Truck driver shortage projected to hit all-time high in 2017

ORLANDO. The shortage of qualified truck drivers is projected to hit an all-time high of 50,000 by the end of 2017, according to Bob Costello, chief economist of American Trucking Associations (ATA).

This chronic issue was one of the few negative pieces of an otherwise positive assessment of freight demand and the U.S. economy.

“In addition to the sheer lack of drivers, fleets are also suffering from a lack of qualified drivers, which amplifies the effects of the shortage on carriers,” Costello said.

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New Gauge of Freight Shipping and Economy Debuts at ATA

ORLANDO - U.S. Bank announced the launch of a new barometer for assessing the nation's shipping industry on Sunday during the American Trucking Associations' Management Conference and Exhibition in Florida.

The U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index measures quantitative changes in shipment and spend activity, based on data from transactions processed through U.S. Bank Freight Payment.

These transactions are made on behalf of clients across a range of industries, including automotive, manufacturing, food and retail.

U.S. Bank Freight Payment has been providing automated freight audit and payment services for 20 years and processes around $23 billion in global freight payments, according to the company.

Bob Costello, chief economist for the American Trucking Associations, explains about the new U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index. Photo: Evan Lockridge

Published quarterly, the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index includes regional and national breakdowns along with expert commentary from Bob Costello, chief economist for the American Trucking Associations.

Highlights and analysis of the U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index for the third quarter include:

A unique feature of the index is that it breaks the data down into five U.S. regions; West, Southwest, Midwest, Southeast and Northeast; based on the state of origin for a shipment.

“Freight shipments are generally not uniform across the country,” said Costello. “That's what ...Read the rest of this story

Freight activity index launched by U.S. Bank

ORLANDO. A new “barometer” for assessing the “health” of the nation's freight industry is being launched by U.S. Bank.

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PrePass unveils ELD app for phones, tablets

ORLANDO. A new electronic logging device (ELD) and mobile weigh station bypass application are on the way from HELP Inc., the parent company of weight station bypass service provider PrePass.

PrePass said it developed an ELD offering in order to provide “a simple and economical way” to comply with the ELD mandate taking effect December 18 this year.

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Lytx touts new video service, compliance monitoring

ORLANDO. Technology provider Lytx highlighted two new services during a press conference here at the 2017 American Trucking Associations (ATA) Management Conference & Exhibition (MC&E): it's new Lytx video services program, unveiled back in September and now being shipped to customers, and new Lytx RAIR compliance services that will be activated December 18 once the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate goes into effect.

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PrePass Offers ELD Solution, Bypass App

Photo: Help Inc.

ORLANDO – Help Inc., provider of the PrePass weigh station bypass solution, is rolling out an electronic logging device application and mobile bypass application during the American Trucking Associations' Management Conference & Expo in Orlando, Florida.

PrePass ELD was developed as an economical solution for complying with the ELD mandate, which goes into effect on Dec. 18.

The PrePass ELD monitors hours of service, recording only the data required by law, according to Help. It operates as a bring-your-own-device app for both Android and iOS devices. Once the app is downloaded, users can tether a smartphone or tablet to an OBDII device plugged into the truck's diagnostic port and begin recording truck movement and driver hours.

"This ELD is a cost-effective solution for trucking operations looking for an easy way to comply with the ELD mandate,” said Karen Rasmussen, Help president and CEO. The PrePass ELD also offers driver vehicle inspection reports, central web-based reporting, and simple OBDII wireless connection via Bluetooth.

Customers do not have to subscribe to other PrePass services in order to use the ELD. However, users do get a monthly price break when it's bundled with the PrePass weigh station bypass service. Authorization for weigh station bypass is based on a carrier's Inspection Selection System score and proof of current credentials.

PrePass is also expanding its weigh station bypass service with Motion. The Motion app works in addition to Help's existing PrePass transponder-based service. With the addition of PrePass Motion, more commercial vehicles will have the opportunity to bypass facilities at highway speeds, to save time and money, thanks to proprietary geolocation and geo-fencing technology.

PrePass Motion is a native application that will be available in late 2017 for both Android and iOS devices via the PrePass website and app stores. The app includes a complete set ...Read the rest of this story

Lytx Rair Can Monitors ELDs for Compliance

ORLANDO - Lytx Rair has added new functionality to manage fleet hours of service and safety accountability, compliance to reduce the risk of violations.

The company made the annoucement during the American Trucking Associaitons' annual Management Conference and Exhibition in Florida.

Lytx Rair compliance services integrate with nearly every major ELD, according to the company, to consume and audit log data. Rair can validate electronic and paper logs with events and supporting documentation against the driver's duty status. Photo: Lytx

The log falsification checks are validated using data from fuel cards, GPS, EZPass, roadside inspections, accidents and other data points. The information provides a comprehensive audit of all driver logs, with a precise analysis of documentation gaps and flags for falsified, incomplete, or inaccurate logs.

“Lytx's expertise in taking huge volumes of data and translating it into the actionable insights that will have the biggest and most positive impact on drivers' performance,” said Rick Walters, Lytx Rair general manager. “The powerful new Rair workspace presents those insights in an ‘at-a-glance' dashboard of a driver's compliance status and helps safety and compliance managers prioritize their actions to reduce risk.”

To prepare for the ELD mandate, Rair has updated its services to meet the Department of Transportation's new data requirements. Additionally, Rair's ELD integrations have been updated to support the ingest of the new data points to ensure clients can comply with the new rules once they are enacted. The added functionality and enhancements can further enable the cross-referencing of hours of service with supporting documentation and log validation to pinpoint trouble spots.

The updated RAIR workspace dashboard shows at a glance: