Trucking Industry

Driver Comfort to be Boosted With Fleets’ Seat Tech Investment

August 4, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

“The last thing we want to do is lose a driver over an uncomfortable seat,” said Foodliner’s maintenance director, Kyle Neumann. “Drivers aren’t bashful. If they’re uncomfortable, they’re going to let you know.”

Because seat comfortability is so important for a truck driver, as they spend most of their workday sitting in the cab of a truck, the latest, most innovative truck seats have been manufactured with upgraded materials, effective suspension, and more adjustability than ever in an effort to maximize a trucker’s overall comfort while on the job. Many fleets have even been utilizing methods of attracting and retaining new truck drivers such as advertising their high levels of cab comfort.

“That has driven us to constantly look at seats and make sure we’re staying ahead of the curve, so we’re giving them the best option that is out there,” Neumann added.

More engineering and science-backed analyses are what is pushing these new designs forward, said North American aftermarket business director for Sears Seating, John Duax.

“Not only does the seat have to be comfortable to the driver, but there also has to be some science behind it to eliminate a couple major issues prevalent in trucking for years–driver’s fatigue and lost time due to injury,” he added.

The design of truck seats has seen vast improvement in its evolution, and those changes are happening exceptionally quickly, explained Navistar’s chief technical engineer for human factors and ergonomics, Sandeep Premkumar.

“We now have more objective and subjective data around seat discomfort, seat materials have changed, new testing equipment and methods are being developed, seats have gotten better at isolating road inputs, and new functions have been added to sets,” Premkumar said.

Back pain and other issues have always been particularly prevalent in the trucking industry among drivers, so companies like A. Duie Pyle are careful to select the best seats possible that will boost the overall safety and wellbeing for a trucker.

“If I have a poor seat, it can lead to back injuries,” said the company’s vice president of fleet maintenance, Dan Carrano.

Until now, customized adjustments in regards to comfort and lumbar support weren’t as easily accessible as they are nowadays, Carrano added.

“You just had the air that would raise and lower the seat and the seat slide to move it up and back,” he said of previous seat models. Now, adjustments can be made within the seat base to lengthen or tilt it to fit any individual driver’s comfort preferences.

“Between the length of the seat cushion, the tilt of the seat cushion, and the lumbar support, the adjustability is pretty drastic,” he said

Additionally, with these new designs, body shapes and sizes of all truck drivers are able to be adapted to with the latest customizable adjustment capabilities–which can be especially helpful to female drivers.

“Female drivers have complained they can’t get up high enough to see over the hood,” said aftermarket sales manager at Seats Inc., Adam Lindloff. Now, “you can change the rake angle, which increases the hip point where the occupant is sitting. You’re sitting higher, but the position isn’t interfering with you getting to the pedals.”

Additionally, until recently, a majority of commercial vehicle cab design has focused upon ergonomics–the physical toll of a seat on a human body. Now, it’s become more widely accepted that the prioritized elements of a proper seat should accommodate all different postures and body types, and come equipped with fore-aft and up-down travel ranges, seat suspension, and adequate width and firmness.

“Macro trends such as automation, electrification, and connectivity are driving a lot of new technology into cabs and [are] introducing new ways for drivers to interact with vehicles,” and cognitive ergonomics is becoming much more widely adopted, Premkumar explained.

Companies like Navistar are now working to prioritize a driver’s cognitive, physical, and even emotional needs by determining which particular seat characteristics most affect a driver’s needs and experience. The company is also working to determine the performance targets, capabilities, and limitations of the most necessary aspects of an innovative seat design.

“The best defense [to a bumpy environment] can be found in a properly fit seat that removes vibration and increased comfort for the driver’s particular needs,” said Seat Specialists’ director of business development, Jennifer Ross.

‘Trooper in a Truck’ Event Finds Many Texting Drivers Throughout Indiana

August 2, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Nearly 300 motorists across the state of Indiana have been the latest recipients of traffic tickets and warnings after unknowingly sharing the road with a group of tractor-trailers driving down the interstate with state troopers onboard.

The ‘trooper in a truck’ initiative was an effort to allow state troopers to more easily and inconspicuously watch out for dangerous driver behaviors on Indiana roadways. When the passenger-seated trooper in one of these big rigs saw any risky roadway actions, he or she was able to radio in to state police who were positioned to patrol further up the interstate and were ready to pull over these drivers and issue the necessary citations or warnings.

