John G Smith

John G. Smith is the editorial director of Newcom Media's trucking and supply chain publications -- including Today's Trucking, trucknews.com, TruckTech, Transport Routier, and Road Today. The award-winning journalist has covered the trucking industry since 1995.

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Retread, and realize returns preview image Retread, and realize returns article image

Retread, and realize returns

MONTREAL, Que. -- Tires are a fleet’s third-highest operating expense, just after wages and fuel. But while many fleet managers can tell you precisely how many drops of diesel they burn, tire life is often described in vague terms, says Lorenzo Borella, general manager of Montreal’s Système de rechapage RTS. A closer look at the life of rolling rubber will identify just how quickly the rolling rubber is heading to the scrap heap, and stress the need to maximize the underlying investments. Having a healthy casing retreaded, for example, can save as much as 50% compared to buying a new tire of the same brand and model. According to the Tire Retread Information Bureau, those savings add up to billions each year in the North American trucking industry, says Robert Palmer, director of market sales for Bridgestone Americas tire operations.
CTEA commits to growing voice preview image CTEA commits to growing voice article image

CTEA commits to growing voice

WINDSOR, Ont. – Complying with all the rules that apply to producing a vehicle is no small task, and this even holds true for the businesses which build on the work of Original Equipment Manufacturers. Attach something like a dump body or snow plow, and you’re expected to identify and certify the final product with a Canada Safety Mark. Each change has to meet applicable standards, and those who do the work must be able to issue recalls and respond to compliance audits, and familiarize themselves with the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations, and Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Put another way, reaching for a welder or torque wrench is just part of the job. The Canadian Transportation Equipment Association (CTEA) has long been a resource to help comply with the underlying rules. But it’s also been quietly building on that mandate – establishing a stronger voice for businesses which perform the tasks.
Small business ELD exemption ‘not likely’, analysts say preview image Small business ELD exemption 'not likely', analysts say article image

Small business ELD exemption ‘not likely’, analysts say

BLOOMINGTON, IN – The rollout of mandated Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) continues in the U.S. And while some trucking operations have secured temporary waivers, analysts at FTR Intel believe a bid to exempt small carriers outright is unlikely to succeed. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) has asked regulators to exempt small businesses making less than US $27.5 million in revenue, that don’t have an unsatisfactory safety rating, and have a safe record with no attributable at-fault crashes. It would last five years. An exemption like that – already rejected during the regulatory review process – would essentially gut the mandate for ELDs, and has been opposed by the American Trucking Associations and safety advocacy groups. Eighty-one percent of over-the-road trucking companies, and 93% of one-truck operators among them, have had no DOT-recordable crashes in the past two years, FTR notes.

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