Category: Business

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Carriers Owner Operators

Players in shipping industry awarded at 2nd Ghana Shipping Awards

Players in the shipping industry have been awarded for their immense contribution to the growth and development of the industry at the second edition of the Ghana Shipping Awards. The award was aimed at recognizing the contribution of companies in the export trade for their contribution to national development in line with government’s vision of transforming the economy into an export driven one. The CEO of Ghana Shippers Authority, Benonita Bismarck said the award ceremony will instill in industry players a sense of fulfilment and encourage transparency and compliance with laid down procedures in the trade and transport industry.

“This year’s awards which cut across varied sectors including road, ocean and air transportation, freight forwarding, shipping lines and agents, government agencies, insurance and financial institutions is an improvement of last year’s categorization,” she said. West Blue consulting won the excellence in innovation and technology award. GC-Net won the trade facilitation organization of the year and consultancy service provider of the year, sea port terminal of the year went to Amaris Terminal. Exporter of the year went to Kingdom Exim Ghana ltd. Star Assurance won maritime and logistics insurer of the year. Sea and shore services Ghana limited won Marine Service Provider of the year.

Seven log won shipping agent of the year. Promising shipping company of the year is Axiss shipping. Mcdan shipping company won shipping company of the year. Baj freight won freight forwarder of the year and Liner importer of the year went to ECG. B5 plus won dry bulk exporter of the year. Conship won logistics service provider of the year, Delta Ghana limited won Handicraft exporter of the year.

Source: https://www.ghanaweb.com/

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Owner Operators Trucker News

Titanium Trucking Services Announces Substantial Driver Pay Increase

Titanium Trucking Services Inc., a leading provider of transportation services throughout North America, is pleased to announce the Company has approved a substantial pay raise for its drivers. Effective January 1, 2018, Titanium will be increasing owner-operator rates by 5% of revenue and company driver pay by up to $0.06 per mile.”We anticipate a significant increase in customer demand next year and we want to make sure we have the drivers to take advantage of the disruption that we expect is coming to the industry,” said Marilyn Daniel, VP of Titanium Trucking Services. Daniel continued, “We are able to deliver excellent customer service as a result of our reliable and safe driver group.We recognize that our drivers are the backbone of our Company and 2018 will be about who can attract and retain the best drivers.” As part of its existing compensation package, Titanium offers a bonus plan for safety and maintenance performance objectives and is the only Canadian trucking company that offers a share purchase plan for all of its drivers.

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Source: https://globenewswire.com/

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Owner Operators Trucker News

Let’s Be Thankful for Truck Drivers on Thanksgiving

With so much commotion going on for most people this time of year and as we roll into the holiday season, there’s one thing we’ve got to stop to give thanks for-truck drivers, of course! They spend time away from their families so we can spend time with ours. What many take for granted in many professions is having holidays off work that we can enjoy with our loved ones.

For many drivers, this time of year is the craziest and it’s definitely not a time for getting off work. We aren’t the only ones stuck in bumper-to-bumper lines of traffic stretching down the road on our way to grandmother’s house during holiday travel commutes.

Plus, truck drivers are the ones who deliver that fuel for all those holiday travelers to guzzle up to visit their families with.Truck drivers rarely get those home-cooked meals while on the road. While most of us will be stuffing our pie holes with our family’s favorite recipes, drivers have to resort to whatever they can get their hands on that day. Turkeys don’t just “Fly” to our tables. If you’re eating Thanksgiving dinner, I’m willing to bet most of it has traveled by truck to wind up on your plate. 88% of Americans eat turkeys on Thanksgiving which means a “Mind-gobbling” 50 million turkeys were delivered to markets around the nation to prepare for our epic meal times. Essentially, truck drivers are the whole reason you’re able to celebrate with your family and friends each holiday.

Not only would we be starving without drivers who delivered our turkeys, sides and desserts to our nation’s stores-but our favorite tradition wouldn’t happen either. Without the use of helium tankers to fill the approximately 12,000 cubic feet of helium it requires for just one Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons. Other supplies for the parade are also brought by truck. Even if you’re more of a “Cyber Monday” shopper, those goods always still have to be taken from the manufacturer to your house by truck. For all those truck drivers out there reading this, just know that you truly are appreciated.

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Source:https://www.alltruckjobs.com/

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Owner Operators Trucker News

FMCSA: Ag haulers get 90-day delay on ELD use

Truckers hauling livestock and other agriculture products will have 90 extra days to comply with the DOT’s electronic logging device mandate, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced Monday.

FMCSA will soon publish a public notice in the Federal Register announcing the compliance extension, as well as a notice with fresh guidance for livestock haulers relative to both the ELD mandate and hours of service, said Joe Delorenzo, FMCSA’s director of compliance and enforcement, in a media briefing held Monday afternoon.

Delorenzo said the definition of a livestock hauler will lean on a definition established in the 1980s by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which defines livestock as ” cattle, elk, reindeer, bison, horses, deer, sheep, goats, swine, poultry, fish used for food and other animals designated that are part of a foundation herd or offspring. The waiver’s scope will be broader than that and extend to ag haulers who don’t haul livestock.

