Trucking Industry

Volvo Trucks Repurposes its 3D Printers to Produce PPE

July 9, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Volvo Trucks is working to help fight COVID-19 by using its 3D printing capabilities–made for producing truck parts–to create personal protective equipment.

“We contacted LewisGale [Hospital] three or four weeks ago at the beginning of this and asked them if there was anything they would anticipate needing in the future if things get too sour in our area,” said Franky Marchand, Volvo Truck Plant Manager and VP. “First, they said everything was good, but after further consideration, asked us if we could make some face shields.”

Cone Health, a healthcare provider network with over 100 locations, asked Volvo if it would be able to help procure PPE for its workers to be prepared for the pandemic’s peak within its hospitals.

Originally, Marchand began searching for face shields to buy and then donate, but wasn’t able to secure a large enough number of the PPE. He then found a way for the company to obtain enough clear Plexiglas to start producing its own face shields.

“We put our 3D printers to work to make the piece that attaches to [the visor],” Marchand said. “So, we [tried] a couple of different styles to see, ‘OK, that works.’ An advantage of 3D printing is that you can fail fast, very fast. That way, you can quickly get to a solution.”

Chairman of Volvo Group North America and president of Mack Trucks, Martin Weissburg, said this pandemic has shown how the company can do its part in a national emergency.

“I’ve been a business leader for more than 25 years, and I’ve been through a variety of crises, and [have] never seen one like this,” he said. “If we can build the best trucks and power systems in the industry, we can sure help out with some plastic parts for face masks.”

After securing the materials for the plastic shields, the company had to next develop ear guards for the face shields’ wearability.

“That’s something we started to figure out,” Marchand explained. “You hear those terrible stories about the nurses and doctors who are wearing those masks more than normal. The typical mask attaches with a piece of elastic behind the ears; it gets painful to wear that every day. So, some of our people made a piece that takes the tension out from behind your head and [connects] the two pieces of elastic, and not through your ears.”

To produce the face shields, a 3D printer uses laser technology along with a computer design to create a 3D object from a liquid photopolymer. The object is then produced from the bottom up by each individual micrometer layer–this is how the printer produces its face shields.

Additionally, some employees have been able to utilize their 3D printers at home to make the “ear savers” explained by Marchand. A home printer can create about 70 of these adjustable clips–which take the stress of the mask’s ear loops off a wearer’s ear–in about four hours.

Volvo’s main 3D printer has been in use 24/7 to create the plastic visors that are then attached to the plastic shields. The machine can only make about 24 visors a day, so Fargeon has been working around the clock to keep the printer running smoothly.

“We were able to shift some of our production tools and start producing,” said Steve Barnhardt, Volvo’s chief engineer. “When you say people are really in need, it’s really easy to get people motivated to work on this.”

Volvo has now produced hundreds of these face shields, making about 33 every day.

“Some companies you see, they’ve made thousands of [face shields],” Marchand said. “Those are typically the disposable ones, which are the ones that the hospital usually gets. Of course, we didn’t know what exactly the hospital needed. They normally get the disposable facial. Those are made to be cheap enough to be disposable, because they generally don’t like to reuse them. [Our face shield] allows them to not have to buy some every day, especially while their supply chain is in trouble.”

Volvo’s face shields also provide more overall protection than many others.

“As they tested it, they found one model that they liked better than the rest because it was enclosed on top, so that it feels a little heavier, but it gives them that extra protection from the top, and that’s what they’ve asked for,” Marchand explained further. “I’m told the local EMS and fire departments like them a lot.”

Cone Health is now at capacity for these face shields, according to Mary Beth Halprin, vice president of PR and corporate affairs for Volvo, after these influx of donations. Now, Volvo is continuing its effort by creating PPE for other health care facilities, as well as giving its shields to Volvo employees.

ATA Says Trucking Industry Has Key Role in Healing Nation’s Economy

July 8, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

According to American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear, the trucking industry as a whole is playing a key role in boosting the nation’s economy during this challenging time, and will be working with a White House commission to find necessary steps to take for the country to heal from this pandemic’s effects.

“On the transportation grouping, trucking is well-represented,” Spear said. “It’s got a number of carrier CEOS…that have a lot of presence around the country, and understand the economy from that perspective–not just as a [nation], but [at] a regional, state, and local level.”

Earlier this spring, Trump announced a list of many industry leaders that would help restart the economy as the pandemic begins to ease. These trucking companies include UPS Inc., FedEx Corp., J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc., and YRC Worldwide. These are some of the largest for-hire carriers in the country.

