Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, June 24, 2020:
Kenworth offers extended TruckTech+ subscription for more customers
Kenworth TruckTech+ Remote Diagnostics is now offering an extended subscription option for customers who forego an extended engine warranty plan on new Kenworth Class 8 trucks with Paccar MX or Cummins engines.
Truck buyers currently receive a free two-year base subscription when purchasing a new Kenworth Class 8 truck. Customers that buy an extended engine warranty plan get the subscription for the life of the extended warranty coverage.
Now, customers can order an extended subscription from their Kenworth dealer to cover from 6 months up to 36 months after the initial two years ends. Customers that opt not to buy an extended subscription at the time of their new Kenworth Class 8 truck purchase can do so at the end of the two-year base period.
HHG moving company fined more than $1.2 million for deceptive practices
A south Florida moving company has been fined more than $1.2 million for deceptive practices, according the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General.
OIG reports Maxx J. Socher and his company, Moving Services Accounting and Storage Inc., which previously operates as Full Service Van Lines, was ordered by a court to pay $1,296,566 in restitution, legal fees and penalties.
The judgement was made in response to civil complaints filed by the Florida Attorney General’s office against seven individuals and their respective companies – a total of 19 household goods companies – for deceptive moving practices.
The complaints alleged that the companies deliberately loaded people’s belongings onto a truck, raised prices and forced customers to pay before releasing the items. The moving companies allegedly used false or deceptive advertising to lure customers into purchasing moving services.
The complaints also claimed that instead of the advertised “highly trained professional or expert movers,” untrained laborers were often used, resulting in damage to, destroying or stealing customers’ property, OIG says.
Electric vehicle chargers added to three Calif. Love’s stops
Three Love’s Travel Stops locations along California Highway 99 now feature electric vehicle charging stations. The expansion is a result of a partnership between EV Connect and Trillium, Love’s alternative fuel business unit.
The three locations are positioned along the California Electric Highway that features charging stations along I-5, Highway 99 and other primary roads in California. The new charging stations also expand California’s portion of the nearly 4,000-mile West Coast Electric Highway aimed at providing charging stations every 25 to 30 miles.
The three Love’s charging sites will feature rates of 50 or 150 kilowatts and accommodate charging for up to four vehicles at one time. The new charging stations, including DC fast chargers (DCFC) and level-2 chargers at Love’s stations in Ripon, Madera and Tulare, use EV Connect’s EV Cloud, a cloud-based software platform for managing electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Cargo theft alerts available in Mexico via new partnership
CalAmp subsidiary LoJack México, a market leader in stolen vehicle recovery across Latin America, has partnered with Overhaul Group, Inc., to integrate Overhaul’s real-time tracking solution with CalAmp’s telematics and LoJack Mexico’s services — the intent is to better secure shipments of pharmaceuticals, perishables and high-value electronics across Mexico in a turbulent time.
The Mexican market is well known for truck cargo thefts given to a high incidence rate of organized criminal activity. From January to April 2020, Mexican trucking association CANACAR reported the country’s carriers saw a 5.5% increase in federal incidents compared to the same timespan last year. Food and groceries, pharmaceuticals and other sought-after freight accounted for 89% of goods stolen in April 2020, furthermore. With government resources shifted to COVID-19 response, significant societal uncertainty has prompted manufacturers and shippers to search for alternative solutions to secure assets.
Overhaul’s supply-chain integrity programs leverage real-time tracking to detect and correct delays, unplanned route changes and other threats within the supply chain, providing shippers and carriers with risk management tools through automated alerts and response protocols, allowing for faster response times and more efficient monitoring.
LoJack México’s direct integration with law enforcement there will give Overhaul’s freight customers advanced visibility, telematics and SVR services to protect their vehicles, equipment and cargo, and aid in their recovery if stolen.