Los Angeles City Council Approves Port Of Los Angeles Clean Truck Program

Los Angeles City Council recently announced approval to the Port of Los Angeles’ Clean Truck Program (CTP), the landmark plan designed to help slash port-related, diesel truck emissions by 80 percent.

The Council vote adds further momentum to the Port’s transition to a License Motor Carrier-based truck concession system beginning October 1, 2008.

The CTP will accelerate the replacement of high-polluting trucks with cleaner trucks while elevating port drayage to 21st Century trucking industry standards. Licensed Motor Carriers will enter into drayage concession agreements with criteria including a requirement to commit to using 100-percent employee drivers by calendar year 2013 in a phased-in schedule.

The Port will now be able to hold those companies accountable for maintaining trucks and employing properly credentialed drivers. That, in turn, will ensure a sufficient supply of drivers, improve truck safety and maintenance while lowering emissions, enhance Port security and reduce the negative impacts that drayage services have on communities near the Port.

Source: The Port Of Los Angeles

Are Laptop Computers In Truck Cabs Legal?

Can a laptop computer in a truck cab land you in hot water with the law? According to Landline.com, one driver was cited in Arizona for having his computer in the cab of his truck.

The driver was cited by authorities for violating Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation 393.88, prohibiting drivers from placing television screens within view of the driver’s seat.

While the driver has pleaded not guilty, the legal aspects of laptop computers in truck cabs are still murky.

Source: LandLine Magazine

Trucks And Cars Look For Space On Crowded Los Angeles Roads

According the Los Angeles Times, the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are the nation's largest harbor complex. Through those ports arrives 44 percent of goods brought into the US by cargo container.

That means over 7.8 million 40 foot shipping containers that need to be rolled out by truck.

While global trade is a big business and creates jobs, it is also a big headache for commuters who have to share the road with all those trucks. The roads and highways of Los Angeles are straining under a heavy burden of truck traffic they were never designed to carry.

The ports, the trucking companies, and the car drivers are all struggling to balance the demands of a world economy and the need for safe roads and a clean environment.

Source: Los Angeles Times

The American Trucking Associations launches first-ever industry-wide environmental sustainability program

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) recently launched a far-reaching program of initiatives to set the industry on the road toward a more sustainable future under the banner Trucks Deliver a Cleaner Tomorrow.

This first-ever industry-wide environmental sustainability program identifies a series of initiatives that will reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, thereby helping combat the challenge of global climate change.

ATA President and CEO Bill Graves praised the program as a landmark effort that will join all trucking industry stakeholders to work together on these issues.

"ATA has committed itself to a series of measures that can reduce fuel consumption by 86 billion gallons and CO2 emissions by 900 million tons for all vehicles over the next 10 years," said Graves. "Our proposals are practical, reasonable, and doable. They make environmental sense, and they make common sense."

"The program is a continuation of environmental advances made by the trucking industry over the last quarter century," Graves added. "But there's no doubt that today's skyrocketing diesel prices give us an added incentive to roll it out across the industry, and for Congress to provide the support the program needs."

The report includes six key recommendations to reduce fuel consumption and addresses the impact of these activities on the environment. They are the equivalent of eliminating the CO2 generated by 9.6 million Americans for one year - roughly equal to the population of the Chicago metropolitan area.

The recommendations are displayed on a new Web site, www.trucksdeliver.org, together with full details of the trucking industry's new commitments on sustainability:

• Set governors on new trucks to limit speeds to no more than 68 mph and reduce the national speed limit to 65 mph for all vehicles.
• Reduce engine idling.
• Increase fuel efficiency by encouraging participation in the U.S. EPA SmartWay(SM) Transport Partnership Program.
• Reduce congestion by improving highways, if necessary by raising the fuels tax.
• Use more productive truck combinations.
• Support national fuel economy standards for trucks.

Source: The American Trucking Associations

U.S. Transportation Secretary Launches Blog To Speak Directly To Citizens

U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters recently launched Fast Lane, the Department’s new blog. Accessible at http://fastlane.dot.gov.

Department of Transportation says that Fast Lane will be an on-line community for all those interested in the nation’s transportation system and its future.

According to the Department of Transportation...

Fast Lane contributors will include Secretary Peters, Deputy Secretary Thomas Barrett, Administrators from the Department’s operating agencies, and other senior officials. In addition, the site will welcome guest bloggers from government, industry, and the transportation community. The Department will also use the blog to break news and make announcements.

“Fast Lane will allow me and others here at the Department to speak directly with interested citizens, members of the transportation community and the blogosphere to engage in an earnest conversation about our nation’s transportation future,” Secretary Peters said. “I have made 21st century solutions a priority for our transportation system, and now I’m thrilled to be using a 21st century communications tool to reach Americans in a whole new way.”

Fast Lane is an open forum, and visitors are encouraged to submit comments, contribute ideas, and bring to the Department’s attention innovative and exciting transportation activities in their communities. All comments will be reviewed before inclusion, and a representative sample will be posted to the site.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation

Truckers looking for cheaper diesel fuel in Mexico

First there was controversy over a pilot program allowing trucks to cross from Mexico into the United States. Now there is the new issue of truckers from the United States crossing into Mexico for cheaper diesel fuel.

