California Gears up for Stricter Diesel Truck Emissions Regulations

California legislators may soon target older diesel trucks in a new round of tough state emissions regulations. Photo: Jim Park

California seems determined to defy the Trump administration's efforts to turn back the clock on The Paris Accords and other emissions control measures. Four California state senators have called for significantly increased state funding to further reduce emissions from trucks and buses in the state. The legislators said such funding is needed to improve air quality and help reduce toxic emissions along freight corridors and near ports and schools.

California state Senators Ricardo Lara, Nancy Skinner, Richard Pan, and Bob Wiechowski led the call.

In the final weeks of the 2017 legislative session, the senators are calling for $1 billion in funding from the California greenhouse gas Cap-and-Trade program to be focused on cleaner trucks and buses. This would amount to a tripling of the amount of funds spent last year.

It comes on the heels of just-released study by The Diesel Technology forum, which polled Californians and found that an overwhelming majority of respondents support tougher emissions reduction standards and technologies in the Golden State.

The Diesel Technology Forum is a national association of diesel vehicle, engine and equipment makers, suppliers and fuel providers. The survey of 2,190 registered voters found that 89% of California voters believe a balanced mix of energy and transportation options is needed to achieve cleaner air and lower carbon required by the California Air Resources Board's 2030 and 2050 deadlines.

The survey also found that some 75% of registered voters agree California must balance its investments between proven technologies and those that might benefit the future. In ddition, Californians said they see low emission vehicles and reduced fuel consumption as the largest contributors to better air quality. Of those surveyed, 73% view clean diesel technologies as positive contributors to air ...Read the rest of this story

Harvey Damage Raises Fuel Prices, Lowers Oil Prices

Photo: U.S. Coast Guard District 5/ Petty Officer 3rd Class Corinne Zilnicki

As a result of the flood damage caused by Hurricane Harvey, fuel prices are rising across the country – but curiously, crude oil prices have dropped at the same time.

In the oil-producing Gulf region affected by the storm, eight Texas refineries have been shut down with as much as 2.7 million barrels per day of oil processing potential, according to the Oil Price Information Service. In the most recent report from the Energy Department, diesel prices hit a yearly high of $2.60 per gallon on average for the week, but the price reflected less than 1 cent of increase nationally. Much of the price increase will likely be reflected in next week's numbers, as rain and flooding from Harvey could continue until Thursday, Aug. 31.

While the refineries were shut off as a precaution for the storm, flood damage has occurred at some facilities. ExxonMobil revealed that its Baytown and Beaumont refineries were flooded and unable to contain certain chemical pollutants as a result.

The immediate area of the Gulf States and the Northeast are expected to be hardest hit by the interruption in oil refining capacity, with OPIS saying that unbranded fuel prices will increase in most parts of the U.S. as well.

The hurricane is having the opposite effect on crude oil, however, with prices hitting their lowest point in two months, according to CNN Money. With so many refineries shutting down, the demand for crude oil has slipped as well, and a glut of supply from the shale oil industry is also offsetting the storm's effect on prices. Demand was also decreased because Houston, the fourth largest metropolitan area in the U.S., has been put out of commission, so the need for gas ...Read the rest of this story

Quick Spin: ZF’s Reax Electronic Steering System

A single index finger was all that was needed to whip this Peterbilt through a Figure-8 course with ZF's Reax steering system. Photo: Jack Roberts

For all the angst out there concerning self-driving cars and trucks, I've been saying for some time that – in the early stages, at least – there will be a lot for drivers to like about autonomous vehicle technology. That's because, if we're talking Level 2 or Level 3 vehicle control systems (which make up the bulk of the various autonomous technologies available today), then we're really talking about systems that are designed to work with, and compliment, a driver and make their lives a little easier, or safer, as they're going down the road.”

ZF's new Reax electronic steering augmentation system, showcased early in August at the company's Commercial Vehicle Steering Technology Center in Lafayette, Ind., is a prime example of this trend. Reax is a smart, electronic control system that takes input data from various sensors around the vehicle, including the driver, and either loosens or tightens steering response based on what the truck is doing and what the driver needs in terms of steering inputs to do it safely.

Mark Cartwright, global product planning manager for ZF, noted before a test drive in mid-August that Reax is a speed-proportional control system, meaning it tightens up at low speeds and you're cutting the wheels back and forth quickly in backing or parking operations, and it tightens it up at highway speeds when you need a better “feel” for the road and the ability to react quickly and precisely to other vehicles or debris in the road. More than that, though, Reax can look at what a driver is doing and help compensate for steering offsets to ease fatigue and increase safety.

If, for example, you're holding ...Read the rest of this story

Cummins unveils fully electric tractor

COLUMBUS, IN. During an event on Tuesday, Aug. 29, Cummins unveiled its fully electric Class 7 demonstration Urban Hauler Tractor here at the company's technical center.

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OOIDA: States Must Pass Rules Before Federal ELD Mandate Is Enforced

Photo: FMCSA

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association filed a petition with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Aug. 29 that contends that “26 states have not yet incorporated an electronic logging regulation into state law and are not authorized to enforce the rule until they do so.”

OOIDA said that it “supports a proposed delay to the mandate due to a growing number of reasons including the lack of preparedness” of law enforcement agencies. The association's petition says that more than 20 states are “years behind in adopting amendments and additions to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations into state law.”

In addition, OOIDA claimed in a press release on its petition that to qualify for federal grants under the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program, states are required to incorporate the FMCSRs or their equivalent into state law. “In 2016, 95% of motor carrier and driver enforcement violations were issued by MCSAP states,” the association noted.

The petition also states that “serious legal problems arise because states are attempting to enforce federal safety standards that have not been made part of state law. OOIDA contends that when FMCSA amends its regulations, the states must incorporate those amendments into state law before they can enforce them.”

“We are concerned about numerous states issuing citations for the violation of non-existent state laws,” said Todd Spencer, OOIDA executive vice president. OOIDA noted, for example, that Delaware has not updated its incorporation of the FMCSRs since 2006; Arizona last updated its in 2012, and Kansas did so only in 2013.

“That means that new regulations and amendments to old regulations promulgated by FMCSA since the last incorporation date for these states are not part of state law,” continued Spencer.

In its news release, OOIDA also referenced the action taken earlier this week by ...Read the rest of this story

OOIDA files ELD enforcement petition with FMCSA

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) filed a petition Aug. 29 with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) alleging that 26 states have not yet incorporated an electronic logging regulation into state law and are not authorized to enforce the rule until they do so.

OOIDA said it supports a proposed delay to the mandate due to a number of reasons, including what it calls “the lack of preparedness of all law enforcement agencies nationwide.”

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Cummins AEOS All-Electric Tractor [Photos]

The Cummins electric truck is a highly-stylized concept and technology demonstrator called AEOS, which is the name of one of the four-winged horses from Greek mythology that drive the chariot of the Sun God, Helios, across the sky each day. Photos: Jim Park

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