Thousands of owner-operators who run through California’s four major trade corridors may be eligible for a diesel engine grant program that’s part of the state’s billion dollar Goods Movement Emission Reduction Program.

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District will accept applications from now until early September for a $40.5 million wave of grants to replace trucks, replace engines and retrofit engines with a diesel particulate filter.

Several categories of funding are available, including:

• $50,000 to replace 2003 or older trucks with new trucks that meet 2007 emissions standard;
• $20,000 to replace a 2003 or older engine with a new engine that meets 2007 standards; or
• $5,000 to retrofit a 2006 or older truck with an ARB-verified level 3 diesel particulate filter.

Applications must come from truck operators who are registered in California, who drive exclusively in California and have spent at least 50 percent of their miles traveling on the state’s four trade corridors during the past two years, including the Central Valley, the Bay Area, the Los Angeles/Inland Empire or the San Diego/border corridors.

“With 95 million miles traveled each day through the Valley, mainly along Highway 99 and Interstate 5 corridors, these funds will serve a much-needed purpose in helping clean up diesel exhaust emissions,” said Seyed Sadredin, the Air District’s executive director and air pollution control officer.

For more information on the incentive program and program applications, visit the “grants and Incentives” section at www.valleyair.org or email weberip@valleyair.org, or contact the Emission Reduction Incentive Program at 800-SMOG-INFO (800-766-4463).

Todd DeYoung, the air district’s supervising air quality specialist, told both Land Line and Land Line Now that the air quality district understands that older trucks run in the Golden State belong to small businesses and owner operators rather than large fleets.

“One of our main missions is to target owner operators and small businesses,” DeYoung said. “We’ve been focusing a lot of our marketing toward small-business operations.”

DeYoung said the district did not necessarily target owner-operators. Publicity for the applications was generated by trade publications and meetings with truck dealerships who have brought in applicants.

The Air Quality District recently published a list of about 70 $50,000 truck replacement grants and nearly 400 $5,000 diesel engine retrofit grants conditionally approved under California’s early diesel emission reduction program. CARB did not require the early grants to be handed out through an open application process, and DeYoung said the air district relied on applications left over from previous grants.

Both programs rate truck engines by oxides of nitrogen and diesel particulate combined with miles driven. The air district judges each individual truck based on its own merit, DeYoung said, no matter how many trucks a given company applies for.

The district understands that large truck fleets typically replace trucks on a shorter cycle than smaller companies, he said.

A bill scheduled for debate next week in the U.S. House of Representatives would set in motion a new process for prioritizing the inspection, inventory and repair of structurally deficient and obsolete bridges on the National Highway System.

Rep. James Oberstar, D-MN, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, introduced HR3999 in October 2007 in response to the Aug. 1, 2007, collapse of the Interstate 35 bridge in Minneapolis that killed 13 people including a trucker.

“The I-35 bridge had been rated as structurally deficient since 1990, and had undergone annual inspections by the Minnesota Department of Transportation since 1993,” Oberstar stated in a report to fellow lawmakers.

He said the bridge received a rating low enough for it to be eligible for replacement under the Federal Highway Bridge Program, but the bridge was neither closed nor replaced and the tragedy occurred.

Oberstar’s bill, also known as the National Highway Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act of 2007, emerged from the House Rules Committee on Tuesday, July 15, on its way to the House floor. The debate is next week according to House T&I Committee staff.

The Rules Committee has allowed a number of amendments to be considered during debate, including one by Oberstar to create a $5 million pilot program to install high-tech monitoring equipment on up to 15 bridges in five states.

Insiders say HR3999 has a lot of bipartisan support on the Hill heading into the debate.

“We understand that there will be potholes here and there, but it’s disconcerting to think that a bridge could collapse beneath us,” said Mike Joyce, senior government affairs representative for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.

“Without that infrastructure in place, our country suffers. We need to have bridges and highways that can support our commerce, our goods and services we provide.”

Federal Highway Administration statistics show there are more than 73,000 structurally deficient bridges nationwide. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that it would cost $65 billion to upgrade or replace them all.

Oberstar’s legislation targets bridges on the National Highway System, which has 6,177 structurally deficient bridges and 17,167 functionally obsolete bridges totaling 23,344 in need of repair, rehabilitation or replacement.

OOIDA is urging its members to contact their federal lawmakers to support HR3999. The Capitol switchboard number is 202-224-3121. Give the Capitol operator your ZIP code to be connected to your representative and senators’ offices.

Click here to read a summary of HR3999 as reported to the House.

One of the biggest truck shows in North America is just a week off. The Fergus, Ontario, truck show in Canada is scheduled for July 24-27 at the Centre Wellington Community Sportsplex.

This year show management has added an amusement park and an 8-cylinder demolition derby to the agenda, which already included lots of music, truck and tractor pulls, a Show & Shine and tons of barbeque.

But wait, there’s more.

The Owner-Operator’s Business Association of Canada is bringing the thrill of NASCAR wide-oval racing to the Fergus Truck Show.

The retired NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race car, sponsored by the Missouri-based Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, is currently set up as a simulator/trainer. Equipped with a 24-inch video screen in the cockpit so drivers can get into the spirit of the race, the simulator features active full-motion suspension and surround-sound that provides a realistic racing experience – from the roar of the engine to the feel of bumps in the track and the impact of hitting other cars as you wind your way forward from the back of the pack.

“It’s almost everyone’s dream to drive a NASCAR racer, but this may be as close as most folks ever get,” stated OBAC Executive Director Joanne Ritchie in a press release. “We’ll be offering free rides to new OBAC members who sign up at the show, and collecting donations for Trucking for Wishes from others. That way, we’ll share in helping children’s dreams come true as well.”

The Fergus Family Fun Zone, sponsored by NAL Insurance, will offer amusement rides, family games, crafts, and play areas at the truck show to raise funds for Trucking for Wishes. The mission of Trucking for Wishes, working through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, is to fulfill the dreams of children with life threatening illnesses.

OBAC and the NASCAR simulator will be set up at space No. L-54 at the Fergus show.

Ritchie is urging truckers attending the Fergus show to try their luck on the wide oval. She confirmed that the simulator’s speed-limiter has not been activated.

OOIDA member Ron Mermis, who travels with the simulator to truck stops and truck shows all over the U.S. signing up OOIDA members, is looking forward to bringing the simulator to Canada for the first time.

“Drivers on both sides of the border need to work together and speak with a united voice,” says Mermis. “And there’s nothing wrong with having some fun together, too.”

Courtesy of LandLine Magazine

Officials with the FMCSA won’t say whether the agency has told Arizona to stop citing drivers with laptops in their cabs, more than a month after the state requested guidance from the federal agency.

The issue has the potential to affect thousands of truckers who have computers, GPS devices or other technology in their cabs to track hours of service and use mapping technology.

In May, OOIDA received calls from members who had been cited or warned at the San Simon port of entry weigh station for having a laptop either mounted near their driver’s seat or sitting in the passenger seat.

However, FMCSA spokesman Duane DeBruyne told Land Line that Section 393.88 wouldn’t cover laptop computers.

Following the inquiries by Land Line Magazine in early June, the Arizona Department of Transportation suspended writing citations for drivers with laptops in their cabs.

Officials with the state DOT requested an interpretation on Section 393.88 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, which bans screens capable of receiving a television broadcast from being within view of commercial drivers.

Kristin Schrader, a spokeswoman for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration told Land Line this week the agency has no comment regarding the status of Arizona’s request.

Gerald Cook, an OOIDA member from Amarillo, TX, was cited in late May and told by an Arizona DOT officer the ticket could cost him $450. Cook has pleaded not guilty and is fighting the citation in court.

The story sparked outcry among OOIDA members and Land Line readers, many of whom use laptops for mapping and logbook software, including voice-activated mapping software.

The laptop issue is not likely to go away soon.

Members of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance were scheduled to address the issue of laptop computers in cabs of big trucks at their September conference in Winnipeg. But the Arizona DOT’s request for a legal interpretation and other confusion about the rule has magnified the importance of the issue, CVSA Executive Director Stephen Campbell told Land Line in June.

Arizona DOT spokeswoman Cydney DeModica didn’t return recent phone calls by Land Line. In previous interviews, DeModica said Arizona DOT enforcement officers said they had seen drivers typing and using computers for chat sessions.

On Avon Mountain in Connecticut, heavy trucks were allowed back on Route 44 this week now that a state-of-the-art runaway truck ramp has been completed.

Four people were killed and 19 injured on July 29, 2005, when a runaway dump truck headed down Route 44 and crashed into vehicles that were stopped for a red light at the intersection with Route 10.

The Republican American newspaper reported the $2.8 million runaway ramp features nets made out of steel cables and a heating system to keep the ramp’s road surface de-iced.

Heavy trucks were prohibited from using the route for the past month while the ramp was being finished.

Courtesy of LandLine Magazine

For a second straight week, the national average for diesel has set a new record high – jumping 3.7 cents to average $4.764 a gallon, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported Monday, July 14.

After a slight decline in fuel prices in June, the EIA is reporting a spike of at least 11.9 cent a gallon for diesel during the first two weeks in July.

This has truckers paying at least $1.875 a gallon more for diesel during this same time period in 2007.

All nine regions are reporting price increases this past week for diesel.

The Rocky Mountain region is reporting the highest weekly increase of 4.7 cents a gallon to average $4.723 for diesel. Fuel prices rose 4.5 cents a gallon in the Midwest to average $4.705, while the Gulf Coast region is reporting a 4-cent increase to average $4.739 for diesel.

The regional average for the Lower Atlantic is up 3.7 cents to $4.782, while fuel prices are up 3.3 cents a gallon to average $4.832 in the East Coast region.

The average price jumped 2.6 cents a gallon for diesel in the New England region to average $4.889, while fuel increased 2.5 cents a gallon in the Central Atlantic region to average $4.915.