“They’re going to give us some ideas,” Trump said. He also mentioned, by name, that FedEX CEO Fred Smith and UPS CEO David Abney would be part of his administration’s Great American Economic Revival Initiative.

“I am honored to serve our president and the nation in this capacity, representing the trucking industry and joining four ATA member company CEOs, to bridge this crisis to a safe, speedy, and full recovery,” Spear said. “Just as they have during the mitigation and response efforts, truckers will be at the forefront as we revive our economy’s engine and get our country moving again. No industry will be more vital, and we embrace the opportunity to play a leading role in this national effort.”

Currently, economists are explaining that the United States has officially reached a recession with unemployment claims hitting 22 million within a span of three-weeks. Bob Costello, Chief Economist at ATA, is also saying that gross domestic product has the potential drop by 20% in the second quarter of the year–on an annual basis.

Returning the U.S. economy to normal will have to take place in stages, Spear said.

“It’s really an opportunity to help shape what this is going to look and feel like,” he explained. “Not just now, as we come out of the crisis, but how long that bridge needs to be from here to the recovery and how we do it safely.”

The process has already begun, but getting the economy back to a healthy place will take time, he explained further in a late April interview.

“It’s already stated. It started last week with the initial guidance that came out. There was a lot of talk last week on our first call with the president about testing, a lot of talk about staggering it. So, low-risk states and regions first and ending with the highest-risk states and regions last, and logistics is going to be a very important part of that, because we are essentially the glue that pastes all those groups together.”

Spear also said the regrowth could take a few months, but that the help from the trucking industry will help things move more smoothly.

“These are all people that will come to these calls not just identifying problems, but proposing concrete solutions and also putting a lot of resources towards getting these solutions done,” he said.

Other companies named by Trump to participate in the economy-building task force include JPMorgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp., Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Apple Inc., Exxon Mobil Corp., United Airlines Inc., and many others. Trump’s inclusion of trucking industry CEOs is appreciated by Spear, who said while he is grateful ATA members will be working to help the nation’s economy heal, there are still many challenges regarding fleets’ and drivers’ abilities to perform right now, and his team is working to find solutions.

“We’ve worked at the state level with the governors, especially in high-risk states, to shape policies that are not adverse to interstate commerce,” Spear said. “We need public rest stops open. We need the parking, the ability to rest, [the ability to] use the restroom, [to continue] working with our private truck stops to ensure their position, and [to continue] making available food. There are going to be bumps and bruises along the way. This is not easy. As roadblocks get thrown up in front of us, it’s our job to knock them down.”

As COVID-19 Brings Clearer Roadways, Vehicle Fatality Numbers Still Climb

July 7, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Although many states throughout the nation have been abiding by stay-at-home orders during this time off pandemic–which has created clearer roads and lighter traffic in most areas–the National Safety Council has reported that the overall number of vehicle-related fatalities per miles driven has risen 14% in comparison to the same time frame in 2019.

This March, the number of motor vehicle deaths dropped by 8% compared to March of last year, while the number of miles driven declined by 19%. Still, the number of vehicle-related fatalities has increased, which the National Safety Council analyzed by taking into account deaths of anyone involved in motor vehicle-related accidents–drivers, passengers, cyclists, and pedestrians.

Additionally, the mileage death rate per 100 miles travelled was 1.22 in March 2020 versus 1.07 in March of 2019. Illinois is one of the states with the largest increases in roadway deaths for the first few months of 2020, with an 11% overall increase. Others include Connecticut at 42%, New York at 17%, and Arkansas at 16%.

“Disturbingly, we have open lanes of traffic and an apparent open season on reckless driving,” said president and CEO of NSC, Lorraine M. Martin. “Right now, in the midst of a global pandemic and crisis, we should take it as our civic duty to drive safely. If we won’t do it for ourselves, we should do it for our first responders, our law enforcement, and our healthcare workers, who are rightly focused on coronavirus patients and should not be overwhelmed by preventable car crashes.”

This new data comes as a result of drivers behaving much more recklessly on the roads with the lack of traffic during the pandemic, and regional officials have been reporting upticks in local car crashes in many areas across the nation.

“What really strikes me is the incredible speed of the changes we’re seeing on roadways,” said manager of statistics at the NSC, Ken Kolosh. “Looking at other recessions, what you usually see is a decrease in the number of deaths, or the injuries and fatality rate holding steady or decreasing slightly.”

Kolosh explained that the changes in vehicle-related deaths have been unprecedented and unexpected.

