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LOS ANGELES — An elevated Los Angeles freeway closed for more than a week because of an arson fire reopened ahead of Monday morning’s commute, at least a day earlier than previously announced and weeks ahead of the original estimate. “Welcome back, Los Angeles!” Mayor Karen Bass posted late Sunday on X, formerly known as Twitter. The Nov. 11 blaze, fed by flammable materials stored under the roadway in violation of a company’s lease, shut a mile-long stretch of Interstate 10 near downtown, snarling traffic as repair crews worked around the clock. Officials had said last week that all lanes were expected to reopen by Tuesday, but moved it up to Monday after significant progress. Gov. Gavin Newsom said recent safety inspections showed the span was safe to start reopening Sunday evening and that the freeway would be “fully operational” before Monday’s rush hour. “It wasn’t just speed that we were after. We wanted to make sure this thing was safe,” Newsom said at a news conference, joined by Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla and Bass. Officials had initially said it could take about 250 workers between three and five weeks to shore up the span after the blaze burned about 100 support columns. “This is a great day in our city,” Bass said Sunday. “Let me thank everyone who worked 24 hours to make this effort happen.” There will be periodic closures in the coming weeks or months as repairs continue, officials said. An estimated 300,000 vehicles a day use the freeway, which runs east-west across the heart of the metropolis and connects with other major highways. Padilla estimated the initial repairs, which are expected to be covered by federal funds, would cost $3 million. State investigators repeatedly identified fire and safety hazards at a leased storage space under an elevated Los Angeles freeway before it burned in the fire, documents show. The California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans, released the documents Friday. Investigators said Saturday they’re seeking help locating a “person of interest” and released two photos in a “crime alert notification” on social media showing a man in his 30s with a brace on his right knee and apparent burn injuries on his left leg. The photographs were released by Cal Fire and the State Fire Marshal, whose office is investigating the blaze but did not say how he was identified. While investigators have not said how the fire was set, the blaze was fed by pallets, cars, construction materials, hand sanitizer and other items being stored under the freeway under a little-known program that now is under scrutiny. Newsom has said the state will reassess the practice of leasing land under roads to bring in money for mass transportation projects. Apex Development Inc. has leased the land under I-10 since 2008. Although one condition of the contract stipulated that it not allow the storage of flammable or hazardous materials there, state inspectors have visited the site six times since early 2020 and flagged problematic conditions for years. “This is a filthy unmaintained lease,” inspector Daryl Myatt wrote in a 2022 report after a surprise inspection discovered solvents, oils, fuels and other items barred by the agreement. “This area has been utilized since the mid-1970s and looks like it.” Owners of two of the companies that subleased the property said they also had warned of a fire danger and other hazards related to homeless people living under the freeway. Newsom previously said that while subleasing can be legal if the company received permission from state and federal regulators, Apex did not. In September, state officials filed a lawsuit against Apex saying it owes $78,000 in unpaid rent. A hearing is scheduled next year. The state’s most recent spot inspection, a little more than a month before the Nov. 11 fire, found “numerous lease violations,” but the documents released Friday didn’t elaborate. Caltrans had “informed Apex Development of the need to address violations, especially those creating safety hazards,” the agency said in a statement. Mainak D’Attaray, an attorney for Apex Development, said Wednesday that the company is not to blame for the fire, adding the company hasn’t been able to access the premises since October. “Apex rented and improved the rundown yard and made substantial capital investments during the period that it had possession of the yard,” D’Attaray’s statement added. “Caltrans inspected the premises periodically, at least once a year, and CalTrans was fully aware of the sublessees and their operations. Even the State of California’s Fire Marshall inspected the premises.” D’Attaray did not respond to a request for comment Saturday. Izzy Gordon, a spokesperson for the governor, last week disagreed with D’Attaray’s statement that Apex is not to blame. Gordon said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection — Cal Fire — believes it was caused by arson “in a fenced-off area that Apex was responsible for maintaining while they continued to assert rights under the lease.” Brandon Richards, another Newsom spokesperson, reiterated the governor’s directive for Caltrans to conduct a comprehensive review of all leased sites under the state’s freeways. Richards did not address whether anyone at Caltrans is facing discipline. No injuries were reported in the fire, but at least 16 homeless people living in an encampment there were taken to shelters.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has awarded $34 million in grants to 10 projects in 10 states under the Advanced Digital Construction Management Systems (ADCMS) grant program in an effort to reduce highway construction delays and cost overruns. According to a news release, the grants will help promote digital construction, such as computer modeling and 3D design. The new program under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides a total of $85 million over five years. “The 10 projects selected for funding will help advance digital construction nationwide because they will serve as models for other state and local transportation agencies to adopt these best practices,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “With funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, these technologies will help us more quickly deliver the transportation system of the 21st century.” The ADCMS program is one aspect of FHWA’s multifaceted Technology and Innovation Deployment Program  and provides funding as an incentive for state departments of transportation. It promotes access to more meaningful, accurate, and easy-to-use data by construction professionals with enhanced software modeling tools and features. Better and more consistent modeling allows the seamless sharing of design and construction plans. The program goals include: Accelerated adoption of advanced digital construction management systems throughout the project lifecycle to boost productivity and manage complex projects. More timely and productive information-sharing through reduced reliance on paper. The development and deployment of best practices on construction sites. Increased technology adoption and deployment by states and local governments. Increased transparency as the result of the real-time sharing of information. The projects focus on information-sharing, reduced reliance on paper and increased productivity and cost savings during project delivery with the goal of serving as models for the adoption and deployment of digital construction technologies on a national scale. Project Selections for Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023: California DOT — $3,920,800 Caltrans will use the funding to facilitate better data management across the state’s project delivery cycle using a model successfully deployed by the United Kingdom National Highways Bureau. The project will reduce the need for