Trucking Industry

Infrastructure Updates Still Necessary Despite Lessened Road Congestion

May 12, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

“In almost all places, congestion got better,” said Rebecca Brewster, President of the American Transportation Research Institute, regarding the easier travel for truck shipments with pandemic-induced road clearances. “In terms of just how painful the congestion [was] for the industry, 2020 was a better year in terms of the bottlenecks.”

Still, although traffic did lighten up due to fewer people being on the roads during the nation’s stay-at-home orders, infrastructure issues have continued to be an obstacle for truck drivers. A majority of truck speeds throughout the 100 worst road sections saw an improvement rate of around 34% throughout 2020, up from 2019, according to ATRI’s 2021 Top Truck Bottlenecks list. The worst section in the country, that of interstate-95 and New Jersey State Route 4’s intersection in Fort Lee, New Jersey, did not see any changes.

For the third year in a row, this area continued to be the nation’s most congested highway stretch, but did see a peak traffic speed increase to an average of 31.3 mph, up 39.4% from 2019.

Ranked second (up from eighth place in 2019) was the Cincinnati interchange at interstate-71 and interstate-75, which is located near the Ohio River and feeds into the busy Brent Spence Bridge, connecting Cincinnati with Northern Kentucky. In November 2020, this bridge was closed due damage caused by a truck fire, and will have traffic reduced through November 2021 while repainting and repairs are underway.

Ranking third and fourth are two Atlanta intersections–those of the “Spaghetti Junction” at interstate-285 and interstate-85 North in DeKalb County, which had an average peak speed rise by 53.5% in 2020, up to 34.4 mph, and the location of interstate-20 and interstate-285 West in Fulton County. This region, located on the east side of Atlanta, houses a UPS Inc. distribution center and many other trucking companies, and saw an average speed boost of 12.6%, up to 40.9 mph.

Dropping one spot to fifth place in interstate-45/interstate-69/interstate-59 in Houston, which is currently undergoing a rerouting and reconstruction plan working to widen much of interstate-45. Following one spot behind is interstate-290/interstate/90/interstate-94 in Chicago, also known as the Jane Byrne Interchange, which is also currently undergoing renovations, and saw peak speed boosts of 57.6%, up to 28.8 mph.

Illinois and Texas are both working on many road rebuilding and renovation projects, and a multi-trillion dollar bill may soon come into play to revamp more infrastructure across the country.

“For years, ATA has been sounding the alarm about how the condition of our highways is contributing to congestion, which slows down commerce, contributes to pollution and reduces safety,” said President oF ATA, Chris Spear. “ATRI’s bottleneck report highlights where our most critical issues are, and should be a guide for policymakers at the state and federal [levels].”

Also making the list (and jumping from 32nd to 7th place) was interstate-75 and interstate-24’s intersection in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which is under a major construction project that the state’s DOT hopes to have finished by summer 2021. Following behind was St. Louis’ interstate-64 and interstate-55 stretch along the Mississippi River, which has also been seeing many construction delays; the interchange in Rye, New York at interstate-95 and interstate-284, which is also currently in the middle of a major rebuilding project; and San Bernardino, California’s interstate-10 and interstate-15 intersection near Ontario International Airport. This area experienced major freight volume boosts due to the exponential increase in e-commerce during 2020.

ATRI hopes infrastructure upgrades will help the congestion declines we saw throughout 2020 continue on, according to ATRI’s Brewster. “These are a lot of the same locations, year after year, even with car drivers staying home,” he noted.

These challenges that have remained even while fewer drivers are on the roads shows the dedication of the nation’s truck drivers, said Hugh Ekberg, CEO of CRST The Transportation Solution.

“While everyone else is sheltered in place in 2020, trucks keep rolling, delivering essential goods to communities,” he said in ATRI’s news release.

Trucking Industry Anticipates Regulation Changes With New Administration

May 11, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Trucking regulation changes may very well be underway with the new administration, and the industry is preparing itself as much as possible.

“When there is a change in administrations, it is standard to have a regulatory freeze so new agency staff have some time to review the issues at hand, and the review can delay or pause the regulatory process,” said American Trucking Associations’ vice president of safety policy, Daniel Horvath.

Even recently-implemented regulation updates may have big changes coming, so preparation in advance is key.

“These reviews can, on occasion, reach back to impact rules that have already been finalized, which can be a concern,” explained Horvath. “ATA will be closely watching final regulations like the hours-of-service rule, which became effective last September after a long data-driven process.”

