.house.gov/?p=Email

Vern Buchanon

https://forms.house.gov/buchanan/webforms/contact-new.html

Corrinne Brown

http://www.house.gov/corrinebrown/IMA/issue.shtml

Minnesota

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James Oberstar

http://wwwc.house.gov/oberstar/zipauth.htm

Tim Walz

https://forms.house.gov/walz/webforms/zip_auth.shtm

West Virginia

Nick J. Rahall, West Virginia

http://www.rahall.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=91&sectiontree=91

Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia

http://capito.house.gov/index.cfm?p=Offices

Oregon

Peter A. DeFazio, Oregon

https://forms.house.gov/defazio/IMA/contact.html

Wisconsin

Thomas E. Petri, Wisconsin

https://forms.house.gov/petri/zip_authen.shtml

Michigan

Vernon J. Ehlers, Michigan

https://ehlers.house.gov/Contact/default.aspx

Candice S. Miller, Michigan

http://candicemiller.house.gov/contact/index.shtml

Mark H. Schauer, Michigan

http://schauer.house.gov/Contact/

Illinois

Jerry F. Costello, Illinois

http://costello.house.gov/IMA/issue_subscribe.shtml

Daniel Lipinski, Illinois

http://www.lipinski.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=19&Itemid=8

Timothy V. Johnson, Illinois

http://timjohnson.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=56&sectiontree=3,56

Aaron Schock, Illinois

http://schock.house.gov/Contact/

New York

Jerrold Nadler, New York

http://jerroldnadler.house.gov/Forms/WriteYourRep/

Timothy H. Bishop, New York

http://timbishop.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=7&sectiontree=7

Michael A. Arcuri, New York

http://arcuri.house.gov/

Michael E. McMahon, New York

https://forms.house.gov/mcmahon/contact.shtml

California

Bob Filner, California

http://www.house.gov/filner/contact.htm

Grace F. Napolitano, California

http://www.napolitano.house.gov/contact/feedback.shtml

Laura Richardson, California

http://richardson.house.gov/

John Garamendi, California

http://www.garamendi.org/bio.

Gary G. Miller, California

http://garymiller.house.gov/Contact/

Pennsylvania

Tim Holden, Pennsylvania

http://holden.house.gov/contactform_zipcheck.shtml

Jason Altmire, Pennsylvania

http://altmire.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15&Itemid=3

Bill Shuster, Pennsylvania

http://www.house.gov/shuster/

Jim Gerlach, Pennsylvania

http://gerlach.house.gov/

Christopher P. Carney, Pennsylvania

http://carney.house.gov/contact/

Ohio

Jean Schmidt, Ohio

http://www.house.gov/schmidt/contact.shtml

North Carolina

Howard Coble, North Carolina

http://coble.house.gov/Contact/

Heath Shuler, North Carolina

https://shulerforms.house.gov/contact/

South Carolina

Henry E. Brown, South Carolina

http://brown.house.gov/Contact/index.html

Tennessee

John J. Duncan, Jr., Tennessee

http://duncan.house.gov/services/contact-information.shtml

Kentucky

Brett Guthrie, Kentucky

http://duncan.house.gov/services/contact-information.shtml

Arkansas

John Boozman, Arkansas

http://www.boozman.house.gov/Contact/

Georgia

Lynn A. Westmoreland, Georgia

http://westmoreland.house.gov/Contact/

Tom Graves, Georgia

http://tomgraves.house.gov/contact/

Mississippi

Gene Taylor, Mississippi

http://www.taylor.house.gov/

Louisiana

Anh "Joseph" Cao, Louisiana

http://josephcao.house.gov/

Missouri

Sam Graves, Missouri

http://www.house.gov/graves/

Russ Carnahan, Missouri

https://forms.house.gov/carnahan/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm

Texas

Pete Olson, Texas

http://olson.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=3&sectiontree=3

Eddie Bernice Johnson, Texas

http://ebjohnson.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=3&sectiontree=3

Washington

Brian Baird, Washington

https://forms.house.gov/baird/webforms/issue_subscribe.htm

Rick Larsen, Washington

https://larsen.house.gov/contact/email-me.shtml

Kansas

Jerry Moran, Kansas

http://forms.house.gov/jerrymoran/webforms/contact.html

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/News-and-Specials-from-East-Coast-Truck-and-Trailer-Sales-.html?soid=1101539072269&aid=YN5j51aZmmg

Truckers take on human trafficking

By John Burger
From the Dallas Examiner
10/26/10

The Department of Justice estimates over 14,000 people are trafficked into the United States each year. It is also reported that 25% of all human trafficking victims within the United States enter through Texas.

One of the first lines of defense against human trafficking is the trucking industry. Traffickers use the same interstates as truckers and travelers to transport their human cargo.

The non-profit group, Truckers Against Trafficking, aims to train independent truck drivers and trucking companies on recognizing the signs of human trafficking and reporting it.

A human trafficking awareness poster from the ...

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia to read the rest of the article click here

Truck driver shortage could boost consumer prices

FAIRFIELD, Ohio - Fairfield-based Osborne Trucking is so bullish on the economic recovery that the firm bought 28 new trucks and trailers.

