Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/936627
12 commercial carrier journal | february 2018 JOURNAL NEWS • President Trump last month signed into law the No Human Trafficking on Our Roads Act that permanently disqualifies anyone convicted of a human trafficking violation involving a commercial vehicle from holding a commercial driver's license. Trump also signed into law its sister bill, the Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act, which estab- lishes a human trafficking prevention coordinator within the U.S. Department of Transportation; boosts outreach, education and reporting protocol within the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; and provides funds to CDL schools for anti- trafficking education. • President Trump last month signed into law the Jobs for Our Heroes Act that makes it easier for active-duty military, reservists and veterans to obtain commercial driver's licenses by allowing them to use VA medi- cal examiners to obtain their medical cer- tificates. The law also allows current military members who have experience driving trucks in the service toapply for an exemp- tion from the CDL skills test and, in some cases, the knowledge test. • U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), chair- man of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, announced that he would not seek re-election this year. • Truck drivers and other transporta- tion and material moving occupations accounted for more than a quarter of all work-related fatalities in the United States in 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. There were 1,388 fatal injuries in transportation occupations in 2016, a 7 percent increase over the 1,301 fatalities in 2015, BLS reports. Motor vehicle operators accounted for 1,012 of the 1,388 transportation fatali- ties. • The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission's 6 percent toll hike for both E-ZPass and cash customers went into effect Jan. 7, the 10thconsecutive year tolls have been increased. The most common toll for a Class 8 truck increased from $23.60 to $25.01 for E-ZPass and from $33.10 to $35.08 for cash. The annual increases of 3 to 6 percent for the Turnpike are expected to continue through 2044. • The Iowa and Kansas Departments of Transportation both launched their portions of a truck parking information management system along the Interstate 80 corridor. The project ispart of an eight- state initiativethat will provide truckers will real-time in-cab information on parking availability at public rest areas and private truck stops along the interstate. • XPO Logistics (CCJ Top 250, No. 4) drivers inAlbany, N.Y.,filed for Teamsters repre- sentation with Local 294. The 34 drivers at the former Con-way Freight location seek to join XPO freight workers inLaredo, Texas;Vernon, Calif.;Miami;Aurora, Ill.;King of Prussia, Pa.; andTrenton, N.J.,and ware- house workers inNorth Haven, Conn.,who already have joined the union. • Smokey Point Distributing, an Arlington, Wash.-based Daseke (CCJ Top 250, No. 37) company that hauls high-value and one- of-a-kind parts, assemblies and machinery for the aerospace industry, announced that Olympia, Wash.-based dedicated glass hauler Belmont Enterprises has joined its company. SPD said Belmont will comple- ment its current glass customer base and increase the Daseke organization's overall glass-hauling capabilities. • ContainerPort Group Inc. and ASF Transportation Group announced a merger to form an expanded 1,300-power unit ContainerPort Group fleet providing intermodal drayage service to most major markets east of the Rocky Mountains. ASF – comprised of ASF Intermodal, ASF Truckload, ASF Brokerage and Middle Bay Transportation – brings nearly 600 independent contractors specializing in intermodal drayage, depot, truckload and brokerage operations. Michael Smith, ASF founder and president, will serve as presi- dent of the combined entity. • Dart Network (CCJTop 250, No. 58) announced that James Langley was pro- moted to president of three of its compa- nies: Dart Holding Co., Highway Sales and Logistics. Donald G. Oren, chairman, will remain active as chief executive officer of the various companies for Eagan, Minn.- based Dart, with Langley reporting to him. • Jim Johnston, president, chief execu- tive officer and founding member of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, died last month. Johnston was 78 and was diagnosed with lung cancer more than a year ago. Todd Spencer, the association's executive vice president, will serve as acting president and CEO until an election is held in April. OOIDA established a memorial webpage for Johnston at https://www.ooida.com/JimJohnston/. INBRIEF 2/18 Many fl eets are switching to 10W-30 engine oils from traditional 15W-40 oils. The reason is fuel economy. Thinner viscosities mean the engine doesn't have to work as hard and uses less fuel. Think of it like swimming through honey vs. water. Honey is thicker than water, so more energy is used to move through it. The same goes for an engine's moving parts. A 15W-40 oil requires more energy to move through it whereas 10W-30 oil produces less drag on your engine. But can a 10W-30 protect as well as a 15W- 40? You bet. It comes down to quality additives and composition of base oil. In fact, Shell ROTELLA ® T5 10W-30 can protect as well or better than industry-standard 15W-40 oils. Give it a shot in your fl eet. To learn more go to ROTELLA.com/products ROTELLA ROUNDUP The 411on10W-30 By Dan Arcy, Shell Lubricants Comments, questions or ideas? Email us at RotellaRoundup@JWT.com 1151572_SB01_ROTroundup_2_25x9_5 f.indd 1 6/15/17 1:49 PM