“One of the things we hear from truck drivers is, ‘It’s a shame you guys can’t see what’s going on the way we can,” said commander of the Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division, Major Jon Smithers. “‘If only you guys could see what we see in the seat every day being up high.’”

And he’s not wrong–during the one-day ‘trooper in a truck’ event, the majority of the nearly 300 tickets and warnings that were issue were indeed issued to drivers of passenger vehicles, something that does not come as a surprise to many truckers who get a front row seat to the goings on of the nation’s roadways. During the initiative, troopers issued 152 warnings and wrote 132 tickets to passenger vehicle drivers.

Having these officers sit high up in the truck bed gave them a new perspective and allowed them to much more easily see if drivers were violating a particularly important recently-instated state law–that no driver should have a cellphone in his or her hands while operating a vehicle.

Violating this law can issue up to a $500 fine for drivers and also levy four points on his or her driver’s record. During the ‘trooper in a truck’ event, many troopers had to remind motorists of this “hands-free” law that has only been officially in effect in the state of Indiana for a short time.

“We need to let these people know that we’re serious about this [new law], because everybody’s still on their phones–nobody is taking it [seriously],” explained president of the Indiana Motor Truck Association, Gary Langston. “We also focused on people driving erratically and unsafely around commercial vehicles, things like tailgating, cutting people off, and all the other things that cars do.”

The Indiana Motor Truck Association was able to help state police with these efforts by recruiting the four big rigs utilized to travel along looping interstates throughout various regions of the state to help troopers with their patrol efforts.

“We think [the initiative] was successful,” explained Langston. “It continues to improve the relationship between law enforcement and the trucking industry. But first and foremost, it raises awareness and the priority level of safe driving. It reminds people that safe driving is a full-time job.”

Additionally, because the “hands-free” law is so new to so many, many drivers of passenger vehicles are not yet aware of the actual life-threatening risks that come with texting or otherwise using a cellphone while operating a car, Smithers noted.

“I don’t think people realize you can travel two or three lengths of a football field in just a few seconds,” he said. “If something is going on in front of you, in just a short matter of time you can be on top of a problem.”

Still, a large chunk of the citations issued by troopers during this event was for speeding, even though the main focus was to take action upon the drivers talking on cellphones or texting while operating vehicles on the interstate.

“I heard one story that a truck with a trooper was moving in the right-hand lane,” Langston recalled. “A car passed them on the right shoulder of the road, and then pulled in front of the truck.”

Langston explained that this driver had been so distracted, he didn’t even realize that he had cut off a commercial motor vehicle at all.

“When [the police officer] pulled the car over and asked the driver why he passed on the shoulder, his response was: ‘What truck?’ That just tells you that people aren’t paying as much attention as we’d like for them to.”

Truck Driver Notification Efforts During Disruptive Events Need Major Improvements

July 30, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Now more than ever, as the trucking industry has made clear its prominent role in the American economy, truckers need to be in the loop regarding everything being done to help them out during a disruption event, explained Truck Specialized Parking Services trucking expert Scott Grenerth. Truck Specialized Parking Services offers drivers easily accessible truck parking availability information.

Grenerth spoke at a Federal Highway Administration-hosted webinar last week as part of the Talking Freight seminar series by FHWA, and has worked as both a company driver and owner-operator himself.

The importance of adequately communicating with drivers on the road was made especially clear when these truckers stepped up to the front lines in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, Grenerth explained. When travel centers, rest stops, and stores themselves all shut down during stay-at-home orders, many truck drivers couldn’t find a place to park, rest, or even find food.

FHWA announced at the start of the pandemic that it would allow for food trucks to come to federally-funded interstate highway rest areas in an effort to help boost snack and meal options for truck drivers during that time. Many states quickly took advantage of this flexibility; however, a majority of over-the-road truck drivers, when surveyed, said that they had been unaware about the presence of these food trucks soon enough for them to take the necessary exit, even though FHWA had issued a notice to state departments of transportation about this new allowance.

