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Tractor-to-Trailer Data Exchange Methods Need Big Changes

June 9, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Car interior with digital interface on blurry bokeh background. Double exposure

“Fleets, truck OEMS, and trailer OEMS should get actively involved at a higher level to drive a consensus agreement on the path forward,” said S.1 Next Generation Tractor-Trailer Electric Interface Task Force chairman, Paul Menig.

Tractor-to-trailer data sharing needs major boosts in regards to its connectivity, industry experts are saying. Luckily, more and more tractors and trailers are seeing a plethora of electronic and innovative sensor options to make these efforts easier.

During the recent virtual meeting of the Technology and Maintenance Council of American Trucking Associations, these kinds of connection upgrade possibilities were a main topic of discussion.

Currently, the enhanced Safety, Maintainability, and Readiness Through Technology (eSMARTT) Trailer Survey is set to be released through TMC’s annual meeting–which will take place in-person–in Cleveland during mid-September. This survey will focus on the readiness of rental and lease companies in regards to these kinds of technologies.

Now, TMC is exploring new studies that have focused on the adoption of automated and intelligence technologies by tractor-trailer owners, as these kinds of platforms and services are becoming more commonplace than ever before across the trucking industry.

“When you consider that GPS trailer tracking has been around for over 20 years and is still not universally accepted and implemented, it is easy to understand that getting to a fully eSMARTT trailer is going to take time, even after the best pathways are defined,” explained WIllGo Transportation Consulting CEO, Charles Willmott.

Willmott is collaborating with Menig to not only conduct the survey, but to analyze the data collected for TMC. Menig also serves as the CEO for Business Accelerants.

“Lots of new ideas and so-called ‘smart trailer’ products have been introduced in just the last few years by component suppliers,: said Willmott. “Individually, many of these products have outstanding benefits to carriers and other trailer owners, but collectively, they product a cacophony of noise I refer to as ‘innovative dysfunction’ that makes it incredibly difficult, expensive, and risky for trailer owners to navigate and commit to future strategies.”

S.1 Next Generation’s most vital subjects currently involve: high-speed, high-power signaling and wireless communication connections for drivers and other transportation workers to use on mobile devices; both wired and wireless air, power, low-speed signals, and high-speed signal connections; high-speed communication connections among autonomous operating systems, safety systems, and cameras within tractor-trailer interfaces; standard power line carrier connections within commercial vehicles (such as within SAE J2497) and their ability to provide multiple data signals between trailers and tractors, as well as their 7-pin connector and two air line power systems; cooperation and collaboration between groups like TMC, The Society of Automotive Engineers, and the International Organization for Standardization; and an overall future-focused approach to establishing efficient tractor-trailer connections along with trailer backward compatibility.

Wabco North America system innovation leader, Wolfgang Hahn, explained during TMC’s presentation that autonomous systems and advanced safety systems need electronic braking capabilities, and that innovative camera systems will be needing gigabit ethernet transmission technology–a capability that is already implemented in fleets throughout Australia and Europe.

“The brake control system basically becomes kind of a spinal cord for this overall vehicle combination,” he noted.

Field sales support manager for original equipment at East Penn Manufacturing Co., John Cathey, added that absorbed glass-mat batteries will allow for the “cycle counts you are looking for in trailer applications for lift gates and all the other power demands that you might have.” He also added that “AGM seems to be the preferred choice in the market today.”

In regards to implementing high-speed communication connectivity between tractors and farms, the agricultural industry is much more advanced than the trucking industry at this point, explained Haldex’s chief engineer, Dave Engelbert.

“They are currently talking to chip manufacturers to find one that can produce the chips they need for this high-speed ethernet,” he said.

“We could learn something from them,” Menig chimed in, “and, potentially scale better by collaborating with them.”

Trailers use these chips in their anti-lock brake systems, as well as in their tire pressure monitoring, trailer tracking, and lift gate electronic controls, Menig explained.

“There will be many more in the future,” he said.

$7 Million Dedicated to Illinois Truck Traffic Projects

June 8, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

ATACAMA, CHILE – NOVEMBER 14, 2015: Semi-trailer truck International Navistar at the interurban freeway.

“Illinois is the country’s transportation hub, with freight activity a cornerstone of the state’s economy,” said Omer Osman, Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation. “At IDOT, we want our local partners to have the necessary tools to manage traffic safely and spur even more job creation and economic growth.”

$26 million has been allocated to 21 different transportation projects throughout Illinois, with IDOT distributing $7 million to projects specifically working to boost infrastructure and upgrade Illinois truck traffic accommodations.

