OMB Director: Democrats are opposing a bill they don't op…

OMB Director Mick Mulvaney discusses a potential government shutdown at a White House press briefing.

Truck-Lite Adds LED Fog Lights to Heavy Duty Aftermarket

Truck-Lite has added SAE-compliant LED fog light kits and an LED auxiliary driving light kit to its Truck-Lite by Rigid product offering.

Based on the D-Series from Rigid Industries, the 3-inch x 3-inch fog lights are designed as replacements for International ProStar model years 2008-2017, Volvo VN model years 2008-2017, Kenworth T680 model years 2013-2018, and the Freightliner Cascadia model years 2007-2016.

Each kit features a die-cast housing and polycarbonate lens to combat shock and vibration and includes mounting brackets, hardware and a waterproof H11 Deutsch adapter, which is a direct fit for factory harnesses. A universal mount D-series as well as a universal 6-inch SR-Series fog kit are also available, both featuring an extra-long, blunt-cut harness.

In addition to the fog light kits, Truck-Lite is introducing a 6-inch SAE-compliant auxiliary driving/high beam kit, based on the E-Series light bar from Rigid. The universal kit also includes mounting brackets and hardware and an extra-long, blunt-cut harness.

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FMCSA Grants ELD Waiver for Rental Trucks

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published in the Federal Register the waiver TRALA had requested for short-term rental trucks. This 90-day waiver from the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Mandate runs from January 19, 2018, until April 19, 2018.

While TRALA was told by the agency that this waiver was coming since December 12, 2017, TRALA had been waiting for the FMCSA to formally post it in the Federal Register so that any driver of a short-term rental truck can simply print out a copy of the notice and carry it in their cab during this time frame, according to the Association.

With the ELD Mandate going in to effect on December 18, 2017, many safety officers have been unaware of the waiver being granted for rental trucks, which had created confusion for several TRALA members. By posting the waiver in the Federal Register, TRALA expects the inspection process to be much simpler for rental trucks.

The 90-day waiver will allow trucks rented for 30 days or less to use paper logs to record their Hours-of-Service and allow TRALA members more time to equip trucks with ELDs. This 90-day waiver can only be issued once but following its conclusion, rental customers will still be able to rely on the eight-day exemption from the ELD Mandate for rental trucks that TRALA received late last year which runs for five years.

There are several requirements within the 90-day waiver that must be followed in order to benefit from this exemption. They include:

1) The waiver will expire on April 19, 2018.

2) The exemption covers rental of any property-carrying vehicle for a period of 30 days or less and evidence that a carrier has simply replaced one rental with another 30 days will be considered a violation.

3) Drivers operating ...Read the rest of this story

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Economic Watch: Consumer Sentiment Hits 6-Month Low, Housing Starts Fall

Consumers are feeling less upbeat, due to uncertainty about economic conditions following the tax overhaul recently signed into law, according to a new report. Meanwhile the level of new home construction last year was the best in a decade despite a December decline.

The University of Michigan's Survey of Consumers reported its Index of Consumer Sentiment showed a small preliminary decline this month from last, down 1.6% to a reading of 94.4. The drop from the same time a year earlier was larger, 4.2%.

This is a six-month low and comes after the gauge in October 2017 hit its highest level since 2004. It's also in contrast to a consensus forecast from analysts who expected it to move higher in January.

There were also declines in consumers' evaluation of current economic conditions. Their expectations were slightly better than December but down from January 2016.

The survey recorded persistent strength in personal finances and buying plans. Favorable levels of buying conditions for household durables have receded to preholiday levels in early January, largely due to less attractive pricing, according to Surveys of Consumers Chief Economist Richard Curtin.

“Tax reform was spontaneously mentioned by 34% of all respondents, 70% of those who mentioned tax reform thought the impact would be positive, and 18% said it would be negative," he said. “The disconnect between the future outlook assessment and the largely positive view of the tax reform is due to uncertainties about the delayed impact of the tax reforms on the consumers. Some of the uncertainty is related to how much a cut or an increase people, especially high-income households who live in high-tax states, face.”

He noted while near- and long-term gasoline price expectations inched upward in early January, they remained significantly below their peak. Also, while long-term inflation expectations remained at their 2017 average level and short-term ...Read the rest of this story