Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/959367
10 commercial carrier journal | april 2018 JOURNAL NEWS • Raymond P. Martinez, the new admin- istrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, was officially sworn in Feb. 28 as head of the U.S. Department of Transportation's trucking and bus regula- tory agency. Martinez, who was selected last fall by President Trump, previously served as the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission's chairman and chief administrator, where he advised the state's governor and legislature on all areas of motor vehicle transportation and traffic safety and was responsible for developing the agency's regulatory and legislative agendas. • Truckers hauling agricultural products and livestock now have until June 18 to adopt an electronic logging device and can continue to run on paper logs while various issues are resolved, FMCSA announced last month. Those haulers already had secured a three-month extension beyond the man- date's Dec. 18 compliance deadline, origi- nally giving them until March 18 to comply. • The Truck Renting and Leasing Association formally requested a waiver from the ELD mandate that would delay compliance for drivers of truck rentals of 30 days or less through the end of 2018. TRALA initially was granted a 90-day waiver through April 19 but says it needs more time to address issues that have arisen with short-term rentals when a fleet rents a truck with a different ELD platform than the one it uses. • To help Puerto Rican citizens relocat- ing to the United States in the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria, FMCSA issued a 90-day waiver from proof of U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residence and domicile requirements for these indi- viduals to help them obtain commercial learner's permits or commercial driver's licenses. The Commercial Vehicle Training Association requested the waiver for Puerto Rican CLP and CDL applicants who cannot provide necessary documents to establish identity due to circumstances surrounding the storms. • Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet, was testing self-driving tractor-trailers in Atlanta last month. The trucks equipped with Waymo's retrofit system hauled freight destined for Google's data facilities. Drivers remained in the cab to assume control of the vehicles if necessary, but the trucks remained mostly under autonomous control. The tests "will let us further develop our technology and in- tegrate it into the operations of shippers and carriers," the company said. • Uber ATG, the branch of Uber dedicated to developing self-driving vehicles, said last month it is moving freight with an undisclosed carrier and shipper across Arizona in ongoing tests of its autono- mous technology and a transfer-hub trailer-handoff system. • Hyliion's Class 8 hybrid-electric trac- tor equipped with its 6x4HE electric axle is available for fleets to test in their own operations for up to a week at no charge. The 6x4HE, which replaces the rear axle in both 6×2 and 6×4 configurations, has a battery pack that stores 8 kilowatts of electrical power and mounts to the tractor's frame rail. As the tractor approaches an incline, the system delivers electrical power to provide torque to the rear axle, and on a downgrade, it recharges through regenerative braking. Test trucks can be reserved at trialtruck@hyliion.com, Hyliion.com or 833-495-4466. • Peterbilt Motors Co. announced several cash rebates throughout 2018. Members of both Landstar and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association are eligible for a $1,500 rebate on Models 579, 567 and 389 when spec'd with a sleeper. National Ready Mixed Concrete Association members are eligible for a $2,000 rebate on Models 567 and 520 when spec'ed for mixer, pump and other industry equipment. Members of the American Logger Council are eligible for a $2,000 rebate on Model 567. • Ryder System opened a new logistics facility in Laredo, Texas, to support U.S.- Mexico cross-border shipments for 19 of its customers within the automobile, industrial, retail and technology industries. The 109,000-square-foot facility has 51 dock doors, two ramps and 114 trailer spaces. • RoadOne IntermodaLogistics, a Randolph, Mass.-based provider of inter- modal, distribution and logistics services, acquired Jarvis Trans Inc., an intermodal transportation company serving Boston and the greater New England region, with daily service from New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia to all Northeast points. RoadOne said the purchase, terms of which were not disclosed, allows it to increase capacity in the Northeast market. INBRIEF 4/18 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