Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, March 3, 2020:
FMCSA holding Truck Safety Summit later this month
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will host a so-called Trucking Safety Summit next week intended to discuss different aspects of truck safety, the latest safety data and emerging technologies.
The event will be held on Thursday, March 19, at U.S. DOT headquarters in Washington, D.C., from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
FMCSA says its goal with the event is to use it “as a proactive dialogue between FMCSA, industry, law enforcement and safety advocates to help improve our shared goal of road safety for all Americans.”
The conference will provide invited stakeholders, including trucking companies, drivers, safety technology directors and users, federal and state partners and safety advocates, as well as members of the public, to share their ideas on improving truck safety.
The event is free, and registration is available online here. In-person seating will be limited to 200 people, and advanced registration by March 10 is required. FMCSA will also live stream the conference. The agency requests that only those planning to attend in person register for general admission tickets.
BestPass adds toll by plate service
BestPass, which provides streamline toll management services to trucking companies, is rolling out a toll by plate service as a supplement to its transponder-based toll coverage.
“The rise of all-electronic tolling across the United States has led to an increase in unplanned toll by plate for commercial fleets,” said John Andrews, president and CEO of Bestpass. “By combining our traditional transponder-based coverage with this new toll by plate solution, we are able to provide an even more comprehensive toll management program for our customers.”
The new service includes both power unit and trailer license plates. The goal for BestPass is to consolidate all tolling transaction into one service.
Truck dealer recognized by International Truck
West Michigan International was named the 2019 North American Dealer of the Year by International Truck on Monday. Ed Rietman is the dealer principal of West Michigan International and received the award from International. The award recognizes top International dealers for providing uptime and high performance in annual sales, service and customer satisfaction.
West Michigan International is a full-service truck dealership with locations in Holland, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing and Muskegon. The company has more than 60 service bays across the five locations.
