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Ancra Canada appoints new sales manager for Atlantic, Central Canada

Ancra Canada has appointed George Bates as regional sales manager for Atlantic and Central Canada.

Bates brings with him more than 25 years of experience in sales and service to the heavy-duty transportation industry, including 10 years of previous load securement sales experience, six years specifically with Ancra as a territory manager. He has been an active participant in several trade associations, including the Automotive Transportation Service Superintendents Association, the Canadian Fleet Maintenance Seminar, and the Heavy Duty Distributor Council.

“(Bates’) previous load securement experience has left him well versed in the current load securement regulations, making him a valuable resource for Ancra’s customers,” Ancra officials said in a release.

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New road rules take effect in Iowa, Idaho and West Virginia

By the end of this week new rules take effect in Iowa, Idaho and West Virginia to help protect emergency personnel and reduce distracted driving.

A new law in Iowa covers the state’s requirement that travelers make way for vehicles, typically emergency personnel, during roadside stops.

According to AAA, 49 states have implemented similar safety zone rules. Hawaii lawmakers have sent a bill to the governor’s desk to end the state’s distinction as the lone holdout.

Iowa’s three-year-old law requires drivers to change lanes or slow down when approaching emergency, tow or maintenance vehicles stopped along the roadside with lights flashing. Violators face $100 fines.

Effective Sunday, July 1, violators will face increased penalties if failure to abide by the rule results in property damage or injury to others. Specifically, incidents that result in injury or death would result in fines of $500 or $1,000, respectively.

Mandatory suspension of driving privileges will also be required. Loss of driving privileges for such offenses could last between 90 days and one year.

To avoid potential problems, the Iowa Department of Transportation recommends that travelers change lanes or slow down anytime you are approaching a vehicle that is slow moving, stopped or stranded on the shoulder, if it is safe to do so.

Two new laws in Idaho and West Virginia also address road safety concerns.

The National Safety Council says driver distractions, as well as alcohol and speeding, are leading factors in serious injury crashes. The council estimates that 28 percent of all traffic crashes – or at least 1.6 million crashes – each year are caused by drivers using cellphones. An additional 200,000 crashes annually involve drivers who are texting.

In response to safety concerns, a total of 37 states have acted to outlaw the distracted driving practice in recent years. Idaho and West Virginia are the latest states to prohibit drivers from text messaging while at the wheel.

Effective July 1, law enforcement in both states can enforce the bans as a primary offense, meaning drivers could be cited solely for violating the rule.

The Idaho law specifies that tickets can be handed out to anyone caught reviewing, preparing or sending text messages while driving. Violators would face $85 fines.

Emergency personnel and law enforcement are included.

In West Virginia, offenders would face fines that start at $100. Three points would be added to driver’s licenses after their third citation.

The Mountain State’s new rule includes a restriction on talking while driving. In addition to the texting rule, chatting with a hand-held device is a secondary offense. As a result, officers couldn’t cite offenders without pulling them over for a separate violation.

However, the restriction on enforcement is only temporary. The cellphone rule is slated to become a primary offense in July 2013.

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Alberta Crowns Top Truckers at Annual Driving Championships

Alberta’s top drivers from across the province descended on the Rosenau Transport yard Calgary to compete in the AMTA Truck Driving Champtionship June 16. The annual event, hosted by Alberta Motor Transport Association, challenges each driver to demonstrate his or her driving and inspection skills, knowledge and professionalism through a series of rigourous tests. The drivers under went a written examination, personal interview, pre-trip inspection test and driving skills test.

Finalists in each of five categories move on to compete at the National Truck Driving Championships which will be held in Moncton, N.B. later this year.

The event standings are as follows:

Straight Truck Division
First Place: Keith Franklin – Canadian Freightways
Second Place: Randy James Smith – Canadian Freightways
Third Place: Kevin Corscadden – Sokil Express

Single, Single Division
First Place: Calvin Briggs – Grimshaw Trucking
Second Place: Darren Tychkowsky – Fed-Ex Freight
Third Place: Kent Friesen – Canadian Freightways

Single Tandem Division
First Place: Rick Ross – Canadian Freightways
Second Place: Gordon Lowen – Grimshaw Trucking
Third Place: Rob Pirzek – YRC Reimer Express

Tandem, Tandem Division
First Place: Paul Mills – Canada Safeway
Second Place: Rod Harrison – Canadian Freightways
Third Place: Kevin Chapman – Orlicks Transport

B-Train Division
First Place: Lonni Wilton – Canadian Freightways
Second Place: Steve Calhoun – Canadian Freightways
Third Place: Jim Pennington – Sokil Express

Grand Champion: Paul Mills – Canada Safeway

Rookie of the Year: Andre Roy – Bison Transport

Team Award: Canadian Freightways – Calgary

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Public driver’s 36-year Safety Record Remains Untarnished

It’s 10 a.m. and Bobby Costine is winding down, his workday on the verge of being complete. His blue eyes show a bit of exhaustion and he’s ready for his salad from the work cafeteria and his afternoon nap.