A coalition of groups representing livestock haulers petitioned the agency in late October to request a compliance extension. 30 request that livestock haulers will not be prepared to meet the Dec. Its concerns stem from “An incompatibility” between federal hours regs and livestock’ operations – a concern noted by Delorenzo in Monday’s briefing.

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Source:https://www.truckersnews.com/

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Carriers

Driving Safety Tips

Car accidents have killed more people in the United States than all the nation’s wars, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Improvements in vehicle design, road design and seat belt use have reduced accident fatalities, but motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for people aged four to 34. Educating people on driving safety topics helps reduce the risk of dangerous car accidents.

Distracted Driving
Distracted driving means you are visually, manually or cognitively distracted from driving. Examples of distractions include reading maps, using a cell phone, daydreaming, eating and drinking, changing the radio station, using a GPS or performing personal grooming. Driver distraction contributed to almost 20 percent of accidents in 2008.

Seat Belts
Wearing a seat belt is the most effective way to protect yourself in a motor vehicle accident. Seat belts saved more than 13,000 lives in 2008. Children and pregnant women should also wear seat belts. Don’t count on air bags to save you–seat belts are designed to work with air bags.

Impaired Driving
Impaired drivers are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Alcohol was involved in nearly a third of traffic-related deaths in 2008, while other drugs were present in about 18 percent of deaths. Young people, motorcyclists and people who have previously received convictions for driving while impaired are most likely to drive while intoxicated or on drugs.

Speeding
Speeding contributes to nearly a third of all fatal crashes. Most speed-related crashes involve a single vehicle, and 60 percent occur at night. Driving too fast also uses more fuel.

Child Safety Seats
Children should use child safety seats placed in the backseat until they are tall enough to properly use seat belts, which usually occurs around age eight. Children under 13 should always ride in the backseat, since deployed air bags can endanger young children.

Teen Driving
Car accidents cause more than one of three teen deaths. Males, teens who have recently gotten their licenses and teens driving with teenage passengers are at highest risk for motor vehicle crashes. Teenage drivers are less likely to recognize hazardous situations, less likely to wear seatbelts and more likely to speed than other groups of drivers.

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Business Freight Brokers

35% of brokers have authority revoked in bond increase measure, broker group says

The number of freight brokers disappearing from the federal rolls has been increasing by the hundreds every day since Dec. 1, following the new requirement to carry a $75,000 bond, boosted from $10,000 by the MAP-21 highway funding act passed last year.

Today, 35 percent of brokers in business at the beginning of the month no longer have active authority, says James Lamb, president of the Association of Independent Property Brokers & Agents.

As of noon, Dec. 10, 7,561 fewer authorized brokers were active than on Dec. 1, Lamb said, and that number will likely continue to rise until around Dec. 15 — 30 days after the last of the notices of investigation were sent to brokers by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Overdrive reported last week on the decrease in brokers and AIPBA’s court fight against the bond increase. Click here to see it.

That number, however, could also include brokers who had their licenses revoked for reasons other than not complying with the bond increase, said Norita Taylor, spokesperson for the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. She also said OOIDA hasn’t heard from any of its members about losing brokers.

FMCSA published a notice in September 2012 saying it would revoke operating authority from brokers who did not comply with the bond increase by Dec. 1, even though the MAP-21 bill required brokers to comply with the increase by Oct. 1.

Brokers are now required to carry a surety bond of $75,000 — up from the previously required $10,000. OOIDA supported the increase, saying it would better protect owner-operators who otherwise would not have been paid by over-extended brokers.

Taylor said the increase helps protect owner-operators from fraudulent brokers. “While most brokers provide a valuable service, the previous system left too much room for fraud where funds were collected from shippers but not paid to owner-operators.”

The American Trucking Associations and the Transportation Intermediaries Association also support the increase.

Because of the 60-day grace period and the time that brokers had to comply with the bond increase, Lamb says it’s “highly unlikely a significant amount” of the non-compliant brokers will be reinstated.

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Freight Brokers Owner Operators Trucker News

Thousands of brokers lose Authority

The number of brokers registered with FMCSA may be dropping — coming on the heels of the enforcement date of the increase in the minimum surety bond required for brokers to carry — but some of the numbers being tossed out don’t represent what’s actually happening, said Chris Burroughs, who’s with the government affairs staff of the Transportation Intermediaries Association, a broker trade group.

Rather than a non-compliance issue, Burroughs said, the number of brokers losing their authority (more than 7,500 by noon Dec. 10) is also dropping because the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration database was out of date, he said. “We feel like there were a lot of people out there who had active authority but weren’t actively doing business and hadn’t been for some time,” he said. “The database had a lot of scrubbing to do.”

A,TI along with the American Trucking Associations and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, supported the increase, which was included in the MAP-21 highway funding act passed last year.

The increase to $75,000, Burroughs said, was something TIA, OOIDA and ATA sat down to work out, finding a compromise that worked for all three groups.

Even though the broker numbers are falling, he said, TIA “absolutely still support(s)” the increase, and the impact to the brokerage industry and the trucking industry will be “minimal, if nothing at all.”