The West Coast region experienced a 2.3-cent per gallon increase to put the average price for a gallon of fuel at $4.916. Although the California region had the lowest average increase this past week for diesel – up 2.3 cents – the region still has the highest average cost for diesel, which is $5.026.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has signed into law a bill that is intended to get tough with drivers who get behind the wheel after drinking too much.

The new law, previously HB19, requires first- and second-time DUI offenders, and some third-time offenders, to install ignition interlock devices on their vehicles. The rule affecting misdemeanor offenders takes effect Jan. 1, 2009.

Interlocks are hooked up to the ignitions of vehicles. Once such a device is installed, a driver must blow into a mouthpiece, which measures the amount of alcohol on a person’s breath. If the driver blows clean, the car will then start; if not, it won’t budge.

In addition, the devices often require drivers to re-blow in the machine after a designated period of time, to ensure that they have not convinced someone else to blow into the mouthpiece for them, or that they haven’t been drinking since getting behind the wheel.

Advocates for stricter drunken driving rules cite statistics that show drivers who are convicted on driving while intoxicated usually have driven drunk 87 times before being caught.

Alaska law now allows judges to order only people found guilty of driving with a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 percent or higher to have the interlock devices installed. Drivers charged with DUI lose their licenses. After 30 days, drivers may become eligible for limited use licenses that can be used solely to drive back and forth to work.

The new rule mandates that first-time DUI offenders who have received misdemeanors keep the device installed for a minimum of 12 months. Repeat offenders must keep them hooked up for 24 months while third offenses would mandate the device be installed for 36 months. They also could drive freely.

To view other legislative activities of interest for Alaska in 2008, click here.

Courtesy of LandLine Magazine

A Missoula, MT, trucking company with more than 400 employees planned to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday, July 14. Jim Palmer Trucking operates using both company drivers and owner-operators.

The Associated Press quoted lawyers for Jim Palmer Trucking as saying a poor economy and high fuel prices have left the company as much as $2 million behind in repaying loans and other debts. The president of the 44-year-old company says he’s just looking for a little “breathing room” and fully intends to continue operating.

Just a month ago, it was reported that the Canadian billboard company ActionView planned to buy Jim Palmer Trucking, but the deal fell through at the last minute.

Courtesy of LandLine Magazine

As of midday Friday, July 11, oil prices reached record highs of $147 per barrel. And the ripple effect of record-high fuel prices continues to spread through the economy.

Record oil prices have battered the airline industry, and Wednesday, July 9, the airlines called on Congress to act. In an open letter to all airline customers, CEOs from 12 of the nation’s airlines said lawmakers must curb excessive speculation to scale back record fuel costs.

One small measure taken by US Airways to cut costs is to pull the in-flight movie entertainment systems off its domestic flights. The airline says getting rid of the 500 pounds of equipment will save about $10 million a year in fuel.

Toyota, which can’t keep up with orders for its gas-electric Prius hybrid, says it will build more at a new plant in Mississippi that was originally designed to make SUVs.

Agence France-Presse reported that scooter sales ballooned more than tenfold in the United States between 1997 and 2007, climbing from 12,000 to 131,000. According to industry sources, scooter sales have risen 24 percent in the first quarter of 2008 compared to the same quarter in 2007.

The Oregon Department of Transportation’s Motor Carrier Transportation Division is offering voluntary truck inspections July 18-19 at seven locations around the state.

Inspectors will check that truck drivers have valid CDLs and medical cards and will also check the mechanical condition of each truck and trailer, all subject to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance inspection criteria. Vehicles passing the inspection will be issued a CVSA inspection decal that represents a stamp of approval good for three months.

Each safety inspection can take up to 30 minutes, so to manage the workload the motor carrier division is requiring that truckers make appointments. Inspections will be offered from noon to 8 p.m. Friday, July 18, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 19, at the following locations:

• Portland, Jantzen Beach motor carrier division office, 12348 N. Center Ave; (971) 673-5909;
• Woodburn port of entry, I-5 at mile marker 274, southbound inspection; (503) 378-6963;
• Grants Pass, Oregon DOT’s maintenance yard on I-5 at Exit 58, 345 N.E. Agness Ave.; (541) 776-6221, Ext. 1;
• Ashland port of entry on I-5 at mile marker 18 northbound; (541) 776-6221, Ext. 1
• Klamath Falls port of entry, 4647 Highway 97; (541) 883-5701;
• Umatilla port of entry, 1801 S.W. Highway 730; (541) 922-5183; and
• Ontario, DOT maintenance yard, 541 Stanton Blvd., I-84, Exit 371; (541) 869-2010.

“While our inspectors will not issue citations if they find safety problems during this event, they can’t let a truck go if they find a critical safety violation,” MCTD Safety Program Manager David McKane said in a press release. “You can’t drive your rig back to the shop for repairs. Any truck found with an out-of-service problem must be fixed before it can leave the inspection site.”

