ACI turnaround option extended until Dec. 31
OTTAWA, ON - The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) is extending the turnaround option for drivers that arrive at the border without their advance commercial information (ACI) form until the end of the year. Recurring delays and outages at the border caused CBSA to make the exception on a 90-day basis back in May. Outages have continued, resulting in the policy being extended until Dec. 31, 2017.
Slow growth for year’s end: FTR
BLOOMINGTON, IN - FTR Intelligence expects the economy to slow down before the end of the year, matching slower freight growth. The company reported improvements to shipping conditions in June over the previous month, but warns that slow contract pricing increases, and a modest weakening of the expected regulatory environment, will mean slower growth and fairly moderate conditions in the short-term.
WABCO, Nexteer announce long-term cooperation
AUBURN HILLS, MI - WABCO Holdings and Nexteer Automotive are steering into the future together, announcing a long-term cooperation agreement today. The two companies will collaborate to develop and supply active steering systems for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, and also look to work together on developing autonomous trucking technology.
OOIDA files petition opposing ELD mandate
GRAIN VALLEY, MO - The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) threw another punch in their battle against the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate, yesterday. The group filed a petition with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) saying that 26 states have not yet incorporated the new regulation into state laws, and are not authorized to enforce the rule until they do so.
Cummins reveals fully-electric tractor
COLUMBUS, IN - Another toll in the death knell of the age of fossil fuels was unveiled today at the Cummins Technical Center, as the company showed-off its latest power solutions and energy-diverse products including, for the first time, a fully-electric demonstration urban hauler tractor.
Harvey trounces Texas; trucking
HOUSTON, TX - Hurricane Harvey is hitting hard, taking up to 10% of the trucking industry with it, reports FTR Intelligence. The category four storm made landfall in Texas, northeast of Corpus Christi, Friday night, bringing with it rain and winds of up to 209 kilometers per hour (130 miles per hour).
E-commerce is transforming trucking
NASHVILLE, TN - Seventeen years ago, Tom Hanks stood in a shipping yard and lamented that 87 hours was an eternity. Castaway was on the big screen, and the Hollywood superstar was playing a time-obsessed operations manager for a world-wide shipping company. Shouting that "the cosmos [were] created in less time. Wars have been fought and nations toppled at 87 hours. Fortunes made and squandered," Hanks was forecasting the future of supply chain. From 87 hours to just 24 or less, time is running out for goods that take more than a day to get to consumers, and trucking is undergoing massive changes, all thanks to a store that sells just about everything: Amazon. As e-commerce grows exponentially, taking larger and larger shares of markets -- like household goods, cosmetics and personal care items, groceries, and furniture -- it's re-shaping how goods are packaged, shipped, and stored, forcing fleets to adapt quickly. Retail markets were up in July all over the United States, but online sales saw an increase of 1.3%, compared to just 0.1% for traditional brick-and-mortar stores.
Drivers looked up in awe during eclipse data shows
SAN DIEGO, CA - Drivers' eyes were looking toward the sky during the solar eclipse on August 21. Video telematics company Lytx says its data suggests that, like the rest of North America, truck drivers were fixated on the first total solar eclipse visible from this area in 38 years, last Monday.
Tatum meets Mack on tour for Logan Lucky
GREENSBORO, NC - One American legend recently met another, when Channing Tatum toured the Mack Trucks' World Headquarters. The actor stopped by the plant and took a truck for a test drive as part of a press tour unlike any other for his new movie Logan Lucky. The movie, released August 18, stars Tatum as Jimmy Logan, who attempts to stage a robbery of the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race. The star briefly shares the screen with a Mack B model truck in the new flick. The unusual press tour took Tatum and crew on a road trip across the United States to promote the movie by showcasing America's heartland, which served as the stage for the story. Along his tour Tatum gave away a Harley Davidson motorcycle, road dirt bikes, cut down trees in Kentucky, and finished off the adventure with the movie premiere in Knoxville, TN.
Cautillo: Gordie Howe bridge on time
WINDSOR, ON - The President and CEO of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority (WDBA) has issued a statement to clear up recent reports of delays and problems with the Gordie Howe International Bridge project. The statement from Michael Cautillo aimed to address media reports of delays with the procurement process to find partners to design, construct, and maintain the bridge.