“When we see the combination of both a dramatic decrease in the number of total deaths coupled with a dramatic increase in the fatality rate on our roads, that was very surprising,” he said.

The NSC also says there will need to be more analysis of the death rate increase to determine all factors that must be considered.

“Anecdotal reports indicate speeding, for example, has increased significantly since traffic diminished,” said the organization on its website. “Some states are also moving forward with ill-advised roadway tactics intended to address the COVID-19 pandemic but that could have far-reaching consequences.” Some of these consequences that the NSC listed are relaxing hours-of-service rules for commercial vehicle drivers and repealing requirements for young drivers to pass road tests before obtaining their driver’s licenses.

Additionally, the NSC explains that the 2% increase in roadway deaths in the first three months of 2020, as compared to the same time frame last year, reverses positive changes in death rates between 2018 and 2019. NSC estimates showed that after 40,000 roadway deaths over three consecutive years, fatalities finally plateaued in 2018 and dropped lower in 2019.

To keep drivers as safe as possible during this time, the NSC has some guidelines for all motorists:

-Obey speed limits, even when roads are clear.

-Practice defensive driving–stay buckled up, avoid driving while fatigued, avoid distractions, and always designate a sober driver or utilize alternative methods of transportation when needed.

-Stay off the roads when officials require you to do so–many states have asked drivers to only drive for essential errands or emergency situations.

-Stay aware of pedestrians and bicyclists, especially as many more travelers use walking and biking to safely leave their homes during shelter-in-place orders. Pedestrians and bikers should also keep in mind that clearer roadways does not mean there will be no traffic at all times, and should stay alert when crossing streets.

-For parents and guardians, stay engaged with your teen drivers’ habits and skills and continue to practice driving with them frequently.

-Companies and organizations should consider joining the Road to Zero Coalition, which aims to eliminate all roadway deaths by 2050.

Companies Work Together to Get Face Masks and Sanitizer to Truckers

July 6, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, truckers are still at the front lines, working hard to get necessary supplies and food items to stores and families. Because of this, many groups and businesses are coming together to get face masks and hand sanitizer to as many of these truck drivers, and other essential workers, as possible.

In Portland, Oregon, Shine Distillery & Grill was worried about staying afloat when the state’s governor, Kate Brown, ordered Oregon’s bars and restaurants to cease on-site dining. Owner Jon Poteet, along with his staff of 25, decided to find a way to stay in business as well as make a difference for those working during this time of pandemic.

Shine had begun using his distillery to make, sell, and donate hand sanitizer before the shelter-in-place order was implemented. Now, Shine’s hand sanitizer, with 80% alcohol by volume, sells for $1 per ounce and is made from the alcohol he would usually use for vodka.

“We had two lines out the door, one for seating in our restaurant and the other for hand sanitizer,” Poteet said about the start of the COVID-19 era. “I realized that this was a game changer.”

So far, Shine has sold 4,000 bottles of sanitizer and has donated thousands more to individuals, essential workers, and community organizations.

“Anybody who walks in the door gets three ounces, whether they ask for it or not,” Poteet said.

Also making and distributing hand sanitizer is Protective Insurance and customer distillery Hotel Tango of Indianapolis, along with American Trucking Associations. The team effort has produced 550 gallons of hand sanitizer with 55-gallon drums being distributed to trucking companies and truck stops.

Hotel Tango, like Shine, had to close due to COVID-19 restrictions, but found a new way to channel its distillery efforts through hand sanitizer.

“We are distributing the barrels across different areas, so all truck drivers–not just ATA members–can get sanitizer,” said Elisabeth Barna, American Trucking Associations executive vice president for industry affairs. “The barrels have a pump on them, and drivers can bring their own bottles and refill them.”

This sanitizer became available in late April. Nick Ladig, chief sales officer of Hotel Tango, said the company is working to produce around 600 gallons of hand sanitizer each week.

“It was important for us to ensure that our business–which isn’t a necessity in the daily routine–could provide something for those that don’t have an option but to keep things going and moving, like the trucking and medical industry,” he explained. “They are truly essential businesses. We felt it was a duty to convert our production facility over and help with the supply. There’s a lot of stuff being moved across the country right now–they’re on the front lines.”

Additionally, many other groups within the trucking industry have come together to distribute thousands of free face masks to smaller trucking firms.

“We wanted to do something to help these smaller trucking companies,” Barna said. “The smaller carriers have been calling us, and they’re in need of masks. All of these carriers are doing a great job.”