Reed Black with “Land Line Now” asked McKane why truckers should volunteer to be inspected. In other words, what is in it for them?

“If, after the inspection, there are no defects, what’s in it for the truck driver is that a defect-free truck will receive an inspection decal that will be honored at least for the next 90 days indicating that the truck was inspected,” said McKane. “It’s not a guarantee that it will not be inspected again, but there’s enough trucks out there today that most truck inspectors will look for a truck without a decal.”

Visit the Motor Carrier Transportation Division’s Web site here for more information.

Beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 10, the 29th annual Walcott Truckers Jamboree promises something for everyone – from a truck beauty contest and a pet contest to a pork chop cookout and fireworks.

For a complete schedule of events, click here. The event runs Thursday and Friday, July 10-11, at the Iowa 80 Truckstop. Take Exit 284 on Interstate 80. Admission and parking are free, and a shuttle service is available to take you from the parking area straight to the fun stuff.

The event is scheduled to include more than 200 exhibits; an antique truck display; trucker Olympics, carnival games, live bands and fireworks.

A blood drive is set from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days and is sponsored by Natso Inc..

During this year’s event, the Iowa 80 Truckstop will be celebrating the completion of the new Iowa 80 Trucking Museum Visitor’s Center. A ribbon-cutting is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday and is open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

“We are very excited about the museum expansion. The addition of the Visitor’s Center includes a welcoming entrance, more exhibit space, a movie theater and restrooms,” said Delia Moon Meier, senior vice president.

The Walcott Truckers Jamboree began in 1979, featuring a few exhibits, live music, food and a small display of antique trucks. That first Jamboree attracted only a few hundred drivers, a far cry from the 30,000 it attracts today.

“The Walcott Truckers Jamboree is our way of saying ‘thank you’ to drivers for the work they do to deliver the goods we need. It is also a great opportunity for those interested in trucks and trucking to get a close-up look at some of the most fantastic trucks,” Meier said in a press release.

To address high fuel prices at the pump, the U.S. Senate is considering a law that goes directly to the source – oil commodities trading and speculators blamed for rapid increases in oil prices.

Trading of oil futures by speculators has been blamed for increasing the cost of gas by as much as 50 percent. Elected officials have introduced a flurry of bills aimed at closing the “Enron loophole,” which allowed overseas trading of U.S. oil and preceded huge increases in oil speculation over the last five years.

Senators planned to discuss the Stop Excessive Energy Speculation Act –S3268 – Thursday, July 17, Congressional Quarterly reported. The bill would add 100 full-time employees to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the agency charged with regulating futures trading, and would limit speculation trading “by those who are not trading actual physical petroleum products.”

The bill also would force U.S.-based oil traders to comply with U.S. trading regulations even when operating through foreign exchanges.

“Right now, Wall Street traders are raising gas prices with nothing more than the click of a mouse,” said Sen. Harry Reid, D-NV, said in a written statement. “Without regard of anything but their own profits, traders are bidding up prices by buying huge quantities of oil just to sell them at an even higher price.”

“This bill will address the rising cost of gasoline in the short-term, prevent Wall Street traders from gaming the oil markets, and ensure that American consumers are paying a fair price at the pump,” Reid said.

The Oregon Department of Transportation’s Motor Carrier Transportation Division is offering voluntary truck inspections Friday and Saturday, July 18 and 19, at seven locations around the state.

Inspectors will check that truck drivers have valid CDLs and medical cards and will also check the mechanical condition of each truck and trailer, all subject to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance inspection criteria. Vehicles passing the inspection will be issued a CVSA inspection decal that represents a stamp of approval good for three months.

Each safety inspection can take up to 30 minutes, so to manage the workload the motor carrier division is requiring that truckers make appointments. Inspections will be offered from noon to 8 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the following locations:

• Portland, Jantzen Beach motor carrier division office, 12348 N. Center Ave; (971) 673-5909;
• Woodburn port of entry, I-5 at mile marker 274, southbound inspection; (503) 378-6963;
• Grants Pass, Oregon DOT’s maintenance yard on I-5 at Exit 58, 345 N.E. Agness Ave.; (541) 776-6221, Ext. 1;
• Ashland port of entry on I-5 at mile marker 18 northbound; (541) 776-6221, Ext. 1
• Klamath Falls port of entry, 4647 Highway 97; (541) 883-5701;
• Umatilla port of entry, 1801 S.W. Highway 730; (541) 922-5183; and
• Ontario, DOT maintenance yard, 541 Stanton Blvd., I-84, Exit 371; (541) 869-2010.

“While our inspectors will not issue citations if they find safety problems during this event, they can’t let a truck go if they find a critical safety violation,” MCTD Safety Program Manager David McKane said in a press release. “You can’t drive your rig back to the shop for repairs. Any truck found with an out-of-service problem must be fixed before it can leave the inspection site.”

Reed Black with “Land Line Now” asked McKane why truckers should volunteer to be inspected. In other words, what is in it for them?

