The Nation

PORTLAND, Ore. — Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) today said that Penske Truck Leasing and NFI have agreed to partner with the OEM in operating the Freightliner Electric Innovation Fleet of eCascadia heavy-duty and eM2 106 medium-duty trucks. The move is the next phase of a partnership that DTNA is using to involve customers in the development of commercial electric vehicles “to meet the most valid target applications,” DTNA spokesmen said. Starting late this year, Penske will begin taking delivery of 10 eCascadias and 10 eM2s for use in California and the Pacific Northwest, while 10 eCascadias will begin being delivered to NFI for drayage activities from the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to inland warehouses in the retail, shipping and logistics hubs in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. Additionally, DTNA plans to operate electric trucks within its own Product Validation Engineering (PVE) test fleet in Oregon to further expedite research and development of the technology. “Freightliner is excited to be working with Penske and NFI on this critical learning process as we further develop and refine our commercial electric vehicle technology. Running multiple trucks in real-world applications will provide better insights for our engineers into the requirements of integrating electric commercial vehicles into fleet operations,” said Roger Nielsen, president and CEO of DTNA. “We are partnering with these two customers for this phase of the co-creation process because they have use cases that closely fit the target applications we have identified. Both Penske and NFI are forward-thinking partners eager to take on the challenge, effort and investment that will be required during this important development phase.” In preparation for the 2021 start of production, DTNA June 27 introduced the Electric Vehicle Council. The council will prepare customers in evaluating and integrating commercial electric vehicle solutions into their operations. Technical expertise from the Freightliner Electric Innovation Fleet and test fleet will be shared with the customer base in the forum. As testing progresses, the DTNA Electric Vehicle Council will discuss planned product offerings to gather candid feedback as the OEM moves toward the commercialization of electrified trucks. Through the EV Council, DTNA said it will work hand-in-hand with customers, establishing the necessary charging infrastructure, vehicle deployment and service support. DTNA plans to offer customers consulting services to assist with site selection based on truck applications, available government incentives, infrastructure deployment and route identification as part of a preliminary review prior to commercial electric vehicle business proposals. “The DTNA approach to bring commercial electric vehicles to market is holistic. With the Freightliner Electric Innovation Fleet, we will be working hands-on with Penske and NFI. As a separate part of a co-creation process we will also launch the EV Council that emphasizes shared learning before we begin series vehicle production,” said Richard Howard, senior vice president, sales and marketing, Freightliner Trucks. “While heavy-duty electric vehicles present the greatest engineering challenges, we’re committed to a process that leads to series production vehicles that are safe, reliable and efficient. We don’t compromise on this key component of the Freightliner brand legacy. …. Electric commercial vehicles present a real opportunity to reduce emissions and enhance our customers’ bottom lines through improved uptime and lower operating costs.” Penske is committed to bringing the most effective commercial vehicle technologies to customers, said Brian Hard, president and CEO of Penske Truck Leasing. “We look forward to our continued cooperation and co-creation with Daimler on these electric vehicles as we operate them within our expansive logistics, truck leasing and rental fleets.” “At NFI, we value collaborating with other companies that share our commitment to developing new and better products and processes for our industry and the communities in which we operate. The eCascadia is just that,” said Sid Brown, CEO of NFI. At start of series production, the eCascadia will have up to 730 peak horsepower. The batteries provide 550 Kwh usable capacity, a range of up to 250 miles and have the ability to charge up to 80 percent (providing a range of 200 miles) in about 90 minutes. The Class 8 tractor is designed for local and regional distribution and drayage. The eM2 truck will initially have up to 480 peak horsepower. The batteries provide 325 Kwh of usable capacity, a range of up to 230 miles and have the ability to charge up to 80 percent (providing a range of 184 miles) in about 60 minutes. The eM2 is Freightliner’s electrified solution for local distribution, pickup and delivery, food and beverage delivery, and last-mile logistics applications. The eCascadia, with 80,000 lb. gross combined weight rating (GCWR) and eM2, with 26,000 lb. GCWR are part of Daimler Trucks’ global electrified truck initiative. Daimler Trucks North America LLC, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is the leading heavy-duty truck manufacturer in North America. Daimler Trucks North America produces and markets commercial vehicles under the Freightliner, Western Star and Thomas Built Buses nameplates. Daimler Trucks North America is a Daimler company, the world’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturer. Penske Truck Leasing Co., L.P., headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania, is a partnership of Penske Corporation, Penske Automotive Group and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. NFI is a fully integrated North American supply chain solutions provider headquartered in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Privately held by the Brown family since its inception in 1932, NFI generates nearly $2 billion in annual revenue and employs more than 10,000 associates. NFI owns facilities globally and operates 41.5 million square feet of warehouse and distribution space. Its dedicated and drayage fleet consists of over 4,000 tractors and 8,900 trailers.  

DES MOINES, Iowa — An Iowa Transportation Department plan would gradually close 11 interstate rest areas and all 16 parking-only sites over several years in an effort to be more efficient. The plan could save the state about $30 million over two decades while reflecting travel trends, according to the department. The Transportation Department is trying to determine how many state-owned facilities are needed as commercial rest stop options increase, said Andrea Henry, a department spokeswoman. Closures would affect the 15.5 million annual commuters who use the state’s 38 rest areas and truck drivers in need of rest. “Personally, I am concerned,” said Shirley Phillips of Sac City, secretary of the Travel Federation of Iowa and executive director of the Western Iowa Tourism Region. “The traveling public still needs places to stop.” Each rest area has been ranked and evaluated on a variety of criteria, including usage and age. The closures would be implemented over the next 15 years, the Des Moines Register reported. As the parking-only sites along Iowa’s interstate system would close, drivers would be directed to expanded public parking elsewhere or to commercial truck stops, according to the plan. The department is looking at providing additional truck parking at remaining rest areas, weigh stations or other sites. Several state legislators said Monday that they’ve been assured by department officials that the plan will be carefully completed with opportunity for public comment. “It is critical that we have enough rest stops, both public and private,” said Republican Rep. Gary Carlson, chairman of the Iowa House Transportation Committee. “We just need to have a balance that makes sense.” Work on the plan has been ongoing since 2012. The draft plan would eventually go before the Iowa Transportation Commission. The public can comment on the plan on a state website until September 2019.    

