Diesel Prices Rise for 3rd Straight Week

Source: EIA

The price of diesel fuel saw significant increases for the third straight week, according to the latest numbers from the Energy Department.

The average price of on-highway diesel fuel jumped 3.4 cents last week, hitting $2.527 per gallon at the pump. As 2016 comes to a close, the price of diesel fuel is now more than 24 cents higher than it was in the same week of 2015.

Prices were up in all regions of the U.S., with the largest increase coming to the Rocky Mountain region with a 4.8 cent spike for the week. Prices saw the least change on the West Coast, where the average rose only 1.6 cents for the week.

The average price of regular gasoline was also up last week, increasing 2.8 cents to $2.264 per gallon at the pump. The price is 23.8 cents more expensive than it was in the same week a year ago.

The largest increase was on the Gulf Coast, where gas prices rose by 4.5 cents per gallon. The smallest increase was on the West Coast, where prices notched up 0.7 cents.

An instance of political uncertainty caused crude oil prices to increase slightly on Dec. 19, as the assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey caused the market to trend higher, according to a MarketWatch report.

With a deal between oil producing countries to reduce or freeze production already on the books, new tensions between Russia and Turkey could cause oil supplies to tighten further-- which can have the effect of increasing prices.

Related: Breaking the 10 MPG Barrier

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Great Dane’s Technician Training Program Accredited by ASE

Great Dane has received accreditation from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence for its service technician training program.

Great Dane said that it is the first semi-trailer original equipment manufacturer to receive ASE accreditation for a technician training program. Other major companies in the automotive services industry that have ASE accreditation include Toyota, General Motors and Penske Truck Leasing. The ASE accreditation is through the ASE Continuing Automotive Service Education program.

“Training is a key part of our emphasis on safety, and we are proud that our training program has received this accreditation,” said Dave Durand, Great Dane vice president of aftermarket parts and service. “ASE accreditation assures our customers that our training processes are held to a national standard.”

The rollout of the training program is ongoing and is designed to support Great Dane's effort to ensure the safe and efficient delivery of goods.

The ASE accreditation program is administered by the Automotive Training Managers Council (ATMC), a nonprofit organization that has been a member of ASE's Industry Education Alliance since 2009. Earlier this year, ATMC evaluated Great Dane's process for developing and delivering training and then recommended accreditation by ASE.

“When you see the Great Dane Certified Technician insignia, you know the technicians working on your trailer have proven their skills through theoretical and practical tests in their specialties,” said Durand.

Related: Great Dane Dealer Opens Full-Service Facility in Fresno

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Fruehauf’s ‘Engineering’ Story Told in New Book

Advertisements are like time capsules. They mirror the concerns of the age in which they were written by describing products and services available to help people carry on their lives. Ads we see today in newspapers, magazines and now on internet websites might some day be viewed that way, though most are more brief than those run in foregone times, when narratives were part of established formats.

Vintage ads help Ruth Ann Fruehauf, granddaughter of the founder of Fruehauf Trailer Corp., tell how the company designed and built trailers for many uses. Her book, “The Fruehauf Engineering Story,” runs 84 pages (with soft covers) and shows scores of ads describing how customers employed semitrailers during war and peace.

Led by Harvey Fruehauf, one of August's sons and an accountant, the company created and ran ads in monthly periodicals aimed at general readership, like the Saturday Evening Post, and those in our industry, including Heavy Duty Trucking. Executives credited advertising for part of their success.

Fruehauf was once a dominant name in the trailer-building business. The company grew as the concept introduced in 1914 by its founder, blacksmith August Fruehauf, caught on with freight carriers. High capacity and great versatility were the reasons trailers made immense sense in the transport world.

“A truck is like a horse. It can pull more than it can carry,” was the slogan of Fruehauf and his company, and that appeared as part of the firm's advertising for years. He put some numbers to it by explaining that while an early 20th century horse could carry 300 pounds, it could pull a wagon weighing 2 tons; and while a truck of that time could carry 3 tons, it could easily pull a 9-ton trailer. Today we call that productivity.