The Life on The Road Blog features video on trucking companies fighting the high cost of diesel fuel by filling up south of the border.

According to the story, diesel fuel costs are lower in Mexico thanks to price controls, but filling up in Mexico is not as simple as driving across the border. Each truck must have permits from the Mexican Government to cross. Getting the permits can cost up to $1000 a truck, but some truck companies say high fuel prices leave them no choice.

ATA plans fuel strategy workshop for June 19th

Truckline.com reports that American Trucking Associations will host a Fuel Strategies Workshop June 19 to help the trucking industry cope with skyrocketing fuel prices.

According to the ATA...

While ATA is taking steps at the Federal level to reduce fuel prices, this workshop is designed to educate motor carriers about new technologies and operating practices that will help them conserve diesel fuel and implement cutting edge diesel fuel purchasing strategies to reduce their fuel bill.

The one-day seminar, to be held at the Westin Arlington Gateway in Arlington, Va., will provide attendees with practical solutions from industry experts to help conserve fuel, operate more efficiently and ultimately reduce their fuel bills.

Fleet managers, fuel purchasers, economists and policy professionals will provide an overview of technologies and techniques to reduce fuel consumption, fuel purchasing strategies, methods of accurately measuring fuel economy and costs and benefits of alternative fuels.

Source: Truckline.com

Truckers use online social networks to take action over fuel prices

The patience of independent truckers is wearing thin as the diesel fuel prices rise.

Read Write Web reports that truckers are venting their frustration over fuel costs through social networks like MySpace and Facebook. One MySpace page that supports a trucker protest on May 5th has over 1900 friends. TruckersForum.net and Topix.com have similar forums.

APP.com reports that high fuel prices putting pressure on truckers and on businesses that depend on trucks. Fuel surcharges are passed on to customers in higher bills and prices. Trucking companies are trying to conserve fuel by checking tires for proper inflation and driving slower.

The fuel price crisis has prompted truckers to ask their state lawmakers for help. Land Line reports that lawmakers and truckers plan for a roundtable discussion over fuel prices on Thursday, April 17, at the Fultonville Super Stop in Fultonville, NY.

Sources: Read Write Web, APP.com and Land Line

Too few Mexican trucks could spell trouble for the cross border trucking program

The debate still rages over the controversial cross-border trucking plan.

The U.S. Transportation Secretary recently released a statement to Congress urging that the plan continue.

According to the Department of Transportation...

U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters today cautioned Congress that now is not the time to halt efforts to implement trucking provisions in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which is delivering economic benefits to U.S. workers, farmers, businesses and consumers.

Secretary Peters said a broad coalition of more than 69 U.S. companies and agricultural and business organizations support the project because of the benefits it provides to U.S. exporters who every year ship billions worth of products and produce into Mexico. Should Congress choose to end the project, Mexico has the right under the rules of NAFTA to impose fees and tariffs on U.S. goods that would surely result in lost business and lost jobs, she said.

“Whatever their reason, this is no time to let the politics of pessimism dim the promise of prosperity for hundreds of thousands of American drivers, growers and manufacturers. We should be looking for every chance to open new markets for our drivers, to find new buyers for our products, and encourage new consumers for our produce,” Secretary Peters said.

In other news relating to cross-border trucking program, SignonSanDiego.com reports that the problem might be too few trucks. According to the Article, The DOT Office of Inspector General reports that that only 16 Mexican trucking companies are involved with the cross-border program. 100 were expected to participate. The number of participating carriers might be too small to show valid results from the program.

According to the DOT Office of Inspector General website...

On March 10, 2008, we issued our Interim Report on NAFTA Cross-Border Trucking Demonstration Project, as required by legislation enacted in May 2007. By law, we are required to issue an interim report at the six-month point of the demonstration project, which was initiated on September 6, 2007, and a final report 60 days after the conclusion of the project.

Our audit found that at the 6-month point, fewer Mexican carriers and vehicles have participated in the project than expected. The low number of carriers currently participating is not sufficient to provide reliable statistical projections regarding safety attributes of Mexican carriers. The Department has established and is supporting an independent panel to assess any adverse safety impacts from the project; however, the panel is also concerned that it will have insufficient data when the project ends.

Source: Department of Transportation, SignonSanDiego.com, and DOT Office of Inspector General.

Want to drive a truck? Get in the drivers seat for 44 hours first

Could you qualify to drive a big truck just by pushing a pencil instead of a gearshift?

Land Line magazine reports on a proposed rule from Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), requiring truck driving students to fulfill a requirement of 44 hours training behind the wheel, along with 76 hours of classroom time, before taking the test.

The demand for behind the wheel training has been the subject of legal rulings, lawsuits and legislation since 1991.

The full text of the rule can be found here on the Federal Register database.

Cross border trucking program could lose funding

The recent and controversial cross-border trucking program between the United States and Mexico could soon be out of money.

