Commercial Carrier Journal » Industry News

NTSB sets public meeting to discuss deadly Oklahoma truck crash

CCJ Staff — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:12:14 +0000

The National Transportation Safety Board will meet Tuesday, Sept. 28, to consider a 2009 highway accident involving a tractor-trailer that plowed into stopped traffic on Interstate 44 near Miami, Okla., killing 10 people. The meeting will be at 9:30 a.m. ET at the NTSB Conference Center, 429 L’Enfant Plaza S.W., Washington, D.C. The public may view the meeting via a live or archived webcast by accessing a link under “News & Events” at www.ntsb.gov.

According to Oklahoma Highway Patrol reports, on June 26, 2009, Donald Creed, 76, drove his tractor-trailer into a line of cars on I-44 that was stopped because of a prior traffic accident. Troopers said Creed, who suffered head and trunk injuries, was solely responsible for the wreck and that there was no evidence he tried to stop.

OHP says at the time of the crash Creed was in “apparently normal” condition with no sign of drugs or alcohol, and he was not using a cell phone. Officials said Creed, who was employed by Associated Wholesale Grocers, had maintained a clean record for almost two decades.

Purolator: Bypassing DC reduces costs, transit time

CCJ Staff — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:11:06 +0000

Businesses that are able to eliminate a distribution center stopover from their supply chain can benefit from reduced freight costs, shortened transit times and improved visibility. These are some of the findings in a new white paper, “DC Bypass Offers Shortened Transit Times and Reduced Costs: But It’s Not for Everyone,” released by Purolator USA.

Distribution center bypass (DC bypass) has become a preferred logistics solution for many businesses, since it generally allows a shipment to travel directly to its end destination without having to make a stopover that can add hundreds of miles to a distribution route. DC bypass is appealing to manufacturers of seasonal merchandise, “hot” selling items and for businesses that prefer to maintain reduced inventory levels.

“Under the right circumstances, a DC bypass solution can eliminate as many as 7 to 14 days from a traditional supply chain,” says Purolator USA President John Costanzo. “A shorter transit time means that shipments can reach the store shelves faster, which can be a real competitive advantage, especially for makers of seasonal items and perishable goods. DC bypass is also an attractive option for U.S. and Canadian businesses that have high volumes of cross-border traffic. DC bypass can eliminate the need for a business to operate a distribution center across the border.”

Despite the many advantages of bypassing a distribution center, the white paper points out that DC bypass is not a viable option for every business. For one thing, a business must be able to pinpoint a shipment’s ultimate destination at the manufacturing site. This is because all shipment preparation – packing, labeling, RFID tagging – is pushed up the supply chain. If a business is unable to forecast inventory demands, then DC bypass may not be a suitable option.

Businesses considering a DC bypass solution also need to be confident that they have sufficient inventory levels to accommodate various snafus that may arise. Excess inventory needs to be available to address inevitable problems that occur, including breakage, wrong sizes/colors or errors in model numbers. For most retailers, running out of stock and disappointing customers would wipe out any benefit derived from DC bypass.

Purolator’s white paper also makes clear that not every logistics provider has the capacity to offer the DC bypass option. This is especially true for shipments traveling between the United States and Canada. A viable logistics provider must have extensive distribution networks throughout both countries, and also must have experience and expertise with the border clearance process.

To access the white paper, go to http://info.fastesttocanada.com/content/WP_DCBypass_PR.

Ground broken on Mercer Corridor in Washington State

CCJ Staff — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:10:08 +0000

Ground was broken Wednesday, Sept. 8, on the $160.7 million Mercer Corridor project in Washington State. With the help of $30 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the new Mercer Corridor will bring long-awaited congestion relief, connect growing Seattle neighborhoods to transit centers and Interstate 5, and provide new facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians.

“The Mercer project is bringing jobs to the Seattle area and boosting the region’s economy,” says U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Seattle has waited decades for relief from congestion. Because of the Recovery Act, they will now be able to get where they need to go – by car, transit, bike or walking – more quickly and efficiently.”

