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Amazon truck with packages carjacked in Miami GardensPolice are searching for several robbers who stole an Amazon delivery truck and dumped it in Miami Gardens. The robbery occurred Wednesday morning in the area of Northwest 156th Street and 15th Avenue, according to Miami Gardens police. At least one robber was armed with a gun as the group carjacked the truck after it left an Amazon warehouse full of packages to deliver. One of the robbers was wearing a mask. As the truck began making deliveries, the driver observed a vehicle stopped in the middle of the road with its hood up. One of the robbers waved to get the truck driver’s attention. The driver stopped to ask if the man needed help. That’s when a second robber, wearing a mask and armed with a shotgun, jumped out from behind the car and approached the truck driver with a the gun while screaming at the driver. The driver did not speak English, but got the message and climbed out of the Amazon truck. That’s when the robber commandeered the truck and sped off. The other robber fled in the vehicle, which was said to be dark-colored and possibly a Jeep Cherokee, according to the Miami Gardens Police Department. The truck was later found near Northwest 143th Street and 13th Court. The truck was carrying approximately 100 Amazon packages were not found. Police and K-9 units searched the area near warehouses but did not find anyone. Anyone with information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS (8477). Nebraska Deputy Jumps into Moving Truck on Highway to End PursuitMADISON COUNTY, Neb. -- A 12-mile chase in Madison County, Nebraska came to an end when a deputy leaped into a moving 18 wheeler and brought it to a stop. Dashcam video obtained by WOWT 6 News shows the moment when Sgt. Todd Volk got out of his car, ran across the highway and jumped into the cab of the moving truck to get it stopped. It turns out that the driver of the truck wasn't trying to evade deputies. Instead, he was having a diabetic episode. The man's blood sugar had dropped to a severely low level, and he didn't know that he was diabetic before that. Volk said the sheriff's office had sent a number of vehicles ahead to clear the path of the truck and that a number of more populated areas were coming up. He believed it was the last place he'd have a chance to stop the truck. The truck driver was given glucose and taken to a hospital. Volk said he hasn't had a chance to talk to the driver, but he's been told that he's expected to be fine. Trucking Group Challenges E-Logs RuleA group representing thousands of truck drivers filed a petition in federal court to halt new rules requiring electronic logging of drivers’ time behind the wheelThe Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which represents tens of thousands of truckers, is mounting a legal challenge to a new federal requirement for drivers to electronically log their hours behind the wheel. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced last week that all drivers will be required to use electronic logging devices, known as e-logs, by the end of 2017. Officials say e-logs can keep roads safer by making it easier to enforce limits on the hours that drivers can be on the road. Much of the trucking industry has expressed support for the rule, including large trucking carriers that have already adopted e-logs. They say the logs can boost productivity and cut down on paperwork and logging errors that can lead to fines. But because e-logs automatically track engine status, a truck’s location and other information, OOIDA has said it fears drivers will be subjected to more harassment from carriers, who may pressure them to drive even when tired or in bad weather. Drivers have also argued that new safety rules may fail to make roads safer because they do not take traffic, weather, and natural sleep patterns into account. OOIDA said Tuesday it has filed a “petition for review,” which did not yet include its arguments for challenging the e-log rule, before the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The group said it will provide details in subsequent filings and during oral arguments in front of the court. “This regulation is absolutely the most outrageous intrusion into the rights of professional truckers imaginable and will do nothing at all to improve highway safety,” said Jim Johnston, the organization’s president and CEO, in a statement. FMCSA spokesman Duane DeBruyne said the agency “does not comment on litigation.” Cops: Naked Man, 19, Carjacked Federal Express Truck, But Could Not Figure Out How To Drive VehicleA naked man who carjacked a Federal Express delivery truck--but then fled the vehicle when he could not figure out how to drive it--has been arrested, according to California police. Investigators allege that Albert Luna, 19, got into the truck around 7 PM Saturday as the driver was removing a package from the rear of the vehicle, which was parked in front of a residence in the city of Coachella. Luna demanded the truck’s keys, which were turned over by the driver (who, cops report, “ran to a nearby residence and reported the incident”). While Luna succeeded in starting the truck, the accused carjacker’s getaway was not smooth. He “did not know how to operate the vehicle and fled the area on foot, abandoning the victim's vehicle,” according to police. Based on information provided by the Fed Ex driver, the suspect was described as “a Hispanic male adult, 18-20 years, thin build, short hair, and not wearing any clothes.” Luna, a Coachella resident, was arrested Sunday and charged with carjacking. Pictured above, he is being held in the Riverside County jail on the felony count. It is unclear why Luna was naked when he sought to boost the Fed Ex truck. Additionally, it is unknown whether his lack of clothing was a drug-related condition. Truckers must record hours electronically in effort to cut fatigued driving
