Arnold Maltz, professor of supply chain management, says Mexican truckers should be permitted to drive in the United States. To that end, Maltz is beginning a Border Enforcement Grant program to get Mexican drivers better-trained to drive on American roads.

At issue in Washington, D.C. is a small but controversial one-year pilot project that has allowed Mexican trucks to travel throughout the United States, although most of such travel has been in the border states. The pilot project ends September 6, and strong opposition to its continuation has been expressed in Congress by Democrats concerned about American jobs and highway safety, and by Republicans concerned about security and immigration issues. (more…)

The plans will limit access to the ports to only those trucking companies that have entered into concession contracts approved by the port program administrator.

The concession plans impose a broad range of operational requirements that create a regulatory environment similar to state intrastate economic regulation. The ports have acknowledged that these intrusive regulatory systems will result in far fewer trucking companies being able to service the ports, reducing competition. (more…)

The American Trucking Associations filed a federal lawsuit last month against both cities after reviewing a truck replacement plan that would force thousands of independent truckers who work at the port to eventually become employees of trucking companies.

The group, which represents 37,000 trucking companies, had no immediate comment after learning that two Phoenix-based ATA haulers signed onto the program.

Some California trucking companies were upset that any member would sign up for a plan that could put them out of business.

“I’m taken aback,” Michael Lightman, owner of Long Beach-based Great Freight Inc., told the Los Angeles Times. “Now, they are going to out-of-state companies rather than dealing with California trucking businesses that have been hauling cargo in and out of the ports for the past 25 to 30 years.”

Both cities passed plans earlier this year aimed at reducing truck pollution at the nation’s busiest cargo container complex by as much as 80 percent. The plans would require trucks to meet tougher 2007 federal emissions standards by 2012, along with a $35 cargo fee to pay for the newer, cleaner-running trucks.

The ATA has said it does not oppose efforts to clean up the air but is concerned that other measures in the plans violate federal laws by unfairly regulating prices, routes and services.

The haulers that signed onto the program include Swift Transportation Co., which has 37 major terminals in 26 states and Mexico; and Knight Transportation Inc., which has 2008 model trucks on nearly half its fleet.

“These are both well-known, national trucking companies. They are very serious players,” said Paul Bingham, managing director of trade and transportation markets for economic research firm Global Insight.

The Arizona companies said that the letters of intent made sense because both already had customers who moved goods through the ports and had expressed concerns about their ability to get their products delivered promptly.

“We have 1,400 trucks equipped with the newest diesel technology. The ports have a need for clean trucks and we have customers that need that service,” said Kevin Knight, chief executive of Knight Transportation. “I think it’s a good fit.”

The American Trucking Associations - which had vowed to sue the ports if they attempted to implement their concession plans - filed its lawsuit last month, five working days after the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach released their concession applications to the trucking community. The ATA has also filed for a preliminary injunction, asking the judge to block the plans until a final decision on the case is made. (more…)

On the flip side, only 19% of truckers expect the trucking market to get worse, compared with about 70% two months ago, according to the Associated Press. Longbow analyst Lee Klaskow said he expects capacity in the trucking market to continue to tighten, which will likely push rates up. (more…)

Proposed state regulations that would reduce harmful pollutants are drawing criticism from Southern California’s trucking and logistics industries and other business interests.

The Legislature passed AB 32, also called the Global Warming Solutions Act, in 2006, and state officials hope to enact some of its measures by November. The goal is to roll back greenhouse gas emissions in California to 1990 levels by 2020.

AB 32 makes the California Air Resources Board responsible for monitoring greenhouse gasses and crafting rules to control them.

The proposed regulations to implement AB 32 would affect anyone who drives a large long-haul truck in California, including trucks from other states. It would assess fines for non-compliance on all levels of the surface-road supply chain, including the distribution centers where trucks are loaded and unloaded. (more…)

Today, that’s a recipe for financial ruin, said Bill Gulick recently, when diesel fuel averaged $4.65 per gallon nationally and more in California. Gulick is president of Gulick Trucking Co. in Vancouver and Portland.

“You have to have reasonable fuel mileage in the equation with volume. If you don’t deal with (fuel efficiency), it’s a problem. Either you change or you’re not going to make it.”

Now truckers have a new ally in the push to increase fuel economy. Cascade Sierra Solutions, a two-year-old Oregon-based nonprofit organization, offers fuel-saving and emissions-cutting devices and strategies through low-interest loans (repaid with fuel savings), government grants and tax incentives. CSS recently opened an outreach center next to the Jubitz Travel Center in the Delta Park area of north Portland, where it also will serve Clark County and Southwest Washington truckers. (more…)

According to media reports, the Virginia-based The American Trucking Associations (ATA) and its affiliate, the Intermodal Motor Carriers Conference (IMCC), are asserting that the proposed “Concession Plans will limit access to the ports to only those trucking companies that have entered into concession contracts approved by the port program administrator.”

The suit also names the Long Beach Harbor Commission as a defendant. (more…)

ARLINGTON, Va., July 30, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ — A top trucking official along with a professional truck driver today urged the Bush Administration and Congress to implement a comprehensive energy plan that will ensure an affordable supply of oil and limit the effect of rising fuel costs on the U.S. economy.
Speaking at a press conference hosted by Senator Mitch McConnell and the Republican Leadership, Barbara Windsor, President and CEO of Hahn Transportation of New Market, Md., said the United States needs a comprehensive energy plan that decreases demand for fossil fuels, increases domestic energy production and ensures transparency in the petroleum markets.

“This is a big problem that requires a big solution,” Windsor said. “Trucking delivers America. Trucks transport virtually 100 percent of groceries, medicine, clothing, appliances and even the fuel that’s pumped at the local gas station. Rising fuel prices not only hurt the trucking industry, but the entire American economy.” (more…)