Month: April 2011

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Trucker News

Insurance broker arrested

A California insurance broker has been arrested on charges of swindling truckers. Paul Daniel Conejos, 29, did business as TATEMAS Truck Insurance Services and Royal Insurance Group Services Inc. in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The 29-year-old Adelanto resident is scheduled for arraignment June 1 in San Bernardino County Superior Court.

He allegedly collected premium payments from long-distance trucking companies, did not remit payments to insurance companies, but issued fraudulent insurance certificates, according to the California Insurance Commission.

Conejos pleaded not guilty at his in-custody arraignment April 12 to four felony counts of grand theft, three felony counts of forgery, two felony counts of theft by false pretense and three misdemeanor theft counts, according to court records. Client losses are about $38,000 for what is sometimes called premium diversion from April 2008 to March 2010.

When buying insurance, truckers should get referrals regarding agents or brokers from truckers they trust, said Bonnie Knoedler, co-owner of Sparks Insurance of Kenosha, Wis.

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Trucker News

Thieves pose as carriers to pick up freight

Fraudulent pickups of freight are increasing in California and other states as thieves pose as carriers, according to FreightWatch International.

Incidents of freight thefts have been reported in April in Florida, Ohio, Indiana, New York and New Jersey, FreightWatch said. About 20 incidents were reported in April, compared with 24 for all of 2010, said FreightWatch’s Dan Burges.

Thieves are going through online broker sites to find freight, impersonate legitimate carriers and pick up loads at shipper locations, FreightWatch said.

The organization is warning shippers to ensure they are only releasing freight to known and verified transportation companies.

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Trucker News

Trailer orders rise

When we think of the importance of trailers in the society, we might be surprised to find out that the list could be particularly surprising. This equipment had proven its worth to many people. Trailers like the Aluminum Pickup Flat-beds, Aluminum Utility, ATV and Snowmobile Trailers, Car Haulers, Dump Trailers, Enclosed Cargo Trailers, Equipment Trailers, Steel Pickup Flat-beds, Steel Utility Trailers, and the Stock and Horse Trailers are all essential. They are necessary equipments used in business, transportation, leisure activities and family outings. Net commercial trailer orders in March rose 21 percent from February, while shipments increased 33 percent, ACT Research Co. said. ACT noted that shipments for the first quarter of 2011 were more than double compared with the same quarter last year. The company’s State of the Industry: U.S. Trailers reported that all trailer categories are showing substantial improvement compared with the previous year, led by the dry van segment with shipments up 198 percent for the year.
Trailers
“Net orders have now grown for 18 consecutive months, as well as 19 of the past 20,” said Frank Maly, director CV Transportation Analysis and Research at ACT Research. “Total trailer net orders are now 98 percent above the level at this time last year. Shipments, up 109% year-to-date, are growing at an even stronger pace. Additionally, backlogs continue to grow. The stage is set for solid industry performance for the remainder of 2011 and throughout 2012.”

Since there are so many kinds of trailers that are available today, one should determine their purpose why they need to purchase a trailer. Trailers are an indispensable part of human lives. They help us carry or toll those heavy things that we need for business or personal needs.

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Lifestyle Newbies

Bill to ban Canadian trash

Trash is unwanted things or garbage also known as rubbage things like old baby diapers used tulapaper these are just a few of what trash is.

A new congressional bill is aimed at preventing Canadian trash trucks from crossing the border and depositing garbage in U.S. landfills.

Michigan Democrat Sens. Debbie Stabenow and Carl Levin introduced the Stop Canadian Trash Act, or S.840, on April 14. The bill, which was referred to the environmental and public works committee, would fine violators $500 for transporting foreign municipal solid waste.

Tons of waste from private companies, including from construction and industrial sources, often cross the Michigan border before it is dumped in U.S. landfills, Levin said.

A 2005 agreement with Ontario was to end municipal trash entering Michigan by 2011, which accounted for an annual 1.5 million tons of trash in Michigan landfills. Still, private companies continue the practice, he said

Trash

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Lifestyle Trucker News

North Dakota bans texting

Texting while driving is the act of composing, sending, or reading text messages, email, or making other similar use of the internet on a mobile device, while operating a motor vehicle such as an automobile, truck or train. It has also been ruled as the cause of some motor vehicle accidents, and in some places has been outlawed or restricted.North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed a new law banning texting while driving, making it the 31st state to ban texting behind the wheel. The new law, which becomes effective Aug. 1, will impose a $100 fine on people caught texting while driving.

With North Dakota, 31 states, the District of Columbia and Guam have banned text messaging by all drivers. Eight states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands have prohibited all hand-held cell phone use while driving. In January 2010, the U.S. Department of Transportation imposed a texting-while-driving ban on commercial truck and bus drivers. Texting is fun, and it can be addictive, too. But with lives on the line, it’s important to have safe driving habits. Put in perspective, not that many text messages are really worth the risk of having a potentially fatal car accident. A ban on texting while driving, punishable by fines, may become the law of the land. Meanwhile, if drivers can muster the self discipline to ban it from their own driving repertoire (and if the parents of teens, especially, can demand there be no texting while driving) then everyone’s safety will be enhanced.