At the start of his work day, at midnight, most of Polk County is tucked away in bed. By 1:15 a.m., Costine, 62, is already on the road, making the 1½-hour drive down Florida’s west coast to Venice, a city just south of Sarasota, his large truck filled with produce and other items to stock up one of four Publix stores in the area.

The trip sometimes loops to Port Charlotte or Punta Gorda, where Publix Super Markets Inc. has three more stores, before Costine drives back to Lakeland to load up for another trip, this time for a route that takes him to stores in the Tampa area.

The work routine has been similar for 36 years.

And it’s one without a blemish, at least where it counts: On the road.

In November, Costine will reach the 3,000,000-mile mark for safe driving.

So far, he’s made it 35 years, seven months and change without an accident, a stellar feat considering his transportation, a 65-foot truck, and the number of accidents in the United States involving large trucks.

In 2010, 276,000 large trucks had accidents, according to the Department of Transportation. During that same year in Florida, 3,445 large trucks were involved in fatal crashes.

The 36-year mark is the first in the history of Publix, which has been around since 1930.

“Safety is at the core of everything we do,” said Shannon Patten, Publix manager of media and community relations.

“We want our drivers to operate as if every vehicle on the road holds members of their families or other people who mean the world to them.”

Costine, who often wears blue jeans and boots to work, touts another accomplishment.

He says he’s never been lost.

“A man don’t get lost. If you have plenty of fuel you’ll find a way home,” he said.

Driving is a way of life for Costine, a Lakeland native who enjoys hunting in Alabama, breeding and selling cows and watching the pro rodeo in Las Vegas. He enjoys it because he gets to do it solo.

“It ain’t been pretty every day of my life, but most days I enjoy it. I get into work, I don’t have to listen to a whole lot and I get in the truck and leave,” Costine said.

“I’ve never wanted to be in the office all day. It’s something that wasn’t for me. I just love driving trucks.”

His work schedule isn’t an envious one.

He gets to the lot at 1 a.m., loads up, checks his truck and then heads out. He punches out after about 10 hours, gets a salad from the Publix cafeteria and then heads home to his place in north Lakeland where he feeds his cows – he owns about 20 of them – and then takes a nap.

“An hour-and-a-half, two-hour nap is required,” Costine said, a southern twang in his voice.

He goes back to bed at 8 p.m. and sleeps for four more hours before starting his work day again.

When Costine started driving trucks for Publix in 1976, there were 189 stores around Florida, GPS was absent from dashboards and a cell phone wasn’t a typical item found in back pockets or purses. At the time, Costine was also the low man on the totem pole. He had accepted the position as truck driver, a move he made from the dairy warehouse, after working at the Fire Department and serving four years in the Marine Corps.

Publix now has 1,052 stores, the trucks have GPS and the equipment is such that it’s not often you’ll see a Publix truck stranded on the side of a highway.

“These trucks are smarter than I am,” Costine said.

Costine also has the best spot in the parking lot, right outside the truck dispatch office and before his boss.

But he doesn’t let the accomplishments get to his head. Earlier this year, Costine was given the chance to change his schedule and route to his liking because of his spot-free record.

“I don’t need all that,” Costine said. “I just want to drive trucks. It’s what I love to do.”

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Trucker News

Ground transportation costs drop for Canadian shippers in April

The cost of ground transportation for Canadian shippers decreased 2.3% in April compared with March results, according to results published today by the Canadian General Freight Index.

The Base Rate Index, which excludes the impact of accessorial charges assessed by carriers, decreased by 2.0% when compared to March. Average fuel surcharges assessed by carriers have seen an increase from 21.9% of base rates in March to 22.4% in April.

“We are experiencing a downward trend in both base rates and accessorials, while fuel is seeing increases for the third consecutive month,” said Doug Payne, president and COO of Nulogx. “It appears that both the domestic and cross-border truckload markets are seeing the most change as a result of these trends.”