“If, after the inspection, there are no defects, what’s in it for the truck driver is that a defect-free truck will receive an inspection decal that will be honored at least for the next 90 days indicating that the truck was inspected,” said McKane. “It’s not a guarantee that it will not be inspected again, but there’s enough trucks out there today that most truck inspectors will look for a truck without a decal.”

Visit the Motor Carrier Transportation Division’s Web site here for more information.

Maria Arnold was stunned to hear the news from a potential employer.

The state of Kentucky had suspended her commercial driver’s license so the carrier couldn’t hire her, the manager of a trucking company told Arnold – an OOIDA member from Springfield, KY.

Arnold later learned the state had sent a letter in May to her home address – not her post office box – while she was out on the road.

“Apparently they only sent it to my physical address and when they did, of course, it was returned,” Arnold told Land Line. “After 30 days, they cancelled my CDL. I was outraged.”

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet recently suspended an unpublicized number of CDLs just 30 days after mailing a request for information to CDL holders.

The Transportation Cabinet’s office of public affairs responded to some of Land Line’s questions by e-mail, but did not say how many CDLs were suspended or whether the action had led to officials seizing any trucks or loads.

Agency spokesman David Devers said the Kentucky General Assembly required that certain 10-year driving record information be added to CDL applications by 2005. CDL holders were recently notified if they hadn’t submitted the applications, Devers said. Those drivers’ CDL privileges were then canceled “until we do receive it” Devers said.

“Anyone who has a question about this matter can call our CDL section at the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet at (502) 564-0280,” Devers said.

Arnold said her CDL was quickly reinstated – without a fee – after she called and faxed information to the state. Arnold said she was told 5,000 to 8,000 Kentucky CDL holders may be driving under suspended licenses.

The Washington County, KY, area has a few sizable trucking companies and many truck drivers, Washington County Circuit Clerk George Graves told Land Line. Graves said the suspension has led to “a few” harried phone calls from truck drivers needing to become street legal again.

Arnold feels their pain.

“I hate to think of all these owner operators out there who don’t know they’re driving without a CDL,” Arnold told Land Line. “Most of them are not coming home all the time, as hard as things are now.”

Truckers hauling overweight loads are risking heavy fines if they try to cross New York City’s bridges and tunnels.

Officials with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Bridges and Tunnels division said truck drivers carrying more than 80,000 pounds can be fined as much as $10,000 each for crossing MTA facilities.

MTA Bridges and Tunnels facilities are the Bronx-Whitestone, Cross Bay Veterans Memorial, Henry Hudson, Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial, Throgs Neck, Triborough and Verrazano-Narrows bridges, and the Brooklyn-Battery and Queens Midtown tunnels.

The Bridges and Tunnels Division officials said they have recently issued more than 100 summonses per month to overweight trucks, some as heavy as 200,000 pounds. The truckers were fined and told to turn around.

Courtesy of LandLine Magazine

Gov. Bobby Jindal has signed into law two bills that are intended to make Louisiana roadways safer when emergency personnel or highway workers are present.

One new law, previously SB657, would mandate a practice followed by professional truckers for decades. The rule is designed to protect police and other emergency personnel during roadside stops.

All drivers now are required, when practical, to merge into a lane further away from stationary emergency vehicles that are by the road with their lights flashing. If unable to change lanes or driving on two-lane highways, travelers are required to slow to a “safe speed.” Violators would face fines up to $200.

Louisiana law previously called for drivers to slow to a speed of 25 mph or the posted speed, whichever is lower, upon approach.

Also included in the new law is a provision that is intended to keep roadsides clear. It authorizes the towing of vehicles within 24 hours.

Previously, towing could only be done 48 hours after a notice was posted on the windshield. In addition, municipalities and parishes could only tow vehicles 10 days after registered or certified letters were sent. The new law also removes that restriction.

Another provision in the new law requires the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and the State Police to partner with the Louisiana Motor Transport Association and others to run an “instant tow” pilot program for the removal of commercial and personal vehicles.

The pilot programs will be set up in two areas of the state with “high density” interstate traffic.

It is intended to reduce congestion and provide for more effective response times, as well as “efficiently preserving commercial goods.”

The second bill signed into law – HB1151 – doubles fines for motorists caught driving in excess of the speed limit while in construction zones where highway workers are present. It takes effect Aug. 15.

To view other legislative activities of interest for Louisiana in 2008, click here.

OOIDA recently announced honorees in the Association’s Safe Driving Award program. The following drivers have been recognized by the Association and program sponsor Volvo Trucks North America for truck driving excellence.

Rodney Abrams of Dayton, OH, has been recognized for 11 years of safe, accident-free driving. Rodney currently hauls automotive parts for Honda.

Betty Beaudoin of Dieterich, IL, has been recognized for nine years of safe, accident-free truck driving.

David Billinger of Osawatomie, KS, has been recognized for five years of safe, accident-free driving of a commercial tractor-trailer. David currently hauls storage containers, heavy machinery, farm equipment and other general freight.