paperwork and streamline processes. Connecticut DOT — $4,497,696 Connecticut transportation officials will use the funding to update the existing, cloud-based project delivery and document management system. These enhancements will eliminate the use of paper and move toward 3D models for work orders, logs, reports and correspondence while laying the foundation for improved digital management of future construction projects. The upgrades also will facilitate sharing of real-time information with federal, state agencies as well as contractors and others, minimizing delays and cost overruns. Delaware DOT — $4 million Delaware transportation officials plan to use the funding to automate data collection processes that would reduce time spent on labor-intensive and routine activities at worksites while freeing up time for higher-skilled work. By harnessing accurate, real-time data about construction projects, agency inspections and quality control measures, these enhancements also would reduce workers’ exposure to hazardous worksite conditions and improve the safety of employees and the public traveling through work zones. DelDOT also plans to partner with the private sector in this effort. Illinois DOT — $4,500,000 Illinois transportation officials will use the funding to establish a digital information-sharing network for future construction operations. This network would reduce the use of paper reports, provide greater efficiency of real-time data collection, allow 3D modeling and digital aerial surveys to improve accuracy and promote the use of information-sharing through cloud storage. Other benefits include reducing worker exposure to on-site surveys in hazardous work zones and environmentally sensitive areas and the ability to share data with local governments, state agencies and other organizations in the state. Iowa DOT — $1,501,200 Iowa transportation officials will use the funds to improve digital construction standards and processes to capture, share and store information about state-owned utilities, bridges and pavement materials. In addition, project funds will help to streamline asset management by allowing easy access to data from digital models for use in preparing bids, achieve better project outcomes and reduce reliance on paper. When fully implemented, electronic information should help state officials make construction projects more efficient thereby reducing exposure for workers in work zones to live traffic, inattentive drivers and impaired drivers. Minnesota DOT — $2,160,000 Minnesota transportation officials will use the funds to update asset and digital data management systems across the state’s construction cycle with the goal of improving decision-making, managing risks and employing mitigation strategies. Project funds will fill critical needs for hardware, software and workforce training, allowing easier access to information about preliminary designs and construction plans, more safeguards and quality assurance. Oklahoma DOT — $3,079,440 Oklahoma transportation officials will use the funding to develop and implement a digital project delivery plan for managing assets, streamlining data storage, and tracking progress throughout construction, including the maintenance and operations phases. Other enhancements include using GPS equipment and 3D models to make data collection faster and more efficient, including purchasing equipment for construction inspections, and training for construction and design staff. Pennsylvania DOT — $3,910,000 Pennsylvania plans to use its funding to develop an open data standard that would eliminate the need for paper plans and make it easier to exchange information digitally between design and construction teams. Training for PennDOT personnel and contractors would ensure that transportation officials and those in related industries develop knowledge and skills on advanced technology and cutting-edge computer systems together. Utah DOT — $5 million Utah transportation officials will use the funding to improve digital data collection tools in the field and training for its design personnel and project reviewers to use them for construction projects as early as 2024-2025. By expanding GIS and CMaps tools, Utah transportation officials will be able to streamline inspections in the field and provide predictable reports and assessments. Washington State DOT — $1,350,000 Washington State transportation officials will use the funding to create automated processes aimed at collecting traffic control information for roadway signs at intersections and ADA curb ramps. These upgrades will eliminate the need for workers to be in hazardous traffic conditions for data collection purposes. It also will save time by reducing the need for paper reports and allow input of electronic data into 3D models to get to the public and other stakeholders faster.

ETNA, Ohio — A federal investigator looking into an Ohio bus crash that killed three students, two parents and a teacher with a high school band group praised on Nov. 15 the “good Samaritans” who rushed to the scene of the highway crash. National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy said numerous police and fire departments responded to the scene shortly after the Tuesday crash on westbound Interstate 70 in Licking County, about 26 miles east of Columbus. Among them were some Gahanna officers who were heading to a training event when they learned of the accident and went directly to the scene. She said there was “conflicting information” about the sequence of events that led to the chain-reaction crash, which also involved an SUV and a semi-truck. The Pioneer Trails charter bus was carrying students and chaperones from the Tuscarawas Valley Local School District in eastern Ohio, who were headed to perform at an educational conference. Three passengers on the bus, which was carrying a driver and 54 students and chaperones, were pronounced dead at the scene, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said. They were identified as John W. Mosely, 18, of Mineral City; Jeffery D. Worrell, 18, of Bolivar; and Katelyn N. Owens, 15, of Mineral City. The three-day educational conference, billed as “the second-largest education convention in the nation,” canceled its final day after organizers learned of the crash. The event, which began Sunday, offered professional development sessions for school district management teams and an annual Student Achievement Fair featuring 100 booths of innovative school programs. Speaking on the night of Nov. 14 at a community prayer vigil, Tuscarawas Valley Superintendent Derek Varansky described the day as one of the darkest days in the district’s history and the worst day in his life. He said the community was looking to honor those who died and “just lift up those families, those students on the bus who survived and will live with that traumatic experience and to our entire district for the dark days, week, months to come.” Varansky said classes were held Wednesday because district officials did not want any students home by themselves. Noting it wouldn’t be “a typical school day,” he said counselors and support staff from other community organizations would be at the schools to offer assistance. All three people in one of the passenger vehicles involved — a teacher and two parent chaperones for the student trip — were also pronounced dead at the scene. They were identified as high school teacher Dave Kennat, 56, of Navarre; Kristy Gaynor, 39, of Zoar, and Shannon Wigfield, 45, of Bolivar. Wigfield also served as a teacher at Buckeye Career Center, which offers career-technical education for students as well as adult education courses. The center said she was in her 24th year of teaching there and was an English language arts instructor who “will be remembered for her loving smile and always positive attitude.” The driver of the other passenger vehicle was also taken to a hospital. Of the drivers of the commercial vehicles involved, one was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening and the other was treated at the scene, the highway patrol said. Two students remained hospitalized Wednesday with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, district officials said. Both sides of Interstate 70 were closed for several hours after the crash, creating major traffic delays in the area. The eastbound lanes reopened late Tuesday afternoon, while the westbound lanes reopened early Wednesday. Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers and state Transportation Department workers were at the crash site Wednesday, working in the highway’s westbound shoulder. The interstate remained open in both directions. Tori Wilson, a sophomore at the school who was sitting toward the back of the bus when it was hit, told WBNS-TV she overheard someone talking about a fire and they needed to get out, but she was struggling because she was stuck. “I had a kid like over top of me having a seizure and not moving… unresponsive,” she said. “I had my friend beside me to my right, that was sitting right to where I was, where I was gonna sit, but she said that I could have the inside towards the window. And all I could see was her head and the rest was all crushed underneath seats.” Wilson said that while the bus was burning, the junior high band director kept running back onto the vehicle, grabbing students and pulling them to safety. “The kid behind me was complaining (about) his legs and I was trying to get out, but like I didn’t wanna crush him because anytime I moved, the seats moved cause I was trying to get out and then he starts like screaming in pain,” Wilson said. “The kid that was on the far right of the three, he was in the middle of the aisle and not moving.” Eventually, she pulled herself out of a window and escaped. The collision was the second recent fatal crash in the U.S. involving high school students on a charter bus. In September, two people were killed and several others injured when a charter bus carrying high school students to band camp veered off a New York highway. In Ohio, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine convened a School Bus Safety Working Group in August, after a minivan crashed into a school bus in Clark County, toppling the vehicle and killing an 11-year-old Northwestern Local Schools student. The minivan driver has been charged with vehicular homicide. The panel meets next Thursday, when it will discuss training, on-bus instruction and hear from a panel of drivers and other practitioners. Spokesperson Judy Converse said the group’s sixth and final meeting is scheduled for Dec. 1, with recommendations expected by the end of the year. Converse said it was unclear how charter buses carrying students might be addressed in the panel’s final report, but that Tuesday’s crash would be acknowledged at the meeting.

DALLAS — CloudTrucks recently polled 2,000 U.S. adults via third-party survey platform Pollfish for the 2023 How America Talks Trucks Survey. According to CloudTrucks officials, the goal was to explore regional differences in terminology and perspectives on the trucking industry. In their survey, “How America Thinks and Talks Trucks,” CloudTrucks asked 2,000 Americans about the terminology they use and perceptions they have on trucking and trucker drivers. Respondents from all 50 states were included and analyzed by census region: Northeast, Midwest, South and West. Key findings Americans value and hold largely positive views of truck drivers. Americans across all regions are familiar with the trucking industry, and Southerners are confident they understand trucking and truck drivers best. Regional terminology for trucks differs, but “18-wheeler” is the most popular term for trucks nationwide. Americans value and hold largely positive views of truck drivers Across regions, Americans overwhelmingly say “truck drivers play a crucial role in the economy” (80%) and sympathize with truckers for “frequently” having to “encounter aggressive or unsafe behaviors from other motorists” (43%). Nearly a third (33%) said truck drivers are not adequately compensated for their work. When asked about the images that come to mind when thinking of truck drivers, some limiting perceptions persisted. About 21% of respondents suggested drivers are older white males with tattoos and rough appearances, and 13% suggested they are reckless and disregard traffic rules and safety precautions. However, most respondents across the U.S. regions opted for far more positive descriptions of truck drivers. Many respondents (35%) described drivers as industrious, overworked and underpaid. Approximately 32% of respondents also described drivers as reliable and punctual. When asked what they would think if they met a truck driver in a social setting, almost half (48%) of respondents said they would have respect for the driver’s hard work, sacrifices and contributions to society. Many (46%) also indicated they would have an interest in learning more about the drivers’ travels and experiences in the trucking industry. Far fewer respondents made negative assumptions about truck drivers’ politics, education or other traits. Americans are familiar with the trucking industry, and Southerners are most confident they understand trucking and trucker drivers Southerners showed a high degree of confidence in their understanding of the daily life and challenges faced by truck drivers, with 69% claiming to be “very familiar” (29%) or “somewhat familiar” (40%), compared to 57% of Northeasterners who answered “very familiar” (19%) or “somewhat familiar” (37%). Across the U.S., 65% of respondents said they were “very familiar” (26%) or “somewhat familiar” (39%) with the daily life and challenges faced by truck drivers. Notably, Northeasterners appear to know trucking quite well. Participants from the region did the best on the quiz. They were most likely to correctly respond that New York has the toughest trucking regulations. They were also more likely than Southerners to identify Texas as the state with the highest concentration of trucking companies and Ohio as a major trucking hub. Regional terminology differs, but “18-wheeler” is the most popular name for trucks nationwide When asked “What term do you commonly use to refer to a large truck used for shipping goods?” each part of the country identified a different, preferred term. Midwesterners prefer the terms “semi” and “semi-truck”, which received 28% and 27% of their responses, respectively. About 11% answered “18-wheeler” in this region. People in the Northeast favor “tractor-trailer” (30%) over the second most popular term, “18-wheeler”(16%). In the West, people seem to prefer the term “semi-truck” (19%), followed by “semi” and “18-wheeler” at 17%. “Big rig” and “rig” are popular in the West as well – those terms received a combined 17% of responses. Broken down by state, 13 states chose “18-wheeler,” 13 favored “semi,” 13 (including the District of Columbia) chose “tractor-trailer,” and 12 picked “semi-truck.” “Other” popular names provided by respondents included “delivery truck”, “freight truck” and “mack truck”. Tobenna Arodiogbu, co-founder and CEO, CloudTrucks, said the results were encouraging for the trucking industry. “It’s great to see that so many people value and feel positively about truck drivers and the work they do,” said Tobenna Arodiogbu, co-founder and CEO, CloudTrucks. “Most freight in the U.S. is moved by trucks so drivers and the trucking industry as a whole are absolutely essential to our daily existence. Perhaps positive perceptions will continue to grow as consumer activities like e-commerce become more popular and the general public interacts more with the trucking industry via experiences like package tracking. We have to keep working to ensure this value translates monetarily to drivers.”

