Category: Trucking News

TravelCenters of America Begin Accepting U.S. Bank Fleet Card

<img width="150" src="http://www.automotive-fleet.com/fc_images/news/m-us-bank-fleet-voyager-card-1.jpg" border="0" alt="

Photo courtesy of U.S. Bank.

" >

Photo courtesy of U.S. Bank.

" width="175" height="110">

TravelCenters of America, operator of the TA and Petro Stopping Centers brands and Minit Mart convenience stores, is expanding its relationship with U.S. Bank by accepting a new single Voyager Fleet Card at its truck stop and convenience store locations.

The new single Voyager Fleet Card combines fleet control functionality needed by heavy-duty commercial rigs at truck stops with the comprehensive data capture capabilities required by smaller vehicle fleets at retail locations. For the first time, all vehicle classes can be managed through one card, one network and one program management platform, according to the company.

"Partnering with U.S. Bank on the first true single card solution means we can better serve the needs of mixed fleets," said TravelCenters CEO Tom O'Brien. "We have long valued our relationship with U.S. Bank, and this agreement deepens it to a new level. We look forward to issuing the new card to our employee drivers in the coming months, and expect to begin accepting it from customers in 2017."

The Voyager Network, owned and operated by U.S. Bank, includes thousands of participating fueling, maintenance and service locations nationwide, including TA, Petro and Minit Mart outlets. Drivers and fleet managers can find card-accepting locations with the Voyager Mobile App or the merchant locator within U.S. Bank Fleet Commander Online.

"Expanding our partnership in this way brings the efficiencies of a single solution to TravelCenters and to the market at large," said John Hardin, U.S. Bank global transportation solutions general manager. "They are able to better meet the needs of their fleet, while we solidify our leadership position in the industry with the first fully integrated fuel payment solution to cover all eight fleet classes in a single card."

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

...Read the rest of this story

Intermodal: new opportunities for trucking?

A new white paper compiled by J.B. Hunt Transportation Services argues that the “multiple impacts” from the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate, the ongoing driver shortage, rising fuel costs, and the desire for a smaller “environmental footprint” will dovetail with intensive capital investment efforts by Class I railroads to make intermodal a more attractive option for shippers going forward.

read more

...Read the rest of this story

Rastrac, Magellan Partner on Fleet Telematics

Austin, Texas-based telematics provider Rastrac is partnering with Magellan on a system that vehicle tracking and reporting, including Hours of Service (HOS) compliance through an electronic logging device (ELD), according to the company.

Magellan's ELD will interface with Rastrac's GPS-based fleet tracking system. Magellan would provide real time mapping for a fleet's drivers, and the Rastrac system would provide historical GPS information including reports.

The mapping on the Magellan device is independent of Rastrac's system. The Magellan device provides HOS and interfaces with Rastrac hardware for tracking and reporting.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has issued HOS regulations aimed at managing the working hours of anyone who operates a commercial motor vehicle in the U.S.

Since 1938, these were recorded manually in paper logs and difficult to verify. In 2015, FMCSA added the Final Rule, which requires the use of an ELD that monitors engine hours, vehicle movement, miles driven, and location information. All paper logs need to be transitioned to ELDs no later than Dec. 18, 2017.

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

...Read the rest of this story