David N. Borchers of Blackburn, MO, has been recognized by OOIDA for 30 years of safe, accident-free truck driving. David currently hauls feed.

Howard Brouwer of Welland, Ontario, Canada, has been recognized by OOIDA for 10 years of safe, accident-free driving. Howard hauls general dry freight.

G. Patrick Carty of Port Hueneme, CA, has been recognized by OOIDA for three years of safe, accident-free truck driving. Patrick hauls general freight. He is also on active duty with the U.S. Navy.

Richard Gehman of Blakeslee, PA, has been recognized for 17 years of safe, accident-free trucking. Richard currently hauls corrugated cardboard.

Jose R. Hernandez of Deltona, FL, has been recognized for 10 years of safe, accident-free driving of a commercial tractor-trailer. Jose hauls general freight.

Frank B. Kopp of Graham, WA, has been recognized for 32 years of safe, accident-free truck driving. Frank hauls produce.

Roger Larkins of Chubbuck, ID, has been recognized for 15 years of safe, accident-free truck driving.

Dennis McGuire of Clarksville, IN, has been recognized for three years of safe, accident-free driving of a commercial tractor-trailer. Dennis currently hauls steel coils.

Wendell Penny of Dieterich, IL, has been recognized for nine years of safe, accident-free truck driving.

George W. Pierce, Jr. of Wills Point, TX, has been recognized for 16 years of safe, accident-free driving of a commercial tractor-trailer. George hauls freight of all kinds.

Doug Thee of St. Joseph, MO, has been recognized for 16 years of safe, accident-free truck driving. Doug currently hauls refrigerated containers of pork to Oakland ports and then brings produce back to the Midwest.

The OOIDA Safe Driving Award Program is designed to recognize and reward OOIDA members for their safe, accident-free years while operating a commercial vehicle. Safe driving awards are available to all eligible OOIDA members who qualify based upon the number of years for which the member has operated a commercial vehicle without being involved in a preventable accident.

The program is sponsored by Volvo Trucks North America.

Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt has signed into law a lengthy bill that includes several provisions of interest to truck drivers.

The new law, previously SB930, prohibits large trucks from traveling in the far left lane on certain roads through Kansas City and St. Louis.

Trucks with a registered gross weight in excess of 48,000 pounds will be prohibited from driving in the far left lane of “urbanized” highways that have at least three lanes of traffic in each direction. The rule change will take effect once signage is posted.

State law enacted a year ago already prohibits trucks heavier than 24,000 pounds from driving in the left-most lane of Interstate 70 within three miles of the intersection with state Route 370 in St. Charles County.

Advocates for keeping trucks out of the far left lane say it makes roadways safer for all travelers. A Missouri-based truckers group says that sentiment couldn’t be further from the truth. An official with the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association says the group opposes lane restrictions for any class of vehicle.

“Adopting lane restrictions is an ill-advised step to take,” said OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer. “Such restrictions invariably cause more problems than they fix.

“When you start restricting vehicles to certain lanes you end up with more vehicles tailgating, and making unsafe passing maneuvers in all lanes. This isn’t good for congestion or highway safety.

“Lane restrictions simply discourage smart, safe driving practices.”

Spencer said it’s regrettable that lawmakers saw fit to make the change.

“This is an example where politics trumped safety and common sense,” he said.

In addition, Spencer pointed out that Missouri law already has restrictions to keep all traffic to the right except to pass.

Other provisions of note attached to the bill include an incentive to reduce idling, allow local enforcement of truck rules and prohibit certain indemnification agreements.

The maximum gross vehicle weight limit and axle weight limit for large trucks equipped with idle reduction technology will be increased. Affected trucks are authorized to weigh up to an additional 400 pounds.

The procedure for conducting roadside inspections for large trucks also will be revised. A program will be set up to certify local law enforcement officers to enforce commercial motor vehicle laws.

Certified law enforcement officers could conduct random roadside examinations or inspections to determine compliance with the CMV weight and size limit laws. Officers who are not certified still could pull over large trucks with a “visible external safety defect.”

Indemnity agreements also are prohibited in motor carrier transportation contracts that claim “to indemnify a party against loss from negligence or intentional acts void and unenforceable.”

A separate provision in the bill is intended to keep repeat drunken drivers from driving drunk. In order to get back behind the wheel, ignition interlock devices soon will be required to be installed on repeat offenders’ vehicles.

Interlocks are hooked up to the ignition of vehicles. Once such a device is installed, a driver must blow into a mouthpiece, which measures the amount of alcohol on a person’s breath. If the driver blows clean, the car will then start; if not, it won’t budge.

In addition, the devices often require drivers to re-blow in the machine after a designated period of time, to ensure that they have not convinced someone else to blow into the mouthpiece for them or that they haven’t been drinking since getting behind the wheel.

To view other legislative activities of interest for Missouri in 2008, click here.

Eight defendants have pleaded guilty to importing more than 2,200 pounds of marijuana from Mexico using pottery.

The guilty pleas followed an investigation in which federal agents posed as a trucking company to pick up and deliver the drugs.

