Trucking news and briefs for Friday, July 3, 2020:
Contracted DOE radioactive haulers’ 30-minute break waiver extended
Carriers contracted with the Department of Energy to haul security-sensitive radioactive materials can continue to operate with a waiver from the 30-minute break rule requirements following an extension of the waiver by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The agency announced the extension in a Federal Register notice that will publish Monday, July 6. FMCSA first granted the waiver on June 30, 2015, for five years.
Under the terms of the waiver, exempted drivers can use 30 minutes or more of on-duty attendance time to satisfy the 30-minute break requirement, as long as they are not performing other work during that time.
The renewal is effective immediately and is good through Sept. 29, 2020, when the revised hours of service rules, which FMCSA says make the waiver unnecessary, are set to take effect.
Convoy, KeepTruckin partner to offer increased shipment visibility
Digital freight brokerage Convoy and ELD maker KeepTruckin announced a partnership that will integrate KeepTruckin’s location data into Convoy’s system for en-route shipments for increased shipment visibility.
“Carriers will have total control and must consent for their data to be shared between the two companies,” a press release announcing the partnership says.
Convoy users already must use the Convoy mobile app to share their location when on a load for Convoy, but if the driver’s phone battery dies or if they lose cell reception, GPS is unable to send precise location information to Convoy, requiring check-ins with the carrier to confirm the estimated arrival time.
The KeepTruckin integration will provide a secondary location service to augment Convoy’s shipment tracking, using data from the KeepTruckin ELD.
The partnership also lowers costs for carriers by offering a 15% discount on KeepTruckin’s ELDs and other fleet management technology.