WASHINGTON  — For the fourth week in a row, diesel prices have dropped — and Monday they were down 2.8 cents a gallon to $3.216, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported. Diesel had climbed to $3.288 for the week ended May 28 before starting its slide downward. All of the EIA’s 10 reporting sectors have been showing diesel in the $3-a-gallon price range for several weeks. But Monday the Gulf Coast region slipped below $3 to $2.978, the cheapest diesel in the country. As truck drivers who travel out West know, California usually has the highest diesel price and Monday diesel in the Golden State was ringing up at $3.959 a gallon. Prices in California have hovered around the $4-a-gallon mark for several months. OPEC countries Friday agreed to produce more oil, which usually brings prices for petroleum products down because of the law of supply and demand. But investors aren’t sure the cartel will produce as much crude oil as it says it will, The Associated Press reported. Benchmark U.S. crude dipped 0.7 percent to $68.08 per barrel in New York. It climbed 4.6 percent Friday, its biggest one-day gain since late 2016. Brent crude, used to price international oils, dropped 1.5 percent to $74.20 per barrel in London, according to AP. Wholesale gasoline lost 0.9 percent to $2.05 a gallon. Heating oil fell 1.2 percent to $2.10 a gallon. Natural gas dipped 0.7 percent to $2.92 per 1,000 cubic feet. For diesel prices by area, click here.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has declared Georgia-licensed commercial driver Steven F. Hoppenbrouwer to be an imminent hazard to public safety and has ordered him not to operate any commercial motor vehicle (CMV) in interstate commerce. Hoppenbrouwer was served the federal order on June 19, 2018. On April 5, 2018, Hoppenbrouwer, a CDL holder, was operating a Freightliner Minibus along Interstate 20 transporting passengers to the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, when the vehicle traveled onto the unpaved roadway shoulder causing the minibus to rotate counterclockwise. Continuing to spin, the vehicle returned into the travel lanes where it overturned on its side, sliding across the roadway before striking a cable barrier in the median.  Sixteen of the 18 passengers were transported to area hospitals. The Georgia Department of Public Safety cited Hoppenbrouwer for failure to maintain the roadway travel lane – along with seven felony citations for serious injury by vehicle. He was also cited for driving under the influence after a post-crash controlled substance test resulted positive. An investigation by FMCSA found that Hoppenbrouwer had previously failed to complete a federally required evaluation and treatment program led by a substance abuse professional after testing positive for a controlled substance in 2015 – however, he falsely certified he had done so on a FMCSA Medical Examination Report Form he signed on March 5, 2018. FMCSA investigators further discovered that even though Hoppenbrouwer possessed a CDL endorsement for a limited and specified type of commercial vehicle, on at least one occasion he illegally operated a motorcoach for which he was not qualified to drive. FMCSA’s imminent hazard out-of-service order states that Hoppenbrouwer’s continued operation of a commercial motor vehicle “… substantially increases the likelihood of serious injury or death to you and the motoring public if not discontinued immediately.” Failure to comply with the provisions of a federal imminent hazard out-of-service order may result in action by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for equitable relief and punitive damages.  Civil penalties of up to $1,811 may be assessed for each violation of operating a commercial motor vehicle in violation of the order.  Knowing and/or willful violation of the order may also result in criminal penalties. Hoppenbrouwer also may be subject to a civil penalty enforcement proceeding brought by FMCSA for his violation of the Agency’s safety regulations.

WASHINGTON — As part of the 132-page reorganization plan proposed by the Office of Management and Budget to reorganize the federal government’s structure, the Department of Transportation would undergo a series of changes that would see duties added as well as deleted from its portfolio, according to an article in the Journal of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. First, Army Corps of Engineer commercial navigation functions would move to USDOT, while all of the other activities of the Corps – including flood and storm damage reduction, aquatic ecosystem restoration, hydropower, regulatory, and other duties – would shift to the Department of the Interior. “Transferring Corps navigation programs to USDOT would consolidate responsibility across all transportation modes within a single federal agency, thereby encouraging consistent federal policy in the transportation sector,” OMB said. “This consolidation would leverage USDOT’s expertise in infrastructure, and make its maritime responsibilities analogous to its role in other transportation sectors. In the maritime sector, USDOT’s mission would expand to helping States and non-Federal partners make infrastructure investment decisions.” Second, federal responsibility for the air traffic control system would be spun-off to a “non-profit entity” as would control of the Saint Lawrence Seaway – two areas where OMB said there is “significant misalignment” in USDOT duties. “Both of those components could be spun off from the government, which would allow them to have better structures and insolation from the political system, and allow them to better assess fees based on actual usage of their systems,” OMB said in its report. “Spinning FAA air traffic control services out of the government to a non-profit entity, similar to the Canadian system, has strong policy merits, evidenced by the approximately 60 countries that have shifted air traffic control responsibilities to non-governmental providers.” Third, two security-related surface transportation functions would be transferred from the Department of Homeland Security to USDOT. As a result, transit security grants currently administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) surface transportation inspection and guidance activities would come under USDOT oversight. Fourth, a “re-examination” of programmatic responsibilities tucked into the Officer of the Secretary of Transportation – such as the Build America Bureau, which, among other responsibilities, administers transportation credit programs, awards INFRA grants, allocates private activity bonds, and communicates best practices and funding opportunities to project sponsors, as well as the BUILD grant program – could result in a shift to “alternative” governance structures. Fifth, to better support the USDOT’s operating administrations or “OAs,” offices and positions would be consolidated in areas such as research and development. Finally, USDOT workforce development grants would be transferred to the new Department of Education and the Workforce to “centralize workforce development policy and to deliver more efficient and effective outcomes,” OMB said.

