Daimler experiments with artificial daylight in cabs

Wabco Reveals Technology Showcase Trailer

Photo: Deborah Lockridge

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY — Wabco is debuting its interactive Technology Showcase Trailer for the first time here at the Mid-America Trucking Show to highlight company innovations.

The Technology Showcase Trailer will go on a tour of the U.S. for the next eight months at dealerships and commercial vehicle fleet operators across the country. The showcase offers hands-on interactive displays and demonstrations of Wabco's safety and efficiency technologies as well as comprehensive wheel end solutions.

These technologies and solutions include the company's air disc brakes, Wabco OptiFlow AutoTail, Tristop D Brake chambers, Integrated Vehicle Tire Monitoring System, and the Wabco EasyFit Automatic Slack Adjuster.

The first leg of the tour runs through May and currently includes the following sites:

2017 Dates

Location

April 10-14

Portland, Ore.

Salem, Ore.

Tacoma, Wash.

Ridgefield, Wash.

Pacifica, Wash.

April 17-21

Salt Lake City, Utah

April 24-28

Lincoln, Neb.

Omaha, Neb.

May 1-5

Kingsport, Tenn.

May 8-12

Hickory, N.C.

Greensboro, N.C.

May 15-19

Wilmington, N.C.

Florence, S.C.

May 22-26

Dallas/ Fort Worth, Texas

San Antonio, Texas

For more information or to schedule Wabco technology demonstrations, contact Carlos Francisco at [email protected].

Related: Wabco Opens New U.S. Plant to Produce Air Disc Brakes

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Goodyear Names 34th Highway Hero at MATS

Photo: Deborah Lockridge

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY — David Webb of Billings, Mont., accepted the 34th Goodyear Highway Hero Award during the Mid-America Trucking Show for saving the life of an incapacitated driver.

Chosen from three finalists, Webb was recognized for stopping an out-of-control dump truck and performing CPR on the incapacitated driver.

Webb and his wife Carol were driving through Washington State last June when they noticed a dump truck swerving in the next lane. Webb saw that the driver was slumped over the steering wheel and as the dump truck slowed, he got out of his own truck to run after the still-moving vehicle.

Thinking fast, Webb jumped onto the truck's running board, opened the door, reached inside and applied the brakes. As his wife called 911, he worked with another bystander to pull the driver out of the truck and perform CPR on the man until help arrived. The driver was hospitalized and survived.

“David took immediate action to save a fellow truck driver and stop an out-of-control truck that could have injured others,” said Gary Medalis, marketing director, Goodyear. “For his quick thinking and courage, we are proud to name him our 34th Goodyear Highway Hero.”

As the winner of the Goodyear Highway Hero Award, Webb received a special Highway Hero ring, a $5,000 prize, and other items. The other finalists were Chris Baker or Chicopee, Mass., and Tim Freiburger of Huntington, Ind. To read more about the other finalists, click here.

The Goodyear Highway Hero Award winner was selected by an independent panel consisting of members of the trucking trade press.

“We are proud of all three of our Highway Hero finalists,” said Medalis. “Each is a hero in his own right and is truly worthy of recognition.”

Related: [Video] Goodyear Highway Hero 2016

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Navistar Expands OnCommand Connect Capabilities

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY — Navistar unveiled three new OnCommand Connect Telematics offerings at the Mid-America Truck Show today, including its new, OnCommand Connection Telematics.

The new system supports all makes and models of Class 6 through 8 vehicles, provided they are equipped weight a J1939 or J1708 diagnostic port. This new system integrates and interprets vehicle health information from multiple telematics sources in an integrated approach with a user-friendly interface. The system is designed to give owner-operators and small fleets the same telematics-enabled diagnostic powers that big fleets enjoy.

OnCommand Connection Marketplace is a new, open-architecture, cloud-based, technology platform for a broad range of driver support tools. The first app supported by this system is the OnCommand Electronic Driver Log (ELD) which automates Federal Hours of Service compliance requirements mandated for all carriers by Dec. 18, 2017. Other tools, such as driver inspection reports, will become available later.

OnCommand Connection Telematics, OnCommand Connection Marketplace and the Electronic Driver Log app will be available mid-summer at International Truck dealerships, select retail locations and online.

