Transporting the 2017 Capitol Christmas Tree

NTSB to Investigate Latest Autonomous Vehicle Crash

NTSB will investigate the latest autonomous vehicle crash, which occured the first day on the job for this AAA/Keolis electric van. Photo: Twitter

Despite human error appearing to be the cause of the crash of an autonomous shuttle van in Las Vegas earlier this week, the National Transportation Safety Board is sending investigators to look at the accident more closely, according to a report by Reuters News Agency.

According to news reports, an autonomous, electric-powered van called Navya Arma, operated by Keolis North America, went into service in Las Vegas on Nov. 8. A few hours after starting its maiden voyage, a delivery truck backed into the stopped shuttle, according to a reporter on the shuttle and one of its sponsor companies. The Automobile Association of America, which is co-sponsoring the autonomous van's deployment with Keolis, said it would assist NTSB in the investigation.

Past accidents involving autonomous vehicles have been blamed on the inflexibility of the programing in a dynamic driving environment and inability to adapt to minor situational variations as a human driver would. And that seems to be the case in this instance as well.

According to Reuters, reporter Jeff Zurschmeide, who was on the shuttle at the time of the crash, said the self-driving vehicle did what it was programmed to do-- but not everything a human driver might do.

“That's a critical point,” Zurschmeide wrote on digitaltrends.com. “We had about 20 feet of empty street behind us (I looked), and most human drivers would have thrown the car into reverse and used some of that space to get away from the truck. Or at least leaned on the horn and made our presence harder to miss.”

Indeed, it seems a fundamental flaw in autonomous vehicle programming is the technology's inability to deal with unpredictable human drivers. According to Reuters, ...Read the rest of this story

DOT Changing Drug Testing to Address Opioid Abuse Epidemic

Image: U.S. Dept. of Transportation

The Department of Transportation plans to add four prescription opioids-- hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxymorphone and oxycodone-- to the existing DOT drug-testing panel for screening truck drivers and other "safety-sensitive" transportation workers. The change is part of a final rule to take effect on Jan. 1st.

“Inclusion of these four semi-synthetic opioids is intended to help address the nationwide epidemic of opioid abuse,” DOT said in its rulemaking notice, which is to be published in the Federal Register for Nov. 13.

The agency added that adding these four drugs that are “already tested for in many transportation employers' non-DOT testing programs because of their widespread use and potentially impairing effect will allow DOT to detect a broader range of drugs being used illegally. This will enhance the safety of the transportation industries and the public they serve.”

DOT also announced that the final rule adds the drug methylenedioxyamphetamine as an initial test analyte and removes the drug methylenedioxyethylamphetamine as a confirmatory test analyte. In addition, the rule does away with the requirement for employers and consortium/third-party administrators to submit blind specimens.

The agency said that the revisions to 49 CFR Part 40 “harmonize” DOT regulations with revised Department of Health and Human Services “mandatory guidelines” for federal drug-testing programs for urine testing.

The rule had originally been proposed in January of this year. DOT said it received 52 comments on the addition of the four semi-synthetic opioids to the testing panel. Of those, 41 supported the revision. The agency said those supporters “generally recognized the need for the Department to act consistently with the HHS Mandatory Guidelines and agreed that addressing opioid abuse issues in the context of transportation safety is important.”

As for the other 11 comments, DOT said they essentially contended that adding the substances would “increase circumstances in which ...Read the rest of this story

Former Pilot Flying J Employees Take the Stand in Fraud Trial

Former members of the Pilot Flying J sales staff took the stand this week to give testimony in the Pilot Flying J fraud case against four accused former executives of the company, according to a detailed report posted by Knox News.com.

Prosecution and defense attorneys had called the former employees, who worked under the accused executives, to testify. Many of the witnesses painted a picture of a high-stress work environment in which there was implied and explicit pressure to take part in the fuel rebate scam.

A former salesman described his hesitation to reduce the fuel rebate for New Jersey trucking company Dynamic Express because he said there were rumors of a connection to the Gambino organaized crime family. But in an email exchange, the director of sales for Pilot's northeast region, Arnie Ralenkotter, pressured him to do it or lose the account altogether.

