New insurance covers those without WSIB

V3 Matches Driver’s Donation to St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund

Robert Burton with the Expediter of the Year award. Photo: V3 Transportation

V3 Transportation has announced that it will make a donation to the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund in honor of Robert Burton, an owner-operator with V3 who won Expediter of the Year at the recent Expedite Expo.

Burton donated the $500 that accompanied the inaugural award to the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund, which V3 has vowed to match in the name of Burton and his wife Christy Burton, who is his co-driver.

“We are aware of the St. Christopher Fund and the great work they do on behalf of drivers. St. Christopher's is a terrific charity, and, while we were extremely proud of Robert's recognition as the first-ever Expediter of the Year, the entire team at V3 was greatly moved by his decision to give the $500 cash prize to the St. Christopher Fund,” said John Sliter, V3 president. “Our management team at V3 felt the best way to pay tribute to Robert's accomplishment and his commitment to others on the road was to match his donation. V3 is proud to make a $500 donation to the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund in the names of Robert and Christy Burton.”

Burton's wife and co-driver submitted his nomination for Expediter of the Year, citing instances on the road where he provided assistance to motorists and truck drivers during their travels. In one situation when the Burtons encountered a burning car filled with oxygen tanks along Interstate 35 in Texas, Robert was able to coordinate a blockade of traffic on both sides of the highway before authorities arrived on the scene, keeping people safe from the ensuing explosion of the burning car.

“I knew I had to nominate Robert because of the human being that he actually is. I just had to do it,” ...Read the rest of this story

Test Drive: Volvo’s VNR Could be an Urban Legend (in the Making)

Volvo's new VNR 640 with a 61-inch sleeper provides drivers all the comfort and storage options they'll need for week-long excursions. Photos: Jim Park

The introduction of Volvo's new regional lineup is as much a mindset upgrade as a mechanical one. With its previous regional truck platform, the VNM, just turning 20 years old, Volvo has elevated the status of the regional truck from utilitarian workhorse to flagship chassis set to meet the new economy head-on.

Volvo predicts the regional market is set to explode, driven by a combination of shortening supply chains and a strong push from drivers for shorter hauls and more home time. At the April VNR launch event in Montreal, Quebec, Volvo Trucks North America President GÕran Nyberg said the industry is shifting toward a hub-and-spoke or a relay-type of operation to attract drivers.

“Many drivers are leaving the industry because they aren't happy being away for weeks at a time,” he said. “Relays and hub-and-spoke will get drivers home regularly and more often, and many fleets are already tailoring their operations that way to attract the best drivers.”

VTNA now has just the truck it believes will help attract top-notch talent to the burgeoning number of regional jobs, and the VNR will likely play a big role in keeping them there.

The VNR was clearly designed with driver comfort, convenience and safety very near the top of the priority list, but fleets will benefit as well with improved aerodynamics, reduced maintenance and some clever damage mitigation innovations.

The truck is offered in three base configurations; the day-cab VNR 300, a flat-roof sleeper model called the VNR 420 that comes with a 42-inch sleeper compartment for overnight trips, and the VNR 640, which features a 61-inch mid-roof sleeper intended for week-long excursions. It has enough room for a 42-inch mattress, a ...Read the rest of this story

Taking Tires for a Test Drive

Tires operate in all kinds of conditions. Be sure your testing reflects the environment in which the tires will serve. Photo: Jim Park

If you want to test drive some new tires before you buy — and who wouldn't — be prepared to invest significant time and energy in the project.

You need patience to produce a successful tire evaluation. Diligent record keeping and careful observation will help, but it can take two years or more to get an accurate picture of how tires will perform in a specific application.

It takes time and miles for tread rubber to scrub away and for any irregular wear problems to appear. All the while, the test tires will be at the mercy of the mechanical condition of the truck, road hazards, ambivalent or unknowing technicians, and the habits of the drivers piloting the test trucks. That's a lot of variables from which to draw hard conclusions about tire performance.

Peggy Fisher, president of Tire Stamp Inc. and expert-at-large on the ATA's Technology & Maintenance Council's S.2 Tire and Wheel Task Force, orchestrated many such tire evaluations during her days as a fleet tire manager with Roadway Express back in the '80s. She managed nearly 200,000 tires on 30,000 pieces of equipment — and tested many thousands of tires.

“Because tire testing for tread wear and durability can take years, the biggest issue in running these tests is keeping maintenance personnel aware that the test is still ongoing,” she says. “This becomes harder to do the larger the fleet and the more people touching the test tires.”

Fisher points to TMC recommended practice 230B as the ideal template for tire durability and tread wear evaluation. One of the TMC's longer RP documents at 20 pages, it's very comprehensive and includes tools for recording data and making evaluations.

Among the ...Read the rest of this story

Earnings Watch: Werner Rises 27%

Trucking and logistics provider Werner Enterprises has reported that its earnings climbed 27% for the second quarter, compared to the same period a year ago.

Werner said it ended Q2 with earnings per diluted share of $0.32 compared to earnings per diluted share of $0.25 for Q2 2016. The company noted that Q2 '16 results included a $3.4 million pre-tax gain, or three cents per diluted share, on the sale of real estate.

“Second quarter 2017 freight demand in our One-Way Truckload fleet improved seasonally throughout the quarter,” Werner said in a statement. “The seasonal improvement was better than normal in some periods of second quarter 2017, compared to seasonally softer than normal freight demand in second quarter 2016. Freight volumes thus far in July 2017 in One-Way Truckload have been seasonally better than normal and stronger than the same period in July 2016.”

Werner reported average revenues per tractor per week increased 4.1% in this year's Q2 compared to the same period a year earlier due to a 2.4% increase in average revenues per total mile and a 1.7% increase in average miles per truck.

“During second and third quarter of 2016, to take advantage of a strengthening Dedicated market, we moved trucks from One-Way Truckload, lessening the need to find freight for trucks in the more challenged one-way truckload market,” the company pointed out “The shifting of trucks to shorter-haul Dedicated from longer-haul One-Way Truckload had a favorable impact on revenue per total mile and an unfavorable impact on miles per truck.”

The company also advised that freight volume metrics have improved, evidenced by a lower empty mile percentage, rising average miles per truck, and higher pricing for transactional spot market shipments. “Assuming this freight volume trend continues, we expect contractual rates to begin to improve over the next few quarters, particularly noting ...Read the rest of this story

Alphabet beats Wall Street estimates; revenue up 21 percent

On a consolidated basis, revenue rose about 21 percent to $26.01 billion in the second quarter ended on June 30, beating the analysts' average estimate of $25.65 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Earnings per share was $5.01, beating an average estimate of $4.49, and would have been $8.90 if not for the EU antitrust fine announced last month, Alphabet said. Earnings per share was $7 in the second quarter of 2016.

Democrats take aim at big business and drug prices in new economic campaign

Democrats led by Pelosi, Schumer and Warren roll out their 2018 economic platform titled "A Better Deal."