“IDOT has awarded $7 million to put toward a total investment of $36 million for communities to better handle truck traffic and spur economic growth,” said IDOT Illinois recently in a tweet.

These funds come from IDOT’s Truck Access Route Program grants, an initiative calling for all towns, counties, and municipalities needing road upgrade assistance in regards to the transitioning of roads into designated trucks routes (that can accommodate heavy trucks) to apply.

According to Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, this funding is meant to ensure local communities have everything needed to better manage economic growth, attract more business, and improve the overall quality of life of their locals.

Projects aiming to improve designated truck route-to-business connections in efforts to boost freight traffic can receive a maximum of $900,000, IDOT explained. To apply for a grant, interested groups should list traffic figures, the number of lanes involved, and the length in both feet and miles of the project as a whole.

Out of the most recent funding, $900,000 was allocated to Champaign County, whose funds will help its County Highway 20, a north-south stretch connecting to U.S. 45 and reaching from Lake Superior to the Gulf of Mexico. $651,000 was awarded to DeKalb County, a northern Illinois town 60 miles west of Chicago, which is working to upgrade Chicago Road and its connection to Route 23. Williamson County is receiving $250,000 for its Thompsonville Road, a route connecting Corinth Road with Locust Grove Road.

Boone County is also receiving $630,000 for its Poplar Grove Road connecting the City of Belvidere to the Village of Poplar Grove, La Salle County is receiving $518,400 for its County Highway 2 connecting U.S. 34 with U.S. 52, and McLean County is receiving $366,300 for its County Highway 24 and $517.000 for its Meadows Road connecting 2555 North Road to U.S. 24.

Additionally, a Franklin County project regarding County Highway 14 was given $318,500. Franklin County is 100 miles southeast of St.Louis and reaches around the bottom half of Rend Lake, and County Highway 14 connects to north-south southern Illinois route SR 148.

Rebuild Illinois was initiated in 2019 as an infrastructure improvement initiative that would work to invest in the improvement of transit, roads, bridges, state parks, historic sites, clean water infrastructure, and education, and Pritzker announced recently that $250 million of these funds would be dedicated to Illinois transportation projects.

For county, town, and municipality-focused projects, $1.5 billion was also allocated by Rebuild Illinois. These grants will be distributed evenly throughout six installments over the next three years to local government agencies. In March, IDOT sent the third of its six $250,000 million installments as part of the overall multi-year, $33.2 billion capital program.

A job-training program was also announced by Pritzker, along with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. This effort has been created in collaboration with the Association for Supply Chain Management and aims to boost the recently unemployed or underemployed due to challenges faced throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

The job-training program is also meant to find methods of helping Illinois locals better understand and utilize the exponential growth of logistics, shipping, and e-commerce across the state–especially that which skyrocketed during the nation’s stay-at-home orders.

To funnel funds to Rebuild Illinois, the state’s fuel tax rate did increase in 2020 after doubling in 2019, with current fuel tax rates coming up to 46.2 cents per gallon for diesel and 38.7 cents per gallon for gasoline.

Cross-Border Truckers to Receive Vaccinations Through Canada-North Dakota Partnership

June 8, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Canadian and North Dakotan leaders are collaborating in an effort to help Canadian truckers who often work across the border to easily receive COVID-19 vaccinations.

The Essential Worker Cross-Border Vaccination Initiative was recently announced by Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, who, along with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, explained that a memorandum had been signed stating that the essential workers delivering goods across the North Dakota-Canada border would be given easy access to the vaccine due to North Dakota’s northern border’s reach across both Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

These efforts come as a step toward improving the wellbeing of truckers, particularly those who work to boost the economy in both North Dakota and across these Canadian provinces.

“With adequate vaccine supplies and all North Dakotans having access to [the] vaccine while Canada is dealing with a vaccine shortage, we want to do our part to ensure essential workers from Canada who are frequently traveling through our state are vaccinated,” explained Burgum. ”The timely and effective administration of vaccines is essential for public health and the eventual safe reopening of our shared border.”

The Drayton rest area, a North Dakota Department of Transportation rest stop off of Interstate 29 located across the Red River from Minnesota, will transition into an official vaccination site for truck drivers and will also offer vaccinations to North Dakota locals who are at least 16 years of age. Drayton is conveniently located 31 miles south of the North Dakota-Canada border, which should make it easy for cross-border truckers to receive vaccines here.