![]() Truck drivers stop at a gas station in Emerson, Ga., north of metro Atlanta, to fill up their tractor trailer rigs. A new government rule being announced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015, requires an estimated 3 million commercial truck and bus drivers to electronically record their hours behind the wheel in an effort to enforce regulations to prevent fatigue. An estimated 3 million commercial truck and bus drivers must electronically record their hours behind the wheel under a new government rule aimed at enforcing regulations designed to prevent fatigue. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration released the long-awaited rule on Thursday. Drivers have been required to keep paper logs of their hours dating back to 1938, but accident investigators and safety advocates have long complained that it's easy to change the logs or keep two different sets of records to evade restrictions on hours. Electronic logging devices automatically record driving time by monitoring engine hours, vehicle movement, miles driven, and location information. "This automated technology not only brings logging records into the modern age, it also allows roadside safety inspectors to unmask violations of federal law that put lives at risk," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. Efforts to require electronic logs that are more difficult to tamper with have been opposed by drivers who own their truck or small fleets of trucks. The drivers say the companies that hire them to haul freight will be able to access the electronic logs and pressure drivers who haven't reached their limit of legally allowed hours to stay on the road even if they want to rest. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which sued the safety administration to block the rule, says on its website that it questions "the need for truckers to spend money on an unproven technology that is no more effective than paper logs when it comes to safety and hours-of-service compliance." The safety administration estimates the electronic devices will provide a net savings of $1 billion a year, mostly through paperwork reductions. It also estimate about 26 lives will be saved and 562 injuries prevented each year. The rule also contains procedural and technical provisions designed to protect commercial truck and bus drivers from harassment resulting from information generated by the devices, the agency said. The rule sets performance and design requirements for the devices. It also exempts from the requirements tow truck drivers, drivers who use time cards to record their hours and trucks and buses older than model year 2000. Drivers living in Canada and Mexico that operate on U.S. roads will also be required to use the devices. "This regulation will change the trucking industry for the better forever," said Bill Graves, president of the American Trucking Associations, which represents trucking companies. The rule goes into effect in 60 days, and gives companies two years after that to start using the devices. Companies which have previously installed recording devices that meet current standards but don't meet requirements of the new rule can continue to use them for four years. The rule permits the use of smart phones and other wireless devices for recording driving hours so long as they satisfy technical specifications and are approved by the agency. Although the Department of Transportation was ordered by Congress to develop regulations requiring electronic recording devices in 1995, the safety administration didn't take action until ordered to do so by a federal appeals court in 2004 in a lawsuit regarding limits on trucker hours. The agency's first attempt at a rule was overturned by another federal appeals court decision in 2011. Three years ago, Congress again directed the safety administration to issue a rule requiring the devices and set a deadline of Oct. 1, 2013. Trucking Companies Use Specialized Equipment to Remove Snow, Ice From Trailer Tops![]() Via John Lemieux/Flickr I have been called numerous times about collisions that occur when a large block of snow or ice is blown from the top of a trailer and causes a crash. The laws in several states, along with available technology, show that this type of collision is avoidable. Laws in various states Just this year, Pennsylvania became the latest state to consider requiring truckers to make “all reasonable efforts” to remove all ice or snow from the vehicles, including the roof of the truck trailer. The bill would allow police officers to pull over truck drivers if they believe the “ice or snow may pose a threat to persons or property.” Truck drivers would face fines between $25 and $75. Several other states already have similar laws:
What trucking companies are doing Heavy snow and ice buildup on trucks and trailers can increase the odds of an accident on the roadway. For many truckers, the added weight from the snow or ice can also reduce their fuel mileage and damage their equipment. To avoid these problems and potential road hazards, trucking companies are using a variety of specialized snow-removal systems to clear the tops of their semis. Here are just a few of them: A. Duie Pyle Inc. The trucking company is equipping each of its terminals with plow-like devices from Scraper Systems to remove snow and ice from its trailers. Boston Trailer The trailer-leasing company has purchased a system from TrucBrush Corp. Its broom-like device connects to a front-end loader and is powered by the loader’s hydraulic system to clear snow from the tops of tractor-trailers. M&M Transport Services The Massachusetts trucking company also uses the TrucBrush system at one of its 17 terminals to make it safer to remove snow. The Bottom Line Trucking companies should make every effort to keep snow and ice from atop their trailers during the winter months. Failing to do so creates a major liability for the company that could not only lead to fatalities on the road but civil litigation and hefty fines. It’s just not worth the risks in the end. If you’ve been injured due to snow or ice that wasn’t cleared from the top of tractor trailer, you should contact a truck accident attorney. |
