Friday, July 25, 2008

By: Joan Garrett- Chattanooga Times Free Press

It was not a job his dad could brag about to his friends. There wouldn’t be a white-picket fence or neighborhood barbecues. If he had children, he wouldn’t be there when they took their first steps.

But at 20 years old, Donald Cook didn’t care.

He wanted to be a truck driver. He wanted to live life truck-stop-to-truck-stop and put his eyes on all the country in between.

“It was up to me. I had control, said Mr. Cook, a driver for J.B. Hunt out of Jacksonville, Florida. “I was drawn to the coast-to-coast (drive), the traveling.”

Thirty years later, Mr. Cook, now 50, sat in a musty drivers’ lounge off Interstate 85 in Greenville, S.C., and spoke about lost miles. In the last six months, his familiar 2,800-mile to 3,100-mile cross-country routes have been shortened by more than 1,000 miles and his paycheck is less than what he earned 15 years ago.

“I have lost all the love I had for trucking,” he said. “I am sick of it. You are not seeing the U.S. like you used to.” (more…)

Sat Jul 26, 2008 3:17pm EDTLOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The American Trucking Associations said it plans to file a federal law suit on Monday against the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to stop new rules for truckers designed to decrease diesel fuel pollution.

The Port of Los Angeles’ plan, coming into effect in October, would ban independent truckers from entering the port. The ATA argues it is an attempt to squeeze out independent motor carriers in favor of larger trucking companies.

The program also requires trucking companies to hand over more information to the ports.

The Port of Long Beach’s plan will continue to allow independent truckers.

“The crux of the suit is that this kind of plan instituted by the ports is at odds with Congress’ objective that motor carriers will be shaped by market forces to stimulate efficiency, low prices, variety and quality,” said Clayton Boyce, an ATA spokesman. (more…)

Monday, July 28, 2008TIM UNRUH- Salina Journal

The high cost of fuel is powering tough times in the trucking industry and threatening the existence of at least one longtime freight hauler, Jim Palmer Trucking.

“It’s a very tense time in the industry right now. We’re hearing that it’s extremely tough out there,” said Tom Whitaker, executive director of the Kansas Motor Carrier Association, Topeka.

Lonnie Wallace would attest to that claim. The president of Jim Palmer Trucking, which is based in Missoula, Mont., and has a terminal in Salina, is determined to lead the company through federal bankruptcy protection during this period of high fuel prices. (more…)

Friday, July 25, 2008
By: Joan Garrett- Chattenooga Times Free Press
Several years ago, after driving a truck for 25 years, Barry Andersen decided to leave the industry and pursue research - mud flap research.

As a driver he had gotten fed up with the heavy water spray created by some traditional mud flaps. He viewed them as a safety hazard to everyday four-wheel drivers, and so he did something no one else had done: He made a mud flap with holes.

Sales were poor to begin with, but when diesel hit $4 a gallon Mr. Andersen found himself and his new mud flaps in the middle of an industry frenzy over aerodynamics. These porous mud flaps, coined eco-flaps, could improve a trucks fuel efficiency by 1.7 to 4 percent, he said. (more…)

Friday, July 25, 2008By SUNITA SOHRABJI
India-West Staff Reporter

In a move opposed by many small trucking businesses, the California Air Resources Board has proposed new regulations in an effort to curb diesel emissions from trucks.

The agency says it is taking the action to reduce the 9,000 annual deaths attributed to poor air quality in the state. But Indian American truck owners, who make up about one-third of the industry in California, say the regulations, which require costly upgrades and replacements, will force many smaller trucking companies to shut down.

Daljeet Singh, owner-operator of Khalsa Trucking in Bakersfield, Calif., told India-West he would be forced to shut his one-man operation down if forced to replace his 1992 truck.

“It’s going to 100 percent put me out of business. There’s no way I can afford it,” he said. Singh, who has run Khalsa Trucking since 1989 and moves dry freight to Las Vegas and Texas, said he would be forced to drive for someone else, which would be financially difficult for his family, with his two college-going children.