Close to Saskatchewan’s North Dakota border, another site will be initiated for both truck drivers and energy workers local to Saskatchewan who work across the border frequently. The DOT has yet to announce which exact site will serve as this particular vaccination location.

Over the next two months, truck industry experts and government officials will determine which truck drivers are immediately eligible for a vaccination appointment and will schedule those appointments during each trucker’s regular drives across the border. Nurses and staff members will be dispatched by the North Dakota Department of Health to administer both vaccine doses to participating truck drivers; truckers must also be sure to get both vaccine doses in North Dakota.

“The Saskatchewan Trucking Association knows how critical vaccines are to fighting COVID-19, and is pleased to see the partnership between North Dakota and Saskatchewan,” said Saskatchewan Trucking Association executive director, Susan Ewart. “Providing necessary vaccines to professional drivers and oil field workers crossing the border will ensure the safety and protection of these workers as they continue to drive the economy.”

Currently, waiting times for each dose of the vaccine is between three and four months in Manitoba, lamented Terry Shaw, Executive Director of the Manitoba Trucking Association. Additionally, Manitoba vaccine eligibility is only available for certain groups of qualifying people.

This new initiative will allow truck drivers to much more easily receive the vaccines they need, as they can do so during their usual hauling schedules.

“These truck drivers will be completely vaccinated much, much quicker through this North Dakota program than they will in Canada,” said Shaw. “We’re not even at the point in Manitoba where, if you want a vaccine, you can go get it. North Dakota had more vaccines than arms and Manitoba had more arms than vaccines.”

Many truck drivers based in Manitoba also have to travel through North Dakota frequently, Shaw added. Some shipments begin in Alberta or Saskatchewan and still travel through North Dakota on their way to other states.

“Whether it is trade activity with North Dakota or through North Dakota, it’s a very major corridor for our trucking industry here in Manitoba and, quite frankly, in Canada,” he explained. “Manitoba truck drivers find themselves running through North Dakota with great regularity.”

Boosting the health and safety of these truck drivers is especially important for both countries, as the United States considers Saskatchewan and Manitoba to both be vital economic partners–with 217,992 truck crossings occurring at the port of entry in Pembina, North Dakota (which connects directly to Manitoba) and 80,101 truck crossings at the Portal, North Dakota port of entry (which connects directly to Saskatchewan) in 2020, according to data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

“We are grateful to Premier Scott Moe for his partnership on this initiative, which will ensure the safe delivery of goods and services across the border and strengthen the longstanding friendly relationship between North Dakota and our northern neighbors,” said Governor Burgum in a recent tweet.

Potential Infrastructure Package Brings Stakeholders Together

June 6, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Members from all areas of the transportation industry have come together to urge Capitol Hill to take action in the wake of lawmakers’ intent to take into account a $2.25 trillion infrastructure plan, proposed by President Biden and set to be under official consideration very soon.

Because needs for boosting the nation’s infrastructure system are well-known throughout environmental groups, labor organizations, advocacy firms, businesses, and freight industry organizations, stakeholders from across all these areas are agreeing on the benefits surrounding a potential multi-year highway policy bill.

Although many industry members have failed to reach overall agreement on the president’s American Jobs plan–especially due to worries regarding Democrats’ current control in the White House, House, and Senate–a comprehensive infrastructure plan that would involve a multi-year highway policy plan is clearly a positive for nearly everyone.

“[I’m] glad to see [the] White House push for action infrastructure,” said vice president of transportation infrastructure for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Ed Mortimer. “[I’m] not sure whether that means [an] American Jobs [Plan] package or surface transportation [highway policy] authorization. [I] expect them to move separately.”

A Bipartisan Policy Center- and U.S. Chamber of Commerce-led coalition is pushing for an infrastructure package focusing on updates and repairs to be passed by the fourth of July. Such a project, they say, could lead to a variety of lasting employment opportunities and create a much-needed economic boost for the country as a whole.

“Today, we joined BPC Bipartisan and over 300 national and local [organizations] in sending a letter to Congress urging them to enact an infrastructure package by the 4th of July that stimulates the economy and improves quality of life for all Americans,” said the U.S. Chamber recently in a tweet.

The American Public Transportation Association, the Laborers’ International Union of North America, the Transportation Intermediaries Association, and the Natural Resources Defense Council are a few of the more than 300 groups that have joined hands to form the coalition since March.

Additionally, the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, along with the Associated General Contractors of America, is co-chairing the Transportation Construction Coalition. This organization will work to light a fire under those who can make moves in regards to the infrastructure package, especially as many stakeholders are claiming that comprehensive infrastructure plans will bring major boosts to the economy.