Don't call the police: that Uhaul truck is really UPSHere's an unusual holiday recipe: combine an Internet hoax about UPS uniforms purloined by terrorists, an unusually busy season for online holiday purchases, and UPS (UPS) renting Uhaul trucks to keep up with deliveries, and what do you get? A case of mistaken identities, with some residents calling the police after seeing UPS delivery workers in Uhaul trucks. The concerns arose after the resurfacing of an old Internet hoax, which claims that terrorists have bought UPS uniforms to impersonate the delivery workers and help them carry out attacks. But those reports have long been debunked, with the FBI investigating the rumors and finding nothing awry, according to urban legend site Snopes.com. There's also increased concern about thieves swiping packages from porches and doorsteps when residents aren't home, with InsuranceQuotes.com finding that 23 million Americans have experienced package theft. Some residents may worry that the UPS workers in Uhaul trucks are actually thieves putting on disguises. Not so, according to UPS. Consumers shouldn't be surprised to see UPS delivery workers in Uhaul trucks and rental vehicles from other companies this holiday season, especially as the delivery service copes with an unexpectedly high number of deliveries. During the week of Cyber Monday, UPS had an on-time delivery rate of about 91 percent, down from 97 percent a year earlier, according to software developer ShipMatrix. While UPS pledged to hire as many as 95,000 holiday workers this year -- on par with 2014 -- the number of packages ordered through online retailers has surged. Consumers spent $3.07 billion on Cyber Monday, a boost of 16 percent from 2014 and about 3 percent higher than forecast by Adobe Systems. "Using rental vehicles is a cost effective way of temporarily expanding our delivery fleet to address the increased package volume around the holidays," UPS spokeswoman Kim Krebs said. She declined to provide the number of rental vehicles the company is using this year, although she notes that the company has relied on other companies' fleets in the past. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, UPS expects to deliver about 630 million packages, an increase of 10 percent from last year. There are two simple ways to make sure the person driving the Uhaul is really from UPS: they'll be wearing the company's familiar brown uniform and carrying an electronic clipboard that they use to record delivery information, she added. New Hammond trucker school to prepare for $65K careersHAMMOND –A new trucking school might not cost you anything out of pocket, and you could end up with a high-demand job that pays $65,000 the first year and offers full health insurance benefits. YRC Freight opened its new CDL Training Academy at 2345 Summer St. in Hammond. The Overland Park, Kan.-based company hopes to graduate up to 165 new drivers a year, to put a dent in a driver shortage that's resulted in a lot of Russian and Eastern European immigrants coming over for trucker jobs. "Finding qualified drivers has become increasingly difficult," said Sean Saunders, senior vice president of human resources at YRC Freight. "We decided to take matters into our own hands to some extent and create a superior curriculum that sets drivers up for long-term success with our company. Our largest demand for drivers comes from Chicagoland, so it made sense to open our first school in the area." Trucking jobs present opportunity for advancement, said Richard Ganch, a Miller resident who worked his way up from being a 19-year-old dockworker to one of YRC Freight's four division vice presidents in the country. "We have drivers who have become middle management because they decided they want to do more," he said. "It all starts with getting into the industry... I just see opportunities for anyone who takes that same path through the industry. It just depends on what you want to do and how aggressive you want to be. If you want to work hard and put your nose to the grindstone, the world's the limit. You don't have to have doctorates or MBAs. Our chief executive officer started in sales, and his father was a truck driver. The sky's the limit." Trucking jobs also are plentiful, and are only expected to get more so since the average of private fleet drivers is 52 years old, according to the American Trucking Association. The ATA forecasts as many as 890,000 drivers will need to be hired over the next two decades. Classes at the YRC Freight CDL Training Academy start every two weeks. As many as 10 students at a time can participate, and it's free if they're qualified, such as if they pass a criminal background check, a Homeland Security HAZMAT background check and a Department of Transportation physical. They split their eight-hour days between classroom training and driving tractor-trailers out in the field, including in training courses on the five-acre property. They rack up 320 hours of training, including 160 hours in a finishing school when they transition to becoming employees. Once they earn their commercial driver's licenses, they will have the opportunity to immediately start working for YRC Freight, which is one of the largest transporters of goods in the industry. "This is an exciting time for YRC Freight," Director of Driver Recruitment Dave Renfrew said. "Something we've been working against for a very long time is hiring drivers." The company, which is based in the Kansas City area, is looking to open more schools in other trucking hubs in the future. Plunging Fuel Prices Buoy Shipping Lines, Trucking FirmsA sharp drop in the price of oil is lowering fuel costs for transportation providers, a welcome development as they struggle with weak demandPlunging fuel prices are emerging as a rare bright spot for logistics companies, which have struggled recently with weak demand. A gallon of diesel costs $2.34 in the U.S., a six-year low and down about 30% from the same time last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The price of bunker fuel, which powers engines on container ships, is down about half from a year ago, according to Bunker World. Transportation firms generally pass along much of their fuel savings to shippers. But the steep decline in energy costs is providing relief at a time when meager global economic growth is holding down freight volumes. Many trucking companies, airlines and shipping lines have been forced to cut their prices to hold onto customers, and lower fuel prices help soften that blow, analysts say. “The ongoing decline in the cost of fuel has effectively lowered the cost of operations for all modes of transport, which allows marginal operators to continue where they would have otherwise failed, and allowing better operators to thrive,” says Donald Broughton, an analyst with Avondale Partners. Ultra-cheap fuel is a particularly welcome development for ocean carriers. Global container-shipping rates are down by more than 47% since the beginning of 2014, according to Drewry Shipping Consultants Ltd., as big shipping lines contend with massive overcapacity and weaker-than-expected demand. Maersk Line, the world’s largest container ship operator and a division of A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S, said in its third-quarter financial results that its average rate fell by 19.2% compared with the same quarter in 2014, while bunker costs fell by 41.5%. The disparity boosted quarterly profits by $264 million. The industry as a whole will likely earn about $5 billion in profits this year, largely thanks to low fuel prices, said Simon Heaney, a Drewry analyst. Shipping lines lost $19 billion in 2009, when the financial crisis sparked the sector’s last downturn. “Fuel prices have propped them up,” Mr. Heaney said. For trucking companies, falling oil prices can be a double-edged sword. Most truckers charge customers a fuel surcharge on top of their base shipping costs. When diesel prices fall, it lowers costs, but also revenues. At the same time, overcapacity and weak demand for over-the-road shipping services have depressed freight rates for trucks. Spot rates for long-haul big rigs carrying dry goods, flatbeds and refrigerated trucks have all fallen by between 16% and 18% in the last year, according to freight brokerage DAT Solutions. Jacob Eberhart, whose family-run private equity firm owns three trucking companies, said that while the cost of operating his tractor-trailers has fallen about 10% in the last year, fuel surcharges have fallen faster. Demand for trucking services has not picked up as much as he expected, muddying the math for his trucking operations. In some cases, Mr. Eberhart’s companies have tried to raise freight rates to fill the gap. A year ago, for example, Poling Express, one of Eberhart’s companies, charged $2 per mile to ship a truckload of frozen turkeys 1,700 miles from Minneapolis to Oregon -- $1.50 for the freight, plus a $0.50 fuel surcharge. Today, the same load ships for $1.79 – $1.55 for the freight, $0.24 for the surcharge. He said he raises freight rates sparingly and infrequently to avoid upsetting customers. “Generally, when oil prices go down, and fuel surcharges go down, and we see an uptick in business,” Mr. Eberhart said. This year, the uptick in business is “nowhere near” past years, he said, because of tepid demand for food shipments around the holiday season. “Whatever is causing the economy to remain slow is damping what would otherwise be a strong season.” C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. and Werner Enterprises, Inc., both recorded declines in revenue in the third quarter due to reduced fuel surcharges. “The decrease was driven by lower rates charged to our customers, primarily due to the lower cost of fuel,” C.H. Robinson wrote in its third-quarter earnings report in November. Yet both companies produced a higher profits in the third quarter compared to a year earlier. Fatal crash involving FedEx truck partially closes I-5A fatal accident involving a FedEx big rig is blocking all northbound lanes on Interstate 5 near Seamas Avenue in South Sacramento. According to CHP officer Michael Bradley, the FedEx truck was driving on the southbound side of Interstate 5 around 6 a.m. in the rain. The driver lost control, hit the center median and crossed into the northbound lanes of Interstate 5, hitting a truck in the process, killing the driver. The victim was identified as a man and the driver of the Fed truck was identified as a woman, but authorities have not given any more information on their identities. It was not immediately clear if the morning rain was a factor in the accident. CHP says traffic is being diverted at Seamas Avenue. CHP also shut down Interstate 5 northbound lanes at the Florin Road exit and is directing traffic off that exit. Expect over an hour delay coming into Sacramento from Elk Grove. CHP said delays can be expected to continue through the afternoon. CHP suggests these detour options: State Route 99 via State Route 120 in Manteca, or State Route 4 (Crosstown Freeway) in Stockton or Highway 99 or take surface streets into Sacramento October TSI shows increase in freight movementFreight shipments measured by the index were up 0.5 percent in October compared to the end of 2014.
The Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI), which is based on the amount of freight carried by the for-hire transportation industry, rose 0.4 percent in October from September and increased 0.7 percent from October 2014, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). The level of freight shipments in October measured by the Freight TSI (123.2) was 0.2 percent below the all-time high level of 123.5 in November 2014. BTS’ TSI records began in 2000. The Freight TSI measures the month-to-month changes in freight shipments by mode of transportation in tons and ton-miles, which are combined into one index. The index measures the output of the for-hire freight transportation industry and consists of data from for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air freight. The Freight TSI increase was narrower in terms of modes than it has been in many previous months – trucking, waterborne and pipeline showed gains, while rail carload, rail intermodal and air freight decreased. Similarly, the increase took place against a background of mixed indicators for the general economy – personal income increased, employment increased substantially, while housing starts, the Federal Reserve Board Industrial Production index and the Institute of Supply Management (ISM) Manufacturing Index declined, indicating slower growth. The index remains high compared to earlier years, however, and has increased by 30.1 percent since its low of 94.7 in April 2009. Freight shipments measured by the index were up 0.5 percent in October compared to the end of 2014. Freight shipments are up 14.3 percent in the five years from the post-recession level of October 2010 and are up 10.9 percent in the 10 years from October 2005. The TSI has three seasonally adjusted indexes that measure changes from the monthly average of the base year of 2000. The three indexes are freight shipments, passenger travel and a combined measure that merges the freight and passenger indexes. The TSI indicates how the output of transportation services has increased or decreased from month to month. The index can be examined together with other economic indicators to produce a better understanding of the current and future course of the economy. The movement of the index over time can be compared with other economic measures to understand the relationship of changes in transportation output to changes in Gross Domestic Product. Glider Kits: One of the Hottest Things in TruckingGREEN BAY, WI – Need a truck or several trucks, but don’t like the thought of owning one with what some believe is complicated engine technology that not just any mechanic can work on? Then a used rig, and not just any, that are for sale by one of the largest fleets in North America may be what you looking for. Schneider’s Fleet Sales says glider kits are its hottest selling truck. For those unfamiliar with glider kits they don’t start off as used trucks, but they are not new trucks. They are, as Transport Canada defines them, "an assemblage of parts” or what an earlier story from Today’s Trucking described as "an admittedly inglorious description for what's becoming a fringe alternative to buying new trucks.” According to Schneider, the gliders it’s selling, which have various milage, have remanufactured Detroit Diesel Series 60 engines that are pre-EGR, which means four major differences when compared to the latest truck engines: no exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), no diesel particulate filter (DPF), no selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and no diesel exhaust fluid (DPF). In other words a lot less of alphabet soup and what some believe is a less complicated way of owning a truck when compared with the latest truck models. “Our buyers understand the value of having less downtime because you have an engine ‘your’ mechanics can work on and plenty of parts are available,” according to Schneider. These 2011 and 2012 Freightliner Columbia glider kits available are day cab, 48-inch mid roof, 58-inch mid roof, 70-inch raised roof and 72-inch extra-tall. All feature a brand new cab/frame, are lighter weight with most being prices between US$55,000 and US$70,000 and most come in any color you want, provided its bright organge. Determining whether a glider kit is right for you no doubt varies by the individual and the fleet. For more information search the Today's Trucking website using the word "glider." |
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