ETNA, Ohio  — A charter bus carrying students from a high school was rear-ended by a semi-truck on an Ohio highway Nov. 14, leaving three people dead and 15 others injured, according to an emergency official. The charter bus was transporting students from a school in eastern Ohio, Licking County Emergency Management Agency Director Sean Grady said. There were a total of 57 people onboard, he said. The accident occurred shortly before 9 a.m. on Interstate 70 West in Licking County, near the Smoke Road underpass. The cause was not immediately known. The injured were being treated at five hospitals. Numerous emergency responders were at the scene, and Ohio Department of Transportation cameras from the area showed smoke coming from the crash site. The highway was closed in both directions and numerous traffic delays were being reported. Mickey Lymon, an investigator with the Licking County Coroner’s Office, said they had been called to the scene, but deferred other questions to the state police.

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles motorists should expect traffic snarls during the Monday commute as crews assess how much damage was caused by a raging fire over the weekend that closed a major elevated interstate near downtown, officials said. Hazardous materials teams were clearing burned material from underneath Interstate 10 to make way for engineers who will ensure the columns and deck of the highway can support the 300,000 vehicles that typically travel that route daily, Gov. Gavin Newsom said at a news conference Sunday. “Remember, this is an investigation as to the cause of how this occurred, as well as a hazmat and structural engineering question,” Newsom said. “Can you open a few lanes? Can you retrofit the columns? Is the bridge deck intact to allow for a few lanes to remain open again?” Newsom said answering those questions would be a “24-7 operation,” but officials couldn’t yet offer a timeline for when the highway might reopen. Commuters were urged to work from home or take public transportation into downtown Los Angeles. The mile-long I-10 closure between Alameda Street and Santa Fe Avenue will have ripple effects on surface streets and other key freeways including State Route 60 and Interstate 5, the California Highway Patrol said. The cause of the fire was under investigation Sunday. Flames reported around 12:20 a.m. Saturday ripped through two storage lots in an industrial area beneath the highway, burning parked cars, stacks of wooden pallets and support poles for high-tension power lines, fire Chief Kristin Crowley said. No injuries were reported. More than 160 firefighters from more than two dozen companies responded to the blaze, which spread across 8 acres — the equivalent of about six football fields — and burned for three hours. The highway’s columns are charred and chipped, and guardrails along the deck are twisted and blackened. Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday afternoon and directed the state Department of Transportation to request assistance from the federal government. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said she had also talked with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg about any additional resources that may be needed. The governor said Sunday that the state has been in litigation with the owner of the business leasing the storage property where the fire started. The lease is expired, Newsom said, and the business had been in arrears while subleasing the space. “This is a site we were aware of, this is a lessee we were aware of,” he said. California Secretary of Transportation Toks Omishakin said storage yards under highways are common statewide and across the country. He said the practice would be reevaluated following the fire. At least 16 homeless people living underneath the highway were evacuated and brought to shelters, Bass said. Officials said there was no immediate indication that the blaze began at the encampment. The mayor said the fire’s long-term impact could be reminiscent of damage from the Northridge earthquake that flattened freeways in 1994. “Unfortunately, there is no reason to think that this is going to be over in a couple of days,” she said.

WASHINGTON — The Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act (GOT) has been introduced in the House and Senate this week in an effort to level the playing field and check book for truck drivers who make sacrifices in the name of supply chain. The GOT Truckers Act would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to require that truckers receive overtime compensation when they work more than 40 hours in a week. The exemption was created to prevent truck drivers from being encouraged to work excessive hours. However, the opposite has happened. It is common for truck drivers to work 70 hours in a week while receiving a base pay similar to what someone would make in a 40-hour week. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., introduced the Senate version of the bill, while Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., introduced the GOT Truckers Act in the House. Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., and Mark Takano, D-Calif., also helped introduce the bill. “America’s truck drivers are on the frontlines of our economy, enduring long hours away from home, and all too often, unpaid wait time at congested ports and warehouses. That’s because for decades, truck drivers have been excluded from overtime pay protections,” Padilla said. “If truckers are forced to wait while on the job, they should be paid. This is not just a matter of fairness; it’s a matter of public safety. Experienced truckers are safer truckers, and better compensation will help more of them stay in the profession. It’s time we guarantee overtime for truckers.” The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) has spoken out in support of the measure. “America’s truckers keep our nation’s economy moving, and without the hard work of these men and women, our supply chain would grind to a halt,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer said. “Unbelievably, trucking is one of the only professions in America that is denied guaranteed overtime pay. We are way past due as a nation in valuing the sacrifices that truckers make every single day. This starts with simply paying truckers for all of the time they work.”