Another broker trade group, the Association of Independent Property Brokers & Agents, is fighting the increase in court, and its president, James Lamb, has said up to 75 percent of current brokers could be forced out of the business by the bond increase. The increase will have a particularly harsh impact on small brokers, Lamb said.

Burroughs said 70 percent of TIA’s membership is made up of brokers with less than $2 million in annual revenue, and the effect on TIA’s membership has been minimal, he said.

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Business Carriers Owner Operators

Highway Truck Fatalities Rose 8.9% Last Year

A new report from the DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that the number of large truck occupant fatalities increased by 8.9% between 2011 and 2012 up to 697. In 2011, the number of deaths was 20% higher than in 2010.

Despite the increase in the past few years, deaths among occupants of large trucks are the lowest they’ve been since 1950.

These numbers are also reflected in the total number of highway fatalities. In 2012, there were 33,561 highway fatalities. The NHTSA says that the number of highway deaths are at “historic lows.”

The ATA commented on the report saying that the NHTSA is not using specific enough categories to accurately portray the data. They note that the NHTSA counts non-freight-hauling vehicles as “large trucks” which is causing people to incorrectly believe that freight-hauling trucks are more prone to fatal accidents than they actually are. According to the ATA, the report “paints an incomplete and misleading picture of the nation’s trucking industry.”

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Business Carriers Freight Brokers Freight Factors

Illegal Brokerage Among Carriers Still Gray Area

On October 1, the FMCSA issued a Final Rule that adopts regulations required by MAP-21. The rule includes the provision which sets a minimum financial security of $75,000 for brokers and freight forwarders, including carriers that occasionally broker loads.

In the Final Rule, the FMCSA states that compliance with the new rule will cost the industry $15.9 million initially. It has identified 2,212 freight forwarders that are impacted and estimates that the financial impact will be $1.69 million in the first year. For the 21,565 brokers on record the initial cost will be $14.21 million.

You’ll notice that there is no estimate for the carriers that need to obtain a $75K bond and broker authority to comply. That’s because the FMCSA admits that it has little information as to the extent of the unlicensed broker population within the motor carrier industry, which makes estimating the costs to this group difficult, if not impossible.

Since this population is difficult to identify, the FMCSA will initially work with industry groups to get complaint information on motor carriers that are acting as brokers illegally through its National Consumer Complaint Database.

The FMCSA also warns that carriers that act as unlicensed brokers may be subject to private civil actions.

So, unless you are moving every load on your own equipment and under your own carrier authority (for at least one leg of the journey), you need to obtain broker authority and the $75,000 bond that goes with it.

If you’re a DAT customer, learn more about a special bond offering for DAT customers through preferred solutions provider Integro.

As we’ve noted before, you must have active operating authority as a broker if you want to post your loads to DAT Load Boards.

For more information on how MAP-21 impacts carriers, read: Surprise! The Broker Bond Affects Carriers.

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Carriers Trucker News

CSA and improving driver respect are priorities in 2014

During his luncheon address to fleet executives at the 2013 CCJ Fall Symposium in Scottsdale, Ariz., American Trucking Associations chairman and president of Bullog Hiway Express Phil Byrd, Sr., said three key legislative focuses for ATA in 2014 are electronic logging devices, rolling back the changes to hours-of-service rules, improving components of the Compliance Safety Accountability program.

ATA is working with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Anne Ferro to work out some of the “fundamental flaws” with the program, including “having no-fault crashes removed from CSA,” said Byrd.

ATA has been a strong supporter in recently introduced H.R. bill 3413 that would revert to hours-of-service rules that existed prior to the current rules that took effect in July. “I would submit that current HOS rules impede the free-flow movement of goods along U.S. highways an exacerbates congestion in metropolitan areas and will make the driver shortage worse,” said Byrd, who added that he anticipates a hearing at the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee in the near future.

Byrd says early statistics show a 3 to 4 percent loss in productivity among large fleets, but says the impact on his own business has been greater.

Highway infrastructure funding is also a priority for ATA, but Byrd said until the stalemate between Republicans and Democrats is broken, nothing is likely to change.

“Highways are literally crumbling beneath our trucks and cars,” said Byrd. “[Congress] knows how to fix the problem, but doesn’t have the will to do it.”

Finally, Byrd said improving driver respect is a cause he plans to champion during his tenure as ATA chairman. “These incredible men and women — US trucking fleet drivers — they brave the dark of night, the ice and snow of the mountain peaks, the heat of the desert, the congestion of America’s highways everyday to deliver America’s goods,” he said. “Everything we need, want and desire comes to you by truck. These brave men and women, these incredible individuals, are disrespected at every turn. When they go to our shippers’ door to pick up, their time is disrespected, they don’t have adequate facilities. Then they get that load secured and get that bill of lading in-hand and go out on the public highway system. And because the motoring public doesn’t understand how we operate as an industry, they are disrespected by the people we share the roads with…when they arrive at our consignees to deliver the goods they receive much of the same disrespect when they loaded the freight. We have to change that. They deserve better. I believe that until we restore the respect that our drivers deserve we can’t expect people to come into our industry to be mistreated and misunderstood.”