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.”

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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.

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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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