Currently, a variety of proposals and recently-passed regulations from the Trump administration are in the midst of a two-month freeze instated by the Biden administration, and all regulations at hand could potentially see major changes.

For example, the new administration is reviewing proposals such as: the latest final rule and opinion letter released by the U.S. Department of Labor which sought better clarification regarding whether or not independent contractors should be reclassified as employees by motor carriers; a pilot project announced recently by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration which would aim to conduct a study determining if sleeper berth splits of 6 and 4 hours or 5 and 5 hours are efficient or beneficial for truckers; decisions regarding FMCSA’s lack of direction regarding how to best ensure collaboration surrounding the Item Response Theory, a method that has been deemed particularly data-driven and precise that would work to boost driver and carrier safety evaluations; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to create a nation-wide rule regarding heavy-truck oxides of nitrogen, which has already been delayed for a while and has been waiting for the Biden administration’s guidance; and the decision of whether or not to continue FMCSA’s regulation mandating that brokers keep their pricing documents public.

Additional regulations which may see further review include: a mandate allowing truckers not meeting federal vision standards (of distant visual acuity, field of vision, or both) in at least one eye to be physically qualified to drive a commercial motor vehicle within interstate commerce; a final rule allowing for hair sample drug tests to be conducted by carriers on potential hires and current drivers; a rule change in regards to third-party skills tests, allowing an examiner to administer a skills test for a driver that he or she has also trained; and the decision of whether or not to undergo an updated study following FMCSA’s 15-year-old report which worked to determine all factors playing a role in large-truck-involved crashes that resulted in fatalities, injuries, or tow-aways.

In Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s confirmation hearing, he noted that President Biden has initiated a “new climate vision,” and it appears that environmental policy may see the greatest number of regulatory changes.

“Future generations are counting on us to deliver on our climate goals this decade, and infrastructure will play a key role in making that possible. It’s time to go big!” said Buttigieg in a tweet.

Buttigieg has also explained that he would be focusing heavily on current hours-of-service regulations and the ways in which they may affect all aspects of a trucker’s experience while on the job. He noted that he would be making new regulatory decisions in collaboration with Congress “based on the best available data and science.”

Scopelitis Transportation Consulting LLC president, Dave Osiecki, isn’t confident about the expected delays and changes to recent proposals.

“If history is a guide, the FMCSA-proposed pilot programs aimed at studying greater hours-of-service flexibility for drivers will be shelved,” he lamented.

Heavy-duty truck federal excise tax examination will be a priority of Buttigieg’s, who said that he would be taking speed limiters carefully into consideration and would be working to add side underguards to trailers. He also ensured he would focus on the challenges surrounding the current driver shortage, and would potentially seek ways to safely allow 18-to-20-year-olds to operate commercial motor vehicles within interstate commerce.

As Cargo Theft Numbers Rise, Tech-Based Solutions Expected to Help Keep Fleets Safe

May 10, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Cargo theft has become the trucking industry’s latest threat, following an already particularly difficult year. Updated business strategies and new technology are the most important tools fleets have to boost the overall security of their drivers and the shipments they carry.

“The safety of our drivers is number one,” said C.R. England’s freight claims supervisor, Melissa Jordan. “We don’t want them to put themselves in harm’s way. The next priority is the customer and the integrity of their product.”

Throughout North America, supply chain risk events recorded throughout 2020 have risen by about 16% from 2019, according to theft prevention and recovery network, CargoNet.

Not only is this safety risk making cargo security improvements more important than ever, but also rendering them vitally important if fleets want to keep overall costs down, as the prices brought about by these kinds of thefts has also risen–by 19%, CargoNet estimates. The average cargo theft costs have come out to be around $166,334 in 2020, with the increase believed to be due to COVID-19’s effect on individuals and its ability to motivate them to steal shipments of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals.

This kind of expensive, large-scale thievery has been steadily increasing for the last few years, according to Sensitech Inc.’s director of global intelligence, Scott Martino.

“Thieves use this as one way to gather intelligence on what is in trailers coming from certain distribution centers, etc., but they do sometimes have inside information of some form,” he explained. “Thieves are opportunistic. They typically target specific cargo, but they will target anything if the opportunity presents itself.”

There are multiple methods a thief may use to pull a crime like this off, such as an instance in which a he or she may fraudulently claim to work for a specific carrier and subsequently pick up someone else’s shipment, which BSI supply chain risk consultant, Tony Pelli, said is now happening more and more throughout North America.

