With over 2,000 attendees and 80-plus exhibitors gathered in Nashville, TN, for TMW and PeopleNet's 2017 in.sight user conference and exposition, talk quickly turned to discussing major technology trends such as the chances of an electronic logging device (ELD) mandate delay and how data analysis will usher in a new wave of transportation efficiency. (All photos: Sean Kilcarr/Fleet Owner)
...Read the rest of this storyThird party logistics provider (3PL) Transplace is being acquired by private equity firm TPG Capital for an undisclosed sum, buying out Greenbriar Equity Group LLC, which acquired the 3PL back in 2013.
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...Read the rest of this storyDavid Wangler (left) and Brian McLaughlin will head the two new Trimble divisions. Photo: Trimble
">David Wangler (left) and Brian McLaughlin will head the two new Trimble divisions. Photo: Trimble
">Trimble has created two divisions as part of its transportation segment, Trimble Transportation Mobility and Trimble Transportation Enterprise, to address the changing marketplace.
The creation of Trimble Transportation Mobility aims to address the complex business challenges such as driver shortages, reduced capacity, safety and compliance and regulations. The new division will be focused on developing solutions that connect, drivers, trucks, freight, and data to improve performance and return on investment.
Trimble Transportation Enterprise will serve for-hire and private fleets, freight brokers, third-party logistics providers and other businesses through a portfolio that includes transportation management systems; routing, scheduling, mileage, mapping and mobile navigation solutions; business intelligence and data analytics; asset maintenance software; cloud solutions; and a variety of other products and services.
Trimble announced the new divisions at the in.sight User Conference +Expo, a joint user conference between PeopleNet and TMW Systems. Trimble is a software, hardware and services company that builds enterprise solutions products for a broad range of industries, including transportation, logistics, and construction.
Brian McLaughlin, president of PeopleNet, has been appointed to president of Trimble Transportation Mobility. The newly-formed division will include several Trimble business units: PeopleNet, Innovative Software Engineering (ISE), Trimble Oil & Gas Services, Trimble Final Mile Mobility, Trimble Mobility Solutions India (TMSI), and several other mobile startup initiatives.
“The transportation marketplace is evolving at a rapid pace and we must develop technology that drives efficiency, precision and simplicity throughout the supply chain. Trimble Transportation Mobility brings together a comprehensive set of solutions and industry expertise,” said McLaughlin. “By improving collaboration across our respective businesses, we can ensure that Trimble continues to lead in delivering innovative products to our diverse set of customers and their drivers. We are positioning ourselves for continued growth through a market-centric approach ...Read the rest of this story
With the first total solar eclipse to reach the continental United States since 1979 taking place on Aug. 21, warnings in recent weeks have been going out warning of heavy traffic disruptions.
In reality, states in the path of the eclipse and companies that provide real-time routing have been preparing for this rare event for many months.
A total solar eclipse is when the moon passes between the Sun and Earth. The result is all sunlight being briefly blocked, turning day into darkness.
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...Read the rest of this storyDeborah Lockridge
" >Deborah Lockridge
" width="185" height="242">“Forced into debt. Worked past exhaustion. Left with nothing.”
That's the subhead of a USA Today report, “Rigged,” which earlier this summer highlighted abuses of leased owner-operator drivers at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The newspaper found that some drivers were working long hours and taking home very little – in some cases none – of their paychecks after their lease payments and other expenses were deducted.
The report claimed that in some cases drivers were being forced to work as much as 20 hours in a day, far past the maximum allowed by law, with drivers alleging that their supervisors threatened to take their jobs or assign lower-paying routes as punishment if they did not.
The Harbor Trucking Association told HDT that the cases in the USA Today report were cherry-picked for their extremeness or were not completely explained.
“It focuses on a very small subset of the industry, and what we forget to point out is the 90-plus percent of drivers who prefer to be independent contractors and have made that business model work,” said HTA Executive Director Weston LaBar in an e-mail.
And that's long been my complaint about “misclassification” crusades by the Teamsters (especially at the ports), by state agencies, and by the U.S. Department of Labor. In an effort to address abuses like those described in the USA Today report (and to collect employment taxes government agencies think they're missing out on), these efforts throw the baby out with the bathwater, making it much harder for carriers and drivers to maintain legitimate contractor relationships.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of horror stories out there about owner-operator lease-purchase programs, and not just at the ports. Over the years, I've heard complaints about these programs at carriers both large and small. If you offer a ...Read the rest of this story
Robert L. Sumwalt III (left) sworn in as the National Transportation Safety Board's 14th Chairman during a brief ceremony held at NTSB headquarters on August 10, 2017. NTSB Board Member Bella T. Dinh-Zarr (center) NTSB Acting Managing Director Dennis Jones (right). Photo: NTSB
">Robert L. Sumwalt III (left) sworn in as the National Transportation Safety Board's 14th Chairman during a brief ceremony held at NTSB headquarters on August 10, 2017. NTSB Board Member Bella T. Dinh-Zarr (center) NTSB Acting Managing Director Dennis Jones (right). Photo: NTSB
">Robert L. Sumwalt III was sworn in as the National Transportation Safety Board's 14th chairman for a two-year term - a position nominated by President Trump.
Sumwalt has been serving as the acting chairman since March 31, 2017. He has been with the NTSB since 2006 when he was appointed as the 37th member of the board. President George W. Bush designated him as vice chairman for a two-year term, and President Obama reappointed him to an additional five-year term as a board member in 2011.
The NTSB is an independent federal agency charged with determining the probable cause of transportation accidents, promoting transportation safety and assisting victims of transportation accidents and their families.
“The NTSB is commemorating 50 years of making transportation safer yesterday, today and tomorrow and I am humbled and honored to have the privilege of guiding the dedicated men and women of the NTSB as we take on the challenges of transportation safety in the 21st century,” said Sumwalt. “Transportation technologies continue to advance and the NTSB must continue to increase the breadth and depth of our knowledge and understanding of transportation innovations such as autonomous vehicles, intelligent infrastructure, commercial space transportation, hyper-speed rail, solar-powered planes, and new recording technologies. That knowledge enables us to craft safety recommendations that leverage technology to prevent accidents and save lives.”
The NTSB has five board members, each nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate to serve five-year terms. By statute, the President designates a chariman with Senate confirmation. The President also designates a board member as vice chairman without ...Read the rest of this story
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