Land Line reports that Fiscal Year 2008 Transportation Appropriations legislation could contain an amendment that forbids the establishment of a cross-border motor carrier demonstration program.

Earlier, The House of Representatives and the Senate both eliminated funding to the cross border program in their transportation appropriations bills.

The year-long pilot program was designed to expand cross-border trucking operations with Mexico as part of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). While supporter praise the program as expanding free trade, others feel that safety and security are being compromised by allowing Mexican trucks more access to United States roadways.

Source: LandLine

Battle over cross-border trucks continues

The program to allow trucks from Mexico to drive on American roads is set to begin soon, but those who oppose the plan show few signs of backing down.

The Arizona Republic reports that International Brotherhood of Teamsters, The Sierra Club and Public Citizen are continuing their lawsuit despite denial of appeal last Friday in The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

Here are some facts and statistics from the Arizona Republic article...

• The one-year pilot program will not start until it is approved by the inspector general of the Department of Transportation. That has not happened yet, but could happen by Thursday.
  
  
• 31 Mexican firms and 151 trucks are awaiting permits.
  
  
• 14 American firms are awaiting permits from the Mexican government.

Trucks from Mexico get green light to cross border starting September 6

Reuters is reporting that court appeals have failed to block a Department of Transportation program allowing Mexican trucks access to US highways.

The one-year pilot program is set to start on September 6. Labor and consumer unions had sought to block the program over safety and legal concerns.

WFAA Channel 8 in Dallas/Fort Worth reports that the pilot program could allow up to allow 540 trucks to have access when it begins.

The Associated Press reports that 100 Mexican trucking companies would be part of the program.

Cross-border program with Mexican truckers could start soon

A controversial pilot program from the Department of Transportation could start this Saturday.

Under the new program, trucks from Mexico would have greater access to American highways in order to expand trade.

Right now, truckers from Mexico have to stop at border stations before crossing into the United States. The new program would give 100 selected Mexican carriers unrestricted access.

If the program does start this Saturday, it will not be without a fight. MySanAntonio.com reports that The Teamsters union, the Sierra Club and Public Citizen want to delay granting the trucks access.

Landline Magazine also features a report on the possible start of the program this Saturday.

One of the main objections to the border program are claims that Mexican trucks do not have the same safety checks and regulations that American trucks have to comply with.

The blog Mexico Trucker - La Verdad sin Fronteras offers a view from the southern side of the border and some opinions on the issue.

According to Mexico Trucker.com...

Mexican buses have had access to American highways for more than 5 years and enjoy an unblemished safety record.

Mexico Trucker also offers an entry with Mexican truck safety statistics .

No matter what happens this Saturday, this issue will be a hotter than asphalt in August for a long time to come.

How truckers balance work and home life

RoadKing.com features a story on how truckers balance their working life and their home life.

Busy driving schedules can be a strain on drivers who want to spend time with family. Trucking companies are trying to find ways to balance the demands of the road with driver's time at home.

Offering flexible schedules and financial incentives helps truckers make the choices that work best for them.

Truckers need to watch their health

Trucking can be a risky job for drivers even when they are not behind the wheel. Truckers need to watch their health.

The Arizona Republic features an AP story on the risks truckers face from health problems. Trucking health woes range from sleep apnea to smoking-related illnesses.

While trucking companies are seeking ways to help drivers take care of their health,truckers can do their part by watching their diet and exercising more.

Hot fuel controversy debated in Washington

The controversy over the price of heated fuel has arrived on Capitol Hill.

Land Line magazine reports on hearings held by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Domestic Policy Subcommittee of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

The hearing focused on the issue of hot fuel. When fuel is heated by hot weather to warmer than 60 degrees, it expands and takes up more space.

Truckers and other businesses want measures to make sure the fuel you pay for is the fuel you get.

Trucking pilot progam shelved

Today Trucking News is reporting that a controversial pilot program that would give Mexican truckers greater access to US roads has been delayed.

A bill passed by Congress and the Senate will keep cross-border truckers within a 20-mile limit of the border.

The program, backed by the Department of Transportation, would have given about 100 Mexican trucking companies greater access across the US/Mexico border.

E-Gate technology checks truckers at Virginia port

Wavy.com in Hampton Roads, Virginia, features a story on E-Gate: a technology that checks truckers entering and leaving the Port of Virginia and the Portsmouth Marine Terminal.

E-Gate is a system that checks drivers identities and tracks shipping containers.

E-Gate works using ID cards that verify the identity of a trucker, who they work for, and the containers they carry.

U.S. House of Representatives slows down controversial border trucking program

Landline magazine is reporting that The U.S. House of Representatives have passed a bill slowing down a controversial trucking program.

The bill is called the Safe American Roads Act of 2007. If passed into law, the Safe American Roads act would put limits on the Department of Transportation cross-border pilot program.

The pilot program is designed to open up the border for more truck traffic from Mexico.

The bill is written to add oversight and limits to the trucking program, including how many Mexican trucks could operate on American roads.