The Mercer Corridor had been a regional problem for more than 40 years. The complicated, circuitous one-way routing system and the 80,000 vehicles that use it each day create gridlock throughout the entire region, limiting access to jobs, reducing opportunities for economic growth and slowing trade. The reconstructed and realigned Mercer Corridor will create a two-way boulevard, provide new sidewalks, improve connections to transit and add bicycle lanes.

The grant is part of the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program included in the Recovery Act to promote innovative multimodal and multijurisdictional transportation projects that provide significant economic and environmental benefits to an entire metropolitan area, region or the nation.

Of the more than $26.6 billion in Recovery highway dollars available nationwide, Washington received nearly $492 million for highways – excluding TIGER grants. As of Aug. 27, the state had funded 221 projects, with 73 projects under way and 131 completed.

North Spokane Recovery Act project under way

CCJ Staff — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:09:10 +0000

Ground was broken on the North Spokane Corridor, an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act-funded construction project that will create jobs and enhance safety for all drivers in the region. Recovery Act dollars totaling $35 million will pay for a portion of a 10.5 mile-long freeway connecting Interstate 90 on the south end to existing U.S. 2 and U.S. 395 on the north end.

“Creating jobs and strengthening infrastructure is exactly what the Recovery Act is meant to do,” says U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “This new segment of the North Spokane Corridor will help keep drivers safe and support local and national trade.”

Once completed, the project will add 3.7 miles of southbound lanes on U.S. 395 from Francis Avenue to Farwell Road in Spokane to complement the existing northbound lanes. These new lanes will allow trucks to travel north and south, keeping them off local roads. The project will relieve traffic congestion and provide a safe bicycle/pedestrian trail connecting Spokane neighborhoods and other trail systems.

Of the more than $26.6 billion in Recovery Act highway dollars available nationwide, Washington received nearly $492 million for highway projects, excluding TIGER grants. As of Aug, 27, the state had funded 221 projects, with73 projects under way and 131 completed.

Lanes being added to U.S. 491 in Northwest New Mexico

CCJ Staff — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:08:09 +0000

One of New Mexico’s most dangerous routes is about to get safer thanks to a $31 million grant provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The U.S. Department of Transportation signed an agreement with the Navajo Nation’s Division of Transportation to provide money for two new lanes and separate north- and southbound traffic along U.S. 491.

“Recovery funds will help make U.S. 491 a much safer route for families who depend on it,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says. “In addition, it will also create much-needed good-paying jobs for people in this part of the state.”

The grant is part of the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER, grant program included in the Recovery Act to promote innovative multimodal and multijurisdictional transportation projects that provide significant economic and environmental benefits to an entire metropolitan area, region or the nation.

U.S. 491 is the primary north-south highway in the rural northwest part of the state. It is a major trucking route, with increasingly high traffic volumes, that connects the Navajo Nation to emergency, medical, education and other vital services in New Mexico, Colorado and the Four Corners area. According to NMDOT data, the fatality rate at the north portion of the corridor is about 3.6 times the state average and, at the south portion, about 2.2 times the state’s average rate.

“This grant will help begin the work needed to keep drivers safe in and around northwest New Mexico,” says Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez. “Rebuilding our infrastructure and strengthening the economy in economically distressed areas like McKinley and San Juan Counties is at the heart of the Recovery Act’s mission.”

The full project will expand the width of U.S. 491 over a corridor length of about 69 miles, constructing two new lanes adjacent to the two existing lanes. Additional safety improvements include constructing turn lanes for acceleration and deceleration in commercial and high-traffic areas, and improving intersections, signage, markings and drainage facilities.

DOT announced the selection of $1.5 billion worth of TIGER grants for 51 projects as part of the one-year anniversary of the Recovery Act on Feb. 17.

