Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021:
Diesel prices continue to soar
Diesel fuel prices across the U.S. have increased 18 cents in the last two weeks, with a 7.1-cent increase during the week ending Oct. 4 followed by a 10.9-cent increase during the week ending Oct. 11, according to the Department of Energy’s weekly report.
The U.S.’ average price for a gallon of on-highway diesel is now $3.586 – the highest point since the week ending Dec. 1, 2014, when prices were $3.605 per gallon.
Last week, the most significant increase was seen in the Central Atlantic region, where prices jumped by 13.3 cents, followed by the Gulf Coast region, where prices increased by 13.2 cents.
The nation’s most expensive diesel can be found in California at $4.425 per gallon, followed by the West Coast less California region at $3.784 per gallon.
The cheapest fuel can be found in the Gulf Coast region at $3.335 per gallon, followed by New England at $3.459 per gallon.
Prices in other regions, according to DOE, are:
- Central Atlantic – $3.705
- Lower Atlantic – $3.484
- Midwest – $3.538
- Rocky Mountain – $3.673
ProMiles’ numbers during the same week saw fuel prices increase by 8.9 cents, bringing its national average to $3.438 per gallon.
According to ProMiles’ Fuel Surcharge Index, the most expensive diesel can be found in California at $4.398 per gallon, and the cheapest can be found in the Gulf Coast region at $3.225 per gallon.
17 carriers recognized by C.H. Robinson
C.H. Robinson has announced the names of 17 carriers honored with the 2021 C.H. Robinson Carrier of the Year Award. The carriers presented with this surface transportation-focused award are chosen from the company’s network of 73,000 contract carriers.
Winners are honored with a C.H. Robinson-hosted celebration and exclusive prizes. The carriers were selected based on their ability to consistently deliver on time and in full for customers, their adoption of carrier technology to drive efficiencies for themselves and shippers, and their effort to go above and beyond to successfully support shippers’ needs.
During this fourth annual award event, the winners will also be recognized through C.H. Robinson’s ongoing carrier appreciation initiative, which has given away $100,000 to drivers while encouraging people across the nation to write digital thank you notes to truck drivers who help keep the world moving, even during a pandemic.
In honor of the 17 Carrier of the Year Award recipients, the C.H. Robinson Foundation is increasing its previous donation amount of $1 per thank-you message to $17 per thank-you message sent via ThankTruckDrivers.com through the end of October. The donation of up to $25,000 will go to St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund, which helps truck drivers in need.
The full list of the C.H. Robinson 2021 Carrier of the Year Winners includes:
- Berber Trucking, Tranquility, California
- Blunt Enterprise LLC, Mansfield, Missouri
- Daily Express, Inc., Carlisle, Pennsylvania
- Dayton Freight Lines, Inc., Dayton, Ohio (CCJ Top 250, No. 56)
- Dieselgrid, Savannah, Georgia
- Freeport Logistics, Inc., Phoenix, Arizona
- Gabriela Transport Services, Kitchener, Ontario
- J&R Schugel Trucking, Inc., New Ulm, Minnesota (No. 116)
- Millwood Trucking Inc., Nashville, Arkansas
- Nathan's Trucking, New Berlin, Wisconsin
- Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc., Thomasville, North Carolina (No. 10)
- Rented Mule Express LLC, Chatsworth, Georgia
- Road Hogg Transport LLC, Hilliard, Ohio
- Seneca Foods Eastern Fleet, Geneva, New York
- Seneca Foods Western Fleet, Payette, Idaho
- Skyway Express, Inc., Chicago, Illinois
- Timmons Transit, Inc., Jonesboro, Arkansas
“Every carrier on this list is deserving of praise for going above and beyond normal expectations to successfully deliver on behalf of shippers during a historically challenging market,” said Pat Nolan, vice president of operations for North American Service Transportation at C.H. Robinson. “Not only did they rise to extraordinary challenges during extraordinary times, but they also successfully used carrier technology to increase automation and efficiencies that help ease the pressures of a constrained capacity market so many shippers are currently navigating.”
Mack’s new service agreement now standard on LR Electric refuse model
Mack Trucks announced its new Mack Ultra Service Agreement will now come standard with the Mack LR Electric refuse model, helping further support customers transitioning to owning battery-electric vehicles (BEVs).
The Mack Ultra Service Agreement gives Mack LR Electric customers a unique uptime package tailored specifically for the technical needs of BEVs. It includes scheduled maintenance, preventative maintenance, towing and repair, a battery monitoring service and Mack’s connected uptime services in one package that can be included with monthly truck payments.
The LR Electric and its batteries will be supported by Mack GuardDog Connect, Mack’s integrated telematics solution that helps customers achieve peak operating conditions and maximize uptime. The connected service monitors battery health and performance and checks for fault codes and defects reported by the battery and electric components of the energy storage system.
When a critical fault code is detected, Mack GuardDog Connect proactively contacts our 24/7 Mack OneCall agents at the Mack Uptime Center in Greensboro, North Carolina. OneCall agents support Mack customers by coordinating repairs and service with the Mack dealer network during planned and unplanned service events.