In another email shown to the court, Ralenkotter described cheating companies out of their full fuel rebates as "fun" when speaking with one of the accused executives, Karen Mann, according to another report, posted by Chattanoogan.com. Ralenkotter is among the 14 Pilot sales employees who had previously plead guilty to their roles in the case.

The facts of the case-- that there was a scam to cheat trucking companies out of their full fuel rebates-- are not being disputed in the trial. A primary goal of the prosecution and defense is to show what roles the four accused executives played in directing the scam and/or their awareness of it.

The testimony on Nov. 9 focused on Mark Hazelwood, the former president of Pilot Flying J and the highest-ranking executive on trial. Pilot Flying J CEO Jimmy Haslam has not been charged in the case and denies any knowledge of the rebate scam.

Hazelwood's attorneys called witnesses ...Read the rest of this story

Kenworth T680 Advantage Transports Christmas Tree to U.S. Capitol

The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree is 76 years old and weighed in at harvest at about 15,000 pounds. Transporting the tree to Washington D.C. is a Kenworth T680 Advantage. Photo by James Edward Mills/Choose Outdoors

The 53rd U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree– a 79-foot Englemann Spruce from northwestern Montana– has begun its nearly 3,000-mile journey from the Kootenai National Forest to Washington, D.C.

After the cutting, the “People's Tree” was hoisted onto a specially designed flatbed trailer. Larry Spiekermeier, a 1.6-million mile, accident-free driver with Billings, Mont.-based Whitewood Transport, hauled the tree with a Kenworth T680 Advantage to a U.S. Forest Service warehouse. There, the tree will be fitted with a special 80-gallon water bladder to keep it hydrated and then carefully wrapped and boxed before traveling on a tour of 15 community events across Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Missouri, and Kentucky.

The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree is 76 years old and weighed in at harvest at about 15,000 pounds, according to Sandi Mason, the U.S. Forest Service's U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree project leader.

The Kenworth T680 Advantage transporting the tree features a distinctive exterior design, with the 2017 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree – Kootenai National Forest seal, brightly lit and colorfully adorned Christmas Tree, and the U.S. Capitol beneath a starry sky with the words “Big Sky. Big Tree. Big Journey.”

The T680 features the Paccar Powertrain equipped with Paccar MX-13 engine, Paccar 12-speed automated transmission with column-mounted shifter, and Pacar 40,000-pound tandem rear axle. The T680's specifications also include a 76-inch sleeper with Kenworth's premium Driver's Studio option, TruckTech+ remote diagnostics system, predictive cruise control, idle management system, driver performance center, and premium GT703 seats.

Related: The 2016 Capitol Christmas Tree Journey [Photos]

The tour begins Nov. 13, at the Eureka Town Hall in Eureka, Montana, and ends Nov. ...Read the rest of this story

Western Star Offers Veterans Discounts on New Trucks

Western Star 5700XD 68-inch Sleeper Photo: Western Star

Western Star Trucks and Daimler Truck Financial have announced that their program to give discounts on new trucks to U.S. and Canadian military veterans will continue throughout 2018.

The Western Star VetStar Military Appreciation Program, which launched this year, offers U.S. veterans up to a $2,000 match on a down payment on a new Western Star truck financed through DTF. Canadian veterans are eligible for a CAD $3,000 match on their down payment through DTF.

The VetStar program applies to all new Western Star models-- glider kits and used units are not eligible-- and is intended for owner-operators and small fleets. There is no limit per customer and the discount can be used in conjunction with other programs.

“We owe a tremendous debt to our armed forces members and veterans in the United States and Canada, and we can think of no better way to show our appreciation than to make it easier for them to start or upgrade their trucking businesses with the VetStar discount,” said Samantha Parlier, vice president of marketing and product strategy, Western Star.

Related: New Connectivity, Analytics Options Coming for Detroit-Powered Trucks

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