Spot Truckload Rates Fall for Second Straight Week

Spot truckload freight rates moved slightly lower for the second consecutive week for the seven-day period ending August 19 as freight volume remained strong, according to the freight matching service provider DAT Solutions.

The number of loads posted on its load boards declined 2.1% compared to the previous week while available truck capacity was unchanged. The is due a seasonal transition, driven largely by produce harvests, according to DAT Analyst Peggy Dorf on the DAT blog.

“Reefers are needed, but anything that affects reefers will affect dry van traffic, as well, so there's a geographic shift in the van segment,” she wrote. “More loads are available in the Upper Midwest and Northeast, while the Southeast is winding down, and trends in the Western region are mixed.”

Nationally, van load posts fell 1% and truck posts increased 1% to push the van load-to-truck ratio from 4.9 to 1 to 4.8 to 1. The national average van rate fell 1 cent to $1.78 per mile, a small change in an otherwise firm freight market, but down from a four-week high of $1.82 per mile. All reported rates include fuel surcharges.

Refrigerated load posts increased 5% and truck posts declined 2%, which resulted in a 7% increase in the load-to-truck ratio, hitting 9.3 to 1. At $2.07 per mile, the national average reefer rate was 1 cent lower compared to the previous week but is down 5 cents from two weeks earlier.

The Midwest is heating up for reefers, which is a normal trend for this time of year. More loads are moving out of the Grand Rapids market, and outbound rates rose in Green Bay and Chicago, according to DAT. More loads left Sacramento last week but it's still not a high-volume market at this point in the summer.

Flatbed load posts declined 7% while truck posts ...Read the rest of this story

Magellan says ELD solution now FMCSA certified

Magellan announced that its commercial-grade truck navigation and electronic logging device (ELD)-compliant Hours of Service (HOS) tracking solution is now Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association (FMCSA) certified and listed on the FMCSA online registry.

Magellan explained its HOS/ELD solution offers automated logging tools, reports and alerts to keep drivers on time and in compliance. An HOS management web portal allows for HOS, DVIR and IFTA reports.

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Leasing rules are changing, but fiscal advantages will remain

New lease accounting rules will hitting the books in a little over a year, changing how trucking companies that lease trucks, trailers and other equipment “recognize” the value of such assets on their balance sheets.

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Peterbilt Offers Bendix Slack Adjuster and Brake Options

Bendix Versajust LS Slack Adjuster Photo: Bendix

Peterbilt announced that it is offering the Bendix Versajust LS slack adjuster and Bendix Eversure spring brake as factory options for both steer and drive axles on multiple truck models.

The Bendix Versajust LS is a link-style automatic slack adjuster that can extend lining life and drum life, according to Peterbilt. The Versajust LS is designed to significantly reduce brake maintenance and minimize the risk of dragging brakes. The slack adjuster is covered by a standard six-year/1 million mile warranty.

The Bendix Eversure spring brake offers the potential for increased payload, better fuel economy and lower cost of operation. The Eversure unit is equipped a lightweight chamber, saving up to eight pounds per tandem axle. The No Touch Power Spring design eliminates coil clash, while an increased power spring shut height reduces stresses on the spring and allows the brake to maintain its force output over time.

The Versajust slack adjusters and Eversure spring brakes are available on the Peterbilt Models 579, 567, 520, 389, 367, and 365 as well as in Model 579 and 389 glider kits.

Related: Peterbilt Pairs Column-Mounted Shifter with Paccar Automated Transmission

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Detroit Reman Acquires Mascot Truck Parts

Detroit Diesel Remanufacturing is acquiring the North American business operations of Mascot Truck Parts, a provider of remanufactured driveline components for the heavy- and medium-duty aftermarket.

The acquisition will help Detroit Reman grow its remanufacturing product line and customer commitment in the driveline aftermarket.

"Mascot is a great fit for us, both in terms of product and distribution," stated Sanjiv Khurana, president of Detroit Reman. "Mascot's portfolio complements our driveline products. We will also be able to leverage Mascot's national footprint to offer a better customer experience and a faster turnaround time for our customers."

Mascot Truck Parts will continue all operations and functions and support all customers from its Remanufacturing Centers of Excellence in Plainfield, Ind., and Mississauga, Ontario. Mascot Truck Parts will also continue shipping within 24 hours from its 28 logistic centers in North America, according to Detroit Reman.

Mascot was originally owned by Meritor, which sold its operations in the U.S. and Canada in 2014 to an investor group under the name Mascot Industries.

"We are excited about this alliance. With Detroit Reman we will have the opportunity to enhance our level of service through inventory improvements for all our customers," stated Bill Statham, president of Mascot Truck Parts.

Related: Clearing up Confusion About Reman

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Love’s Opens North Carolina and Texas Locations

Photo: Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores

The opening of two new Love's Travel Stops in Newton, N.C., and Beaumont, Texas, will add an additional 200 truck parking spaces to local interstates and highways.

The Newton store features a Hardee's restaurant, five showers and 104 truck parking spaces. The Beaumont Love's offers Arby's, Chester's Chicken, and Godfather's Pizza Express restaurants; seven showers, a game room, and 115 truck parking spaces. Both travel stops offer laundry facilities, coffee, fruit, snacks, gift merchandise, and Love's Truck Tire Care centers.

The Newton store is located at 1760 Southfork Drive (U.S. Highway 321, Exit 37).

The Beaumont travel stop is located at Interstate 10 and Smith Road (Exit 843).

Love's Truck Tire Care features diesel oil change services at new and existing locations. The Newton and Beaumont locations will offer oil change and light mechanical services upon opening, in addition to traditional tire services.

Related: Love's Adds Oil Changes to Tire Care Facilities

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In the Land where Zero Wins

“Choose Your Ride” is literally a publicity vehicle. Wittily marked up by WisDOT as half State Patrol cruiser and half taxi, it's an award-winning public-service ad warning against the danger and expense of drunk driving. Photo: Wisconsin DOT

Travel with me now to The Badger State, or America's Dairyland, if you prefer, a land of two Great Lakes, lush North Woods, rich farmland, solid cities, plentiful roads, and a state DOT determined to change the human culture around highway safety for the better.

Averring that 588 persons died on Wisconsin roads in 2016, WisDOT is convinced that number can be brought way, way down. Not just by such-and-such a percentage, as numbers people tend to speak of, but right down to zero. Yes, to zero. As in zilch.

That goal is obvious by the very name of the innovative multimedia campaign—dubbed “Zero in Wisconsin”— that WisDOT is directing to drive down highway fatalities in the state.

Underscoring the need for the ongoing initiative, on Aug. 23, speaking at the Governor's Conference on Highway Safety in Appleton, David Pabst, the agency's director of Transportation Safety, said traffic deaths are “right up there” as one of the top three causes of death in Wisconsin,

He noted some good news— that alcohol-related car crashes have been reduced over the past 10 years, but contended that's not enough to markedly reduce traffic deaths. Pabst said the state is seeing an increase in highway fatalities overall “because people are still not wearing their seat belt as much as they should, they're not slowing down, they're driving distracted, and they're driving drowsy.”

On the program's dedicated website, the WisDOT declares that, “In Wisconsin, our Zero Vision means that any preventable traffic death is one too many. By staying within the speed limit, being sober behind the wheel, and ...Read the rest of this story