Five terminal tractor buying trends

Trucking groups beef up policy teams

Kansas City Tops Safe Drivers List

Photo by Airtuna08 at en.wikipedia.

A new report from Allstate concludes that Kansas City, Kan., has the safest drivers in the U.S. overall, based on claims data. Brownsville, Texas, which finished in the No. 1 spot in last year's report, came in second and Madison, Wis., finished third.

The average Kansas City driver is about 32% less likely to experience a collision than the average U.S. driver, according to the report.

The 13th annual “Allstate America's Best Drivers Report” also had good news for New Yorkers. New York City climbed 27 spots from last year's position to reach the 116th spot. Anchorage, Alaska, was the most improved city, thanks to a 35-spot jump to number 34 this year.

“We congratulate the drivers in cities that top this year's report,” said Glenn Shapiro, Allstate's executive vice president of claims. “Heading into the holiday weekend, we urge everyone to make safety their number one priority whenever they're behind the wheel.”

For the third straight year, the Allstate America's Best Drivers Report also analyzed the correlation between collisions and hard-braking events in more than 100 cities, using data collected by Allstate's Drivewise offering. Drivewise technology enables consumers to monitor their driving habits to improve safety and gain rewards on their insurance.

A hard-braking event is defined as slowing down eight miles per hour or more over a one-second period. According to national Drivewise data, the average American driver will experience approximately 19 hard-braking events for every 1,000 miles driven. Allstate found a correlation between hard-braking and collision frequency. Drivers in cities with fewer hard-braking events per 1,000 miles also tended to have fewer auto property damage claims.

The 2017 Best Drivers Report found drivers in the following cities experienced the fewest hard-braking events per 1,000 miles: Kansas City, Kan. (9.9); Madison, Wis. (9.9); Mobile, Ala. (11.9); Wichita, Kan. (12.0); and ...Read the rest of this story

Draytech Summit Offers Glimpse of Port Trucking’s Future

New trucks were available to Draytech attendees to check out during the event. Photos: Steven Martinez

Not far from where the Queen Mary is moored, across the bay from Downtown Long Beach, California, the Harbor Trucking Association held its inaugural Draytech Summit June 28, bringing together port servicing companies and technology suppliers for a day of networking and learning.

At a venue near the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach with views of the harbor's blue waters, attendees were given first-hand demonstrations of the latest technologies designed to streamline operations on every level, from dispatch to planning to driver hours of service.

The theme of the event was drayage-focused technology, and a small exhibition hall hosted 25 booths with technology exhibitors like Blackberry, Sprint, Driver iQ and others.

Other more port-focused companies, like ChassisFinder.com, tackled problems such as bringing the process of short-term chassis rentals online. There were also several trucks on hand in the parking lot, showcasing the latest regional tractors, including the recently launched International RH.

Mario Cordero, the executive director of the Port of Long Beach, addressed the group at the start, emphasizing the ports' goal of remaining competitive with ports in Savannah, Georgia, and others along the East Coast with a recent Panama Canal expansion that could entice traffic away from Southern California. But more than just staying competitive, the goal of the afternoon was to show how technology can be used to increase efficiency and potentially increase market share, said Cordero.

The Queen Mary is now a permanent fixture of the bay, attached to the docks and operating mostly as a kitschy hotel, bar, and tourist attraction in 2017. Once one of the largest vessels on the sea, the famous old ocean liner is now outsized by the ever-larger container ships sailing ...Read the rest of this story

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DOT Changes Infrastructure Grant Program to Emphasize Alternative Funding Methods

The new grant program will emphasize projects that stretch federal highway funding. Photo: Evan Lockridge

The Department of Transportation has retooled the federal Fastlane infrastructure grant program to better align with the Trump administration's goals of using more public-private partnerships.

The new Infrastructure for Rebuilding America Grant program changes the grant criteria for the program, which was established as part of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act of 2015. The DOT says the updated criteria will evaluate projects “to align them with national and regional economic vitality goals and to leverage more non-federal funding,” citing a focus on “projects that use innovative approaches to make each the federal dollar go further and encourage more parties to put skin in the game.”

The INFRA program criteria include economic vitality, innovation, leveraging of federal funding, and performance and accountability, according to a DOT fact sheet. Previous Fastlane criteria calling for community and environmental outcomes are not emphasized in the new program.

The INFRA Grant solicitation will make approximately $1.5 billion available to projects that are in line with the Administration's principles to help rebuild, repair, and revitalize America's crumbling infrastructure.

However, some are not happy about the fact that previous Fastlane applicants will now have to re-apply under the new criteria.

U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, both Democrats representing Illinois, called on President Trump to fully fund the DOT's fiscal year 2017 Fastlane grants.

“President Trump promised a trillion dollar infrastructure package, but instead his budget slashed transportation investments and his Administration continues to delay funding,” Durbin said. “I urge the president to immediately fund and advance the hundreds of millions of dollars in Fastlane grants around the country.”

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Bosch Debuts Class 4-8 Diagnostic Scan Tool

The Bosch HDS 200 Heavy Duty Scan Tool Kit displays and graphs live data from SAE standard MIDS/PIDS along with on-screen definitions of diagnostic trouble codes. Photo: Bosch

Bosch has announced a new HDS 200 heavy duty scan tool, which the company said is designed to be an easy-to-use, cost-effective solution for technicians working on Class 4 - 8 trucks.

The new HDS 200 is a solution for aftermarket repair shops that sometimes service heavy- and medium-duty trucks and can also help heavy-duty shops that need a second triage tool or a mobile diagnostic tool for their repair trucks.

According to Bosch, the HDS 200 is ruggedized and features a color display with clear diagnostic trouble codes. To better assist technicians in diagnosis and repair, the tool displays and graphs live data from SAE standard MIDS/PIDS along with on-screen definitions of diagnostic trouble codes and is HD-OBD compatible. Users have the option of recording data to playback information. The tool offers Global OBD II Quick Test for gasoline and diesel engines. A demonstration mode allows technicians to quickly get up to speed on tool features and funtionality.

The Bosch HDS 200 Heavy Duty Scan Tool kit includes a 9-pin Deutsch cable, 6-pin Deutsch cable, 16-pin HD/OBD II cable, USB cable, quick start guide and carrying case.

For more information visit www.BoschDiagnostics.com.

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