Cummins readies next-gen, future commercial power

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Driver iQ’s employment verification service available for carriers

Driver iQ announced its SingleCheck Employment Verification online service is available to motor carriers for processing all direct employment verification requests on current and past drivers.

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Spot Truckload Posts Inch Higher, Effects of Harvey Still to Come

While Hurricane Harvey hit on Friday, Aug. 25, its effect on supply chains and spot truckload rates won't be fully reflected until a week later, according to the freight matching service provider DAT Solutions, which reported spot truckload rates were stable for the seven day period ending Aug. 26.

It reported there was a continuation of unusually high demand for truckload capacity during the week, falling just 1.8% from the week before, as the number of posted loads increased 1%, according to its load boards

Van load posts increased 6% and truck posts declined 1%; flatbed load posts declined 7% while truck posts dipped 3%; and reefer load posts increased 5% and truck posts fell 2%. Reefer volumes continue to tick up, with reefer demand being especially strong in the Upper Midwest.

Load-to-truck ratios rose 7% for vans, hitting 5.2 to 1, while reefers increased 7% to 10 to 1. The flatbed ratio fell 4% to 26.5 to 1. Of course, all this could change once the current week is in the books with relief supplies heading to the flooding zone.

National average rates were unchanged compared to the previous week, with vans at $1.78 per mile, flatbeds at $2.18 per mile and reefers at $2.07 per mile. All rates include fuel surcharges.

During this time the national average on-highway diesel price added a penny to $2.61 per gallon. Fuel prices are likely to rise more in the coming weeks because so many refineries are offline in Houston, however diesel prices have failed to spike like they did following Hurrican Katrina in 2004.

In Houston, the average outbound van rate was up a penny to $1.69 per mile, with the bulk of activity taking place before the weekend. Looking ahead, spot rates are expected to rise for loads heading into Houston and staging areas for relief ...Read the rest of this story

Manhattan adds to TMS mobile app

Manhattan Associates, Inc. announced new additions to its Transportation Management System (TMS) to allow shippers to utilize the transportation market's sharing economy.

Available as a free download from the Apple App Store or Google Play, Manhattan noted its new TMS Mobile application leverages the ubiquity of smartphones to reduce the barrier to entry and give small and medium-sized contract carriers access to constant, real-time visibility.

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Tapping trucking telematics when foul weather strikes

Over the last several years, there's been a noted uptick in weather-related telematics offerings within the trucking industry and now that technology is getting a workout in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

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DAT: Supply chain already feeling effects on Hurricane Harvey

As Hurricane Harvey continues to devastate Houston, the shocking images are drawing comparisons to Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans in 2005.

Unfortunately, Houston's unique location means the supply chain is already feeling Harvey's effects, even before the rain stops falling, according to executives with DAT load board.

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Clinic Owner Given 5 Years Probation for Invalid Medical Exams

David L. Biersmith, owner and president of Industrial Medical center in Independence, Mo., was sentenced for his role in a fraud scheme involving false medical examinations truckers and veterans.

He was sentenced to 60 months of probation, serving the first 4 months under house arrest and ordered to pay $39,155 in restitution. In April 2017, Biersmith was charged with and pleaded guilty to health care fraud and making false statements to government agents

His company offered medical services to commercial vehicle drivers, including drug tests and physical exams required by the FMCSA. Biersmith did not have a medical license or other medical credentials and signed the name of a legitimate chiropractor, without permission, on the medical examination reports and certificates of at least 65 drivers. He also signed off on the invalid examinations of 53 military veterans between Aug. 2013 and Dec. 2013.

DOT-OIG conducted this investigation with the Department of Veterans Affairs OIG, DOL's OIG and Employee Benefits Security Administration, and the Department of Health and Human Services OIG, with assistance from FMCSA.

Related: Woman Indicted for Impersonating CDL Medical Examiner

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