Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/978416
12 commercial carrier journal | may 2018 JOURNAL NEWS INBRIEF 5/18 • Colorado soon will require com- mercial driver's license applicants to complete a 26-minute training video and a 15-question quiz on recogniz- ing and reporting human trafficking following legislation signed by Gov. John Hickenlooper. The law, set to go into effect Aug. 8, also will require CDL schools in the state to include the free training from Truckers Against Trafficking as part of their overall CDL course. Several other states, including Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas and Washington, also have instituted similar CDL training requirements. • Truckers in Rhode Island got another month of toll-free travel after another delay in implementation of the state's trucks-only toll system. State DOT Director Peter Alviti Jr. last month told House lawmakers that he expected tolls to begin collecting "by the end of May." The delay was a result of further testing to make sure the toll system was working properly. • Ryder acquired MXD Group, an e-commerce fulfillment provider with a national network of facilities, including last-mile capabilities for big and bulky goods, for $120 million. Ryder said the acquisition adds 109 facilities, giving it a network of 121 e-commerce hubs covering more than 95 percent of the United States and Canada within a two-day delivery timeframe to provide home delivery and white-glove installation with a network of U.S. and Canadian carriers. • Hudson, Ill.-based Nussbaum Transportation announced that it has transitioned 35 percent of the company's ownership to employ- ees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). • William Knight England, who helped make C.R. England (CCJ Top 250, No. 20) a leading U.S. trucking company, died March 28 at 95. His father, Chester R. England, started a trucking business in 1920, and during World War II, William and his brother, Gene, served in the Pacific Theater before returning home and joining the business, where they hauled mostly produce from Utah and Idaho to California and began growing the company from one truck in 1946 to more than 5,000 in 2018. Request would allow GPS windshield mount in 'safety technology' area A 60-truck fleet has requested a waiver from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that would allow it to mount GPS devices in the area of the windshield designated only for "vehicle safety technologies." Currently under federal regulations, GPS devices are not considered "vehicle safety technologies" and cannot be mounted within the area swept by the windshield wipers. Devices that fall under the regula- tion can be mounted no more than 4 inches below the upper edge of the area swept by the wipers and no more than 7 inches above the lower edge of the area. Traditional Trucking Corp., a Belvue, Kansas-based fleet, says GPS devices are "approximately the same size as the currently allowed 'vehicle safety technologies' mounted on the windshield." The company adds that the dash "is not suitable for mounting the fixture to hold the GPS unit." Federal regulations define "vehicle safety technologies" as fleet-related incident management systems, performance or behavior management systems, speed man- agement systems, lane departure warning systems, forward collision warning or mitigation systems, active cruise control systems and transponders. – Matt Cole Tech company requests exemption for side mirror replacement cameras T rucking technology company Stoneridge last month filed an exemption request with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration that would allow carriers to use the company's MirrorEye Camera Monitor System instead of the required two rear-vision side mirrors, one on each side. Stoneridge's MirrorEye system is a group of cam- eras mounted on the sides of trucks that gives the driver a high-definition view on an in-cab monitor. The company says mounting its monitors on the A-pillars between the windshield and door avoids creating blind spots while also eliminating blind spots created by conventional mirrors. Stoneridge adds that its camera system meets or exceeds visibility requirements in the federal regulations based on several factors: • Greater field of view than conventional mirrors with wide-angle, narrow-angle and look-down cameras expanding the field of view by about 25 percent; • Independent video processing of multiple camera images so that if one camera fails, the other camera images continue to be displayed; • Enhanced vision quality with the use of high-definition digital cameras provid- ing color night vision, low-light sensitivity and more; and • Trailer panning that tracks the end of the trailer to keep it in view. – Matt Cole Stoneridge's MirrorEye system is a group of cameras mounted on the sides of trucks that gives the driver an HD view on an in-cab monitor. Traditional Trucking Corp. requested a waiver to allow GPS devices to be mounted in the area of the windshield meant for safety technologies.