Diesel emissions in California contribute more than 40 percent of the two biggest components of air pollution: particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen, known as Nox. (more…)

WARRENVILLE, Ill., Jul 23, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) —-Truck owners and fleets can reduce fuel usage, lower emissions and comply with new anti-idling laws with the new Fleetrite Auxiliary Power Unit, a retrofit product introduced from Navistar.”A Class 8 truck burns a little more than a gallon of diesel fuel per hour idling, and a long-haul sleeper idles around 2,400 hours per year,” said Ron Sandefur, vice president, aftermarket purchasing and products, Navistar Parts Group. “Figure in the high price of diesel fuel and the result is a lot of wasted money.

“With a Fleetrite APU, truck owners can reduce fuel usage to only 0.3 gallons of fuel per hour while idling, or up to 80 percent less than normal idle, saving fleets and owner-operators up to $8,500 a year and 1,920 gallons of fuel annually per truck,” Sandefur said. (more…)

The Trucker News Services7/22/2008

WASHINGTON - The American Trucking Associations said today that while it supports the recommendations to improve the medical qualification process for CDL holders, the public should recognize that medical problems cause less than 3 percent of truck accidents.

In contrast, speeding and aggressive driving cause 42 percent, and failure to pay attention causes 35 percent, Tiffany Wlazlowski, the ATA’s director of public affairs and deputy press secretary, said.

“If the federal government enacted ATA’s proposal to require speed limiters and lower the speed limit, many more lives would be saved,” Wlazlowski said.

The AP story and the GAO report fail to properly represent the trucking industry’s commitment to safety, including the fact that ATA supports all of the changes suggested and, in some cases, ATA was the first to suggest the change, she said, adding that the positive drug test clearing house, for example, was requested by ATA some 10 years ago. (more…)

by Keith Schoonmaker | 21 Jul 08Landstar LSTR continues to produce outstanding results despite the soft economy. The firm grew operating revenue 10.2% compared to the same period one year ago. Excluding the benefit of government contracts in the Hurricane Katrina recovery effort, it produced the highest quarterly income in Landstar’s history. Year to date, Landstar has grown its top line 8.0% despite the slight volume decrease in both truck brokerage segments (together comprising 95% of total revenue). Margins declined from 7.8% to 7.2% due to greater bonus accruals, mix (the growing substitute line haul business serving less-than-truckload carriers produces lower margins than other truckload business), and increased rates commanded by the trucking market. Landstar sounds the refrain common among transportation firms during the past year: Automotive and housing freight markets suffer continued weakness. Landstar indicates the quarter’s decline in loads were due to the loss of one 10,000-load account (over 2% of total trucking loads) and a 22% reduction in automotive freight volume. While intermodal business made up just 4.1% of consolidated revenue, at 15.8% year over year expansion, this segment grew faster than Landstar’s mainstay trucking volume. We expect this trend to continue as the market responds to high fuel prices, given railroad’s superior fuel efficiency and improved service levels. (more…)

07/20/2008The 2007 economic analysis of the Clean Trucks Program by economist John Husing showed the federal Transportation Worker Identification Credential is likely to cause between 15 percent and 22 percent of port drivers to leave the business. Some won’t even bother to apply because they already know they can’t pass the mandatory background check.

The study predicted the Clean Trucks Program would add to the exodus. Some independent owners and licensed motor carriers won’t be able to afford new, cleaner-burning trucks, even with lower fleet prices and generous grants from the ports to facilitate a lease/purchase. (more…)

Last update: 6:10 p.m. EDT July 10, 2008

WASHINGTON, July 10, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ — Hoffa Lauds

Sending of Clear Message to Bush Administration Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa commended the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday for approving an amendment to ban any and all programs to open the border to long-haul trucks from Mexico.

The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND), removes the Bush administration’s pretense that it can lawfully operate a pilot program to allow Mexican trucks to travel freely on U.S. highways. It passed by a vote of 20-9. (more…)