Often, a perpetrator may even steal a carrier’s identity or use an out-of-business trucking company name, particularly through emails sent with phishing scams.

“They’ll say they’re a supplier who needs to get paid or a vendor who wants to pay them,” explained Pelli. To avoid these scams, an overall understanding of cybersecurity is key, he added.

Trucking companies are now having various departments collaborate to find the best ways for safety improvement as often as possible. For Averitt Express, its cargo claims team, operations team, security team and safety experts are all consistently working together to find the bests methods of keeping the company safe.

“At the same time, our team researches and tests new technology and tools that may enhance our ability to protect our assets and cargo,” said the company’s security coordinator, Tim Barnes. “Asset-based tracking is the primary tool that can currently be used to increase recovery rates within the transportation industry. When we can pinpoint the location of an asset through GPS surveillance, we stand a good chance of recovering our assets.”

Most important, through, is that all drivers and employees are aware of the risks at hand and the ways to best avoid them, Barnes noted.

“This includes conducting training around specific areas of cargo theft and promoting awareness campaigns through emails, newsletters, routing meetings, and signage at facilities,” he said, explaining that all employees must undergo regular prevention-focused training. One of these training programs is dedicated specifically to raising awareness of all security dangers involved with the transportation of hazardous materials (HM-232 security).

For C.R. England, tracking tech is extraordinarily important in reducing security risks.

“We’re able to see the location of any of our trucks or trailers at any given interval,” said Jordan. If a vehicle happened to diverge from its proper route, alarms would be raised and the company would contact the driver immediately, she added.

C.R. England is also able to let a driver know ahead of time if he or she may be about to enter a risky region.

“We deliver some loads into the Bronx or Brooklyn,” “said Jordan. “We know they have a limited amount of space to begin with, so it is easy to target those parking spaces that are available…We’ll also ask them to back up to something–a wall or a light pole–so no one can open the door.”

If a shipment is of particularly high-value, customers may make specific requests to keep the load secure.

“Depending on the value of the load, [the customer] may have pace cars that follow the truck,” said Jordan. Customers may also require a driver to not stop within a specific distance.

C.R. England also requires drivers to pay a deposit for an Abus lock that is used on every shipment, and requests that they always lock their right-side doors (although a shipper’s particular security seal may make that impossible). To circumvent any issues regarding proper security of these locks, the company will always spec its new trailers with enforcer boxes that are able to cover both the security seal and the latch.

“It provides an additional place for them to place the padlock without damaging the seal,” Jordan noted.

Additionally, the company holds periodic meetings with its drivers to regularly cover safety protocol as thoroughly as possible.

“We’re a teaching company as well as a trucking company,” she explained. “From the beginning, drivers are taught about security and safety, and we have continued education.”

$100 Million Granted for Clean Transportation in New Jersey

May 9, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

New Jersey is shifting its focus to clean transportation efforts and the deployment of electric trucks, announced state Governor Phil Murphy recently. Around $100 million will be allocated to projects working to reduce the effects of climate change and improve overall air quality. This will work in tandem with New Jersey’s intention to reach state operation within 100% clean energy sources over the next 30 years.

“BIG NEWS: We just announced more than $100 million in clean, equitable transportation projects–helping us: improve air quality, reduce the effects of climate change, [and] move New Jersey towards 100% clean energy by 2050,” tweeted Governor Murphy.

$9 million of this budget will be invested directly into electric delivery truck and electric garbage truck deployment, and remaining funds will help air quality improvement-focused electrification projects within the state’s local governments.

“Climate change is the single greatest long-term threat currently facing humanity, and our state and economy are uniquely vulnerable to its devastating effects,” Murphy explained “The investments we are announcing today signify our commitment to environmental justice and equity, while building a cleaner economy that works for all.”

Ras Baraka, Mayor of Newark, supports these initiatives set forth by the governor and these investments which, he believes, will help the state find ways to create lasting changes and boost the overall health of the state.

“Transitioning our municipal fleet is one of many initiatives underway as we move Newark forward,” Baraka said of his city. “Each diesel truck we keep out of residential neighborhoods serves as a reminder to the broader truck-intensive industry of Newark’s commitments to accelerated climate action and environmental justice.”

From these funds, $36 million will be dedicated to electrifying ports–which includes the electrification of cargo-handling operations such as heavy- and medium-duty equipment within industrial and port facilities. Around $15 million will be directed toward helping the electrification of transit buses, and another $13 million will aid shuttles and school buses in becoming electric within moderate-to-low income areas.