BUFFALO, N.Y. — New research from a New York state-based attorney’s office has revealed that Alaska has the most dangerous driving conditions, with one-quarter of all fatal crashes occurring in poor weather, the highest in the U.S. The research by personal injury attorney Richmond Vona studied crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to see which states had the most fatal crashes during bad weather conditions. The analysis revealed that Alaska has the most dangerous driving conditions, with one-quarter (25%) of fatal crashes occurring during bad weather, 150% higher than the national average. Snow was the most common condition, present during almost one in five (19%) fatal crashes. Alaska has the highest figure nationwide for bad weather crashes and crashes during snow. West Virginia ranks second, with 18% of fatal crashes during bad weather, with rain being the most common condition. 13% of crashes happened in rainy weather, the highest nationwide. Washington ranks third, with 16% of fatal crashes in poor weather. Washington has some of the most dangerous rainy driving conditions, present in over one in ten (11.4%) accidents, the sixth-highest nationwide. Washington also has the highest rate of crashes during ‘other’ poor conditions in the country, which the NHTSA describes as “fog, smog, smoke, severe crosswinds, or blowing sand, soil and dirt.” Virginia ranks fourth with 15% of driver fatalities in bad weather, with almost nine in ten (86%) happening during rain. Virginia has the second-highest percentage of fatalities during rain in the country, just behind West Virginia, at 12.8%. Wyoming ranks fifth, almost tied with Virginia, with 14.9% of fatal crashes in rough weather. Snow and sleet were the most frequent, contributing to over three-quarters (76%) of fatalities in poor weather and one in ten (11.4%) statewide, including normal weather. Wyoming also has some of the highest fatalities during other weather conditions, such as fog, severe crosswinds or blowing dirt, sand and soil, ranking ninth nationwide and contributing 2.63% to the statewide total. Oregon has the sixth-highest percentage of fatalities in turbulent driving conditions, with a 14.5% fatality rate in bad weather. 11% of total crashes occurred during rain, the tenth-highest nationwide. Oregon also saw 2.82% of fatalities during ‘other’ poor weather, the seventh-highest in the U.S. Kentucky ranks seventh for the highest percentage of auto fatalities in poor driving conditions, 14.4%. Rain was most common, affecting over four in five (83%) of bad weather crashes or 12% of total fatalities, including normal weather, the third-highest nationwide. Montana ranks eighth with a fatality rate of 13.2% in severe weather. Snow was the leading weather condition, representing 5.8% of the statewide total, ranking fourth in the country. Rain also contributed 4.2%. Other adverse conditions were present during 3.16% of crashes, the fourth-highest in the U.S. Ohio ranks ninth, with dangerous weather happening during 13% of all fatal crashes. While the state did not rank in the top ten for any particular condition, rainy weather was most common, present during one in ten (10%) crashes, 14th nationwide. Maryland ranks 10th, as 12.9% of fatal crashes occurred during bad weather. Maryland is one of the most dangerous states to drive in rain, ranking eighth in the country, occurring in just under 11% of fatalities. Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson from Richmond Vona said: “Poor weather is present in one in ten fatal crashes across the U.S., bumping up annual figures by thousands each year. The poorest driving conditions happened mostly outside the South, where rain and snow are more common. The light condition was less important; most crashes happened during daylight, regardless of the weather. While poor weather can make driving dangerous, the biggest determining factor is always the driver and how responsible they are behind the wheel.”

WASHINGTON — The American Trucking Associations (ATA) told members of a U.S. Senate panel this week that the national truck parking shortage is a growing safety hazard that demands Congressional action. “The truck parking crisis doesn’t just impact truckers. This affects the law enforcement community and their mission to serve and protect the motoring public. We urge lawmakers to heed this call and pass the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act,” said ATA Law Enforcement Advisory Board Chairman Fred Fakkema, vice president of safety and compliance at Zonar Systems Inc. Iowa Motor Truck Association President Brenda Neville testified on behalf of ATA at the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee hearing on highway safety, where she urged members of the committee to support the bipartisan Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act. Neville told lawmakers that the parking shortage is particularly hard on female drivers, who cite it as a major barrier to more women joining and staying in the industry. Neville co-chairs the ATA Women In Motion Advisory Council, which empowers women in the trucking industry through mentorship, networking, and collaboration, and advocates for policy solutions to promote the diversity of the trucking workforce. “There is simply not enough truck parking capacity along key freight corridors. The lack of truck parking has a severe impact on the health and wellbeing of truck drivers and even broader safety implications for the motoring public,” Neville said. “In every conversation I have with female truck drivers, truck parking is always the first thing they mention when asked what needs to be improved.” The law enforcement community is echoing those safety concerns. The National Sheriffs’ Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, Arizona State Troopers Association, North Dakota Highway Patrol, St. Johns County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office, Colorado State Patrol, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Washington State Patrol and North Dakota Highway Patrol joined the ATA’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board in sharing the following statement with the subcommittee: “The national shortage of truck parking capacity is a serious safety issue that concerns the entire motoring public. Investment in infrastructure is a proven means to improving highway safety. Congress can play a constructive role by dedicating federal resources to expand truck parking capacity so that the nation’s professional truck drivers have greater access to safe and authorized parking options.” Sheriff (ret.) John Whetsel, the National Sheriffs’ Association’s Traffic Safety Committee Chairman, said that in order to “mitigate risks and ensure safer roads, we must prioritize investments in infrastructure that expand truck parking capacity. A well-funded and accessible truck parking network is an investment in the safety and well-being of all road users.” Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance Executive Director Collin Mooney said that his organization represents the commercial motor vehicle enforcement community and strongly supports investments that address the nation’s truck parking shortage. The lack of available parking facilities, strategically placed throughout the U.S., is a critical commercial motor vehicle safety issue that must be addressed. Without adequate parking facilities, drivers are forced to choose between exceeding their allowable driving time and parking in an unsafe location. Parking facilities need to be available to drivers who are trying to comply with hours-of-service requirements, as well as those who are ill or fatigued.” Neville’s full written testimony can be found here.

