Ford pursues EV joint venture with Chinese automaker

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Element launches integrated maintenance scheduling app

Element Fleet Management announced it has released maintenance scheduling through Element's Xcelerate for Drivers website and mobile app with Firestone Complete Auto Care (FCAC), Tires Plus, and windshield repair scheduling with Safelite AutoGlass locations.

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CVSA releases Roadcheck 2017 results

Violations for brake systems, cargo securement, and tires/wheels were the top causes vehicles were placed out of service during the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's (CVSA) 2017 Roadcheck inspection blitz.

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Support for NAFTA steady, survey finds

Despite often heated rhetoric around the subject, many Americans believe the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) helped support strong economic growth in the U.S. over the last two decades, according to a new poll, while withdrawing from the deal would result in negative consequences for them.

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Why the ELD Mandate is a Problem for Temp Drivers

One of the shortcomings of the new electronic logging device mandate that goes into effect in December is that it causes problems for drivers who are working for a driver service or a temporary driver pool.

These drivers are unable to transfer their hours of service information from one carrier to another. Even though this probably applies to a relatively small group of drivers, it will cause them considerable inconvenience.

This is known in the ELD world as inter-operability, and in drafting its rule, FMCSA choose not to address it.

"Continental and others submitted comments requesting the agency address the issue of inter-operability, but that is as far as we got," says Alexis Cappelle, ELD program manager for Continental Corp. "The standard addresses the electronic formatting of the data for export, for inspection, but it doesn't require ELD providers to accept incoming data, so nobody has made provisions to accept data from one ELD brand to another."

A driver working for Carrier A this week and Carrier B next week would have to print out the previous 7 or 14 days worth of logs from Carrier A and manually enter them into Carrier B's ELD so the hours would all be accounted for. Paper copies of the last week's logs might pass muster at a roadside inspection, but would be insufficient in an audit, because the Carrier B's system would not show the hours worked by the driver in the previous week.

"The driver will have to get his or her RODS [records of duty status] from each fleet he or she is working for," says Capelle. "To date there is no standard to exchange RODS information from one ELD system to another one, so the data import will have to be ...Read the rest of this story

15 DHL Drivers Compete in Safe Driving Competition

DHL's top 15 couriers competed for the company's safest driver award in Dallas earlier this month in the second Safe-Driving Rodeo competition, the company announced.

The 15 finalists were chosen among 640 full- and part-time drivers who volunteered to participate in the test of defensive driving skills on Aug. 17. DHL used Geotab's GPS-based telematics system to monitor the competitors, who drove on freeways and city streets. Drivers also took a written exam and underwent a vehicle inspection.

Driving safety organization, Smith System, judged the competitors. The event was the follow-up to the initial safe-driving competition hosted in October.

"Rather than making this a one-day, one-off affair, our rodeo measures safety over an extended period of time, because at DHL, we view safety as an everyday event," said Cain Moodie, senior vice president of network operations for DHL Express. "By monitoring and assessing couriers' driving performances for nearly half a year through this competition, we are able to further commit ourselves to the safety of both our employees and the many communities where we conduct business."

Smith System's "5 Keys to Space Cushion Driving" figure prominently in the competition and include Aim High in Steering, Get the Big Picture, Keep Your Eyes Moving, Leave Yourself an Out, and Make Sure They See You.

Related: Chicago Courier Wins DHL's Safe Driving Rodeo

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Increased Costs Could Mean Less Favorable Trucking Conditions

Source: FTR

FTR's Trucking Conditions Index fell by more than two points in June as a result of increased costs for labor, fuel, and equipment, reflecting less favorable conditions for trucking.

The June TCI dropped to a reading of 4.54 for the month. Market tightness is seen as likely shorter than expected due to a possible drag on capacity caused by upcoming regulations, according to FTR.

“Despite the monthly drop from May to June, the TCI has stayed in a relatively stable range since this time last year,” said Jonathan Starks, FTR's COO. “It remains positive, but does not yet indicate that a significant change in operations is occurring.”

FTR is maintaining a favorable freight forecast for the rest of the year, but does not expect as strong of a result for 2018. It is projecting around half of the growth for next year with an increased risk of recession toward the end of 2018.

“The potential for such a change increases as we move through 2018, with ELD implementation and continued freight growth hindering truck capacity,” said Starks. “We are also beginning to hear stories of increased difficulty in hiring as the economy begins approaching full employment.”

The spot market has shown strong increases in recent weeks it could be an indicator as to how rates in the contract market are likely to move, according to Starks.

“Spot data in early August shows that the rate increases have hit the double-digit mark and are still moving up,” said Starks. “Market participants need to continue evaluating conditions ahead of the ELD implementation in December to make sure that they are prepared for the possible disruptions that could occur.”

Related: Controlling Creeping Fleet Costs

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