Jose Sandoval, 19, Roberto Mota, 27, Roberto Hildalgo, 21, and Antonio Herrera-Espinoza, 30, pleaded guilty in federal court to distributing and possessing with intent to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana. Juan Carlos Torres, 19, Gavin James Herremans, 25, and Christopher James Johnson, 29, pleaded guilty to reduced charges, according to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement news release.

According to ICE, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Baltimore discovered the drugs among 193 Mexican pottery vases in January.

Later, two Baltimore ICE agents posed as employees of a commercial trucking company, and delivered the shipment to a warehouse in Edwardsburg, MI.

ICE agents met at the warehouse with Herremans, Roberto Mota, Hildalgo, Herrera-Espinoza, Torres, Sandoval and a juvenile. Herremans signed for the load as others unloaded the vases into two U-Haul trucks.

Agents arrested the defendants as they tried to leave the warehouse.

Humberto Mota – who ran an unnamed business out of Elkhart, IN – remains at large, according to the release.

“ICE will continue to pursue organizations that smuggle and distribute commercial quantities of illicit drugs,” said Brian Moskowitz, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Detroit. “ICE uses our broad and unique law enforcement authorities and expertise to dismantle these criminal groups to help ensure the integrity of our nation’s borders, and to help keep illegal drugs off our streets.”

Canada’s federal transportation ministry released the study on Friday, July 4. It was commissioned by a steering committee of provincial transportation officials, and is divided up into an overall summary and six categories: Safety; technical considerations; trade and competitiveness; the environment; a speed-limiter case study; and the use of speed limiters around the globe.

Both sides of the speed limiter debate are likely to use the study to bolster their respective arguments.

“What we see in this study is more of what we’ve been telling the Ontario government, that studies just don’t support this. If you conduct your independent research, it will show that when you create speed differentials on highways, your rates of accidents or interactions between objects moving at different speeds is going to increase,” Laura O’Neill, government affairs counsel for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, told “Land Line Now” on XM Satellite Radio.

Click here to view and navigate the study menu.

Transport Canada, which is comparable to the U.S. Department of Transportation, published the findings less than three weeks after the Ontario Legislature approved legislation to require that electronic speed limiters be set on all heavy trucks doing business in the province. Provincial officials continue to promote a maximum setting of 105 km/h or 65 mph.

Ontario officials are pushing for implementation this fall, beginning with six to 12 months of educational time. Full enforcement would begin in 2009, officials told Land Line.

Quebec has a similar provision to require speed limiters, but officials in that province said they would wait on other Canadian provinces to “harmonize” on the issue.

While officials in New Brunswick are pondering the introduction of a similar law, officials in Alberta and Saskatchewan have come out against mandatory speed limiters.

O’Neill said the Transport Canada study raises important points about speed limiters even if many of the points have been stated repeatedly by people and groups on both sides of the issue.

Safety issues
Researchers who conducted the portion of the Transport Canada study on safety said speed limiters would make highways safer, particularly when the roads are not congested. Add congestion to the mix, and the numbers change.

“As the volume is set close to capacity (2000 vehicles per hour per lane) more vehicle interactions take place and this leads to a reduction in safety especially for those segments with increased merging and lane-change activity, such as on and off ramp segments,” researchers stated.

“In these instances the introduction of truck speed limiters can actually reduce the level of safety when compared to the non-limiter case.”

The researchers said passing on rural highways could also be a safety issue when it involves speed-limited trucks.

Trade and competitiveness
Government-mandated speed limiters in Ontario could keep American owner-operators out and could hinder the right of Canadian truckers to do business in and out of the province, researchers said in the trade section of the study.

“The majority (80 percent) of the owner-operators interviewed indicated that to avoid being speed limited they would no longer haul into Quebec or Ontario,” researchers said. “This may limit competition to the extent that these operators do avoid operating in these jurisdictions.”

The situation could be remedied, researchers said, if truckers purchased equipment that allowed them to change their speed-limiter settings upon entering or exiting a particular jurisdiction.

O’Neill says the investment in such technology could be cost-prohibitive to many owner-operators.

Technical considerations
Truck Manufacturers Association President Bob Clarke contributed to the study by answering technical questions from researchers that included cost of equipment to set and check speed limiters from the cab. Such devices vary by manufacturer, Clarke said.

“A driver/owner equipped with a diagnostic tool could connect to the diagnostic port in the cab and adjust the ‘maximum road speed’ parameter setting if it is not password protected,” Clarke stated. “The software to do this would cost about $450, while the connectors and other hardware needed would cost about $650-$700. The ability to make these changes remotely, via GPS, does not exist at this time.”

Clarke also weighed in on the fuel economy discussion to say that driver habits and spec’ing of individual trucks play a major role.

“If a truck’s power train (engine, transmission rear axles and tires) is specified to maximize fuel economy and is prevented from operating in that range due to speed limiting, there is likely to be a reduction in fuel economy,” he said.