WASHINGTON — A 132-page reorganization plan for key federal agencies released by the Office of Management and Budget on June 21 calls for, among other things, shifting the civil works program Army Corps of Engineers out of the Department of Defense and splitting it between the U.S. Department of Transportation and Department of the Interior, while “spinning off” federal responsibility for operating the nation’s air traffic control system from the Federal Aviation Administration and USDOT altogether. According to an article in the Journal of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Offices, the report concluded “today’s executive branch is still aligned to the stove-piped organizational constructs of the 20th century, which in many cases have grown inefficient and out-of-date. Consequently, the public and our workforce are frustrated with government’s ability to deliver its mission in an effective, efficient, and secure way.” OMB also stressed in its report while some of its recommendations can be achieved via “executive administrative action,” more significant changes will require legislative action as well, the AASHTO Journal article said. “Aligning and consolidating the Corps civil works mission areas into those of USDOT and DOI would increase consistency of federal policy and actions in both transportation and natural resource management, resulting in more rational public policy outcomes,” OMB said. “It would also enable the broadest possible view of both transportation and land and water management infrastructure, thereby leading to improved federal investment decisions.” Cabinet-level changes are part of the proposed 32-point reorganization as well. They include: Merging the Departments of Education and Labor into a single cabinet agency, which would be called the Department of Education and the Workforce Consolidating the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics within the Commerce Department as those three agencies account for 53 percent of the U.S. statistical system’s annual budget of $2.26 billion and share unique synergies in their collection of economic and demographic data and analysis of key national indicators. Reorganizing the USDOT by (as noted previously) spinning off federal responsibility for operating the nation’s air traffic control system and the locks along the Saint Lawrence Seaway, while integrating into the agency certain coastal and inland waterways commercial navigation activities and transportation security programs, plus reassessing the structure and responsibilities of the Transportation Secretary. Establishing a unified “cyber workforce” capability, working through the Department of Homeland Security and OMB in coordination with all federal departments and agencies, ensuring government-wide visibility into talent gaps, as well as unified solutions to fill those gaps in a timely and prioritized manner. D.J. Gribbin, founder of consulting firm Madrus LLC and the former infrastructure policy adviser to President Donald Trump, told the AASHTO Journal that the “overall philosophy” driving this reorganization effort is the recognition that the government processes put in place a generation ago in the 1950s “don’t make sense” in today’s world. “Our country, our economy, and our technology are all very different today; so we need to change government to be more reflective of where are economy and culture are now,” Gribbin said. “We need to develop a government that is more responsive, more accountable, and one that engenders the public trust.” He pointed to the move to transition the air traffic control system from government control to that of a non-profit private sector entity as one example of this philosophy in action. “We have a very good, safe air traffic control system but it is not efficient – it consumes more fuel and is hampered by delays,” Gribbin noted. “It’s also essentially a technology business so we need to take this entity and transform it so it becomes easier to innovate and implement new technologies.” “Recent decades have demonstrated that the federal government will continue to change,” OMB said in its report. “The question is whether short-sighted, piecemeal change will continue to sell taxpayers short and ignore fundamental shortcomings or whether transformation will elevate government to the level of efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability that the public deserves.”

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Transportation is joining departments of transportation from Texas, New Mexico and California in seeking a federal grant to develop a program alerting commercial truck drivers to available public parking at Interstate 10 rest areas. Public parking for commercial vehicles is among the priorities of the I-10 Corridor Coalition, which the states formed in 2016 to create safer and more efficient travel, both commercial and personal. In seeking a $13.7 million Advanced Transportation and Congestion Management Technologies Deployment Grant through the Federal Highway Administration, the states are proposing a system that would inform drivers about available parking at rest areas through signs along I-10. “When we launched the I-10 Corridor Coalition two years ago, this is exactly the kind of collaboration we had in mind,” ADOT Director John Halikowski said. “By working together, our states can create a safer environment on I-10 that will be more efficient for drivers and boost economies across the region.” The system would include ADOT rest areas serving I-10 in each direction at Bouse Wash (milepost 53) and Burnt Well (milepost 86) in western Arizona, and at Texas Canyon (milepost 320) and San Simon (milepost 388) in southeastern Arizona. The program would help commercial vehicle drivers better plan their daily schedules and reduce the number of drivers parking on freeway shoulders and along ramps. It also would improve safety by reducing the number of tired drivers, reduce time that drivers spend searching for parking spaces and reduce emissions and fuel consumption. The I-10 Corridor Coalition is designed to remove “friction” – such as the variety of commercial vehicle permitting and inspection practices in each state along I-10 – to move goods more efficiently. I-10 is the primary trucking route connecting the markets of Southern California and Texas with international shipping. If the four states were combined, the region would have the 10th-largest economy in the world. Learn more about the I-10 Corridor Coalition at i10Connects.com.

