Iowa waives hours of service, weight regs for fuel haulers

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Updated Aug 25, 2021

Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Aug. 6, 2021:

Hours, weight regs waived in Iowa for fuel haulers

Truck drivers hauling various petroleum products to Iowa, including gasoline, diesel, ethanol and biodiesel, can drive beyond the normal hours of service and weight regulations, as long as they are providing direct assistance to the fuel shortage being experienced in the state.

Iowa Gov. Kimberly Reynolds issued an emergency declaration on July 30, which suspends the HOS and oversize/overweight regulations for fuel haulers. The declaration is effective through Aug. 28.

The suspension of the overweight regulations allows trucks hauling fuel products to carry up to 90,000 pounds without a permit.

The order cites high demand for petroleum products in the state coupled with fuel haulers experiencing long wait times at terminals and fuel outages at some terminals as reasons for the waiver.

Plus completes driverless highway run in China

Self-driving truck tech firm Plus announced Thursday it has completed a driverless Level 4 demonstration on a highway in China.

The driverless truck was operated using Plus’ Level 4 autonomous technology, without a safety driver, teleoperator or any other forms of human intervention.

The demonstration was completed on the Wufengshan highway in China’s largest economic center of Yangtze Delta. The demonstration was conducted with a special permit on the newly built highway, with Plus being the first company to be granted such a permit in China. During the demonstration, the driverless truck drove safely and smoothly in typical highway traffic.

Omnitracs adds PrePass to telematics system

Omnitracs has entered into a partnership with PrePass Safety Alliance to provide the PrePass weigh station bypass service on its Omnitracs One platform.

Fleets that access the PrePass app will be able to bypass weigh stations, improving driver satisfaction with fewer inspection stops and exceeding customer expectations with faster load delivery.

Directly integrated into Omnitracs One, weigh station bypass information will be available with all other fleet activity, on a converged platform.

With the PrePass application, drivers are informed of an upcoming weigh station when crossing a geofence threshold two miles out. PrePass then verifies the carrier credentials, safety scores, and vehicle weights, where available, to determine the bypass decision. Drivers receive notification on Omnitracs One to bypass or pull into the weigh station, all while the truck travels at highway speed.

Averitt hosts 'Thank You Week' for associates

As one way to say thank you to associates for their efforts that have made 2021 an outstanding year, Averitt Express (CCJ Top 250, No. 28) recently celebrated “Operation: Thank You Week” with events taking place at facilities throughout its network. 

“Operation: Thank You Week” included daily drawings for prizes such as grills, tents, fire pits, patio furniture and other summer items. Additionally, facilities hosted their own giveaways, drawings, food trucks, grab-and-go meals and more. 

“Our associates’ efforts have simply been incredible,” said Barry Blakely, Averitt’s vice president of operations. “We have seen increased freight levels, and areas of our network continue to face challenges resulting from COVID-19. Through it all, our commitment to teamwork, safety and service have helped us enjoy an outstanding year. We are proud of our culture of showing appreciation for a job well done, and this event is just one of the many ways we are saying thank you to associates for all they do.” 

As one way to say thank you to associates for their efforts that have made 2021 an outstanding year, Averitt Express (CCJ Top 250, No. 28) recently celebrated “Operation: Thank You Week” with events taking place at facilities throughout its network.As one way to say thank you to associates for their efforts that have made 2021 an outstanding year, Averitt Express (CCJ Top 250, No. 28) recently celebrated “Operation: Thank You Week” with events taking place at facilities throughout its network.