“Fuel economy is greatly dependant on how a vehicle is operated, so it is conceivable that any reduction or improvement of fuel economy resulting from a reduced maximum speed limit may be negated depending on how a driver’s behavior is modified.”

Click here to read the technical questions and answers.

Environmental benefits
Transport Canada researchers said speed limiters on trucks would bring about a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption on those particular trucks.

What OOIDA officials and others contend is that, while the slowed truck may save fuel, the vehicles interacting with the slower truck may burn more fuel because of the decelerating, passing and accelerating that would occur.

“I just have to point out that it doesn’t look like the savings are all that great,” O’Neill said, referring to Transport Canada’s estimate of 1.4 percent fuel savings for trucks on Canadian highways.

Researchers said in the report that speed-limited trucks would save 228 million liters of fuel per year, or approximately 60.4 million gallons. They also concluded that greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by 0.64 metric megatons or approximately 705,472 tons.

Speed limiter case study
Transport Canada conducted a case study that showed speed limiters are a way of life for many large fleets. From the standpoint of the large fleets surveyed, speed limiters have significant benefits for industry, for government and the general public.

The case study also included input from the Owner-Operators Business Association of Canada, which is categorically opposed to a speed-limiter mandate, and the Private Motor Truck Council of Canada. PMTC officials have also expressed opposition to a mandate, but they took a wait-and-see approach to the Transport Canada research.

Speed limiters around the world
Researchers for Transport Canada acknowledge that 33 countries have government-mandated speed limiters including the United Kingdom, Sweden and Australia. The steering committee for the study directed researchers to relate those speed-limiter experiences to Canada.

Researchers reported a lack of follow-up studies in countries with speed limiters.

“Ten years later, no empirical studies have been done in any participating jurisdictions to directly link the use of speed limiters with improvements in road safety,” the researchers wrote.

“Additionally, there is a lack of research on the safety impacts of truck-car speed differentials due to speed-limited trucks. It is, therefore, difficult to predict the potential road safety impacts of a speed limiter mandate in Canada.”

The United Kingdom has reported fuel savings in speed-limited vehicles as well as reduced insurance premiums, but road-safety concerns also surfaced – including passing, traffic backlog and convoys of trucks blocking the on and off-ramps on highways. There were also issues with compliance and enforcement, including tampering and problems with testing equipment.

In summary, the study shows benefits of speed limiters but also highlights problems with government mandates.

OOIDA officials plan to challenge Bill 41 in Ontario – which included the speed limiter mandate – on grounds that it violates trade laws and discriminates against truck drivers in Canada and the U.S.

A new law in Rhode Island restricts large trucks from two bridges in the state. The change coincides with the reposting of weight limits on the bridges.

Gov. Donald Carcieri signed a bill into law that prohibits vehicles with more than two axles or any combination vehicle equipped with more than two axles per unit from crossing the state Route 24 bridge over the Pawtucket River and the Interstate 95 bridge over the Sakonnet River.

The new law, previously HB8219, took effect this past month. It will remain in effect until June 12, 2011.

Signs will be posted to alert truckers about the restrictions.

Violators would face $3,000 fines. Subsequent offenses would result in up to $5,000 fines.

Supporters say the change is a practical, efficient and effective way of ensuring that overweight trucks don’t cross the bridges. They say the two-axle limit is easier for the State Police to enforce than requiring them to pull over trucks to check weights.

Opponents cited concerns about rising fuel costs that make detours around the bridges more costly. Local operations that must take the long detour are especially vulnerable, they say.

In addition to the axle limits on the two spans, trucks also are limited to 18 tons – down from 22 tons. Many heavier loads must route around.

Concerns about the corrosion of steel beams on the bridges led to the change.

The Rhode Island Department of Transportation is attempting to protect the bridges by slowing their deterioration. Ultimately, the agency is expected to replace both bridges.

To view other legislative activities of interest for Rhode Island in 2008, click here.

Commodity prices that have as much as doubled in the past six months have led Navistar International Corp. to increase prices on International trucks, effective immediately.

Price increases will vary by model, topping out at $1,600 per truck, according to a Navistar press release.

Prices have soared for commodities essential to truck manufacturing, such as crude oil, steel, aluminum, copper, and precious metals used in new emissions-compliant diesel engines. According to the release, since the beginning of 2008, steel has increased 100 percent, aluminum by 22 percent, platinum by 32 percent and copper by 23 percent. Crude oil prices have jumped by more than 40 percent.

“We are acutely aware of the financial constraints that many truck customers are currently facing and have been working diligently to absorb as much of these costs as possible,” said James L. Hebe, senior vice president, North American Dealer Operations, Navistar. “However, global commodity spikes are affecting all manufacturing and we finally, regretfully, must now share those additional costs with the customer.”

Navistar is aggressively working to mitigate the higher commodity prices, as well as offset the negative impact of a weakened U.S. dollar, by attacking operational costs wherever possible and by negotiating greater efficiencies with suppliers.

Courtesy of LandLine Magazine