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Diesel Prices Fall After Six Weeks of Hikes

Source: EIA

Diesel prices finally dropped after a month and half streak of weekly increases, according to the latest numbers from the Energy Department.

The average price of on-highway diesel fuel fell by 1.2 cents last week, settling at 2.585 per gallon at the pump. The price is now 47.3 cents more expensive than it was in the same week a year ago.

Prices were down in all regions of the U.S. with the largest decrease coming to Gulf Coast region at 1.9 cents for the week. The lease change was observed in the Midwest, where prices dropped by 0.6 cents in the same period.

Gasoline prices were also down for the week, with the national average price of regular gasoline falling 3 cents last week to $2.358 per gallon. The price is currently 44.4 cents more expensive than it was in the same week of 2016.

Prices fluctuated significantly based on the region, with a particularly large decrease in prices hitting the Midwest at 6.1 cents. Prices were actually up in the Rocky Mountain region, increasing 0.5 cents for the week.

Crude oil prices were up on Dec. 17 but lost some of the gains when a new report suggested that U.S. shale oil production would ramp up in February, according to a MarketWatch report.

Prices climbed when a Saudi oil minister said that the recently negotiated agreement to curb oil production in OPEC countries would rebalance the oil market by the year's end.

However, the resulting oil prices gains have caused U.S. oil production to ramp up again as it becomes profitable enough for the U.S. shale oil to make a comeback, hindering a full rally.

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FMCSA Suspends Rollout of Online DOT Registration System

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has suspended the rollout of its new online Unified Registration System until technical issues are resolved.

While the suspension is in place, the agency said that motor carriers and other entities needing to file required registration and biennial update information will “follow the same procedures and forms used to submit information to FMCSA as they do today.”

In a notice posted in the Federal Register for Jan. 17, the agency said that petitions for reconsideration (comments) on the suspension must be received by February 16, 2017. Such petitions should be submitted to: Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, 20590-0001.

All background documents, comments, and materials related to this rule may be viewed here within the FMCSA-1997-2349 docket.

FMCSA said in the notice that it is extending the implementation date of the final stage of the URS 1 rule because “additional time is needed to securely migrate data from multiple legacy platforms into a new central database and to conduct further compatibility testing with its State partners.”

The agency pointed out as well that it recently migrated its information technology systems to a “cloud” environment. “This migration effort was a necessary step in order to provide a foundation to successfully implement URS,” according to FMCSA.

URS is described as a simplified online registration process. It combines multiple legacy reporting forms into a single, online “smart form” that is designed to streamline the registration and renewal process.

When fully implemented, URS will allow FMCSA to identify unfit carriers and detect unsafe truck and bus companies that are trying to evade enforcement actions. The agency said that offending companies often attempt to regain U.S. DOT registration by registering as a different or unrelated business entity.

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FMCSA Suspends Rollout of Online DOT Registration System

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has suspended the rollout of its new online Unified Registration System until technical issues are resolved.

While the suspension is in place, the agency said that motor carriers and other entities needing to file required registration and biennial update information will “follow the same procedures and forms used to submit information to FMCSA as they do today.”

In a notice posted in the Federal Register for Jan. 17, the agency said that petitions for reconsideration (comments) on the suspension must be received by February 16, 2017. Such petitions should be submitted to: Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, 20590-0001.

All background documents, comments, and materials related to this rule may be viewed here within the FMCSA-1997-2349 docket.

FMCSA said in the notice that it is extending the implementation date of the final stage of the URS 1 rule because “additional time is needed to securely migrate data from multiple legacy platforms into a new central database and to conduct further compatibility testing with its State partners.”

The agency pointed out as well that it recently migrated its information technology systems to a “cloud” environment. “This migration effort was a necessary step in order to provide a foundation to successfully implement URS,” according to FMCSA.

URS is described as a simplified online registration process. It combines multiple legacy reporting forms into a single, online “smart form” that is designed to streamline the registration and renewal process.

When fully implemented, URS will allow FMCSA to identify unfit carriers and detect unsafe truck and bus companies that are trying to evade enforcement actions. The agency said that offending companies often attempt to regain U.S. DOT registration by registering as a different or unrelated business entity.

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Mack Announces mDrive Features, Software, Donation to CIM

Photo: Tom Berg

Mack Trucks today introduced “rolling start” and “auto neutral” for its mDrive and mDrive HD automated transmissions for use in concrete mixer chassis, at the World of Concrete 2017 in Las Vegas. Also announced were a telematics-based dispatching software called WheresMyConcrete, and donation of a Granite mixer to benefit an educational program.

“Mack's mDrive transmissions serve a wide range of customers, including those with demanding paving and concrete applications,” said Tim Wrinkle, Mack construction product manager. “Now updated with rolling start and auto neutral, mDrive transmissions are even better suited to those tasks.”

Rolling start allows a driver to shift the transmission from neutral to drive without applying a truck's service brakes, which has been necessary with mDrive. This eliminates the possibility of creating a bump in the paving surface, which is a critical benefit for paving, he said.

Auto neutral shifts the transmission into neutral when the driver sets the parking brake, eliminating the possibility of the truck moving under power, such as when a remote throttle control is used. Both features are now standard on mDrive and mDrive HD.

WheresMyConcrete, a cloud-based and telematics-connected dispatching, analytics and customer service tool, is a new addition to Mack Fleet Management Services. It's now available for ready-mix customers seeking improved asset visibility, dispatch efficiency and real-time data identifying exactly where a concrete load is in the delivery process.

“This tool gives managers information in real-time, helping eliminate the potential for unnecessary downtime on the job site,” Wrinkle said. WheresMyConcrete is available on Mack truck models equipped with a Mack engine, including the Granite, TerraPro, Pinnacle and LR.

WheresMyConcrete can be tailored to ready-mix customers' needs, including those who need only GPS tracking of their trucks. Additional features can be bundled to enhance the service, including digital tickets, electronic billing, ...Read the rest of this story

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