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FMCSA adds caveat on crash responsibility to CSA websites

As of Tuesday, June 26, reported FMCSA Senior Transportation Specialist Bryan Price, language was added to the public Compliance, Safety, Accountability Safety Measurement System website, the SAFER website and to results from the Pre-Employment Screening Program that underscores the lack of crash responsibility in crash data. “We’ve added language to all our websites,” he said, “to more clearly articulate [the fact that] crash information doesn’t include preventability information.”

According to the information section of the CSA main site, “a caveat is placed wherever [Carrier Safety Measurement System] Crash Indicator-related values are shown. The caveat states, ‘A motor carrier’s crash assessment (Crash Indicator BASIC measure and percentile) and the list of crashes below represent a motor carrier’s involvement in 24 months of reportable crashes without any determination as to responsibility.’”

FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro, in a June 20 conference call organized by the owner-operator members of the Trucking Solutions Group, noted that the agency was considering how to address crash responsibility in the Crash Indicator measurement. The industry could expect, she said, “sometime before the month is out,” a schedule for planned research into how exactly to account for crash responsibility in the CSA system.

“I am committed to carrying out a full analysis of what information we could use and what process we could use to better weight crashes,” she added.

Price was speaking as part of a series of webinars titled “CSA: Proposed Changes to Improve a Solid Foundation,” devoted to educating motor carriers.

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Truckers Hit the Road to Combat Sex Trade

Each year, truck drivers rack up almost 400 billion miles transporting goods across the United States.

Now, truckers are putting those miles to good use by participating in an initiative to stop human trafficking.

“They’re the eyes and ears of our nation’s highways. They see things that we don’t,” Kylla Leeburg, with Truckers Against Trafficking, said.

“They’re out on those lots, spending the night when they’re on a long haul so they’re able to capitalize on those moments,” she explained.

Many drivers, like Chris Peggins, are willing and able to call authorities when they notice a young girl or woman who might be trafficked.

“I think it’s wrong,” he said. “People are not slaves. Slavery is over with.”

At least one teenage victim has gone public thanking the truck driver who saved her. The man called authorities after spotting the girl and her cousin at a truck stop.

“If it wasn’t for him calling the police and saying she just doesn’t look right there, I have no idea what would have happened,” the victim’s mother said.

“The truck driver, the one who made the phone call, I think about him all the time,” she added. “I don’t know who he is, but I owe him a lot.”

Truck stops are often an easy place for traffickers to operate. The predators can kidnap a woman, assaulted her, then drop her off at truck stops every night, forcing her to meet a quota of customers.

Truckers Against Trafficking wants to help more truckers understand the horror that’s often right in front of them.

“They were seeing girls out on the lots,” Leeburg said.

She added that many truckers would think nothing of it, even becoming irritated at times because girls would interrupt them while they’re sleeping.

But with education, Leeburg feels truckers understand that their annoyance can be someone else’s bondage.

“What they started to see once they were learning about human trafficking is that those knocks might be desperation,” she continued.

Now, the group works with the trucking industry to spread the word. Their message: if you see something suspicious, call the national trafficking hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

“We’re already seeing hundreds of calls coming into the hotline and investigations are underway,” Brad Riley, founder of the anti-trafficking group iEmpathize, said.

The hope is that with increased awareness and involvement, truckers can become a force in shutting down the modern-day slavery taking place right on the nation’s highways.

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Detroit Enhances Engine Families with Fuel Economy in Mind

A sign posted in the office proclaims ‘This is Detroit,’ and it is right in every sense of the word. This is the home of a brand that shares its name with America’s motor city, and the Detroit name is gradually taking hold as the Diesel reference is removed from old Detroit Diesel signs around the Michigan facility.

But even as the word disappears from the signs, it is obvious that diesel remains an important focus. It was certainly at the top of mind as engineers worked on their latest product upgrades – leading to engines that promise to consume less fuel.

Detroit has unveiled several enhancements for its 2013 engine family, all of which play an important role in meeting 2014 regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, placing tighter controls on greenhouse gases (GHG) and delivering better fuel economy in the process.

“It is our goal to pace the industry in emissions compliance and fuel efficiency. Early submissions for GHG14 engine compliance is evidence of this strategy for the updated family of Detroit engines,” said Brad Williamson, Daimler Trucks North America’s manager, engine and component marketing.

Various changes will be seen in the DD13, DD15, DD15 TC, and DD16 engines.

The DD15 engine platform includes the widest array of upgrades and will be exclusive to the Freightliner Cascadia Evolution.

“This is the flagship product,” says Mark Groeneweg, director, truck engine product engineering at Daimler Trucks. “We have a focus here on low cost of operation and we think there’s a big, big customer benefit to be had.”