“The president’s plan will accelerate a long-overdue conversation about how to modernize our roads, bridges, public transit, and other infrastructure systems,” explained Dave Bauer, CEO and president of ARTBA. “Members of Congress from both parties will rightly have their own policy throughs. The most important thing is not whose plan passes Congress, but that at the end of the process, the American people have increased mobility, and the competitiveness of the U.S. economy is strengthened.”

Biden’s plan, which would bring $115 billion for highways and bridges, $85 billion for transit, $80 billion for Amtrak, $25 billion for airports, and $17 billion for inland ports, is being pushed heavily by the White House for Congress to sign into law. Biden has also mentioned that corporate tax rates would need to raise an additional 7% in order for the measure to be fully funded.

Many groups and organizations involving agriculture, autonomous technology, and rural housing have also made known their support for this plan. Although these industries’ stakeholders have previously argued over potential transportation policies and overall budgets, they are now finding agreement due to the plan’s potential in bringing massive transportation legislation through Congress.

“We have been talking about an infrastructure package for years and it has never gotten past a talking point,” noted Beth Osborne of Transportation for America. “This seems to be the most serious effort yet, but when and how it comes together depends on how open the various factions on Capitol Hill are to making a deal.”

Osborne also added that the president’s plan could allow for funding to come through in regards to climate change, racial equity, and pedestrian, bicycle, and motorcycle transportation.

“The only thing that matters is whether we are funding projects that restore infrastructure in need of repair, [improving] roadway safety after one of the most deadly years in decades, and [providing] Americans with access to jobs and essential services whether they can afford a car or not,” she said.

Latest Safety Concern List Adopted by NTSB, GAO Calls for Deeper Look

June 6, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

A wide range of safety improvements and updates need to be implemented across all modes of transportation, according to the latest Most Wanted List of safety concerns, recently released by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The list for the year 2021-2022 still mentions some of the recommendations made in 2019, such as the need for an industry-wide mandate in regards to how to install collision-avoidance technology into commercial motor vehicles. The latest list also included the need for an efficient strategy related to methods of speeding-related collision elimination, distracted driving prevention, and the eradication of drug- and alcohol-impaired driving.

“The Most Wanted List defines the focus of the NTSB’s advocacy work,” said Chairman of NTSB, Robert Sumwalt. “It directs our limited advocacy resources toward improvements with the greatest potential to make the greatest impact on saving lives, reducing injuries, and preventing accidents and crashes.”

NTSB, an agency that works independently and aims to identify the factors feeding into roadway accidents and the best ways to implement safety solutions, unanimously adopted this most recent “Most Wanted List,” a decision which came after more than four hours of discussion, question-and-answer sessions, and staff presentations.

Every single member of NTSB’s board–currently only five people in total–must be confirmed by the Senate following their nomination by the president.

The final approval of this Most Wanted List by the board, and the recommendations that accompanied these major concerns, were “driven by data,” according to Sumwalt, who also added that all of these problems are currently “ripe for action.” Everything included in the Most Wanted List incorporated aspects of NTSB’s own research and investigations, he noted–especially data collected in regards to roadway incidents which involved impaired driving or speeding.

NTSB’s Office of Highway Safety director, Robert Molloy, noted that these are the crash causes that typically lead to the nation’s fatal accidents.

“Studies have shown that as many as 80% of crashes could have benefited from sensor-based collision-avoidance technologies, such as automatic emergency braking and forward-collision warning,” Molloy explained. “All vehicles should have these systems available as a standard feature.”

NTSB’s most recent meeting, which involved presentations on investigations into previous accidents, came as a response to the issues regarding transparency that were brought to light by the Government Accountability Office. In 2020, GAO urged NTSB to thoroughly document all evaluations for every single concern mentioned on its Most Wanted List, and added that all criteria utilized for determining any issue as being “ripe for action” should be efficiently explained and communicated to the public.

If these efforts are not executed properly, the concerns on the list could fail to receive any sufficient solution-oriented efforts, according to GAO.

“If advocacy groups, industry associations, and others don’t know why NTSB is advocating for these particular safety issues and recommendations, that could affect their attention to and support for tackling the issues on the list,” GAO explained.

Additionally, to truly bring to light the problems on these lists that have been nationwide concerns for far too long, full explanation and communication with the public and industry members is key.