WASHINGTON — The nation’s employers slowed their hiring in October, adding a modest but still decent 150,000 jobs, a sign that the labor market may be cooling but remains resilient despite high interest rates that have made borrowing much costlier for companies and consumers. But according to the latest numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 5,000 trucking jobs were eliminated from the economy in October. This marks the fifth loss for the year as the trucking industry continues to move toward a yearly decline. David Spencer, vice president of market intelligence at Arrive Logistics, told Land Line, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association’s online news site, that although seasonally adjusted numbers show a loss of 5,000 trucking jobs, non-seasonally adjusted numbers reveal that trucking employment was flat in October. Spencer said he expects the downward trend to continue into 2024. He pointed out that large quantities of drivers entered the industry when rates were high in the spot market and that balance must be restored before conditions can improve. Revised numbers show an increase of more than 13,000 trucking jobs in September (compared to the initially reported gain of 8,800) and a decrease of nearly 31,000 jobs in August (compared to the initially reported loss of 25,200). Last month’s overall job growth, though down sharply from a robust 297,000 gain in September, was solid enough to suggest that many companies still want to hire and that the economy remains sturdy. And job growth would have been higher in October if not for the now-settled United Auto Workers’ strikes. The strikes ended this week with tentative settlements in which against Detroit’s automakers granted significantly better pay and benefits to the union’s workers. Friday’s jobs report from the government comes as the Federal Reserve is assessing incoming economic data to determine whether to leave its key interest rate unchanged, as it did this week, or to raise it again in its drive to curb inflation. The lower job growth in October, along with a slowdown in pay gains last month, could help convince the Fed that inflation pressures will continue to cool and that further rate hikes may not be needed. On Wall Street, traders appeared to signal their growing belief in that scenario. Bond yields fell and stock prices rose sharply after the jobs report was released, indicating optimism that the Fed will decide it won’t need to impose additional rate hikes. The unemployment rate rose last month from 3.8% to 3.9%. And in another sign of a possible softening in the labor market, the Labor Department revised down its estimate of job growth in August and September by a combined 101,000. The UAW strikes contributed to an overall loss of 35,000 factory positions in October. Several other sectors posted solid job gains last month, notably healthcare, which added 58,000, government agencies 51,000 and construction companies 23,000. By contrast, the vast leisure and hospitality sector, which includes bars, restaurants and hotels, reported only modest job growth. So did professional and business services, a category that includes such high-paying occupations as accounting, engineering and architecture. Wage pressures, which have been gradually slowing, eased further in October. Average hourly pay rose 0.2% from September and 4.1% from 12 months earlier. The year-over-year wage increase was the lowest since June 2021; the month-over-month rise was the smallest since February 2022. The Fed has raised its benchmark interest rate 11 times since March 2022 to try to slow the economy and tame inflation, which hit a four-decade high last year but has slowed sharply since then. In September, consumer prices rose 3.7% from a year earlier, down drastically from a year-over-year peak of 9.1% in June 2022 but still well above the Fed’s 2% target level. The U.S. job market has remained on firm footing despite those rate hikes and has helped fuel consumer spending, the primary driver of the economy. Employers have now added a healthy 204,000 jobs a month over the past three months. The combination of a solid economy and decelerating inflation has raised hopes that the Fed can nail a so-called soft landing — raising rates just enough to tame inflation without triggering a recession. “This is still a good labor market,” said Nick Bunker, head of economic research at the Indeed Hiring Lab. “There’s no recession right now that you can see in the labor market data.” Bunker added that the October jobs numbers are “mostly consistent with the soft landing story.” For the Fed, one unwelcome note in Friday’s report is that the number of people in the labor force – those who either have a job or are looking for one — fell by 201,000 in October. It was the first such drop since April. Over the past year, more than 3 million people have entered the workforce, making it easier for companies to fill job openings. This has reduced pressure on employers to jack up pay and pass on their higher labor costs to their customers through higher prices. But the trend was broken last month. Since matching a half-century low of 3.4% in April, the nation’s unemployment rate has more or less steadily edged up. The 3.9% rate in October was the highest level since January 2022. Still, historically, any jobless rate below 5% has been considered healthy. “There’s a clear upward trajectory in the unemployment rate,” Bunker said. “It’s not at the point where it’s tripping any alarms or causing blinking, flashing red lights … but it is something to monitor.” The Fed’s policymakers are trying to calibrate their key rate to simultaneously cool inflation, support job growth and ward off a recession. Despite long-standing predictions that the Fed’s ever-higher rates would trigger a recession, the U.S. economy grew at a 4.9% annual pace from July through September, the fastest quarterly expansion in more than two years. And many companies are still looking to hire — and benefiting from the job market’s slowdown. One of them is Saltbox, which offers co-working space and warehouse services for about small business in 10 states. Last year, the company felt compelled to raise pay from $15 to $20 for hourly workers who load merchandise on trucks and do maintenance work. Now, Tyler Scriven, the company’s founder and CEO, no longer sees a need to further raise pay. “The pressure of raising wages,” Scriven said, “is easing. I would go further to say that at this point, I don’t really feel any pressure.” Likewise, Omaha Steaks had struggled since the start of the pandemic with a big problem: Holiday-season employees who didn’t show up for the first day of work, particularly at its distribution centers. At the time, no-show employees were a major headache for many companies. A year ago, Omaha Steaks, which has been shipping meats directly to consumers since 1952, had to hire 10% more holiday workers to account for the high quit rate. This year, based on the past few weeks of holiday hiring, the show-up rates have improved markedly. It’s a sign that Nate Rempe, the company’s president and chief operating officer, said he thinks reflects a more normal job environment. Omaha Steaks, based in Omaha, Nebraska, no longer has to hire extra holiday workers to make up for the no-shows. In fact, it’s hiring modestly fewer people. “They actually want to get to work, which we love to see because it’s good for business,” Rempe said. The Trucker News Staff contributed to this report.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Average U.S. diesel fuel prices are continuing their downward trend. According to the Nov. 6 report from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average price is $4.366. That’s down from $4.454 on Oct. 30 and $4.545 on Oct. 23. Average prices were down in all regions of the U.S., with the lowest prices along the Gulf Coast at $4.032 per gallon and the highest in California at $5.816 per gallon. The average price in New England is $4.523, while in the Midwest, it sits at $4.335, according to the EIA. Company statements and oil analysts say that oil refiners are pulling back from their summer run rates as weaker fuel margins and plant overhauls cool operating goals. “Refinery executives are aiming for low-90s utilization rates this quarter after running in the mid- to upper 90% range most of the year,” according to Reuters. “A pullback for seasonal maintenance and a greater shift to producing distillates have reduced production, according to company executives, analysts and U.S. government data.” Production will be enough to keep fuel prices tame with demand weaker than the production trims, according to analysts. Refiners have kept producing gasoline at high rates to supply more distillates. Plants generally make two barrels of gasoline and one of diesel for every three barrels of crude oil processed. “Guidance has been generally within our expectations of seasonally softer levels due to the pullback in gasoline demand,” Matthew Blair, head of refiners, chemicals and renewable fuels research at investment firm Tudor, Pickering, Holt and Co. told Reuters.