Because of issues like this–which directly affect a truck driver’s wellbeing while on the road–Grenerth suggested that the FHWA find ways of improving methods of alerting drivers to what is available to them during challenging circumstances. This raised awareness could come through methods like signage hauled behind trucks on the freeway or overhead variable message signs, he said.

Additionally, not only would this kind of improved communication help drivers become quickly alerted to the resources and conveniences readily available, but they could also help alert truck drivers to the help they can get during severe flooding, wildfires, hurricanes, or other emergencies.

“We definitely just need to make sure that whatever comes up, like this kind of response, truckers know where they can get the help that they’re going to be seeking,” said Grenerth. “We just need to make sure they know about that.”

Many trucking companies have used the difficulties brought about the pandemic as motivation to boost in-company communication capabilities, with many fleets initiating regular town hall meetings amongst employees to keep everyone up-to-date on changes and updates within the industry and the company itself, others beginning to send out informative newsletters with helpful resources for employees, and others implementing mobile app platforms that allow drivers and fleet managers to stay regularly connected while truckers are on the road.

Additionally, many changes brought to the trucking industry during the pandemic era have lasted to today, according to Michigan State University associate professor of supply chain management, Jason Miller. These aspects include effects on truck stops, travel centers, and retail truck tonnage–which has reached higher levels this year in regards to freight movement than in 2018 or 2019.

“It ties into the challenges of [upsetting] the apple cart, and then we start to have a different mixture of freight taking place,” said Miller. “We have a mixture that is [made of] less manufacturing and substantially more retail. That creates a lot of disruptions.”

The pandemic has made addressing these disruptions vitally important, as the industry has already lost far too many truck drivers–74,000 more workers were employed in some capacity by the trucking industry in 2019 than in 2020.

“We’ve had demand rebound to near-record levels, but our number of long-distance drivers is down substantially from where we were even three years ago during that same time period of essentially record-high demand,” said Miller.

In fact, the local general freight sector has grown by 16,500 workers in May of 2021 as compared to May of 2018, although the number of folks working in the long-distance truckload sector and the long-distance less-than-truckload sector has dropped significantly.

1,273 CMVs Taken Off the Road After Unannounced Brake Safety Inspection Day

July 29, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Horizontal shot of a blue semi climbing a hill on an interstate highway in heavy traffic.

More than 1,200 commercial motor vehicles with critical brake violations were removed from American roadways by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s inspectors during a surprise one-day brake safety enforcement initiative.

10,091 inspections were unexpectedly inspected throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada near the end of May. This unannounced inspection event led to 1,273 vehicles being placed out-of-service.

“CVSA released its May 26th Brake Safety Day results,” said CVSA last week in a tweet. “Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. reported a total of 1,725 brake hoses [or] tubing violations–this year’s focus area–from the one-day, unannounced brake safety initiative.”

All data from this Brake Safety Day was thoroughly tracked and reported by inspectors and sent to the CVSA. This Brake Safety Day has been implemented as part of CVSA’s enforcement and inspection initiative for boosted road safety.

“We are sharing the results to call attention to the importance of commercial motor vehicle brake safety,” explained President of CVSA and Delaware State Police sergeant, John Samis.

Although the the transportation industry–and the trucking industry in particular–is well aware of the necessity for brakes to be up to standard at all times, vehicle out-of-service conditions are still mostly comprised of brake-related violations. Because of this, brake issues are continuing to be the most prevalent among commercial motor vehicles, according to the CVSA. Additionally, during 2020’s three-day International Roadcheck driver and vehicle enforcement safety event, brake system violations were the most common vehicle out-of-service category.

The safety operation was conducted by 42 U.S. jurisdictions, six Canada jurisdictions, and Mexico’s National Guard and Ministry of Communications. 8,658 inspections were conducted throughout the United States, 946 were conducted throughout Canada, and 487 were conducted throughout Mexico. The overall out-of-service brake-related violation rate throughout the continent of North America was 12.6%–With 13.3% of violations being brake-related in the United States, and in Canada and Mexico–11.4% and 2.9%, respectively. The United States, of course, had the most overall violations, with 1,151 vehicles taken off the country’s roadways after these inspections.