New components in the 14.8-litre engine include a liquid-only delivery system for the diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), eliminating the need for an air-assisted delivery method. This helps to reduce the load on the engine’s compressor, and applies the fluid in a spray pattern that more efficiently attacks NOx created in the combustion process.

Detroit has also eliminated one of the elements in the engine’s traditional fuel filter, introducing a design with a single element, a pre-screen, and a 100,000-mile recommended service interval that doubles the life of its predecessor. The new module will require fewer priming strokes, and offers easier access to the water drain. Meanwhile, an in-dash restriction indicator will tell drivers about the upcoming need to change the filter.

Several changes are helping to reduce the parasitic loads that would otherwise waste fuel. The existing water pump with a fixed drive, for example, is being replaced with a variable-speed design. “This allows us to not pump coolant when we don’t need it,” Groeneweg says, referring to the feature already found on Mercedes Actros engines in Europe.

Rather than using a variable turbocharger, the DD15 will also include a new fixed-geometry turbocharger that is fine-tuned to optimize engines with popular fleet ratings of 455 hp and 1,550 lb.-ft. of torque.

“This is not an off-the-shelf bought component,” Groeneweg adds, referring to the turbine’s refined shape and compressor wheel.

The fuel itself will be introduced through an amplified common rail system (ACRS), which helps Detroit to shape the engine’s rates. “It gives us a big knob to turn to keep the formation of NOx low, but get the fuel in fast,” Groeneweg explains. Injection nozzles have also been adjusted to reduce friction.

In-cylinder changes include pistons with improved oil control rings that – combined with ACRS – deliver higher injection pressures for better combustion controls. And a “carbon scraper ring” inserted at the top of the liner will peel unwanted carbon off the top of the piston, protecting against the contaminants that would otherwise polish the bores.

Electronic upgrades come in the form of faster processors and extra memory, in part to prepare a system that will be able to manage inputs from Detroit’s 12-speed automated transmissions, which were recently unveiled to round out the company’s powertrain offerings that also include axles.

“With the modifications we’ve made to the DD15, we are not only meeting compliance standards, but we’re providing our customers with a reliable solution that can provide significant fuel economy gains,” said Williamson. “And, with the recent introduction of the Freightliner Cascadia Evolution, we were able to showcase the power and performance of the enhanced engine.”

The company will offer the DD15 TC (with turbo-compounding) in other trucks, and that engine will come with many of the DD15’s upgrades including improved electronics and the single-element fuel filter. This design, says Williamson, “is kind of a go-anywhere, do-anything engine, depending on the weight and application.” It will be available in many Freightliner and Western Star models.

Horsepower-hungry Canadian buyers of today’s DD15 may need to look to the DD16 for some of their traditional ratings. While the DD15 was traditionally available with up to 560 hp and 1,850 lb.-ft. of torque, it now comes with between 455 and 505 hp and 1,550 to 1,750 lb.-ft. of torque. The enhanced DD16 now delivers 475 to 600 hp and up to 2,050 lb.-ft. torque.

Meanwhile, enhancements to the Detroit DD13 – offered with ratings from 370 to 470 hp and 1,250 to 1,650 lb.-ft. of torque – include changes to the fuel filter module, and an optional variable speed water pump that is more efficient than a gear-driven design. The engine’s buyers with LTL fleets are likely to be among those most interested in adding the feature that will be standard fare in the upgraded DD15.

A new crankcase sensor has also been added to support on-board diagnostics that need to be enhanced in 2013. The sensors and warning lights that first began to monitor emission-controlling equipment in 2010 will now need to watch over fuel, air, EGR, and cooling systems; crankcase ventilation; diesel particulate filters; selective catalytic reduction; sensors; and actuators.

Buyers will be able to order engines that meet the GHG14 standards without making any radical changes in their purchasing habits. At this point, for example, there will be no need to order locked vehicle speed limiters in a Detroit Diesel engine.

In the coming months, the real-world tests will continue as Daimler Trucks North America looks to prove the value of its engine enhancements. It is already running 30 DD15s in Freightliner Cascadia Evolution sleepers and 10 DD13s in day cabs. Those have been handed over to fleets after 10,000 miles of testing in Portland, Oregon.

The early results are promising. When comparing the average load on an EPA2010 engine to the GHG14 models, fuel economy has improved about 6.7%. “We’re off to a very, very positive start with this program,” says Tim Tindall, Detroit’s director, component sales.