Quick Spin: International LT625

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FMCSA Drops Safety Fitness Proposal; Leaves Door Open to Revisiting

Photo: U.S. Dept. of Transportation

The Federal Motor Carrier Administration announced on March 23 that it is 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 its March 23 notice in the Federal Register that despite having recently announced it would next issue a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking, it decided “after reviewing the record in this matter,” to both withdraw the NPRM and drop the plans to develop a SNPR for revising SFD methodology.

However, the agency pointed out that it must receive a correlation study from the National Academies of Science, mandated by the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act highway bill. And that must happen before FMCSA determines “whether further rulemaking action is necessary to revise the safety fitness determination process.” That report is due to be completed in June.

“If FMCSA determines changes to the safety fitness determination process are still necessary and advisable in the future, a new rulemaking would be initiated that will incorporate any appropriate recommendations from the National Academies of Science and the comments received through this rulemaking,” the agency stated in its announcement.

The proposed methodology would have determined when a motor carrier is not fit to operate trucks based on the carrier's on-road safety data; an investigation; or a combination of on-road safety data and investigation information.

In the NPRM, the agency called for eliminating the current three ratings of “satisfactory,” “conditional” and “unsatisfactory” and replacing them with the single rating of “unfit.”

In February, a large coalition of trucking industry groups wrote to Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao to argue that the safety-fitness determination proposal should take a back seat to FMCSA fixing its Compliance, Safety, ...Read the rest of this story

TomTom Bridge Is Ready for Electronic Logging

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - TomTom and M2M DataSmart unveiled the TomTom Bridge Kit at the 2017 Mid-America Trucking Show, designed to provide truckers with the necessary tools for electronic logging.

The Bridge ELD Kit includes the TomTom Bridge, an in-truck toolbox with mount and power cable, a vehicle-specific connector and a subscription to the Hours of Service app from M2M DataSmart. The device also links with TomTom's maps, traffic, and navigation software.

“The transportation industry is changing rapidly. As a company that embraces movement and change, we are constantly innovating to meet our customers' needs,” said Jocelyn Vigreux, president of TomTom North America. “The TomTom Bridge is built for life on the road. A large number of truckers are already using our device worldwide and the kit will help them work smarter and move faster.”

The TomTom Bridge has a fully customizable interface and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with a 7-inch screen. In addition to wireless connectivity, it includes the integration of applications and direct connection to TomTom Bridge's hardware features such as Near-Field Communication, an integrated camera, flash, Bluetooth, a loud speaker for vehicle use, and a custom charging cradle that can be mounted in any vehicle.

M2M DataSmart has a dedicated focus on the trucking market and brings its HOS and vehicle inspection applications to the device.

“This kit helps drivers feel confident in complying with the ELD mandate,” said Michael Switzer, president of M2M DataSmart. “Because the TomTom Bridge incorporates wireless connectivity, reports can be seen in real time by the maintenance department and the fleet manager.”

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Winter Storm Stalls Freight, Spot Truckload Rates Remain Stable

At times, snow may have kept freight from moving last week but it didn't prevent shippers from at least trying.

The number of available loads on the spot truckload market jumped 8% for the week ending March 18 compared to the previous week, according to DAT Solutions and its network of load boards.

"Winter Storm Stella kept a lot of freight from moving early last week, which stalled volume in markets along the East Coast,” said DAT Market Analyst, Peggy Dorf in the DAT blog. “First, there was a rush to move freight before the storm hit, and then highways were closed, so most freight couldn't move at all. After roads were clear, there was a rush to catch up, and the pent-up demand drove van rates higher.

The snow was not as deep as expected, so conditions should already be back to normal in most markets, according to Dorf.

Available capacity fell 3.4% as many truckers pulled equipment off the roads in anticipation of bad weather, but once things cleared up it was enough to load to truck ratios higher for all three equipment types. The van ratio increased 23% to its highest point this year at 3.4 loads per truck. Reefers jumped 16% to 6.6 loads per truck and flatbeds moved 5% higher to 37.4 loads per truck.

On the freight rate side, only vans increased as a national average compared to the previous week, gaining 1 cent to $1.64 per mile. The reefer rate, $1.87 per mile, and the flatbed rate, $2.01 per mile, were both unchanged. All reported rates include fuel surcharges.

The storm affected van activity in and out of East Coast markets. The average van rate gained 20 cents or more in one week on three lanes in the region: