Trucking News

In an effort to improve CSA 2010 scores, many trucking companies have turned to the issue of distracted driving and cell phone use.  Reducing safety risks can not only improve CSA 2010 scores, but can reduce risk of accidents and injuries on the road.

Trucking companies continue to show signs of strength in the face of continued struggles in the US economy.

October saw orders for dry trailers increase 100% over 2009 orders, resulting in a 2 year high in net orders of commercial trailers.  Orders for other trailers, including refrigerated and flatbed units also saw an increase.  These figures are from a recent ACT Research study.

New CSA 2010 changes affect the cargo related safety category.

The FMCSA announced yesterday that it will change the way it measures compliance as it pertains to load securement.  These changes are the result of concerns raised by trucking companies and trucking enforcement employees.

The concern over the current severity weighting in the cargo related category may be misleading and create an incorrect safety alert warning.

U.S. trucking companies are increasing their lobbying efforts to allow heavy combination trucks up to 100,000 pounds to travel on federal highways.

A pilot program in Maine and Vermont has allowed trucks this heavy to run on highways for the last year.  This program is set to expire, leaving the future of heavier trucks for trucking companies and owner operators in these states unknown.

A new study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute studies cell phone use and driver distraction in commercial vehicles.  Distracted driving is a concern for trucking companies now and moving into the future.

The study found the following:

Using a hands-free device and company cell phone policies have the biggest impact on reducing crash risk.  Cell phone use or texting bans do not significantly impact whether or not a driver will use their phone.

Employment in the trucking industry has proven to be strong despite downturns in the economy.  Trucking companies added 300 new employees in October and have added 15,900 trucking jobs since the beginning of March, according to U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). 

The first public hearing on fuel economy and greenhouse gas reduction standards medium and heavy duty commercial vehicles is set for November 15th in Chicago, IL.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is jointly holding the two public hearings on the proposed new standards ordered by President Obama for greenhouse gasses and fuel efficiencies.

The proposal would cover model years 2014 through 2018 in three separate categories of trucks: combination tractors; heavy-duty pickups and vans; and vocational vehicles.

Goodyear is again holding its annual North America Highway Hero program to honor bravery and selfless acts by our nation’s truck drivers and owner operators. 

Florida owner operators may soon have the opportunity to use natural gas to power their trucks on a regular basis.

A new standard proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, propose a 20 percent emissions reduction for tractor-trailer trucks.  These standards would be phased in from 2014 to 2018 and potentially affect owner operators looking to purchase a new vehicle.