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Clearing agents and freight forwarders have accused the foreign shipping companies of exploiting and extorting Nigerian importers through the introduction of arbitrary charges on a yearly basis. This is even as the agents expressed fear of a new shipping levy come 2018. Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune exclusively, a customs agent Izuchukwu Obasi, explained that some importers have joined the bandwagon and moved their cargoes to neighboring countries due to unnecessary shipping charges shipping lines slam on Nigerian bound cargoes. “According to Obasi,”In 2016, the shipping lines first came with a new charges called government and port taxes.

They were imposing the charges on importers, and many had no choice other than to pay, even though some of our clients complained to us. “The year is coming to a close now and the shipping lines are still collecting the PAD charges plus the 2016 government and port taxes, alongside other normal charges importers pay before 2016. Many importers are already looking at a new levy in 2018 because it is fast becoming a yearly ritual. New year comes with new shipping charges for Nigerian importers. The situation is that bad.”.

Also speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, the Spokesman of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, Kayode Farinto confirmed that the PAD charges are still being collected. In his words, “Importers are still paying the levy and nobody seems to be talking about it again. We just hope the government does something about this.”

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Source: http://www.tribuneonlineng.com/

The group formerly known as the Blockchain in Trucking Alliance has expanded its mission and been renamed the Blockchain in Transport Alliance, reflecting its widened focus on all forms of transportation.

BiTA is dedicated to setting standards for blockchain applications developed for transportation. The alliance was formed by tech and transportation executives to create a forum for promotion and education, and to encourage development and adaptation of blockchain applications within the transportation and logistics industries. While initially focused on bringing blockchain technologies to trucking, the group includes several members that have business interests in several transportation modes, including air, maritime, intermodal, pipeline, and rail.

“These organizations wanted an organization to further their interests in blockchain standards, working on the same framework, regardless of mode.” BiTA has also opened offices in London and Singapore because of their importance in global transportation and commerce. Blockchain is a digital database using blocks of secure data that can be used to keep records of information or assets. “Expanding our focus and footprint is a reflection of a broader mission, but blockchain standards in trucking and road freight are still enormously important,” said Burruss.

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Source: https://globenewswire.com/

AUSTIN – Come mid-December, commercial truckers will be required to use a software system to log driving time, but despite claims that it will save lives, a Texas congressman wants to delay implementation. U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, R-Woodville, argues that implementing the Electronic Logging Device mandate will cost truckers $2 billion annually and that claims of increased safety are dubious. “Millions of hard-working American truckers, farmers and small businesses need you to take immediate and decisive action to protect them from a massive new regulation,” Babin wrote. “I request that you issue an executive order as soon as possible, instructing the Secretary of Transportation to provide an immediate waiver for all trucking sectors and operations subject to this mandate …”. At least one national organization – the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association – says small-business truckers shouldn’t be subject to buying the devices and wants a five-year exemption, but the man at the wheel of the Texas Trucking Association says it’s time to move ahead with the change.

“We don’t want the delay,” said John Esparza, president, and CEO of the TTA. “It’s too important not to work through this mess.” Commercial truckers are already required to record their driving hours on paper logs. Adrienne Gildea, deputy executive director of the not-for-profit Commercial Vehicle Safety Association, said that ELDs will cut down on cheating and reduce the number of tired truckers on the road. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that drowsiness and/or fatigue are principal, causal factors in about 100,000 police-reported crashes each year. Truckers are responsible for about 135 of the 3,500 fatalities on Texas roads each year, Esparza said. Todd Spencer, executive vice president of the owner-operators organization – OOIDA – said in a recorded statement on the OOIDA website that the mandate “Is not about safety.” Esparza said the “Majority of those who are anti-ELD are those who are more upset with the current federal hours-of-service regulations for drivers.” Property-carrying drivers may drive a maximum of 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

They may not drive beyond the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty, following 10 consecutive hours off duty. Chad Davis is safety manager at Fort Worth-based Raider Express, which runs about 250 trucks, most of which carry refrigerated food. The electronic devices only log information on driving hours that’s already federally mandated. Raider Express trucks already have ELDs and Davis said the company is “Happy” to have made the move. “There’s an awful lot less trying to fudge things and trying to bend the rules,” on driving hours by drivers, Davis said. The cost to install ELDs was “Just a couple of hundred dollars per truck,” Davis said, with objections coming mainly from older drivers, “Who put up quite a fight.” Gildea said that anyone who can use a smartphone can figure out how to use the ELD. Of course, Gildea said, “You’ve got a lot who are older, they’re still on those flip phones.” John Austin covers the Texas Statehouse for CNHI LLC’s newspapers and websites.