Versatility lay in use of a single truck-tractor that could work continually, ...Read the rest of this story

Yes, URS Will Affect You

Starting Jan. 14, 2017, all carriers will start using the new MCSA-1 online-only form. The MCS-150 no longer will exist.

When the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration adopted the Unified Registration System rule in August 2013, one part that became effective almost immediately was the requirement to complete the biennial update. As of Nov. 1, 2013, motor carriers holding a USDOT number were required to update their information with FMCSA on a biennial (two-year) basis according to the schedule in 49 CFR §390.19, or face deactivation of their USDOT number.

The requirement to complete the biennial update was actually not new; FMCSA simply put some serious consequences in place if a carrier did not keep its information up to date. Since this part of URS has been in place for over three years now, all carriers existing as of Nov. 1, 2013, have been required to complete a biennial update.

See? Most of you have already been affected by URS. But that's just the beginning.

The biennial update requirement was a relatively minor kickoff to the many changes that will be implemented by URS. There's much more to come that will change the way all motor carriers interact with the FMCSA. It is a big deal.

One of the biggest and most notable changes that will affect all motor carriers is that starting Jan. 14, 2017, all carriers will start using the new MCSA-1 online-only form. The MCS-150 no longer will exist. New entrants, meaning new carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, etc., that have never had a USDOT number or federal authority, are currently required to apply for a USDOT number and authority (if needed) using the FMCSA's new online-only MCSA-1 form. The new MCSA-1 is currently available on FMCSA's website, but again, until Jan. 14, is to be used only by new ...Read the rest of this story

Commentary: Bringing the Diagnostics to the Fleet

Denise Rondini

Rapid diagnosis of trucks has been standard operating practice at many dealerships for quite some time. But some dealers have taken it a step further.

One of them is Fyda Freightliner. At its Cincinnati, Ohio, location, it recently launched Mobile Express Assessment, a program that dispatches a mobile van and a technician to where the customer's truck is located. The van is equipped with all of the latest diagnostic equipment and operates as a fully functioning office, allowing a preliminary diagnosis and worst-case estimate for repairs.

This is not the traditional mobile maintenance service that many dealers provide. According to Dustin Nunley, service manager for Fyda Freightliner Cincinnati, “Mobile EA is a diagnostic process only, and our technicians do not do on-site repairs, so we don't have the overhead typically related to traditional mobile service and maintenance trucks.”

The state-of-the art mobile diagnostic vehicle is used to diagnose complex fault codes, performance concerns, regeneration issues, etc., he explains. “Mobile EA features a flat base rate change with no hidden costs, such as mileage.”

The idea for Mobile Express Assessment grew out of a weekly change management meeting at the dealership. “It was during one such meeting when our team was discussing ideas on how to increase our business level by adding a new offering that would be a big customer benefit,” he explains.

“By offering our customers the opportunity to have our service technician come to them to diagnose their vehicles, we not only build our relationships with our customers, but we also help them control their maintenance expenses. Mobile Express Assessment allows the customer to make an educated decision about needed vehicle repairs without the cost associated with transporting the unit to our facility,” he adds.

Carol Firth, marketing manager for Fyda Freightliner, says that as with Express Assessment at the dealership, ...Read the rest of this story

One Month Left: Vote for Medium-Duty Truck of the Year

Cast your ballot today for Work Truck's 2017 Medium-Duty Truck of the Year Award, there is only one month left to be sure your vote is included for this prestigious award. Professional fleet managers are encouraged to vote for the best-of-the-best medium-duty work truck here.

When voting, please consider which medium-duty truck model best fits your fleet requirements, including application effectiveness, durability, quality, servicing, maintenance, and lifecycle costs. The award is for trucks that were available for purchase for at least half of 2016, regardless of model-year.

The award is sponsored by Work Truck magazine. Balloting closes January 20.

Vote today!

Past winners include:

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2018 New Cascadia: Sleeper Lounge