Spiral Wraps Protect Cables

Phillips Industries has released spiral wrap products that can be used to replace old spiral wrap or make combination air and electrical assemblies.

Phillips 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 assemblies combine spiral-wrapped air and electrical cables and are designed to keep cables organized and shielded from damage. Pre-cut spiral wrap lengths are available for combination assemblies that need replacement wrapping, or for creating new combination assemblies.

Phillips also introduced a 1-3/8-inch-inner-diameter spiral wrap in pre-cut lengths of 8 and 10 feet. Miniature pre-cut spiral wraps are available and designed to avoid removal and replacement of traditional spiral wrap when repairing or replacing electrical or air cables.

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UPS Inks Another Huge Contract for Renewable Natural Gas Fuel

Photo: UPS

Package-hauling giant UPS has signed an agreement with Big Ox Energy to purchase 10 million gallon equivalents of renewable natural gas per year. UPS said this is the company's largest investment in RNG to date.

The purchase agreement runs through 2024. UPS said use of RNG yields up to a 90% reduction in lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions when compared to conventional diesel.

In addition to the Big Ox deal, UPS signed a five-year agreement earlier this year with AMP energy for 1.5 million gallon equivalents of RNG per year from the Fair Oaks dairy farm in Indiana.

UPS said these RNG agreements will help it reach “a key sustainability goal” of attaining 40% of all ground transportation fleet fuel from sources other than conventional gasoline and diesel by 2025.

“Natural gas is a proven alternative fuel to gasoline and diesel and is a key building block for our goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our ground fleet,” said Mike Casteel, UPS director of fleet procurement. “These agreements add significantly to our investment in the use of RNG and will help put us on track to nearly triple our annual use of RNG. They are also a direct reflection of our ongoing commitment to help shape the renewable natural gas industry.”

UPS fueling stations in Lexington, Ky.; Louisville, Ky.; New Stanton, Pa.; Richmond, Va.; Roanoke, Va.; West Columbia, S.C.; Horsham, Pa. and Doraville, Ga. will use the Bix Ox RNG to fuel UPS delivery vehicles and tractors.

“UPS continues to make investments in renewable natural gas that help move the industry forward,” said Rob Larsen, CEO of Big Ox Energy. “Our agreement with UPS is one of the largest contracts we have signed to date and among the largest ever in the RNG market.”

RNG, also known ...Read the rest of this story

Pro-Tread Releases Mobile Training App for Drivers

A new new mobile platform from ITI allows employees to meet training, safety and compliance needs with the tools fleets are already providing for ELD, routing, inventory and other fleet management needs. Photo: ITI

Instructional Technologies Inc., providers of training solutions for the transportation industry, has introduced the new Pro-Tread Mobile App.

Available through the Apple App store and Google Play for Android, the Pro-Tread Mobile App is designed for drivers and warehouse employees with mobile devices. They can access assigned courses and avaialble libraries using the same login used for Pro-Tread online training.

The app is included free with Pro-Tread accounts that use the Sentix platform, ITI's recently introduced Learning Management System for scheduling, tracking, verifying and managing training. Centralized controls in Sentix apply simultaneously to the Mobile App and Pro-Tread to enable:

“With the Pro-Tread Mobile App, carriers are able to give drivers options for when, where and how to complete training,” said Aaron Purvis, chief technology officer of ITI. “Custom, compulsory and company specific training from ITI can be completed on mobile devices or on a computer. This new mobile platform allows employees to meet training, safety and compliance needs with the tools fleets are already providing for ELD, routing, inventory and other fleet management needs.”

With the Pro-Tread Mobile App there are no in-app purchases or outside links. Device settings can prevent using cellular data to download or stream content and lessons are cleared from the device cache upon completion, freeing up memory ...Read the rest of this story

Amazon Launches Mobile App Designed to Get Drivers In and Out of Warehouses Faster

A new Amazon app called Relay allows drivers enter cargo information, allowing them to check in with a QR code and get through the security gate. Photo: Amazon

According to a report by CNBC, Amazon has quietly launched a mobile device app designed to help truck delivery drivers get in and out of warehouses faster.

The app is called Relay and rolled out late last month. According to CNBC, it is available on Apple and Android devices. Drivers enter cargo information into the app, allowing them to check in with a QR code and get through the security gate, avoiding the manual process of badging in. At some facilities, Amazon has built special Relay lanes, according to the app page.

Relay is Amazon's first attempt at automating the truck delivery process, which the report notes is error-prone due to its reliance on phone calls and paperwork. About 80 percent of cargo in the U.S. is transported via truck, which makes the market a big target for tech companies like Uber and start-ups such as Convoy and Trucker Path. According to Convoy, the trucking market is worth $800 billion.

While Relay may have a narrow application today, it serves as the first connection point between Amazon and potentially millions of truck drivers, a job that's become one of the most common in the U.S. Amazon is reportedly looking into other services as well, including an app that would match truck drivers with cargo shippers.

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Penske Offers Electronic Log App for Rented Trucks

Photo: Penske Truck Leasing

Penske Truck Leasing has introduced free to its commercial customers the new Penske Driver app to provide truck drivers with “easy Hours of Service functionality” to meet the electronic logging device mandate as well as other productivity tools. The company said that it will also continue to allow drivers and fleets to use their own portable ELD systems with its rental vehicles.

Designed to comply with HOS regulations for Penske commercial customers who rent trucks, the app is available for immediate free download on Android and iOS/Apple devices.

The company said the Penske Driver app quickly and easily connects using Bluetooth inside Penske rental trucks. The app is then integrally synchronized to meet ELD mandate requirements, and it remains connected to ensure the driver is always in compliance.

Penske noted that “activating the app is easy with assistance from Penske's rental associates.” Penske said the app was custom-built based on extensive customer and driver research and is supported 24/7 by Penske's in-house staff.

“As we announced in April, we have been working on a solution for our rental fleet related to hours of service,” said Sherry Sanger, Penske's senior vice president of marketing. “Connecting fleets means connecting drivers and providing them with the valuable tools they need to make their jobs easier.”

Sanger added that “providing drivers the ability to easily log hours of service and stay compliant via a user-friendly and comprehensive app was the logical next step. Drivers are the backbone for our commercial customers, and we want to help them stay connected, compliant and informed.”

According to the company, the Penske Driver app enables truck drivers to:

FMCSA: ELD mandate will have grace period, agricultural exemption

FMCSA to Issue 90-Day ELD Waiver to Ag Haulers

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced on Nov. 20 that it will be issuing to haulers of agricultural commodities a 90-day temporary waiver of the new electronic logging device mandate— which takes effect just four weeks from now— so that the agency can better address their concerns about operating under the new rules.

In addition, FMCSA said it will be issuing “formal guidance” on the existing hours-of-service exemption for the agricultural industry and on the “personal conveyance” provision for all truckers (which, simply put, refers to when movement of a truck by a driver is not subject to hours-of-service regs) as well as on how enforcement procedures should be carried out once the rule legally kicks in on Dec. 18.

The agency also said it will provide guidance on the existing 150 air miles hours-of-service exemption “to provide clarity to enforcement and industry. The guidance is designed to allow industry to maximize the use of this statutory exemption.”

FMCSA noted that formal publication of the guidance in the Federal Register is to be “expected within the next two weeks” and will include a public comment process. The agency added that it will consider comments received from stakeholders before publishing final guidance.

During a telephone briefing with reporters on Nov. 20, agency officials emphasized that FMCSA and its enforcement partners within the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance are “fully prepared” for the ELD rule's Dec. 18 implementation date. In their view, the upcoming guidance “represents the agency's desire to implement the ELD rule in a manner that improves safety without impeding commerce.”

Back in August, FMCSA and CVSA announced a phased-in approach to the ELD mandate that would delay implementing out-of-service criteria related to ELDs until April 1 and that indicated each jurisdiction would have discretion on whether or not to issue citations ...Read the rest of this story