R.C. Moore upgrades fleet with Xata Navigation

CCJ Staff — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:06:57 +0000

Xata Corp., a provider of fleet performance management software and services, announced that its customer, R.C. Moore, recently upgraded its 160-truck fleet with Xata Navigation, powered by ALK CoPilot Truck, and with TREQ-L and TREQ-M4 in-cab Color Display Units (CDUs).

With locations in four states, R.C. Moore provides logistics services in the mid-Atlanta and Eastern Seaboard regions. Since 2004, MobileMax by Xata has provided the logistics company with critical fleet data, such as delivery times and truck locations, as well as providing safe in-cab communications. To further optimize its fleet operations, R.C. Moore has now implemented Xata Navigation, which provides drivers with spoken, turn-by-turn directions.

With Xata Navigation, drivers no longer need to call their domicile for directions or divide their attention between maps and the road. Additionally, the TREQ CDU’s brighter screens are easy for drivers to see and read.

“Adding Xata Navigation and color display units to our trucks is yet another step in creating a safer, more efficient fleet,” said David Wilson, vice president, R.C. Moore.

U.S. diesel price declines 0.7 cent, $2.931

CCJ Staff — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:01:38 +0000

The average weekly retail on-highway diesel price slipped for the fourth consecutive week, this time falling 0.7 cent to $2.931 for the week ending Monday, Sept. 6, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The price, which has fallen 6.0 cents since Aug. 9, is 28.4 cents higher than the same week last year. DOE’s weekly roundup of diesel prices was delayed one day because of the Labor Day holiday.

Regions tracked by DOE saw a mix of increases and decreases. The biggest increase, 0.3 cent, was found on the West Coast, where prices climbed to $3.104, the nation’s highest price by region. The smallest increase, 0.2 cent, was found in the Rocky Mountains, where prices climbed to $3.021.

The biggest decrease, 1.3 cents, was found in the Central Atlantic, where prices fell to $3.007. The smallest decrease, 0.1 cent, was found in New England, where prices dipped to $2.995. The nation’s lowest price by region, $2.876, was found on the Gulf Coast, where prices fell 1.2 cents.

California, which DOE tracks separately for its weekly update, saw a price decrease of 0.5 cent to $3.145; that price is 27.9 cents higher than the same week last year.

Obama plan would invest in roads, railways, runways

CCJ Staff — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:13:08 +0000

President Obama has announced a comprehensive infrastructure plan to expand and renew the nation’s roads, railways and runways. The proposal is among a set of targeted initiatives Obama discussed briefly Monday, Sept. 6, at a Labor Day speech and was set to outline further in Cleveland Wednesday, Sept. 8, to support the nation’s economic recovery and facilitate long-term sustainable growth. The plan is intended to build upon the infrastructure investments already made through the Recovery Act

The “Renewing and Expanding America’s Roads, Railways and Runways” plan is intended to combine a long-term vision for the future with new investments. The plan would front-load a significant portion of the new investments in the first year to jump-start the economy and boost employment, and would stress reform in the way America currently invests in transportation, focusing on enhancing competition, innovation, performance and real analysis, while moving away from earmarks and formulas.

Over the next six years, the plan would include rebuilding 150,000 miles of roads, constructing and maintaining 4,000 miles of rail coast-to-coast and rehabilitating or reconstructing 150 miles of runway while putting in place a NextGen system designed to reduce air travel time and delays. Obama proposes to pair these short-term projects with a long-term framework to reform and expand the nation’s investment in transportation infrastructure.