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Transportation is seeking your input about a draft plan outlining a path forward in managing our rest areas located throughout the state. The draft plan, additional materials related to rest areas in Iowa, and opportunities to provide input are available at https://iowadot.gov/restareaplan. Comments will be accepted until September 2019. Comments collected during this period will be used to create a final implementation plan for the future of rest areas in Iowa. This draft plan and public input period is part of the Iowa DOT’s Statewide Rest Area System planning study that has been ongoing since 2013. The Iowa DOT has a responsibility to manage the transportation system and balance needs of the public with funding. As part of this responsibility, assets within the transportation system are regularly evaluated. This study satisfies that responsibility. In addition to the website, you may also request additional information regarding the Iowa Rest Area Management Plan by contacting the Iowa DOT’s Office of Location and Environment, 800 Lincoln Way, Ames, Iowa 50010, phone 515-239-1225. To view the implementation plan, view the online video, and submit a comment about this project, please go to https://iowadot.gov/restareaplan.

WASHINGTON — A bill introduced Thursday in the U.S. House would require the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to provide narrow relief from the Hours of Service rules has drew immediate praise from two trucking organizations. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark., along with Reps. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga., and Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., introduced the Honest Operators Undertake Road Safety Act, or HOURS Act, that the ATA said would provide common sense HOS relief and flexibility for professional truck drivers while enhancing highway safety and supply chain efficiency. No text of the bill was available Friday morning, but an American Trucking Associations summary said the HOURS Act would provide relief in four areas: Exempting drivers hauling livestock or agricultural products from the hours-of-service rules within 150 air-miles of the source of their load, regardless of state-designated planting or harvesting season. Harmonizing the HOS rules for short-haul truck drivers by providing one single set of rules: exempting drivers from ELD requirements if they operate exclusively within 150 air-miles of their reporting location and complete their workday in 14 hours, ending the current two-tiered system. Reducing the current supporting documents burden for drivers to only verify the start and end time of a driver’s daily on-duty period. Accelerating the FMCSA’s already-in-progress efforts to provide flexibility in how drivers who take off-duty periods in sleeper berths split their rest time. “Now that the trucking industry is coming into full compliance with the electronic logging mandate, the next step in improving truck safety and supply chain efficiency is to use the data these ELDs collect to make needed improvements to the underlying hours-of-service rules,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “Congressman Crawford has been a leader on these issues, and a passionate advocate for drivers and carriers of all sizes, so we are proud to support this important legislation that will provide flexibility for millions of drivers while enhancing truck safety.” Since the December shift to mandatory use of electronic logging devices to track drivers’ hours of service, there have been some issues for the industry – not about ELD use, but about the flexibility of the underlying HOS rules. “We support this effort to speed up the opportunity to add flexibility to the Hours of Service rule. Drivers need the ability to stop and rest when they are tired without the pressure of the 14-hour clock continuing to run,” said David Heller, vice president of government affairs at the Truckload Carriers Association. “This bill also helps keep conversations about Hours of Service on the minds and lips of lawmakers.” “Many complaints associated with ELDs are really issues with the HOS rules themselves — issues that were papered over by inaccurate or falsified logbooks,” said Collin Stewart, president and CEO of Stewart Transport Inc. “ELDs have made it more difficult for drivers to ‘fudge’ their logs, but have also shown where the weaknesses in the HOS rules are. The solution proposed ny the bill is a reasonable one and we urge Congress to quickly move on it.” Stewart is chairman of ATA’s Small Carrier Advisory Committee and a member of the board of directors of the Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference. “Congressmen Crawford, Westerman and Bishop have provided a roadmap for improving the current hours-of-service rules, while maintaining the safety of our highways,” Spear said. “This narrow and targeted relief would improve the lives of millions of professional drivers and we ask Congress to support it.”

