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Welcome to the land of ELD confusion

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The early days of enforcing a U.S. mandate for electronic logging devices (ELDs) have been marred by confusion over the workings of individual devices and more. Kerri Wirachowsky, director of the roadside inspection program for the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), refers to the example of one fleet that had installed Automatic On Board Recording Devices (AOBRDs) last February. Wirachowsky At first glance that device should be accepted, because it was installed before the mandate took hold on Dec. 18, and would be legal until Dec. 16, 2019. The problem is that the user hadn’t been able to reach the supplier to upload the related hours of service functions, she said during the Omnitracs Outlook user conference. That meant a ticket, and more frantic calls to the supplier.

Electronic inspection trial expected this year

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Electronic roadside inspections are moving closer to reality thanks to mandated electronic logging devices (ELDs) and inspection requirements defined by the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA).

Alliance continues to champion NAFTA efficiencies

TORONTO, Ont. – The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) continues to hold out hope during…

OOIDA calls for change to U.S. hours of service

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo – The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) is petitioning the United States Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to amend the existing federal Hours of Service (HoS)…

Martinez confirmed as FMCSA head

Ray Martinez ARLINGTON, VA – Ray Martinez has been confirmed as the new head of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in the United States. President and CEO of…

White House Infrastructure plan falls short: ATA

ARLINGTON, VA – The American Trucking Associations (ATA) says the new infrastructure plan from the White House falls short on what’s needed to repair roadways, and is calling for more…

U.S. capacity tightens, rates surge

Spotload van rates. PORTLAND, Ore. – Trucking rates are on the rise in the U.S. as available truck capacity continues to tighten – thanks to strong economic conditions and mandated…

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.

Nikola to manufacture in Arizona

The Nikola One. PHOENIX, AZ – Nikola Motor announced today that it will build hydrogen-electric semi trucks at a new 1-million-square-foot facility on the west side of Phoenix, Arizona, in…

CTA wants harmony on 11 issues

TORONTO, ON – Leaders of the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) and provincial trucking associations have come together to identify 11 industry issues that could benefit from improved harmonization. The call is designed to support a new task force under the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety, established in September 2016, and complements existing initiatives like the National Task Force on Weights and Dimensions. “This is a great opportunity for further collaboration between industry and government,” said Stephen Laskowski, president and Chief Executive Officer of the alliance. “CTA commends the provincial trucking associations for their efforts in contributing to our submission and looks forward to working with all interests in addressing the issues identified.”

Stable economic growth to continue in U.S.

LAS VEGAS, NV – The U.S. government itself shut down over the weekend, but the overall economy of Canada’s largest trading partner seems to be in good shape. The country’s Gross Domestic Product expanded by 2.3% over the past year. “This is, all in all, a decent number but not an impressive number,” said Bill Strauss, senior economist and economic advisor with the Chicago Federal Reserve. Annual growth experienced in the 1990s was closer to 3-4%. But steady growth like this can be good news, easing the concern about a market correction, he told a crowd at the Heavy Duty Dialogue in Las Vegas. The country is in the midst of its third-longest expansion in history, now in its ninth year.

NAFTA transformed truck making

LAS VEGAS, NV – U.S. President Donald Trump continues his threats to pull Canada’s largest trading partner out of NAFTA. But when it comes to heavy truck manufacturing, Canada may have experienced some of the biggest losses. “If I were Canada, I’d be upset because all the business is gone,” observed Stu MacKay of MacKay and Company, sharing statistics during the annual Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue in Las Vegas.

U.S. rentals get 90-day ELD waiver

WASHINGTON, DC – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued short-term rental trucks a 90-day waiver from mandated Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs), lasting until April 19. Trucks rented for 30 days or less will be able to use paper logbooks to record Hours of Service until the waiver expires. Carriers cannot simply replace one rental vehicle with another one within the 30 days, and must also have a satisfactory safety rating. They also need to report any collisions involving these vehicles within five business days. The Truck Renting and Leasing Association had known since December that a waiver was forthcoming, and is telling affected truck operators to print out the notice and carry it in the cab during the waiver period. Once this waiver expires, those who rent trucks for eight days or less will continue to be exempted from the ELD mandate.

NAFTA deal still in question

TORONTO, ON – The future of NAFTA remains uncertain as negotiators prepare for their latest round of meetings, this time in Montreal. Months into discussions, nobody even knows if U.S. President Donald Trump will decide to outright scrap the deal that governs every load of cross-border freight. With about 10 million trucks crossing between Canada and the U.S. each year, there is plenty of business at stake. A recent survey by Export Development Canada even found that 26% of exporters would shift their business to the U.S. if the agreement was revoked outright. Trade between the U.S. and Canada tripled between 1986 and 2017, Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association executive director Ruth Snowden observed, during a January 17 seminar hosted by the Fernandes Hearn law firm in Toronto. “If [NAFTA] goes, it could be very significant.”

Glider kit repeal facing opposition

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is facing growing pressure to restrict the use of glider kits under the second phase of rules to control Greenhouse Gas…