LOWELL, Ark. — “Just because something appears to be better for the planet does not necessarily mean it is.” J.B. Hunt’s Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer, Craig Harper, spoke these words on Nov. 1 at the Northwest Arkansas Tech Summit, held in Rogers, as part of an overall discussion about the challenges and concerns of electric vehicles. Since 2016, Harper said he has immersed himself in learning about electric and self-driving vehicles. “We have to be educated about all forms of energy today, understand where it comes from and what its by-products are and impact on people around the world,” Harper said. “There’s been a ton of progress made since 2016, but we still have many challenges as technology is ahead of infrastructure and also policy in many cases.” While there are challenges, Harper said he “can’t wait to have more zero-emissions trucks. We have five of those today (at J.B. Hunt), and drivers love them. You don’t smell like diesel; they are quiet and powerful, but there are problems. You don’t have the range that is one-fifth of what diesel provides. It also weighs more, and it takes longer to charge. It costs three times as much as a diesel rig, and if you can find a charging station and it is working.” Harper said his research showed that 21% of charging stations are down at any given time, according to J.D. Powers. “With all of those issues, we have policy coming that will require electric vehicles, and we will see where all this shakes out,” Harper said. “We are applying for the power we will need to fuel these vehicles. That’s why I learn all I can about access to clean and reliable energy.” According to the International Energy Agency, for countries that want to meet their climate goals and achieve energy security priorities by 2040, millions of transmission line miles must be added or replaced. The estimated cost to invest in upgrading the grid is about $600 billion annually. “We have to get more electricity around the world, but it’s confusing to understand which way we should go,” Harper said. “That’s why we have gathered all the information we can. Before we make some bold statement or get on the bandwagon to cut off one energy source, we need to understand that the whole world needs more energy, some just to improve their daily lives, others to power their plants and operate their infrastructures. The world needs more, not less.” The average age of power plants in the U.S. is about 29 years. The 400 coal plants have an average age of 45 years. Of the 1,743 power plants that run on natural gas, their average age is 22 years. The 61 nuclear plants have an average age of 39 years. In 2022, the total electricity sourced in the U.S. from renewable methods such as wind, water, solar, biomass and geothermal was 21.5%. Nuclear was 18.2%, coal 19.6% and natural gas was 39.8%. “No one wants to do with less,” Harper said. “We have to find a way to be more sustainable around the globe, across our companies and households. When you dig into the sources of electricity, it’s easy to see fossil fuels still play a critical role in supplying the energy we need. As we look at clean alternatives, we also have to keep what we already have. Fossil fuel engines are going to be around for some time yet.” Harper advises that it’s essential to look at the amount of energy that goes into production and leave a cleaner carbon footprint. While some think the electric battery is a great idea to protect the Earth, it is not as clean as one may think, he said. With a shorter range, heavier weights and lost time when the trucker has to charge up, Harper said that would mean more trucks would be needed to do the same work. The large charging stations, according to Harper, can charge 200 trucks at one time and will need backup generators at least three days a week because of how the freight demand flows. “We also can get caught up with what we are going to have and lose sight of what we have today,” he said. “In intermodal, we can help shippers get a 60% reduction in carbon emissions per shipment. We are a large player in the intermodal logistics space and continue to move more customers to this mode when they are looking for a greener solution.” Harper pointed to Toyota as having “a promising technology that uses less cobalt and charges faster with a range of nearly 700 miles for a passenger car they are close to releasing.” He continued, “There will be a commercial truck version coming later and that holds promise. Harper said EV and hydrogen cell options each hold promise but there has not been any big shift in either direction. I welcome the greener solutions. We are investing in all of them and staying close to the fuel providers that have served us for many years, as I don’t think they will sit still and let others take market share. They will be the first to move with hydrogen cell fueling or electric charging when there is substantial advancement in one direction.”