A second round of test trucks and engines to be built in August will include 26 DD15s, 16 of which will have Detroit transmissions, and 35 day cabs powered by DD13s in Cascadia day cabs.

All of the rucks come with the “visibility package” in Detroit’s Virtual Technician system that can be used to track performance at any point in time, offering data such as the amount of fuel being consumed, distances traveled, fault codes, and vehicle locations.

The question that remains is when most customers will begin to buy the equipment. Past rounds of tightened emission controls led many fleets to “pre-buy” engines based on standards that existed before any changes took place, and slowed the introduction of cleaner technologies that carried higher price tags.

But the GHG14 engines could represent an important difference. This time, equipment upgrades will offer better fuel economy that can deliver return on the investments.

Tindall doesn’t personally expect a pre-buy this time around.

The real question is whether some customers choose to postpone their purchases until the more fuel-efficient models are available, he says. “Some customers have asked us about that already.”

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Oil Prices

A “build” and a “Twist” knocked oil prices to the floor on Wednesday.
In the morning, the government announced a surprise increase, or build, in U.S. oil supplies. That told investors that America has a bounty of crude and less need to import more from foreign countries. Then the Federal Reserve extended an interest-rate reduction program known as Operation Twist, but declined to take more aggressive steps to boost the economy.Together, they sent the price of oil to a nine-month low.

Benchmark U.S. crude dropped $2.23, or 2.7 percent, to end the day at $81.80 per barrel in New York. That’s the lowest level since October. Brent crude, which is used to price much of the oil imported into the U.S., lost $3.07 to finish at $92.69 per barrel in London. That’s Brent’s lowest finish since December 2010.
Wednesday’s drop was among the biggest in a nearly two-month swoon that has slashes 23 percent off the price of oil.
The Energy Information Administration said oil supplies grew by 2.9 million barrels last week. That surprised analysts who had expected a decline of 600,000 barrels. Oil supplies have risen this year to the highest level since 1990, thanks to a boom in North American production.

“The U.S. is flush with oil right now,” independent analyst and trader Stephen Schork said. “And if you factor in the economic mess in Europe, slower economic growth in China, and probably overproduction from the Saudis in preparation for the Iranian oil embargo, the world has a comfortable supply” of oil.

Oil prices fell further after the Federal Reserve sharply lowered its outlook for the U.S. economy at the conclusion of a two-day policy meeting. The Fed also predicted that the unemployment rate, now 8.2 percent, probably won’t fall much further this year.In hopes of sparking borrowing and spending by consumers and businesses, the Fed said it would continue its program designed to lower long-term interest rates. Under Operation Twist, the Fed will sell $267 billion of short-term Treasurys and buy longer-term Treasurys through December.

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Mack Titan takes centre stage at SteelStacks area of Bethlehem

Visitors to the Levitt Pavilion in the SteelStacks area of Bethlehem are now greeted by a Mack Titan truck attached to a concession stand.

The Mack Truck Stop is slated to open June 22, as a focal point in the Levitt Pavilion at SteelStacks. The area was home to the now defunct Bethlehem Steel.

Mack has a rich history in the region, with its Customer Center in nearby Allentown and truck assembly plant in Macungie, Pa. The Mack Titan was given to students at the Lehigh Career and Technical Institute (LCTI), who then reworked the cab to fit the unique application.

“We are proud of our heritage in the Lehigh Valley, and the opportunity to partner with LCTI to give students real-world experience in their chosen career paths,” said Kevin Flaherty, president, Mack Trucks North American sales and marketing. “Built in the USA is important to Mack – all of our trucks are built right here in the Lehigh Valley. Now we can also say we have a permanent display featuring one of our models built by students in this region.”

The Titan is installed to the side of the concession stand, to give the impression it is pulling the stand as a trailer. The installation of the truck is part of an ongoing effort to revitalize the SteelStacks area.

“When guests visit the Levitt Pavilion, they’ll be greeted not only by the sounds of live music, but also by this unique concession stand and display symbolizing the incredible partnerships that have made the Levitt Pavilion possible,” said Jeff Parks, president of ArtsQuest, which is designing the area. “Mack Trucks is a longtime partner that has helped us present a variety of programming for the community over the years, and they’ve once again stepped up in a big way at the Levitt Pavilion and Mack Truck Stop. The Mack Truck Stop is a great example of their continuing support, as well as a visual reminder of Mack’s past and present contributions to the Lehigh Valley, and in fact, the entire nation. We thank them, as well as the Bethlehem Redevelopment Authority and the City of Bethlehem, for all of their support of this dynamic community music venue.”

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