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Source:http://www.athensreview.com/

A second man has been charged in connection with an alleged bribery scheme involving state troopers and a Dallas trucking company, according to federal court documents. 16 for allegedly bribing a former Texas Department of Public Safety sergeant, Kevin Gerard Cauley, to sidestep truck inspections, court records show.

Cauley, 51, of Royse City, was a commercial vehicle enforcement officer for DPS who conducted safety inspections of large trucks, court records show. He pleaded guilty to the charge in June, court records show.

Cauley took the money from Cruz, owner of Cruz and Sons Transportation, in exchange for inspection decals he issued for more than three dozen freight trucks, according to court documents.

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Source:https://www.dallasnews.com/

Expect traffic to be heavier than normal for starting Wednesday as a record-number of Americans travel for Thanksgiving. AAA projects 50.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more away from home this Thanksgiving, a 3.3 percent increase over last year. Some 89 percent of all travelers – 45.5 million – are planning a Thanksgiving road trip, an increase of 3.2 percent over last year. AAA and INRIX, a transportation analytics company, predict travel times in the most congested cities in the U.S.

Based on historical and recent travel trends, INRIX and AAA predict drivers will experience the greatest amount of congestion during the early evening – as early as Tuesday of Thanksgiving week – as commuters mix with holiday travelers. The Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as Wednesday, Nov. “A strong economy and labor market are generating rising incomes and higher consumer confidence, fueling a strong year for the travel industry, which will continue into the holiday season,” said Bill Sutherland, AAA senior vice president, Travel, and Publishing.

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

We don’t know what the production truck will achieve when it hits the road, but the Semi has a lot going for it. The Semi seems most impressive to those who don’t know what it’s like to be a truck driver. First, let’s clear up what this truck is for, as it was presented. This truck suits line-haul – routes that run between a company’s terminals, like from one regional Wal-Mart distribution center to another.When Musk made the case for a 20-percent savings over a diesel truck, he based the numbers on a 100-mile trip – fifty miles out, fifty miles back.

This first version of the Semi will not replace the dozens of thousands of trucks on huge regional or coast-to-coast runs, clocking 2,000 to 5,000 miles per week. I already get “a commanding view of the road” in a traditional truck because I sit six feet above traffic. What I need is a commanding view of my own truck, which the central seating position compromises. I can’t see around trucks in front of me without pulling halfway into another lane.

The silver, condo-sleeper truck at the presentation only had cameras mounted at the rear of the tractor. The black, mid-roof truck supplemented physical mirrors on lengthy stalks on both sides of the cab. Most new trucks come with mirrors mounted on the front fenders that provide views of the front corners – my Kenworth had seven mirrors in total, I’ve seen plenty of trucks with more. You’d be amazed at the number of tiny concrete and reinforced steel impediments lurking at truck stops and customer terminals. Doing an 11-hour stint in a dark cockpit in the glow of large digital screens only works in anime and “Battlestar Galactica.” I had one computer in both trucks I drove, and unless I was using it, I turned the screen off. The trucks I drove had one necessary third-party device in the cab, a Qualcomm computer to communicate with HQ, and I put a portable GPS unit on the windshield.

The truck cabin photo Musk used during the presentation had a Qualcomm-type unit, plus a traditional GPS, plus an iPad with a GPS display, plus another small display I couldn’t identify. I’ve been in plenty of truck stops and walked by a ton of trucks, and only the most frightened novice or the most chronically indecisive driver would mount that much junk. Truckers don’t “Sit there” while filling up at a truck stop. Truckers clean all the windows, mirrors, and headlights, check the tires and axle seals, make sure every tractor and trailer light works, and look for damage. This walkaround can take longer than the actual fill-up, and it must be done no matter what energy powers the truck.

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Source:www.msn.com