Bridgestone building SuperTire for SuperTruck II

ArcBest Announces Its Fourth Quarter 2016 Earnings Conference Call

Meyers Transport ceasing LTL operations

Chao Seen as Shoo-in for DOT Chief

Image via Elainelchao.com

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has scheduled a full-committee hearing for Jan. 11 at 10:15 am on the nomination of Elaine Lan Chao to serve as Secretary of Transportation in the Trump Administration.

Of all those nominated to hold high government positions so far by President-elect Trump, Secretary Chao is the most likely to breeze through confirmation by the Senate.

For one thing, unlike nearly all her fellow nominees, Chao is the epitome of a Washington insider.

She's already addressed as “Secretary” by virtue of having served as Secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush. That was her first Cabinet post, which she held for two entire terms— something of a rarity in latter-day governance. Under President George H.W. Bush, she received her first major executive appointment, as deputy secretary of transportation.

Chao's inside-the-Beltway credentials also include being the long-time spouse of the one of the nation's most powerful politicians, and fellow Republican, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

With her experience and contacts, it's a safe bet that Chao will waltz through her confirmation hearing. Still, some on the other side of the aisle may elect to draw some blood before the proceedings are closed.

According to a Politico Morning Transportation blog post, Chao could be challenged on several fronts by Senate Democrats, including being questioned about the 2002 labor dispute that she failed to mediate when heading up Labor, which caused many West Coast ports to close until a court injunction ended the strike. She could also be quizzed about her time serving as a director of the ever-more-scandal-plagued Wells Fargo.

Still, committee member Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) told a Politico reporter earlier this week that he views Chao as “one of the more qualified and more likely to be confirmed” of Trump's nominees.

The committee's chairman Sen. ...Read the rest of this story

Pro & Cons: Speed Limiters

The U.S. Dept. of Transportation (DOT) is proposing a new rule for heavy-duty truck operators that would set a maximum travel speed. The rule is expected to save more than $1 billion in fuel annually as well as improve safety efforts for drivers, trucks, and passengers across the country. The rule, proposed by DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), would set important safety standards mandating all new vehicles with a gross weight of more than 26,000 lbs.

read more

EROAD Taps Ellis to be New President

Norm Ellis Photo courtesy of EROAD

Fleet management technology provider EROAD has named industry veteran Norm Ellis as the company's president.

Reporting to EROAD CEO Steven Newman, Ellis will lead the North American senior management team as the business prepares for new opportunities created by the upcoming ELD mandate in 2017.

“To attract such an experienced and connected leader in the transportation sector to our executive team as we aggressively chase significant market opportunities in North America is a real coup,” said Newman. "Norm Ellis was selected from a strong field of candidates and was chosen because he is highly respected in the transportation and telematics sectors, with over 30 years' experience in some of the largest businesses in the market.”

Prior to joining EROAD, Ellis was COO of I.D. Systems, a producer of wireless asset management systems for the transport sector. Ellis was also a key member of telematics provider Omnitracs' sales and marketing team for more than 16 years. At Omnitracs he held product and new market development roles and led sales, services and marketing efforts in the U.S. and Canada.

“This extraordinary company has developed a market leading product among telematics providers as we strive to meet the greatest change in the North American market in 60 years,” said Ellis. “This is a very exciting time to be taking on a leadership role in EROAD's North American business and helping shape its future.”

Founded in 2000, EROAD is a global technology provider of operational, road use and fuel tax management and compliance solutions for the transportation industry. The company is based in New Zealand with North American offices in Portland, Ore.

Related: Living With ELDs - Getting Ahead of the Electronic Logs Mandate

Follow @HDTrucking on Twitter

Could Trump Scuttle GHG Phase 2 Rule?

Photo: Jim Park

As the final days of the Obama administration tick away, those opposed to some of the president's environmental initiatives are looking at ways to undermine the intent of the rules, or even to strike them from the books.

With Republicans in charge of the House, the Senate and the White House, you could say the stars are uniquely aligned for just this sort of action.

President-elect Trump has already made it clear that he opposes and intends to undo some of those rules. Could Phase 2 of the Greenhouse Gas rules be on that list?

"This has big potential for those who would like to strike any carbon regulation or fuel efficiency standards from the trucking industry," said American Trucking Associations Vice President, Energy and Environmental Counsel Glen Kedzie, in remarks he made during a GHG Phase 2 webinar hosted by ATA's Technology and Maintenance Council on Jan. 5.

Kedzie suggested there are three options open to the new administration: a legal challenge, an executive order from the president, or working through the Congressional Review Act to roll back the rule.

"Legal challenges would have had to have been filed by December 25, and we are unaware if anyone has filed a formal legal challenge on the Phase 2 rule," he said. "And with the new administration coming, we're not quite certain whether Mr. Trump will exercise any of his executive order authority to get rid of some of these greenhouse gas regulations, whether they're from power plants or automobiles."

The Congressional Review Act is the other and possibly more likely approach.

"In simple terms, it's the nuclear option," Kedzie said, adding, "If they are struck down, they will be struck down forever because a regulation cannot be promulgated in the future that resembles in any way, ...Read the rest of this story