In addition to these issues, inspectors collected data in relation to brake hoses and tubing, a category requested to be inspected specifically by the CVSA in regards to a variety of brake hose and tubing chafing violations, but not out-of-service violations. North America saw 1,725 brake hose and tubing violations during the inspection initiative, with the United States reporting 1,288, Canada reporting 251, and Mexico reporting 186.

“Brake hoses and tubing are essential brake system components and must be properly attached, undamaged, without leaks, and flexible,” explained Samis. “We chose to focus on brake hoses and tubing this year in an effort to reduce deaths and injuries as a result of commercial motor vehicle brake system failures from pressure or vacuum loss due to brake hosing and tubing deficiencies.”

The data submitted on brake hose and tubing chafing violations included four distinct categories. Category 1 saw 664 commercial motor vehicles having brake hose and tubing wear reaching the brakes’ outer protective material; Category 2 saw 509 commercial motor vehicles that had chafing which extended through the brake hose or tubing’s outer protective material and into the outer rubber cover; Category 3 saw 275 commercial motor vehicles with brake hose or tubing wear with reinforcement ply visible, although the ply may have still been intact; and Category 4 saw 169 commercial motor vehicles with visible reinforcement ply that was severed, frayed, or completely cut through.

Although Brake Safety Day is a unannounced, surprise brake safety initiative implemented by the CVSA, Brake Safety Week is held annually and the alliance does indeed announce the dates for those inspections in advance.

“This year’s Brake Safety Week is scheduled for August [22nd through the 28th],” said the CVSA in a recent tweet. “Throughout the week, inspectors will conduct North American Standard Inspections of commercial motor vehicles, focusing on the vehicles’ brake systems and components.”

Driver Conviction Notification Rules Often Ignored by Many U.S. States, DOT Says

July 27, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

States have been falling short of the requirement to promptly submit their electronic conviction notifications to federal regulators, according to a recent audit by the Department of Transportation Inspector General.

“States did not timely transmit electronic conviction notifications 17 percent of the time,” noted the audit. “Specifically, we estimate that states of conviction did not timely transmit 18 percent of 2,182 major offenses and 17 percent of 23,628 serious traffic violations in our universe.”

Additionally, there are not sufficient quality control methods in place in regards to determining whether or not state commercial driver’s license programs meet federal requirements under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s current annual review process, the audit added. As of now, states must disqualify the commercial driver’s license of drivers who have faced convictions of serious traffic violations, major criminal offenses, or other serious violations, as mandated by the federal regulations presently in place.

“Major offenses warranting disqualification include convictions for driving under the influence of alcohol or committing a felony with a motor vehicle,” the audit explained. “Serious traffic violations, such as excessive speeding or reckless driving, require disqualification if the second offense occurs within three years of the first.”

Disqualifying particularly unfit or unsafe drivers from operating commercial motor vehicles and overall prevention of large truck and bus crashes is the main goal of the FMCSA’s oversight regarding state commercial driver’s license programs, said the audit.

“While FMCSA has established annual program reviews to monitor state compliance, those reviews have gaps in the oversight of CDL disqualifications,” explained the document. “These weaknesses may limit FMCSA’s ability to keep unsafe CDL drivers off the road and enhance public safety.”

When states fail to take adequate action in these circumstances, further unsafe–or even deadly–incidents can take place, such as that cited in an example offered by the audit. In June of 2019, a Massachusetts-licensed commercial driver was involved in a deadly New Hampshire accident in which seven motorcyclists were killed. This incident occurred in fewer than six weeks following Connecticut’s decision to finally suspend his driver’s license after the driver initially refused to undergo chemical drug testing.

“A subsequent internal investigation conducted by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles concluded the driver’s commercial driver’s license would have been revoked before the crash if the Registry of Motor Vehicles had followed its own procedures for processing out-of-state driver notifications,” explained the July audit. “Furthermore, RMV was not systematically processing paper notifications it received from other states. This traffic incident illustrates the importance of timeliness in processing driver convictions.”

States must notify other states regarding their convictions through the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators’ Commercial Driver’s License Information system system within 10 days. This traffic conviction notification is sent directly to the state in which the convicted driver is licensed. The Inspector General’s audit also added that states are able to mail physical paper conviction notifications as well.

“In either case, under federal requirements, states of conviction have 10 days to send a traffic conviction notification to the state of record, which, in turn, has 10 days to process the conviction and post it to the driver’s record,” noted the audit.

Some mistakes made by various states regarding these regulations were also noted in the audit, such as when Pennsylvania convicted a commercial driver based in Ohio for a hit-and-run incident, but later underwent an administrative hearing regarding the disputed parts of the conviction itself. Because of this, although Pennsylvania completed the judicial process, the state of Ohio did not disqualify the driver. FMCSA found this to be in violation of the federal regulations at hand.

“One state, Louisiana, did not impose the appropriate disqualification for a paper-based traffic conviction until we inquired about it,” said the Inspector General in the audit. “In this example, an individual was eventually disqualified from driving commercial vehicles for life. However, Louisiana took 432 days from conviction to update of the driver record to disqualify the driver.”

Because of incidents like these, as well as many states deciding to allow drivers to face a shorter disqualification time than required by federal law (by backdating the disqualification period to before the state of conviction notification date), Inspector General auditors have presented seven recommendations to FMCSA consisting of methods in which the agency can boost its commercial driver’s license program monitoring.

So far, FMCSA is in agreement with these recommendations.

Senate Prioritizes Freight Policy Legislation

July 26, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Funding and policy updates in relation to federal freight programs are under discussion as U.S. Senate leaders deliberate a multi-trillion dollar infrastructure bill.

The consideration of a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package has received strong backing from President Joe Biden as well as from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The deliberation of the package has also brought with it Schumer’s leadership team’s goal to begin the debate over a $3.5 trillion budget plan on the Senate floor. This plan would focus upon tax policy change and the climate crisis.

A major part of the Biden Administration’s efforts in modernization are boosting severe-weather resilience and improving overall connectivity along the nation’s freight corridors. This kind of infrastructure and social program modernization, along with the infrastructure bill and policy package themselves, are key components of Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan.

“We’re going to get something done,” said Biden in a White House meeting with local and state officials. “And that’s why I think that my ‘Build Back Better’ agenda is all about not just building back, but [building] back better than what we inherited. Mayors and governors, you know how to get this done and what we have to do. It’s time to stop talking about it and time to get you the resources.”

The bipartisan infrastructure package is likely to include legislation like the highly-prioritized, $78-billion measure that will upgrade trucking, freight, and rail safety programs across the country, senior congressional staffers and transportation policy experts claim. Freight network improvements are a main focus of Schumer and other Democratic Leaders throughout the House and the Senate.

Through reconciliation, a budget bill like this could advance with a simple majority vote, although an infrastructure policy bill would need high levels of bipartisan Senate support to override debate filibuster policies. Congress is also likely to halt August recess legislative action.

“If we pass this, this is the most profound change to help American families in generations,” said Schumer.

In general, democratic goals will comprise many of the Senate’s budget this year, added Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“The Senate budget will contain many of House Democrats’ top priorities, including transformative action on the investments needed to confront the climate crisis, to transform the care economy, and to expand access to health care,” she said..

Still, many Senate Republican leaders oppose these proposals due to their focus outside of what typically encapsulates the infrastructure system–such as health programs, social care, and methods of addressing the climate crisis.

“Our colleagues need to take this summer and think very carefully about what they’re discussing.” said Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell. “It would be hard to imagine a proposal less suited to the conditions our country is facing. Americans cannot afford another socialist borrowing, taxing, and spending spree that will kill jobs and raise costs for working families.”

Through the Commerce Committee’s highway policy bill, $4.6 billion would be offered to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to fund safety initiatives, law enforcement training, and human trafficking education programs for commercial vehicle companies and drivers. It would also set forth around $1.2 billion annually for the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grants program, and allow an additional $1.5 billion each year for the Department of Transportation’s infrastructure grant program. Another $2 billion would be dedicated to other nationally significant transportation projects.

Additionally, the bill would implement an apprenticeship program to help commercial driver license holders under the age of 21 to be able operate commercial motor vehicles within interstate commerce operations.

“This important bipartisan legislation makes a $78 billion down payment on rebuilding and revamping our nation’s critical infrastructure, a key to our economic future and creating jobs,” noted Maria Cantwell, Commerce Committee Chairwoman. “Together, this committee succeeded in passing legislation that makes [an] infrastructure investment that we need to be competitive in a global marketplace.”