Since the end of last year, when the last long-term surface transportation legislation expired, these investments have been continued on a temporary basis, even as the trust fund to finance them has fallen into insolvency. The long-term framework includes these proposed reforms:
• Infrastructure Bank. Obama proposes to fund a permanent infrastructure bank that would leverage private, state and local capital to invest in projects that are most critical to economic progress, a departure from spending on infrastructure through earmarks and formula-based grants that are allocated more by geography and politics than demonstrated value. Instead, the bank would base its investment decisions on clear analytical measures of performance, competing projects against each other to determine which would produce the greatest return for American taxpayers;
• A transportation program to ensure a sustained and effective commitment to a national high speed rail system over the next generation;
• Streamlining, modernizing and prioritizing surface transportation investments, consolidating more than 100 different programs and focusing on using performance measurement and “race-to-the-top”-style competitive pressures to drive investment toward better policy outcomes; and
• Expanding investments in areas like safety, environmental sustainability, economic competitiveness, and livability – helping to build communities where people have choices about how to travel, including options that reduce oil consumption, lower greenhouse gas emissions and expand access to job opportunities and affordable housing.

Compelling content, high-level networking highlight inaugural CVOC

CCJ Staff — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:12:49 +0000

More than 350 trucking industry leaders gathered in Dallas Aug. 25-26 to attend the inaugural Commercial Vehicle Outlook Conference, produced by Randall-Reilly Business Media & Information and the Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association. CVOC brought together thought leaders from all segments of the trucking industry to enjoy expert presentations, panel discussions and numerous networking opportunities during two half-days immediately prior to the opening of the Great American Trucking Show.

CVOC attendees included fleet executives, truck OEMs, part and component suppliers, truck dealers, distributors, and maintenance and repair specialists. Attendees took home real-world insights into the state of the recovery and what the industry must do to survive and thrive in the fourth quarter and beyond.

“Response from attendees and sponsors to the CVOC was overwhelmingly positive,” says Alan Sims, vice president and executive director of the Randall-Reilly Events Group. “This year’s conference lays the foundation for us to achieve our goal – to make Dallas the destination where professionals from all segments of the trucking industry gather each fall to see the latest equipment, products and services, learn about industry trends and concerns, and network with their peers, suppliers and customers.”

“For our first-ever Commercial Vehicle Outlook Conference, we couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome,” says Tim Kraus, HDMA president and chief operating officer. “The leaders of our industry were there as attendees and speakers, and the conference content scored very high on our attendee evaluation sheets. Bringing together a large cross-section of our industry for a meaningful outlook conference on the commercial vehicle industry was our goal. Based on the more than 350 registrations and the high praise from a great mix of executives in attendance, we feel we are off to a great start for future CVOC events in Dallas, with GATS.”

The speaker lineup included keynote addresses by Dan Sobic, Paccar executive vice president, and Tommy Hodges, chairman of the American Trucking Associations. Eric Starks, president of FTR Associates, presented an economic outlook for trucking. Donald Broughton, managing director of Avondale Partners, discussed how capital markets are reacting to trucking trends. Other presenters included Scott Kress, Volvo Trucks North America; Rusty Rush, Rush Enterprises; Joe Plomin, ArvinMeritor CVS; Max Fuller, U.S. Xpress; Leo Suggs, Greatwide Logistics Services; Tom Kretsinger, American Central Transport; and Jim O’Neal, O & S Trucking.

The 2011 CVOC will be held at the Dallas Convention Center Aug. 24-25 immediately prior to the opening of GATS. The event is sponsored by Castrol Heavy Duty, Commercial Carrier Journal, Kenworth Truck Co., Peterbilt Motors Co., Paccar Engines, Paccar Parts, O’Reilly Auto Parts, Utility Trailer Manufacturing and Volvo Trucks North America. For information on participating in the 2011 CVOC, contact HDMA at www.hdma.org or the Randall-Reilly Events Group at info@truckshow.com.

FMCSA offers ‘CSA 2010: Just the Facts’

Jeff Crissey — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 20:11:30 +0000

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has made available “CSA 2010: Just the Facts,” a two-page document intended to dispel myths and misconceptions surrounding Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010. “Just the Facts” identifies 15 facts about the program that are commonly misunderstood. To view, click the hyperlink above or point your web browser to http://csa2010.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/JustTheFacts.pdf.