WASHINGTON — Drowsy Driving Prevention Week is Nov. 5-11. Given that 75% of drivers fail to detect their severe drowsiness, this serves as a crucial subject of emphasis for many, especially those who drive for a living. Drowsy driving hampers one’s ability to remain attentive to the road, hinders the promptness of braking and steering responses and typically impairs decision-making skills akin to the effects of alcohol. National highway statistics reveal that monthly, a substantial number of U.S. drivers nod off at the wheel: Approximately 1 in 25 adult drivers (aged 18 years or older) admit to having fallen asleep while driving within the last 30 days. Roughly 15% of all fatal accidents can be attributed to a drowsy driver. Come Nov. 5, daylight saving time is out and standard time is in, and will last until March 10, meaning that the sun will set before many folks step foot out the office door. No need to wait till the midnight hour to prepare for the time change that clocks in early Sunday, when 2 a.m. becomes 1 a.m. Before bed beckons Saturday night, rewind the clock on the microwave, oven, car, or any other device not yet clever enough to make the leap on its own. Besides scheduling stumbles and sleep habit disruptions, experts say the twice-yearly ritual can have more serious effects on human health. Many Americans are already sleep-deprived, and a change in time messes with sleep schedules even more, says Dr. Phyllis Zee, a sleep researcher at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, although she says “falling back” and gaining an extra hour is generally easier on the body than “springing forward” and losing one. Chronic sleep deprivation can increase levels of stress hormones that boost heart rate and blood pressure, and of chemicals that trigger inflammation, research suggests. “Just that one hour can change the amount of sleep you get, the quality of sleep that you get,” Zee said. Off-kilter sleep can affect people’s ability to multitask, stay alert, and even maintain their balance, making them more prone to accidents. Molly Hart, spokeswoman for AAA’s Auto Club Group, warned that there may be an uptick in accidents on the road following the time change. “With daylight savings coming to an end, what people really need to be focused on is their driving now in the afternoon when it’s darker earlier,” and when they may be feeling drowsy, she said. Drivers should recognize the signs of drowsiness: Difficulty focusing. Frequent blinking. Not remembering the last few miles driven. Head nodding. Repeated yawning or rubbing eyes. Drifting out of lane, tailgating or going over rumble strips. “Some commonly-held reliefs for drowsiness, like rolling down the windows or blasting the radio, simply don’t work if you are sleep-deprived,” a National Road Safety Foundation spokesperson said.  “The best thing is to find a safe spot to pull over and take a break and, if possible, take a 20-minute nap.  Have a cup or two of coffee or a caffeinated snack and allow 30 minutes for the caffeine to enter the bloodstream. Don’t drink alcohol or take medications, which can bring on drowsiness.” Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and most of Arizona do not observe daylight saving time. Some members of Congress have pushed to end the back-and-forth and make daylight saving time permanent. The U.S. Senate in March 2022 passed a bipartisan bill named the Sunshine Protection Act, but it stalled in the House. The bill was re-introduced by Sen. Marco Rubio in March of this year, then referred to committee, where it has remained idle. The Trucker Staff contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON —  Big trucks and ports rely on each other to help transport goods across the nation. On Nov. 3, the Transportation Department awarded $653 million in grants to upgrade and improve 41 water-based ports across the United States. Officials said the benefits will be seen by everyone to truck drivers to dock loaders. The grants are part of the $1 trillion in infrastructure investments included in a bipartisan law signed by President Joe Biden in 2021. Biden administration officials said the projects being supported will allow ports to meet greater shipping demands as well as lowering costs for consumers and improving worker safety. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on a call with reporters that supply chain challenges starting in 2021 drove up prices as the United States recovered from the pandemic. He said the goal of the projects is to improve the infrastructure for ports so that they can withstand the kinds of shocks seen during the pandemic. “Our goal is to strengthen those supply chains in a durable fashion,” Buttigieg said. “Today’s announcement is another big step in that direction.” The grants included $43.4 million to replace a dock in Cold Bay, Alaska. The Port of Long Beach in California will receive $52.6 million for various upgrades, including a rail expansion to help move cargo. The Port of Newark in New Jersey will get $32 million to reconstruct a berth.

COLUMBIA FALLS, Maine — Wreaths Across America is kicking off its annual “Escort to Arlington” veterans’ parade, the country’s longest parade for veterans, on Sat, Dec. 9. The official route will travel down the East Coast states, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Washington D.C., stopping at schools, memorials and other locations along the way to remember the fallen, honor those who serve and teach the next generation the value of freedom, according to a news release. These locations will have public events hosted by Wreaths Across America before they arrive at the Arlington National Cemetery on Sat, Dec. 16, in the morning hours, which is also National Wreaths Across America Day. Participants for this year’s Escort to Arlington will include Gold Star families, including the current National President of American Gold Star Mothers Inc. Pamela Stemple. It will also include Blue Star families, volunteers and veterans representing many eras and Veteran Service Organizations, such as American Legion Auxiliary National President Lisa Williamson, the American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, VFW and VFW Auxiliary and more. Members of the Patriot Guard Riders and Patriot Riders and law enforcement from departments across Maine and other states along the route will provide escort to ensure safe transport for all participants throughout the week. Like the eight years before, the Chevrolet auto company has generously provided 12 wrapped escort vehicles that will be seen transporting participating Gold Star families and veterans during the week-long trip and celebration. “Chevrolet and its dealers are once again proud to support the yearlong mission of Wreaths Across America. This annual tradition is one Chevrolet and its dealers here in the Northeast Region look forward to participating in each year,” said Dan Adamcheck, regional director of sales, service and Marketing for Chevrolet. “To be able to give back to our communities, and the men and women who have given so much to our country is truly an honor for Chevrolet and its employees.” In addition to the wrapped vehicles, Chevrolet is also sponsoring 4,000 veterans’ wreaths for placement at Arlington National Cemetery to honor our nation’s veterans. Along with the escort vehicles heading to Arlington will be 13 tractor-trailers that represent multiple transportation companies Baylor Trucking, Budd Van Lines, Saia LTL and Prime Inc., to name a few, and Load One Carriers will once again serve as the ceremonial wreath transporter for the week in December. To find a participating location near you to support and/or volunteer to place wreaths, click here.