GREENSBORO, N.C. — TransLand, a truckload and logistics services provider based in Springfield, Missouri, recently added a bright green Mack Anthem model to its fleet to handle a very special job. Designated as a community truck, for every mile the new Anthem travels delivering goods to customers, TransLand will donate 5 cents to Care to Learn, a nonprofit that provides for the health, hunger and hygiene needs of students throughout Missouri. “Mack is proud that TransLand chose the Mack Anthem to be the vehicle that supports this cause,” said Jonathan Randall, Mack senior vice president, North American sales and marketing. “We provide the tools that enable our customers’ success, and it’s great to see them use those tools to make their communities stronger.” TransLand worked with Mack dealer Tri-State Truck Center in Springfield to prepare the Mack Anthem for service. The green truck is one of 30 new Mack Anthem models that the carrier is adding to its fleet this year. TransLand’s fleet of 175 trucks, including its new Mack Anthems, travels all 48 contiguous states hauling dry van and flatbed loads. “TransLand is excited to add these new Mack Anthems to our fleet,” said Mark Walker, TransLand chairman and CEO. “We know we’ll get measurable results in these trucks, and creating the green Care to Learn truck is generating outstanding synergy for TransLand and our community.” The Care to Learn truck will be driven by TransLand driver Molly Shultz, who will also serve as a spokesperson for the partnership with Care to Learn. The position was opened to all of TransLand’s professional drivers, with Shultz being selected for her 22 years of driving experience, outstanding safety record and passion for serving her community. “Our professional truck drivers want to be in this Care to Learn Anthem,” Walker said. “With its custom graphics, custom wheels and interior choices, it is a showstopper. The truck is definitely turning heads, which in turn puts attention on the charity and the company making it all happen.” Founded in 2008 by Springfield native Doug Pitt, brother of actor Brad Pitt, Care to Learn has more than 30 chapters serving thousands of children throughout Missouri. Pitt, shocked at the ways poverty had ravished his hometown and the effect on local children, shared his concerns and vision with other community leaders, who responded to the need by setting up a fund to help. Employees at TransLand have been involved with the nonprofit for years as individuals, and the Care to Learn community truck enables the carrier to take their support to new level.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Forty-two trade associations ranging from grocers to distributors and restaurants released a letter urging Congressman Bill Shuster, Chair and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to support the DRIVE-Safe Act (H.R.5358) to train younger drivers, and move it through the committee quickly. The DRIVE-Safe Act promotes a skill development and safety-training program for drivers under the age of 21 to engage in interstate commerce. “The truck driver shortage is slowing the movement of commerce in this country, raising consumer prices and wait times for goods,” said Mark Allen, President and CEO of the International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA). “Nowhere is this threat more evident than in the foodservice distribution industry which delivers food and supplies to the over one million professional kitchens across the country every day.” The letter says while 48 states currently allow drivers to obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL) at 18, those same drivers are prohibited from driving in interstate commerce until they are 21. Under current federal law, a 20-year-old truck driver could not drive 14 miles from Springfield, Virginia to Washington D.C., but that same driver could haul a load from Arlington to Norfolk, Virginia, a more than six-hour drive roundtrip. “The DRIVE-Safe Act is a common-sense proposal that will open enormous opportunities for an emerging workforce and strengthen safety training programs,” Allen said. The DRIVE-Safe Act creates a two-step training program to allow younger drivers to enter the industry safely. Candidates would be accompanied in the cab by experienced drivers for a total of 400 hours of on-duty time with at least 240 hours of driving time. Trucks would be required to be outfitted with the latest safety technology including active braking collision mitigation systems, forward-facing event recording cameras, speed limiters set at 65 miles per hour or less and automatic or automatic manual transmissions. The International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA) is the premier trade organization representing the foodservice distribution industry. With a combined annual sales volume of almost $300 billion, foodservice distributors play a crucial role in our nation’s infrastructure. This industry ensures a safe and efficient supply chain of food and products for more than one million restaurants and foodservice outlets in the U.S. every day. IFDA member companies operate more than 800 facilities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and around the world.  For more information visit: http://www.ifdaonline.org/    

WASHINGTON  — The average on-highway price of a gallon of diesel fuel dropped 2.2 cents to $3.244 for the week ending June 18, the Energy Information Agency of the Department of Energy reported. It’s the third consecutive week the price has dropped after the most recent peak of $3.288 for the week ending May 28. Every region of the country showed a decline led by a 2.7 cent drop in the Midwest and a 2.6 cent drop in the Gulf Coast region. The highest cost per gallon is in California at $3.976, the lowest along the Gulf Coast at $3.016. The price for the week ending June 18 is 75.5 cents higher than the same week last year. For a complete list of prices by region for the past three weeks, click here.

By GRANT SCHULTE LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska lawmakers may have cleared the way for companies to test self-driving vehicles with a law passed earlier this year, but don’t expect a large number to hit the streets anytime soon. Although industry officials say Nebraska has positioned itself well to embrace the technology, getting it fully launched will likely take longer than the public expects even in states with friendly laws. “Motorists headed out to visit Grand Island from Lincoln aren’t going to be sharing the road with driverless trucks anytime soon,” said Kent Grisham, president of the Nebraska Trucking Association. “They are coming someday, but there’s still a lot to be worked out.” Lawmakers and Gov. Pete Ricketts approved a measure in April that allows autonomous vehicles to operate on public roads as long as the vehicle includes safety features, follows state road rules and is properly insured. Supporters said the law would place Nebraska among the leading contenders to serve as a testing ground for such vehicles. Grisham said many industry officials believe it will take “several years, if not decades” before fully automated trucks are cruising down public roads. Most of the problems are technological, such as getting trucks to navigate a road where lane markers are covered by snow or steer through congested Omaha traffic. It’s also unclear how driverless trucks will interact with local law enforcement or inspectors who try to stop them to ensure they’re safe, Grisham said. He said he wasn’t aware of any efforts to lure companies to Nebraska and hasn’t heard from any that are interested in using the state as a testing ground. Nebraska would be a good testing site because of its long, flat stretches of road and variable weather, he said. “There are 1,000 questions we have to answer, things we take for granted with drivers,” he said. Officials in Lincoln had initially planned to launch a driverless shuttle service to carry passengers between downtown Lincoln, the Haymarket District and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s main campus, but a city spokeswoman said the project was delayed and won’t arrive in Lincoln for at least another few weeks. City officials now expect to run smaller-scale tests on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Innovation Campus to work out any possible kinks. Mayor Chris Beutler said the project places Lincoln and the state “at the forefront of innovation that could serve as a national model for the future of transportation in America.” The shift toward self-driving cars and trucks is likely to happen gradually as more of their functions become automated, said John Lindsay, a lobbyist for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. Lindsay said the new Nebraska law is broad enough to allow the technology to adapt. “People might have to change their mindset,” he said. “Autonomous vehicles aren’t just this thing where you have a prototype and then, all of a sudden, you have a product hit the market.” Some semi-autonomous vehicles are already on Nebraska roads, albeit on a smaller scale. Brevan Jorgenson, of Omaha, converted his 2016 Honda Civic into a self-driving car over the course of about six weeks. Jorgenson, an information technology consultant, can operate his car in self-driving mode. He said he would prefer to see the technology remain unregulated. Although technology has advanced dramatically in the two years since he upgraded his car, Jorgenson said the public may have unrealistic expectations. “People seem to think that if we went to 100 percent self-driving cars, there would be no more accidents,” he said. “But there will be still be tires that pop, wheels that fall off, and deer. Accidents are a fact of life.”

