Trump Executive Order Aims to Speed Infrastructure Projects

Somewhat lost in the turmoil of Wednesday's contentious White House press conference was a new Executive Order issued by President Trump aimed at rebuilding the country's deteriorating infrastructure. In a statement, the president said, “Crumbling infrastructure will be replaced with new roads, bridges, tunnels, airports, and railways gleaming across our very, very beautiful land.”

In keeping with President Trump's campaign theme and promises, the White House said this latest Executive Order would curb or remove unnecessary red tape and a “fragmented, inefficient and unpredictable” system for environmental reviews. The infrastructure Executive Order will require agencies to track the costs of conducting environmental reviews and making permitting decisions.

According to the White House, regulatory red tape routinely holds up major infrastructure projects for years at significant cost to the economy. The White House cited a 2014 Government Accountability Office report saying it takes seven years on average for a complex highway project to go through the entire environmental review process. The White House also noted findings by National Association of Environmental Professionals, which found a single agency can take 3.7 to 5 years on average to complete an environmental review. The new Executive Order establishes a two-year goal to process environmental documents for major infrastructure projects.

According to the White House, President Trump's Executive Order will make the environmental and permitting processes needed for major infrastructure projects more efficient and effective. Rather than allow for a patchwork of agency reviews, the White House says this order implements a One Federal Decision policy under which the lead federal agency will work with other relevant federal agencies to complete the environmental reviews and permitting decisions needed for major ...Read the rest of this story

Pushing the Technology Envelope in Trucking

Photo: PeopleNet

During the opening session of the PeopleNet and TMW in.sight User Conference + Expo Aug. 14, Mark Botticelli, executive vice president, Technology, PeopleNet, described how some wearable devices such as virtual reality goggles or a smart arm band could aid drivers.

The smart arm band is capable of learning and reacting to a driver's gestures by sensing muscle movements. These gestures can then be used to send commands to various components inside the truck cab. For instance, the driver might use one gesture to request the mobile comm unit read his messages for the day, Botticelli explained a follow-up interview. Such a device could help cut down on driver distraction by allowing the driver to manipulate devices within the cab without taking his eyes off the road or hands off the wheel. Smart wearable devices are already available on the market.

Virtual reality goggles could aid a driver during pre- and post-trip inspections. When a driver looked at a component, the goggles could display a drop-down list of past repairs or issues with that components. A dispatcher might use VR to “get inside” the cab to see what a driver sees via a 3-D rendering of the road ahead, or even tap into the truck's ion-board video system to see what the driver was seeing on the road and what is around the truck. “Of course, a dispatcher could do the same thing via a computer,” Botticelli said. But the VR goggles would provide a richer experience.

Or, VR goggles could be used on the loading dock. The goggles could display a schematic of the trailer indicating where each part of the load should be placed thereby optimizing the way cargo is loaded.

While autonomous vehicles may still be some ways in the future, they may be closer than you think, Botticelli ...Read the rest of this story

FourKites Recognized by Frost & Sullivan

Helping to plug the holes in freight visibility for shippers and 3PLs earned FourKites, Chicago, the 2017 North American Dynamic Supply Chain Tracking Solutions Entrepreneurial Company of the Year Award from Frost & Sullivan, which lauded the company's efforts to build a software platform to modernize information sharing within the logistics industry.

Essentially, the company “scrape” data from different sources to provide shippers and 3PLs real-time visibility of their shipments regardless of the type of data, explained Craig Fiander, senior vice president, global business development.

Establishing relationships with the carriers a shipper uses, FourKites' platform is able to integrate carrier dispatch and GPS information to provide visibility of shipments.

In addition to working with shippers, the company also provides a carrier portal built to upgrade EDI 214 infrastructures with real-time tracking data and geo-fencing. This allows carriers provide load information to customers without the need for check calls. The software uses a proprietary algorithm to calculate accurate ETAs.

FourKites has built relationships with most major TMS and mobile communications providers, allowing them to provide accurate visibility no matter what system a carrier or shipper may be using. For carriers, the system can be easily integrated into the company's existing dispatch, Fiander said, making deployment quick and easy.

In the case where a carrier is hauling multiple loads, carriers can give their customers access only information on their specific load. In other words, if a truck delivers a load to store A and then delivers to store B, the shipper for store B will only see the information regarding his load, explained Dan Buchholz, FourKites solution engineer. The platform can be used on any mode of transportation – truckload, LTL, intermodal, etc., Buchholz said.

For shippers, this capability is very attractive as it allows them to follow their shipments regardless of where they are or what they ...Read the rest of this story

Retail, e-tail seek ever-faster, most convenient delivery

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AMP secures $47M to build natural gas fueling stations

AMP Americas, the renewable natural gas (RNG) producer and marketer, and compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel and infrastructure operator for the heavy-duty, commercial trucking industry, announced a $47 million equity commitment from Houston-based EIV Capital, a private equity firm focused on the energy industry. The equity commitment will allow AMP Americas to pursue growth opportunities across its businesses.

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Prime Distribution Services implements HighJump WMS

Prime Distribution Services, An Ascent Global Logistics Company, announced it has finalized the implementation of cloud-based HighJump Enterprise Warehouse Management System (WMS).

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Cummins undergoes marketing leadership changes

After 15 years working with customers, sponsoring new products and marketing efforts, Lori Thompson will now serve as a key member of the Cummins Operating Team, Cummins announced. In this new role, Thompsona will lead US diversity initiatives within the company and she will continue to lead the overall marketing function.

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