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Trucker News

Carriers support EOBR

The National Tank Truck Carriers announced its membership supports mandatory electronic logging devices for documentary compliance with hours-of-service rules. NTTC said it voted to support the electronic logging mandate last July but withheld making a public announcement pending any related developments in the HOS rulemaking.

“Personally, as a former professional driver myself, I’ve been a strong proponent of in-cab technology for years,” said Steve Rush, NTTC chairman and chief executive officer of New Jersey-based Carbon Express. “Our NTTC membership recognizes that ELDs will allow all carriers to equally police themselves, which can only lead to safer, better operations across the board. ELD technology will also greatly contribute to improved working conditions for our professional drivers, which will be a large factor as capacity tightens and driver recruiting grows more challenging.”

EOBR

The American Trucking Associations, Truckload Carriers Association and National Private Truck Council also have voiced support for EOBRs, which would become mandatory for interstate haulers that are required to maintain records-of-duty status under a pending Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rulemaking.

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Trucker News

FleetPride Acquires Midway Truck Parts As Industry

In its ninth acquisition in 15 months, FleetPride is buying 13 Midway Truck Parts locations in Illinois and one in St. Louis, Mo. Midway Truck Parts was founded in 1978 by Pete Pasdach, president, and Rich Murawski, vice president.

Murawski will join FleetPride in his operational role. Pasdach will lead FleetPride’s Midwest Region in his new role as regional vice president – Midwest Region.

The Midway Trailer Sales & Service division is not part of this agreement and will continue to operate as a separate company.

A major issue, said Plaxton, is that companies such as FleetPride are increasingly negotiating exclusivity performance contracts with vendors. FleetPride could potentially become the exclusive supplier of some parts. This is not likely to matter for major fleets of 1,000 or more power units because they can leverage so much purchasing power. But there may be negative implications for small- to mid-size fleets and the independent distributors they buy from.

A more immediate concern with the acquisition of Midway is Vipar, the marketing group headquartered in Crystal Lake, Ill. However, Steve Crowley, president and CEO of Vipar, said Midway was one of 118 buyers at Vipar, comprising only around 3 percent of business.

Moving forward, there is a strong possibility of more large acquisitions. Many dealers and distributors with depleted balance sheets from the recession are looking for an exit strategy.

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Trucker News

Truck posts smaller 1Q net loss

USA Truck on Thursday, April 21, announced base revenue of $99.7 million for the first quarter ended March 31, an increase of 11.7 percent from $89.2 million for the same quarter of 2010. The company incurred a net loss of $2.7 million compared to a net loss of $3.0 million.

“While we made substantial strategic progress during the quarter, our advances were almost entirely offset by exogenous factors,” said Cliff Beckham, president and chief executive officer of Van Buren, Ark.-based USA Truck. “We posted healthy revenue growth, particularly in our SCS and Intermodal service offerings, and we improved our earnings per share through continued execution of our VEVA (Vision for Economic Value Added) strategic plan. However, rising fuel prices, unusually harsh winter weather, increased government regulation and a tightening market for drivers combined to significantly and adversely impact our results.”

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Trucker News

NYC bridge lanes to be closed

Three of four eastbound upper-level approach lanes to the George Washington Bridge will be closed during weekend overnight hours through August. The upper-level approach lanes will be closed weekly from 10 p.m. Fridays to 10 a.m. Saturdays, and from 10 p.m. Saturdays to 10 a.m. Sundays.

In addition, two lower-level westbound lanes of the Trans-Manhattan Expressway will be closed from 10 p.m. Fridays through 10 a.m. Saturdays, and from 10 p.m. Saturdays to 10 a.m. Sundays, through July. The work each weekend will be canceled in the event of rain.The rehabilitation projects are part of the New York-New Jersey Port Authority’s capital investment in the bridge. Customers can use the Lincoln and Holland tunnels as alternates to cross the Hudson River.

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Trucker News

Forecast: Good times won’t last long

Trucking companies should take advantage of today’s economic recovery because it will be relatively brief by historical standards, and then the economy will fall back into recession, an FTR Associates economist forecast said April 19 in a CCJ online seminar.

“You better make hay now because after two or three years we’ll be right back in recession,” said Noel Perry, FTR managing director and senior consultant. “You only have a few years to put aside savings you’ll need for the next downturn.”

One reason he’s pessimistic is the weak housing industry outlook. Housing ownership is down and housing starts will remain low for many years to come. Construction and housing, which accounts for 14 percent of trucking freight, represented 37 percent of trucking’s decline since 2006.

Another problem that will make for a volatile market is the high level of federal debt and its impact on long-term interest rates. “Sometime in this decade, probably after the next election, we’re going to have to confront this problem,” Perry said.

Until that happens, trucking stands to prosper in the next few years. Manufacturing growth is outpacing nonmanufacturing and contributing to freight increases for trucking and other transportation sectors, Perry said.