Additionally, around $5 million will also help efforts to ensure ride-hailing services utilize electric vehicles as well as efforts to install charging stations within four cities and towns across New Jersey. Another $5 million will be allocated to the installation of charging capabilities at 27 different locations across the state.

Finally, “flex funding,” which will work as supplemental funding to these initiatives, will come from the remaining $15 million.

These funds were derived from the state’s collaboration with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which is a multi-state effort among Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia. Funds also come from Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust funds, which was initiated after the car manufacturer first installed defeat devices in some of its diesel vehicles in order to give fraudulent scores on emissions tests.

Governor Murphy has also implemented the Office of Climate Action and the Green Economy through recent executive orders, which will focus on climate change-related challenges and the benefits and potential of clean energy while also making an effort to create real change among issues such as environmental justice and equity. The office will be led by executive director Jane Cohen, who has served as a senior policy adviser regarding energy and the environment to the governor thus far.

“Addressing climate change requires bold and intentional government action,” said Cohen. “The Office of Climate Action and the Green Economy will lead this challenging work and bring a diverse mix of experts to the table so that New Jersey can seize on the opportunity to be a leader in environmental justice and the transition to an equitable clean energy economy.”

The New Jersey Council, will will be given oversight by the Office of Climate Action and the Green Economy, will be asked to deliver a report within one year of the Office’s implementation regarding the council’s recommendation for an economic development strategy–a plan that will work to support employees who have been displaced or laid off from their jobs as New Jersey makes it way into a cleaner economy, as well as rapidly increase the growth of overall “green jobs” throughout the state.

A Truckers New Best Friend–Mobile Apps

May 8, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Mobile apps are making their way up the list of a trucker’s most useful tools, and are now helping professionals throughout the industry manage aspects such as customer and broker communication, route planning (including planning ahead for parking and food stops), document processing (including payments), and finding and booking loads.

“It makes finding loads and servicing the customers [and] our brokers a lot easier,” said Greenmiles Inc. president, Shain Ferriss. Greenmiles carries refrigerated goods and operates 26 refrigerated trailers and 23 power units. To do so more efficiently, it uses trucking apps like Trucker Tools.

Apps like these can be utilized on everything from GPS systems and electronic logging devices to a driver’s own smartphone. They are also helping fleet managers, shippers, and drivers have better insight into freight movements, allowing them to communicate with one another much more easily and manage their loads as efficiently as possible.

Apps that allow freight brokers, specifically, to see tracking and shipment updates in real time “takes a lot of weight off the drivers’ and carrier’s shoulders,” explained Ferriss. “When the broker or their customer can actually see geographical tracking through an app, they feel a lot more comfortable, and they’re happier with the carrier that’s using it.”

Additionally, some drivers can become easily overwhelmed when using multiple apps for different purposes, so multipurpose apps can come in handy.

“[Carriers] don’t want their drivers using five to 12 apps to do one job,” said vice president of sales and strategic partnerships for Eleos Technologies, Wes Pollock. Eleos provides an application for trucking companies to customize their own platforms. Some added services on newer apps also include the ability to factor and purchase insurance.

The Trucker Path app was initially launched in 2013 to help drivers better communicate with one another to stay up-to-date on current parking availability, and now the app functions primarily as a navigation guide, according to the company’s vice president of business development, Steven Lopez. Last year, the app launched its own load board.

Professional driver Deon Melvin has been using Trucker Path to gain insight into peak parking times and availability while on the road.

“Now you can use [the app] for truck routes,” Melvin said. “If my GPS loses the signal, I can pull it up on my phone and use [the app] to get me where I need to be.”

Trucker Tools is continuing to work on updating its truck stop guide, and recently released a page on its app dedicated specifically to COVID-19-related updates. The pandemic has brought about many new protocols, safety measures, and hours of operation changes, which has made apps like these frequently update their capabilities and services. Now, truckers are playing an important part in keeping these updates current by submitting their experiences during their rest stops.

Many truck stops and rest areas began shutting down in the midst of the pandemic, “and even at warehouses and facilities, suddenly amenities were closed to drivers who were delivering or picking up,” explained Trimble Maps’ director of operations and strategy, Rishi Mehra. During unprecedented and difficult times like these, “aggregation of information becomes much more important,” he added.

Trimble Maps has been using Twitter and RSS feeds to keep its geographic information system data up to date by collaborating with state agencies and truck stop workers that operate rest areas. Then, that data is implemented into the app’s MileOn trip planning extension.

