Canada is Scrambling to Develop an ELD Standard

Despite an early start on developing an Electronic Logging Device standard, Canadian regulators are now scrambling to get something in place by the time the U.S. rule takes effect in December 2017.

The devices have been on Canada's regulatory radar since late 2007, and work began in earnest on a technical performance-based standard for e-logging devices in 2010 to prepare for an anticipated Canadian mandate.

The first draft was completed in 2013 and intended to roughly align with the first ELD final rule published by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in 2010. That rule was vacated by the courts in August 2011 on grounds that it did not do enough to prevent driver coercion by carriers. It was back to the drawing board, and Canada decided to wait.

"We knew the U.S. was struggling to punch out its final rule, so we felt is best to wait and see what the U.S. final rule looked like before moving forward with our standard," says Reg Wightman, chairman of the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators' Compliance and Regulatory Affairs Committee and a member of the ELD Working Group that developed Canada's first draft standard. "The working group believes that was a justifiable position."

Canadian regulators got their first look at the U.S. final rule at the same time everyone else did -- when it was published in December 2015.

"We were a little frustrated that the U.S. did not involve Canada in the consultative process," Wightman says. "I don't know why it had to be that way. We would have preferred to have been consulted rather than have the U.S. rule just land on our desk. And I think most of [the Compliance and Regulatory Affairs committee] felt that frustration. Having said that, FMCSA is now bending over backward to help us resolve ...Read the rest of this story

TravelCenters of America Begin Accepting U.S. Bank Fleet Card

Photo courtesy of U.S. Bank.

TravelCenters of America, operator of the TA and Petro Stopping Centers brands and Minit Mart convenience stores, is expanding its relationship with U.S. Bank by accepting a new single Voyager Fleet Card at its truck stop and convenience store locations.

The new single Voyager Fleet Card combines fleet control functionality needed by heavy-duty commercial rigs at truck stops with the comprehensive data capture capabilities required by smaller vehicle fleets at retail locations. For the first time, all vehicle classes can be managed through one card, one network and one program management platform, according to the company.

"Partnering with U.S. Bank on the first true single card solution means we can better serve the needs of mixed fleets," said TravelCenters CEO Tom O'Brien. "We have long valued our relationship with U.S. Bank, and this agreement deepens it to a new level. We look forward to issuing the new card to our employee drivers in the coming months, and expect to begin accepting it from customers in 2017."

The Voyager Network, owned and operated by U.S. Bank, includes thousands of participating fueling, maintenance and service locations nationwide, including TA, Petro and Minit Mart outlets. Drivers and fleet managers can find card-accepting locations with the Voyager Mobile App or the merchant locator within U.S. Bank Fleet Commander Online.

"Expanding our partnership in this way brings the efficiencies of a single solution to TravelCenters and to the market at large," said John Hardin, U.S. Bank global transportation solutions general manager. "They are able to better meet the needs of their fleet, while we solidify our leadership position in the industry with the first fully integrated fuel payment solution to cover all eight fleet classes in a single card."

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Suggesting 60-68 mph, FMCSA, NHTSA propose truck speed limiters

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DOT Finally Proposes Truck Speed-Limiter Rule

Federal safety regulators are proposing that heavy-duty vehicles be equipped with speed-limiting devices set to a specific maximum speed.

A notice of proposed rulemaking was issued jointly on Aug. 26 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

The NPRM comes after a decade-long push by trucking and safety advocates to put such a requirement in place for trucks and other commercial vehicles.

For its part, NHTSA is calling for establishing a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.

This FMVSS would require that each new “multipurpose” vehicle with a GVWR over 26,000 pounds be equipped with a speed limiting device. The proposed standard would also require each vehicle, as manufactured and sold, to have its device set to a speed not greater than a specified speed and to be equipped with means of reading the vehicle's current speed setting and the two previous speed settings (including the time and date the settings were changed) through its onboard diagnostic connection.

FMCSA is proposing a complementary Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation that would require each commercial motor vehicle with a GVWR of more than 26,000 pounds be equipped with a speed limiting device meeting the requirements of the proposed FMVSS applicable to the vehicle at the time of manufacture, including the requirement that the device be set to a speed not greater than a specified speed.

In addition, carriers operating such vehicles in interstate commerce would be required to maintain the speed limiting devices for the service life of the vehicle.

According to the Department of Transportation, the agencies' review of the available data indicates that limiting the speed of these heavy vehicles would reduce the severity of crashes involving these vehicles and reduce the resulting fatalities and injuries.

“We expect that, as a result of this joint rulemaking, virtually ...Read the rest of this story

Continental: Replace under-hood belts with all-inclusive kit products

Continental recommends that professional technicians understand the importance of changing under-hood belts with all-inclusive kit products rather than individual components – especially before fall and winter arrive.

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Jay Pagano named general manager of GPN

Jay Pagano has been named general manager of Global Parts Network (GPN), a wholly-owned subsidiary of VIPAR Heavy Duty. Pagano will be responsible for the day-to-day operations and execution of the Global Parts Network business plan.

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ExxonMobil to introduce new CK-4 and FA-4 oils

On Tuesday, Sept. 20, ExxonMobil will introduce the new product line and details of its Mobil Delvac-branded CK-4 and FA-4 commercial vehicle engine oils.

These new oils are designed to meet the American Petroleum Institute's (API) Proposed Category 11 (PC-11) lubricant specification, set to go into effect on Dec.1.

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