These KN95 masks have been distributed by the ATA Litigation Center, Trucking Moves America Forward, the American Transportation Research Institute, and the Trucking Cares Foundation. The groups recently distributed 4,000 of these face masks to small firms, an effort that is part of a shipment of 50,000 masks procured by ATA. The rest of the masks will be sold to trucking companies at cost, in packages of 100.

Because of high demand, another 50,000 masks were ordered shortly after the first order.

“These are critical supplies, and more drivers are wearing and needing masks,” Barna said. “We know a lot of companies are scrambling to get personal protective equipment to their drivers. This will help. We’ve had a lot of people ordering them, from 200 to 10,000.”

Dan Horvath, ATA Vice President for Safety Policy, explained that these masks will help industry workers continue their duties, especially in states that have required everyone to wear face coverings in public.

“A lot of these state regulations that are coming into place, or county jurisdictions, are requiring face coverings,”said Horvath. “While these masks are not a foolproof way to keep the driver from getting sick, or infecting someone else, they are at least complying with the new rules coming up concerning face coverings.”

ATRI Says 2020’s Top Research Priority is Small Settlements

July 5, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

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The 2020 Top Research Priorities list, developed in March by the American Transportation Research Institute’s Research Advisory Committee, has just been approved by the group’s Board of Directors. This year’s research priorities include vehicle-miles-traveled taxes and mileage-based safety, to name a couple. At the top of the list–the impact of small settlements.

ATRI’s Research Advisory Committee chose research topics that would analyze issues surrounding infrastructure, workforce, and legal aspects of the industry and that also match leading concerns listed in ATRI’s annual Top Industry Issues Survey. The RAC is comprised of industry executives, academics, government officials, and labor union leaders.

2020’s top research priorities include:

-The Impact of Small Settlements on the Trucking Industry — This study would review legal settlements under $1 million and focus on the fleet responses of each incidence, frequency of these kinds of cases, and the consideration of verdicts versus settlements. This will serve as a follow-up to ATRI’s nuclear verdicts analyses.

-Rethinking Mileage-Based Safety Metrics — Research in this area would look at new ways of measuring safety performance outside of traditional rates per million miles traveled, as progressing trends within the industry, along with E-commerce, have brought many changes to fleet business models and route lengths.

-Owner-Operators and Independent Contractors in the Supply Chain — This study would assess roles of owner-operators and independent contractors regarding their operational and financial differences in an effort to create better policies, as both roles play large roles in supply chains. Still, independent contractor models have the potential to see drastic changes within legislative actions at the state-level.

-Cost-Benefit Analysis of Vehicle Miles Traveled Taxes — In this research, the ATRI would examine Vehicle Miles Traveled tax deployment with a focus on implementation and enforcement costs, evasion, and both state and local level implementation challenges.

-Impacts of Rising Insurance Costs on Industry Operational Costs — This study would look into fleet resources and decision-making methods in an effort to better understand how fleets handle cost increases. Research would include reprioritizing tech investments and “cannibalizing other cost centers, such as safety.” This comes as a response to continual increases in industry insurance costs, as documented in ATRI’s annual Operational Costs of Trucking research.

In regards to the top priority, ATRI plans to have nuclear verdict research available by June, according to the group’s president, Rebecca Brewster.

“Given the work we’ve been doing on nuclear verdicts, I think the sense among the Research Advisory Committee members is, while that is a big issue, oftentimes, just in terms of frequency, it’s these smaller settlements that are really impacting our businesses,” said Brewster. “They really felt, following a similar methodology, we could pursue looking at these small settlements so we really would cover the landscape between the two studies on all that’s going on on the legal side of things and how that’s impacting our industry.”

ATRI’s research is set to continue progressing during the current pandemic while taking into account the impact of COVID-19 on the trucking industry as a whole. ATRI has already released research on the effect of the coronavirus on bottlenecks, truck activity, haul lengths and detention times. In regards to trucking activity, ATRI found that freight activity has declined, even though it spiked across six states at the beginning of the pandemic. The data from February and March show an uptick in initial truck activity as the industry responded to increased demand for essential goods, but also show a decline in April as stay-at-home mandates shut down many sectors of the nation’s economy.

For haul lengths and congestion, ATRI found that shorter hauls, along with lighter traffic, are some outcomes from the virus’s impact on the trucking industry. Before the pandemic, 32% of truck trips were longhaul, while that number dropped to 22% during the time of COVID-19.

The effects of the virus will most likely be reflected in the other research done by ATRI, including the list of top industry concerns, as well as the truck bottlenecks report.