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration chief Ray Martinez wasn’t kidding when he told The Trucker News Organization Thursday that it’s imperative FMCSA gets its computer systems upgraded and generating good data. FMCSA Monday issued an interim final rule delaying certain aspects of its Medical Certification integration in order to give FMCSA and state licensing entities more time to get their IT systems coordinated and up to speed. The delay changes the deadline from June 22 this year to June 22, 2021. The FMCSA Administrator said prior to his confirmation hearings that the agency’s information technology (IT) infrastructure is one of his three top priorities, the other two being safety issues and expanding and enhancing relationships with trucking industry stakeholders. “Our IT infrastructure is a challenge,” Martinez told reporters Thursday. “If your IT infrastructure is not up to the task it is being assigned, then you are going to have a challenge.” He said the agency must have good data on which to base its decisions and that so much of that data is related to the health of the agency’s IT systems. In the interim, certified medical examiners or CMEs will continue issuing the original paper certificate to qualified drivers; drivers will continue giving state licensing agencies their medical examination certificates and carrying the certificates with them; motor carriers will continue verifying their drivers have been certified by a CME listed on the National Registry and state licensing agencies will continue to process paper copies of examiners’ certificates (Form MCSA-5876) they receive from CDL holders and commercial learner’s permit holders. The interim rule doesn’t change the fact that CMEs must report results of all CMV drivers’ examination results in which the driver was unqualified, by midnight of the calendar day following the exam. “We have such a broad base of constituencies here that we are required to deal with, that we must be reliant on good IT infrastructure,” Martinez said Thursday. “ … We see that now with the medical registry, which is one of our biggest challenges. There are no quick fixes with this. “We are dealing with outdated technology that has to be updated on the one hand, and then on the other hand, we deal with a lot of personal identifiable information, sensitive information to carriers, drivers and medical professionals.” Consequently, he said, there’s a trust involved that the data received by the agency is secure and that it’s dealt with in a legal manner. The agency is also working to make its information more “customer-friendly” and easier to access, Martinez said. FMCSA has had a computer upgrade on its calendar for quite some time, but Martinez said he didn’t think there would be an end to it “because technology is constantly evolving.” The agency is working with DOT on specific IT challenges, he said, as well as with “some of the strongest companies in the field that work on both the data security and on designing customer-friendly interfaces, and those are the areas that we always have to look at.”

GREENBELT, Md. — Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance-certified enforcement personnel will conduct roadside inspections on commercial motor vehicles as part of the CVSA’s Brake Safety Week September 16-22 in an effort to identify and remove CMVs with critical brake violations from our roadways and to call attention to the dangers of faulty brake systems. Properly functioning brake systems are crucial to safe CMV operation, the CVSA said in a news release. Brakes must be routinely inspected and carefully and consistently maintained so they operate and perform to the manufacturer’s specifications throughout the life of the vehicle. Improperly installed or poorly maintained brake systems can reduce braking efficiency, posing serious risk to public safety on our roadways, CVSA said. The organization released data and research to emphasize its initiative: According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Large Truck Crash Causation (LTCC) Study, 32.7 percent of large trucks with pre-crash violations had brake problems. Brake-related violations comprised the largest percentage of out-of-service vehicle violations cited during last year’s International Roadcheck. The LTCC Study’s relative risk analysis indicated that large trucks involved in a crash where the braking capacity of the truck was critical were 50 percent more likely to have a brake violation than were trucks involved in crashes where the truck’s braking capacity was not critical. According to the LTCC Study, of the trucks involved in brake-critical crashes, 45.5 percent had brake violations, compared with 29.9 percent of trucks involved in crashes of the same type where the braking was not relevant. Results from last year’s Brake Safety Day found that 14 percent of all inspections conducted during that one-day brake safety initiative resulted in a CMV being placed out of service for brake-related violations. Brake Safety Week aims to reduce the number of crashes caused by poorly maintained braking systems on CMVs by conducting roadside mechanical fitness inspections and removing dangerous vehicles from our roadways. The CVSA said in addition to inspections and enforcement, outreach efforts by law enforcement agencies to educate drivers, mechanics, owner-operators and others on the importance of proper brake maintenance, operation and performance are integral to the success of the safety initiative. During Brake Safety Week, inspectors will primarily conduct the North American Standard Level I Inspection, which is a 37-step procedure that includes an examination of driver operating requirements and vehicle mechanical fitness. Inspections conducted will include inspection of brake-system components to identify loose or missing parts; air or hydraulic fluid leaks; defective rotor conditions; measurement of pushrod travel; mismatched air chamber sizes across axles; air reservoir integrity and mounting; worn linings, pads, drums or rotors; required brake-system warning devices; and other brake-system components. Vehicles with defective or out-of-adjustment brakes will be placed out of service. In addition, in the 12 jurisdictions using performance-based brake testing (PBBT) equipment, vehicle braking efficiency will be measured. PBBTs measure the cumulative brake force for the entire vehicle and divide it by the total vehicle weight to determine overall vehicle braking efficiency. The minimum braking efficiency for trucks is 43.5 percent, required by 393.52 of the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and the CVSA North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria. Brake Safety Week is part of the Operation Airbrake Program, sponsored by CVSA in partnership with the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators and FMCSA.