“In the past six months we’ve invested roughly $4 million in new equipment,” said Executive Vice-President Brant Osborne.

However, there’s a problem shared by logistics firms throughout Greater Cincinnati and in many parts of the country.
There aren’t enough drivers to get behind the wheel of the shiny red and black rigs.

“The challenge is finding drivers who are qualified to do the job and are interested in working,” said

Osborne’s Transportation Vice-President John Holmes. “We’re looking to hire at least 20 more right now.”

It’s a problem that could mean higher prices for consumer goods as the cost of shipping products increases.

The recession caused many trucking firms to go out of business and many drivers to either retire or seek other occupations.

Now, data from the American Trucking Association (ATA) indicates that the amount of freight that needs to be shipped is up seven percent from May 2009 to May 2010.

To read the whole story click the link
Truck driver shortage could boost consumer prices
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Economy's pulse found in trucking

pulled from Central Illinois News Center September 22/2010

Good News from Daimler Trucks - Truckinginfo.com

9/21/2010

Trucking Info.com
By Steve Sturgess, Executive Editor

The world truck market is predicted to grow more than 50 percent by 2015, said Daimler Trucks chief executive Andreas Renschler, speaking at a press event on the eve of the 2010 Hannover truck show in Germany.

This will be driven in small part ny the triad nations in North America, the European Community and Japan. But most of the growth will come from the BRIC nations -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- and the newly identified Next 11 emerging economies...

To read the rest of the article click hereGood News from Daimler Trucks - Truckinginfo.com

Transport Topics Online | Trucking, Freight Transportation and Logistics News Obama Proposes $50B for Transportation

President Barack Obama Monday opened discussion of the next six-year transportation re-authorization bill with a proposal to establish an infrastructure bank and spend $50 billion to help fund work on highways, railroads and airports.
The president’s proposal included money to rebuild 150,000 miles of roads, construct and maintain 4,000 miles of rail and overhaul 150 miles of runways, a White House statement said.
Obama also is asking Congress to extend permanently and expand a research-and-development tax credit for businesses, costing about $100 billion over a decade, Bloomberg News said.

The article is continued at Transport Topics Online | Trucking, Freight Transportation and Logistics News Obama Proposes $50B for Transportation

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Used Truck Sales Slow in July on Year-Over-Year Gain - Truckinginfo.com

From Trucking Info Magazine

9/1/2010 Used Truck Sales Slow in July on Year-Over-Year Gain

Used truck sales fell 20 percent from June to July, but unit sales are still up on a year-over-year basis, according to ACT Research Co. In the latest release of the State of the Industry: U.S. Classes 3-8 Used Trucks, ACT said used truck sales are 43 percent above 2009 on a year-to-date basis.

Average used truck prices continued to move slightly higher in July, despite a slight rise in average age and miles of sold units.

"The average mileage of used Class 8 trucks sold in July rose above trend due to a higher than average number of older trucks being wholesaled," said Steve Tam, vice president-commercial vehicle sector with ACT. "Anecdotal evidence suggests a shortage of late model, low mileage equipment. This trend will likely continue for several more months until new truck purchases increase and bring in equipment that sat idle during the economic slowdown."

The ACT Used Truck database includes about 2,500 transactions per month and over 100,000 used truck transactions over the past decade. The company is working with used vehicle market participants to push the number of reported transactions significantly higher. ACT estimates that approximately 10 percent of used Class 8 transactions are included in the database.

In the current report, ACT has initiated trend reports for the average used price for the top-selling Class 8 model for each of the major truck OEMs - Freightliner (Daimler); Kenworth and Peterbilt (Paccar); International (Navistar); and Volvo.

ACT publishes new and used commercial vehicle industry data, market analysis and forecasting services for the North American market, as well as the China truck market.

Used Truck Sales Slow in July on Year-Over-Year Gain - Truckinginfo.com

Truckit

FMCSA Proposes Revised HOS Rule | Transport Topics Online | Trucking, Freight Transportation and Logistics News

Quick Overview

DOT Opens Comment Period on Proposal to Ban Truckers’ Hand-Held Phones | Transport Topics Online | Trucking, Freight Transportation and Logistics News

Yikes...the price of diesel is going up

90% of truck fleets still unranked by CSA....

Truck techs getting even tougher to find

Intermodal Traffic Gains 13.8% for Week

Consumer Confidence Hits Six-Month High

Oil Slips After Topping $90 a Barrel

How to save thousands of trucking jobs in America!

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/News-and-Specials-from-East-Coast-Truck-and-Trailer-Sales-.html?soid=1101539072269&aid=YN5j51aZmmg

Truckers take on human trafficking

Truck driver shortage could boost consumer prices

Economy's pulse found in trucking

Good News from Daimler Trucks - Truckinginfo.com

Transport Topics Online | Trucking, Freight Transportation and Logistics News Obama Proposes $50B for Transportation

Used Truck Sales Slow in July on Year-Over-Year Gain - Truckinginfo.com

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