House THUD Bill Boasts Trucking Reform Riders

Image: Office of the Architect of the Capitol

The subcommittee draft for the next House Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill features several riders favored by trucking interests, including a long-sought measure that would preempt states from enacting laws dictating meal and rest break requirements for truckers. A similar rider is attached to the reauthorization bill covering DOT that was advanced last month by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

For several years now, trucking lobbyists have been seeking a legislative provision that would prevent individual states from enacting their own meal and rest break rules for CDL drivers, as well as to prohibit states from requiring that those drivers be paid certain types of added compensation, such as detention pay. That effort failed on Capitol Hill no less than three times last year.

Proponents of this reform have been pushing hard for Congress to more directly address state preemption of federal driver rules ever since a Supreme Court ruling in May 2015 upheld a California statute requiring a paid 10-minute rest break every four hours and a paid 30-minute meal period every five hours for truck drivers.

The House bill would also prevent the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration from advancing a safety-fitness determination rulemaking until the DOT Inspector General has issued certain certifications required by law.

The back story on this rider is a bit more complex. Earlier this year, the Federal Motor Carrier Administration announced it was scrapping its proposed rule on a revised methodology for issuing safety-fitness determinations for motor carriers. The agency had issued its SFD notice of proposed rulemaking back in January of last year.

FMCSA explained in a March 23 notice in the Federal Register that despite having recently announced it would next issue a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking, it had decided ...Read the rest of this story

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Importance of Mobile Truck, Van Marketing

Reflective graphics greatly increase visibility in the dark, and are most effective for fleets that operate at night. (Photo courtesy of Vehicle Marking Systems)

According to a study performed by the American Trucking Associations (ATA), a vehicle wrap on a typical trailer makes 10 million impressions every year. That number increases to 14 million for trailers with reflective graphics and to 16 million for local delivery vans. Another study found that fleet graphics give 101 impressions per mile traveled. With so many opportunities to get eyes on your advertising, adding graphics to fleet trucks or vans can go a long way toward boosting brand recognition.

“Vehicle wraps have the lowest cost per impression in the advertising market,” said John Duever, president of Vinyl Images and Design. “You are affordably branding your company and, with the right team of operators, you are growing your company in a very positive manner.”

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Vehicle graphics may make a lot of impressions, but the first question on a company's mind is likely, “What is the cost?” As Duever noted, the cost per impression is typically lower than other forms of advertising. The Outdoor Advertising Association of America cites the cost per impression for vehicle wraps at $0.77 — that's about a third of the cost of a billboard ($2.18) and a fraction of the cost of a radio ad ($8.61).

Another study conducted by 3M, which measured the advertising effectiveness of fleet graphics on 10 Snapple trucks in two major metropolitan areas, found an average daily effective circulation of 6 million passers-by exposed to each truck. Tim Boxeth, marketing manager — fleet graphics, 3M Graphics, said that makes for a very ...Read the rest of this story

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NACFE Updates 6×2 Confidence Report

Third generation 6x2 systems feature liftable pusher axles, which are said to improve ROI by allowing for axle-up light-weight operation. Photo by Jim Park

The latest Confidence Report release from NACFE shows that 6x2 drivetrains are still viable options for fleets looking for fuel and weight savings, but uptake on the technology is lower than what was predicted. This latest report shows 6x2 technology is evolving as product refinements emerge and fleets continue to work around some of the configuration's perceived challenges.

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency and Carbon War Room today issued an update to the Confidence Report on 6x2 axles, originally published in January 2003. Because of the way the 6x2 is evolving, this is the first time NACFE has convened a new team of experts to re-investigate a technology on which it has already issued a Confidence Report.

“While we found that the fuel savings benefits as well as the challenges from the original report are largely still true, new product refinements are coming to the market that are aimed at addressing some of the concerns fleets had about 6x2 axles,” says Yunsu Park, NACFE study team manager. “For instance, fleets dedicated to 6x2s are improving tire wear by changing the tire models they use and [electronically] limiting [engine] torque when launching the truck. Also, driver training has proven to be a significant part of a successful 6x2 implementation.”

The study team identified three generations of 6x2 products, but focused special attention on Generation III products, which contain liftable pusher axles, automatic axle-load biasing and traction control.

Generation I: 6x2 with tag axle, no load-shifting technology, manual differential locks. This version offered a 2–3% fuel savings along with weight savings of 300–400 pounds compared to a 6x4. Reported issues included accelerated tire wear and reduced traction under certain conditions, ...Read the rest of this story

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