BIG WELLS, Texas  — At least five people were killed and several others hurt Sunday as an SUV carrying more than a dozen people during a suspected “smuggling event” crashed while fleeing from Border Patrol agents in South Texas, authorities said. The SUV carrying 14 people went out of control at more than 100 mph and overturned on Texas Highway 85, ejecting most of the occupants, Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd said. “From what we can tell the vehicle ran off the road and caught gravel and then tried to recorrect,” Boyd said, adding that “caused the vehicle to turn over several times.” Four victims were dead at the scene, Boyd said. He said at least one and possibly two others died at a hospital. The Border Patrol said in a statement Sunday night that two other vehicles had been traveling alongside the SUV earlier in the day. An agent suspected they were conducting a “smuggling event,” according to the statement, which did not elaborate. The border agent stopped one of the vehicles and another agent stopped a second one. Multiple people from both vehicles were arrested. The third vehicle kept going when agents encountered it, and a sheriff’s deputy took over the chase prior to the fatal crash, the border patrol said. The incident comes amid heightened tensions over the treatment of immigrants at the southern border. The Trump administration has said tougher immigration policies — even separating children from their parents — are needed to deter immigrants from coming to the country illegally. Over a six-week period ending in May, about 2,000 children had been separated from their families, administration officials said Friday. Most of the occupants in the SUV were believed in the country without legal permission. Boyd said the driver and one passenger were believed to be U.S. citizens. The driver was among those hospitalized, and a deputy who assisted the Border Patrol with the chase found the driver sitting upright in his seat and took him and the passenger into custody. “This, I think, is a perfect example, of why are borders need to be secured,” Boyd said. Some injured were taken by helicopter to San Antonio, about 90 miles northeast. Dimmit County is directly north of Webb County and east of Maverick County, which border Mexico. “Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of those who died in the crash,” The Border Patrol said in the statement.

WASHINGTON — The implications for changes in highway infrastructure driven by the wider deployment of connected and automated vehicles must be “recognized and addressed,” Wyoming Director of Transportation William “Bill” Panos has told a Senate committee. Panos said autonomous vehicles “are increasingly connected and equipped with electronics that can receive data from [technology] installed in or near the roadway. Such signals help a vehicle ‘see’ in the snow or fog and provide other information. State DOTs can develop and deploy roadside infrastructure that can assist both automated driving system (ADS) equipped vehicles and increasingly advanced non-ADS equipped vehicles,” according to a report in the Journal of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Panos’ testimony came as part of “listening session” held by the Senate’s Committee on Environment and Public Works to determine how transportation infrastructure should evolve to accommodate connected and autonomous vehicles. Panos, who also serves as chair of the committee on transportation system operations for the AASHTO, testified along with Shailen Bhatt, president and CEO of ITS America, Polly Trottenberg, commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, Zachary Doerzaph, director of the center for advanced automotive research at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, and Shaun Kildare, research director for the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. Panos said in his remarks that autonomous vehicles “have the potential to decrease crashes and fatalities … not only of vehicle occupants, but also for highway maintenance and construction workers, bicyclists, and pedestrians,” the Journal reported. Yet he stressed that “many questions” regarding autonomous vehicles remain, such as to how they will navigate through temporary highway work zones and handle variable speed limits. “AASHTO’s member DOTs believe that establishing a strong foundation for autonomous vehicles requires ‘robust connectedness’ for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication,” Panos said. “But if autonomous and/or connected vehicpanos-wyo.jpgles rely on roadway sensors, that could place ‘upward pressure’ on the already high need for investment in maintaining and improving pavement quality.” That’s but one reason Panos said state DOTs and other infrastructure owners are “uncertain” which particular roadway characteristics will be “critically important” to the safe and efficient operation of autonomous vehicles as aspects of them have been developed in the “absence of significant collaboration” between the infrastructure owners and technology developers. It is such “collaboration” issues that Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., chairman of the EPW committee, said he hopes to avoid as connected and autonomous vehicles begin operating on U.S. roadways in greater numbers. “”We’re planning to build surface transportation infrastructure that will last for decades, so we need to understand the new challenges the next decades will bring to all of us [such as] the ongoing development and implementation of autonomous and connected vehicles,” he said in his opening remarks. “These and other innovations have the potential to fundamentally change the nature of how our nation’s infrastructure works. “Autonomous vehicles will likely require modifications to our roadways and the practices of federal, state, and local transportation agencies. It is critical that federal and state transportation agencies are prepared and equipped to tackle the potential opportunities and challenges they present for our roads.” Yet WYDOT’s Panos stressed in his testimony that such concerns aren’t slowing down the willingness on the part of state DOTs to test connected and autonomous vehicle technologies. “About 33 locations in the U.S., including Wyoming, are deploying connected vehicle technologies under sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation, while 17 locations are deploying them without sponsorship from USDOT,” Panos said. “Combined, that represents 72,000 vehicles on the road and 65,000 devices installed on the infrastructure. As the owners of a significant amount of the highway transportation infrastructure, state DOTs are at the forefront of preparing for deployment of connected and autonomous vehicles, including ensuring that the current infrastructure is in a state of good repair such that any vehicle can operate on it in a safe and effective manner.”