Later, the app offered an additional service with color-coded map amenities showing a driver whether a rest area was partially open, fully open, or closed, according to Mehra.

Some of Trimble’s partners ended up utilizing the app within their own transportation management systems.

“The information can only be as accurate as the sync cycle,” Mehra explained, nothing that the system’s information must always be kept up to date to be at all helpful.

Some trucking companies have also been able to boost recruitment and retention numbers by providing tools, such as these kinds of apps, to help drivers directly. If an app allows drivers to easily route to travel centers with rewards programs and preferred fuel rates, it may be particularly beneficial.

“Food choices, shopping, and parking [are] already at a premium for us,” said JM Bozerman Enterprises driver and recruiter, Christopher Smith. “We can’t just fire her up and head into town. Knowing where to go and getting there quickly and safely” is most important.

$899 Million in INFRA Grants Made Available by DOT

May 7, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

$889 million will become available through the Infrastructure For Rebuilding American grants, the U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced.

DOT has published its intention to find fiscal year 2021 applicants for the latest round of its discretionary grant program, which will work to fund certain transportation-related projects that are deemed significant and necessary either regionally or nationally. These funds are also meant to be allocated in such a way that would potentially create new jobs and boost economic development, as well as improve overall road and transportation safety.

“Infrastructure investment also provides opportunities for workers to find good-paying jobs with the choice to join a union, and supports American industry through the application of domestic preference requirements,” DOT explained in the Federal Register. “Projects that use project labor agreements and deploy local hiring provisions also contribute to economic vitality.”

Because government budgets have taken a hit at both the state and the local levels due to the coronavirus pandemic, DOT acknowledged that these grants will aim to help soothe those financial issues that many infrastructure projects faced throughout this difficult time.

“As we work to recover and emerge from this devastating pandemic stronger than before, now is the time to make lasting investments in our nation’s infrastructure,” explained Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

DOT will be focusing on funding INFRA projects–specifically, and for the first time–that are working to help issues regarding environmental justice and climate change. For selection, projects will be considered in regards to their overall strategies to fight climate change or their plans to support greenhouse gas emission-reduction efforts. Some of these plans may include the deployment of zero-emissions vehicle infrastructure or the implementation of a method for encouraging passenger vehicle travel reduction.

INFRA grants were first created within 2015’s Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act. Previous grant offers include the $71.4 million grant given to the Mississippi Department of Transportation for the construction of its Greenville Bypass Freight Corridor. DOT said it continues to receive hundreds of INFRA applications every year.

Other funding considerations will focus upon INFRA projects with an emphasis on racial equity, such as projects outlining ways to benefit particularly underserved communities or projects with sponsors and participants who have worked within community outreach that prioritizes racial equity efforts. Additionally, if a project will take place in federally-designated community development zones (like an Opportunity Zone), DOT may take special interest. These Opportunity Zones are defined by the DOT as being “economically distressed” communities that have been designated as such by their state’s governor and also certified as such by the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.

“The Department seeks to use the INFRA program to encourage racial equity in two areas: planning and policies related to racial equity and barriers to opportunity, and project investments that either proactively address racial equity and barriers to opportunity, including automobile dependence as a form of barrier, or redress prior inequities and barriers to opportunity,” the DOT said.

Finally, DOT is prioritizing projects implementing cost-effective financing methods or innovative technology.

“We are committed to not just rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure, but building back in a way that positions American communities for success in the future–creating good-paying jobs, boosting the economy, ensuring equity, and tackling our climate crisis,” said Buttigieg.

Performance and accountability are also key factors for the grant, as the DOT “seeks to increase project sponsor accountability and performance” and will analyze all applicants’ plans to determine the lifestyle costs of their projects and their abilities to allocate award funds properly in order to efficiently achieve their goals.

Both small and large projects can be eligible for the grant, which must be at least $5 million for a small project and $25 million for a large project–around 10% of available funding will be allocated for smaller projects. Additionally, DOT must give at least a quarter of INFRA funding to rural projects.

Within this latest Notice of Funding Opportunity, DOT revealed the new INFRA Extra initiative, which, through the Transportation Infrastructure Financing Innovation Act, will help qualifying, competitive applicants who have not yet received an INFRA obtain a loan to help complete their infrastructure projects.

The Notice of Funding Opportunity, according to DOT, will stay open until March 19th. Notices of upcoming webinars and answers to frequently asked questions in regards to INFRA program criteria will be posted on DOT’s Build America webpage.