“I can’t imagine that we won’t continue to do research around COVID-related impacts,” Brewster explained. “Even if we’re not directly studying a COVID impact, I think the fact that we’ve been living through this pandemic will bear itself out through a number of our studies going forward.”

Gratitude Continues Across the Nation for Truck Drivers

June 21, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

America’s truck drivers are still going above and beyond, serving on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic to keep our grocery stores, homes, and hospitals stocked with the essentials we need.

We’ve reported on how many individuals, businesses, and institutions across the country are showing their gratitude toward truckers–some offering them free meals, beverages, services, and discounts during this time. That gratitude is still going strong, as is the hashtag, #ThankATrucker.

“Happy #TruckerTuesday!” said Bestpass Inc in a tweet. “Huge shout out to the Chicago Skyway–toll collectors are handing out snack bags to those who pass through the toll plaza.” The free snack bags, given throughout the month of May, will include drawings made by SCC employees’ families, bottled water, healthy snacks, and sweet treats.

“With increased demand for food and goods during these unprecedented times, truckers are struggling to navigate long hauls with closed rest stops,” said Fernando Redondo, CEO Of Skyway. “We hope these snack bags serve as a small token of the Skyway’s gratitude to America’s truckers for moving the goods that keep our country moving.”

Oregon Trucking jumped on the gratitude bandwagon as well with a tweet, saying: “We’re coming to Central Oregon on Wednesday! Drivers: get your free lunch, water, a mask, and sanitizer,” along with the hashtags #MealsForDrivers and #ThankATrucker.

@TruckingFWD tweeted an article describing 10 different ways people can thank and support truck drivers. The ideas included: paying for a trucker’s coffee while they are stopped at a gas station; giving truckers care packages with water, snacks, and hand sanitizer; giving drivers a thumbs up when seeing them on the road; leaving delivery drivers thank-notes on your front door; and more.

One particularly heartwarming story that gained attention on Twitter was that of a kindergartener in Niskayuna, New York, who wanted to take his family’s gratitude for truckers to the next level.

“We watch the FedEx, UPS, and USPS trucks on our street every day, and I explained to Jack that delivery drivers were working extra hard during quarantine because people can’t go shopping often,” Amanda Mahar said of her son. “We decided to leave them a ‘thank you’ sign and some snacks outside our doorstep, but Jack took it a step further.”

Jack’s idea was to set up his very own refreshment stand in front of his house with an assortment of goodies for truck drivers.

“While I was inside making dinner, Jack set up the ‘stand’ at the end of our driveway,” said Mahar. “He brought the snacks down, his toy tractor, and his folding chair. He put on his FedEx hat and sat himself down. I looked out the window and couldn’t believe it. He sat for a full hour waiting for our first stop–from UPS–who was making deliveries on our street.”

Jack would offer all truckers stopping by a complimentary snack and a drink, and some drivers gave Jack a special peek into their trucks and posed for pictures with him.

“Jack is committed to keeping the drivers fueled and has already talked about the different items we can offer each day,” said his mom. “So, I think we can count on making this a daily part of our quarantine.”

NEW Cooperative expressed its gratitude for the Lenz grandchildren in Palmer, Iowa, who have been waving at the company’s semi trucks as they drive by. Earlier in May, the kids “delivered donuts to say ‘Thank You’ to the semi drivers! #ThankATrucker,” said NEW Cooperative in a tweet.

Kenworth Trucking Co. also recalled a memory of gratitude: “When I unloaded a pallet of vegetables, customers at the store stopped and applauded,” one trucker from the company explained on Twitter. “That was something I won’t forget. We’ve been seeing an outpouring of support for what we do. We’re all in this together.”

In Myrtle Creek, Oregon, volunteers at the town’s Elks Lodge hosted a “We Heart Truckers” community event, which included goody bags filled with face masks, snacks, and thank-you notes. Lodge members even baked homemade cookies to include in the gift bags.

“My husband is a long haul trucker,” said Elks Lodge member Jessica Elst. “He was in Texas, and they wouldn’t let him in to drop off his load without a face mask, so he had to literally cut the sleeve off of his shirt to put over his face before they would let him in.”

Additionally, Nebraska State Patrol troopers made an effort to distribute almost 100,000 face masks to truck drivers throughout the state.

“This was a tremendous effort by many people to primarily do two things: show our thanks and support to these drivers, and to help protect them as they continue working to keep food and critical supplies moving across the country,” said Superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol, Colonel John Bolduc. “Our troopers have a great relationship with the Nebraska Trucking Association. To partner with them and federal agencies to make this happen quickly is a good example of the teamwork we’re seeing all over the country right now.”