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. — The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association said Friday it had presented input to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) earlier this week on the programs that are supposed to protect truck drivers from retaliations for reporting unsafe practices and work environments. At a meeting held by OSHA at the U.S. Department of Labor, feedback was sought for the Whistleblower Protection Program in the transportation industry. OOIDA members were represented by Director of Federal Affairs Jay Grimes who shared information about how OOIDA believes these programs inadequately serve truck drivers. The association provided the background to illustrate the experience that truck drivers face with regard to reporting unsafe situations with their jobs that also affect the public: In 2016, FMCSA adopted a coercion regulation that prohibits motor carriers, shippers, receivers or transportation intermediaries from coercing drivers to operate commercial motor vehicles in violation of certain provisions of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, including drivers’ Hours of Service limits; the commercial driver’s license regulations; drug and alcohol testing rules; and the Hazardous Materials Regulations. To file a complaint, drivers must submit it in writing to the division office located in the state where they are employed or submit the complaint to the National Consumer Complaint Database (NCCDB) via a hotline telephone number or online portal. Both of these methods have been proven as unsatisfactory, OOIDA said. Typically, drivers receive little, if any, response from the NCCDB, the association. Additionally, OOIDA said, there is insufficient follow-up with drivers after filing a complaint and the lack of response from the agency results in many unresolved complaints and also discourages drivers from using the NCCDB to report unsafe practices as the NCCDB does not efficiently address a driver’s complaint efficiently after its been reported. “Our membership has had less experience with OSHA’s whistleblower program,” Grimes said. “We usually receive one or two calls inquiring about OSHA per year but have not been active in any OSHA whistleblower cases.  Our general thought is that many drivers are not aware of the OSHA Whistleblower protections provided by the Surface Transportation Assistance Act. Drivers are also likely more familiar with the DOT/FMCSA filing processes rather than OSHA’s. “We are hopeful this meeting and subsequent meetings will be an opportunity to increase the awareness about OSHA’s whistleblower program,” Grimes said. “We would certainly be interested in working with OSHA and other industry stakeholders to educate professional truck drivers about OSHA’s whistleblower program and the whistleblower laws it enforces.” The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is the only national trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers. The Association currently has more than 160,000 members nationwide. OOIDA was established in 1973 and is headquartered in the Greater Kansas City area.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts Brent Crude oil prices to average $71 a barrel for the rest of this year and to stay around $68 a barrel in 2019, the agency said today. The predictions were part of EIA’s June 2018 update of its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). The updated 2019 forecast price is $2 a barrel higher than the May STEO. Brent crude oil spot prices averaged $77 a barrel in May, an increase of $5 a barrel from April and the highest monthly average price since November 2014. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) prices are forecast to average almost $7 a barrel lower than Brent prices in 2018 and $6 a barrel lower in 2019. Crude oil prices have increased as global oil inventories have declined from January 2017 through April 2018. Even though the 2019 oil price forecast is higher than it was in the May STEO, EIA expects oil prices to decline in the coming months because global oil inventories are expected to rise slightly during the second half of 2018 and in 2019, the agency said. Oil inventory is expected to outpace forecasted oil demand growth next year. EIA currently forecasts global petroleum and other liquids inventories will increase by 210,000 barrels per day next year, a factor that, all else being equal, typically puts downward pressure on oil prices, the report said. Most of the growth in global oil production in the months ahead is expected to come from the U. S. EIA projects that the country’s crude oil production will average 10.8 million barrels a day for 2018, up from 9.4 million barrels a day in 2017, and will average 11.8 million barrels a day in 2019. If those averages hold true, they would be the highest levels of production on record, surpassing the previous record set in 1970, EIA noted. Tight oil production in the Permian region of West Texas and New Mexico is the main driver of rising U.S. production. Among other countries outside of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Canada and Brazil are also expected to experience significant growth in oil production in 2019. EIA expects that OPEC crude oil production will average 32.0 million barrels a day in 2018, a decrease of about 0.4 million barrels a day from the 2017 level. Total OPEC crude oil output is expected to increase slightly in 2019 to an average of 32.1 million barrels a day. The 2018 and 2019 levels are 0.2 million barrels a day and 0.3 million barrels a day lower, respectively, than what was forecast in the May STEO, stemming frm revised expectations of crude oil production in Venezuela and Iran. The lower OPEC forecast is one of the main reasons EIA expects oil prices to be slightly higher in 2019 compared with last month’s forecast. OPEC, Russia, and other non-OPEC countries will meet on June 22 to assess current oil market conditions associated with their existing crude oil production reductions. Current reductions are scheduled to continue through the end of the year. Oil ministers from Saudi Arabia and Russia have announced that they will re-evaluate the production reduction agreement given accelerated output declines from Venezuela and uncertainty surrounding Iran’s production levels. The June STEO  assumes declining Venezuelan and Iranian crude oil production in 2019 will be offset by increasing production from Persian Gulf producers, mostly Saudi Arabia. However, much depends on the outcome of the June 22 meeting. Overall, EIA expects global oil production to increase by almost 2.0 million barrels a day in 2019 compared with forecast oil demand growth of 1.7 million barrels a day.

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Add Fireball to the menu served up by Arkansas roads. Two tractor-trailers collided Thursday on Interstate 40 in central Arkansas, causing one to spill hundreds of mini-bottles of the cinnamon-flavored whiskey on the highway. Over the past year, Arkansas drivers have endured a veritable feast spilled on their roadways. Trucks carrying bourbon, frozen pizzas, pasta sauce and gin have all dumped their wares on the asphalt. Arkansas Department of Transportation spokesman Danny Straessle says investigators are still looking into the cause of Thursday’s wreck, which occurred some 10 miles east of here, and which caused major delays in both directions for a few hours and closed the westbound lanes for some 12 hours. Straessle said one truck’s cab caught fire and at least one person was treated for non-life threatening injuries. It’s at least the third time alcohol has been spilled on I-40 in less than a year. Whiskey spilled onto the highway in Lonoke County on August 2, and an 18-wheeler on March 2 lost a load of Seagram’s gin at the Interstate 40 westbound interchange to Interstate 540 in Sebastian County. Another central Arkansas highway — Interstate 30 — was the scene of a crash that spilled frozen pizzas across the lanes last August.