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Today's Trucking Staff
DTNA appoints Roger Nielsen as president, CEO
PORTLAND, OR - Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) has named Roger Nielsen as president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of DTNA and its affiliate companies Freightliner Trucks, Western Star Trucks, Thomas Built Buses, Freightliner Custom Chassis Cooperation, and Detroit Diesel Corporation effective April 1. Nielsen will be succeeding Martin Daum, who as of March 1, became Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Daimler Trucks and Buses. "Roger Nielsen brings a rock solid product, manufacturing and sales background to this position paired with a razor-sharp focus on technology, quality and customer service. He has an excellent track record as an influential leader in the industry," said Daum. "Having worked closely with Roger for so many years, I am certain that DTNA, its people and all its brands are in the best hands."
Trucking conditions to improve going forward: FTR
BLOOMINGTON, IN - FTR has released its Trucking Conditions Index for January, showing a nearly unchanged reading of 2.7 compared to December's 2.9. FTR expected January to be the low point of the year for trucking conditions as it projects an uptick in 2017 as the year progresses. Productivity and capacity are projected to take a hit as a result of the upcoming ELD mandate but FTR said that early adopters will be ahead of the curve. A big issue for the upcoming year is the longstanding driver shortage, which could cause companies to struggle to meet overall demand for new drivers. If capacity fails to meet demand, truckers would be able to raise prices, but the full impact will likely not be felt until late 2017 or into early next year.
OTA to address Ontario Recovery Group
TORONTO, ON - The Ontario Recovery Group (ORG) has invited the Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) to attend an upcoming meeting of their board to discuss roadside recovery practices and procedures. The OTA's recent campaign to help carrier members in managing heavy-duty recovery rates has resulted in OTA members submitting over 70 invoices, totalling over $700,000 in billing, for the OTA to review. In addition, heavy-duty recovery rates have become of interest to enforcement officials, insurance brokers, and the heavy-duty tow recovery industry.
ATA seeking guidelines regarding hair testing for drugs
ARLINGTON, VA - Chris Spear, president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the American Trucking Associations has submitted a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) secretary, Tom Price, calling on Washington to hastily provide guidelines and standards for the use of hair samples in mandatory drug testing of truck drivers.
PACCAR testing autonomous truck
PACCAR has produced the prototype of an autonomous truck with support from NVIDIA, a computer hardware and software developer. NVIDIA's Drive PX 2 AI technology - which is also used by Tesla -- has an SAE Level 4 ranking, which is the second-highest level of automation, exceeded only by full automation. "This is probably the largest single mass of a product that we've helped make," said Jen-Hsun Huang, NVIDIA founder and Chief Executive Officer, during a keynote presentation at Bosch Connected World.
CTA wants thoughts on AMPS penalty system
TORONTO, ON - The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) along with the Canadian Border Service Agency (CBSA) have been working together to put Advanced Commercial Information (ACI) requirements in place, and most recently they've been looking at ways to better administer the enforcement of Advanced Monetary Penalties (AMPS). Your feedback could help.