“Greater transparency in how issues are evaluated and selected could enhance users’ understanding of the list and help ensure the list continues to rally the support and resources needed to tackle difficult and long-standing transportation safety challenges.”

The discussions like these that take place during these board meetings, Sumwalt noted, always aim to lead to extensive and productive deliberation and problem-solving. He hopes that anyone who observed this most recent meeting–or any meeting of the board–can see that these discussions are indeed meant to be as productive as possible.

“If anybody thinks these board meetings are scripted, then you hopefully have seen the board actually [active] in our deliberations.” he said. “Nothing is pre-decisional. What you saw was our deliberations.”

Also on 2020-2021’s list of most-wanted improvements are: “vulnerable road user” protection efforts–especially for motorcyclists, cyclists, and pedestrians; pipeline leak detection and mitigation improvements; rail worker safety upgrades; and passenger and fishing vessel safety improvements. Also needing major boosts, as mentioned by the list, are safety management technology installation on passenger-carrying flights, crash-resistant recorders, and programs regarding flight-data monitoring.

IDOT Works to Avoid Bridge Strikes Throughout the State

June 5, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

When truckers move under a bearing too low for the height of their big-rigs, bridge strikes happen.

Because it has been a prevalent issue in the state of Illinois, the Illinois Department of Transportation is pushing forward two potential pilot initiatives–both of which would aim to lower the number of large truck bridge strikes.

“Hit the road, not a bridge!” said IDOT recently in a tweet. “The average bridge strike costs $400,000 to fix? They also can cause backups, detours, and all sorts of safety issues. Truckers, please measure freight sizes, get your permits, and stay on the correct route.”

Because many drivers will watch navigation information on their cellphones or on printed route directions, IDOT is proposing a program dubbed “audible turn-by-turn navigation.” This initiative would allow IDOT to offer route information electronically through a cloud-based application for drivers to audibly hear all their navigation details without having to look at a document or a mobile device.

The GIS data providers that are working on this technology have said it is nearly ready for release. Presently, they are working on some platform format problems and will soon allow IDOT to test the system. If it is found to be acceptable, a select number of fleets will be able to test the technology and compare it to other methods of navigation. The system will be fully adopted by the industry if IDOT finds no problems with its implementation.

The second pilot program is the HawkScan oversize vehicle measurement system, an initiative that will use sensors and cameras to digitally measure freight loads off of Interstate 70 at the westbound Maryville weigh station. The data collected from these scans can measure and classify trucks during normal traffic congestion conditions and can also verify a truck’s permit information.

This particular weigh station in southwest Illinois has processed more than 48,100 trucks in Illinois so far in 2021, and expects to process around 200,000 by the end of the year. The oversize vehicle measurement system has already been set up temporarily at this location.

“If all is accurate on the permit with the information gathered, the driver will be allowed to continue on without stopping,” said Geno Koehler, IDOT Permit Unit Chief. “Both projects are very exciting, and many people in the [oversize and overweight] industry are looking forward to their success.”

Because many agricultural shipments are hauled through Illinois, some truck drivers may not be aware that they are driving on a route including a bridge with a lower clearance than they might expect, explained Matt Hart, Executive Director for the Illinois Trucking Association. This is a major issue because agricultural equipment hauling is vital to the state of Illinois (and because the state’s top exports include animal feed and cereal grains, according to IDOT’s Illinois State Freight Plan).

Because these drivers are often not aware of low-clearance bridges, IDOT’s District 5 has had nine bridge strikes in the last year and a half, with each hit costing between $25,000 and $3 million to repair. On average, oversize load bridge strikes–either by farm equipment or large trucks–cost around $400,000 on average in repairs. When these accidents occur, they often lead to closures, road safety problems, detours, and traffic congestion.

Additionally, especially in the Chicago metro area, Hart noted that towing companies are especially costly for a truck that gets itself stuck under a bridge–with these bills coming out to around $100,000 per incident.

“It’s pretty disheartening when you have a truck that hits one of these bridges and [the driver is] already upset enough, but then you have tow companies that are taking advantage of that situation and are strapping these trucking companies with tens of thousands of dollars in towing fees just to get the vehicle out of that low-clearance bridge,” said Hart. “They know that out-of-state trucks are likely to hit those bridges because they’re not familiar with the area. After safety, this also becomes an economic issue.”

IDOT has released recommendations regarding how to prevent these accidents, with detailed steps including the need to stay on authorized routes, obtain proper permits, and measure freight loads well in advance. Drivers of permitted loads should also remember to only take the routes IDOT recommends.