Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020:
COVID-19 emergency hours declaration extended into Sept.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has again extended the hours of service waiver through Sept. 14 for carriers providing direct assistance in support of COVID-19 relief efforts. The exemption was previously set to expire on Aug. 14.
The terms of the waiver are mostly the same as they were for the previous month, except FMCSA made the decision to reinstate food, paper products and other groceries for restocking of stores as a qualifying load.
The waiver now covers drivers hauling:
- Livestock and livestock feed
- Medical supplies and equipment related to the testing, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19
- Supplies and equipment necessary for community safety, sanitation and prevention of community transmission of COVID-19 such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, soap and disinfectants
- Food, paper products and other groceries for emergency restocking of distribution centers or stores
FMCSA notes that routine commercial deliveries, including mixed loads “with a normal quantity of qualifying emergency relief added to obtain the benefits of this emergency declaration” do not qualify as direct assistance.
Anheuser-Busch is adding 180 renewable natural gas trucks to its dedicated fleet.Anheuser-Busch transitioning 180 trucks to renewable natural gas
Anheuser-Busch announced Wednesday it will transition more than 180 trucks (approximately 30% of its dedicated fleet) to renewable natural gas (RNG).
In 2014 and 2015, the company converted 160 diesel-fueled trucks in Houston and St. Louis to fleets powered by compressed natural gas engines. As part of its goal of reducing carbon emissions across its value chain by 25% by 2025, the brewer will be expanding this fleet and investing in technology to transition to cleaner-burning RNG.
The two fleets are expected to travel more than 8.5 million miles each year, and Anheuser-Busch expects to reduce its emissions by more than 70% compared to conventional diesel.
Kenworth’s last K500 COE rolls off assembly line
Kenworth produced the last K500 cabover Wednesday, Aug. 12, ending production of the severe-service model after 14 years.
The K500 used a combination of the Kenworth C500 drivetrain with a modern COE cab, which the company says addressed the need for an on/off-highway vehicle with improved jobsite visibility, which also offered more cab space than conventional models.
Sintagma Holding purchased the last Kenworth K500 cabover for use by the Mining Society of Chitotolo (Sociedade Mineira do Chitotolo) in Luanda, Angola. The K500 will be used in a gold mining operation.
“The Kenworth K500 cabover has been a stellar truck model and provided excellent performance and reliability for our customers worldwide,” said Laura Bloch, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and marketing.
Tenstreet partners with Truckers Against Trafficking
Driver hiring assistance platform Tenstreet has partnered with Truckers Against Trafficking to help train more drivers to identify and combat human trafficking.
The partnership expands the reach of TAT driver training and the ability for truck drivers to earn the certification needed to obtain and/or renew their CDL. There are currently 11 states with some form of trafficking training requirement for obtaining CDLs.
“We are excited to partner with Truckers Against Trafficking to help bring awareness to hundreds of thousands of professional drivers who will now be able to take this training for free via our Driver Pulse app,” said Tenstreet CEO Tim Crawford.
