The Trucker News Staff

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Forty-two trade associations ranging from grocers to distributors and restaurants released a letter urging Congressman Bill Shuster, Chair and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to support the DRIVE-Safe Act (H.R.5358) to train younger drivers, and move it through the committee quickly. The DRIVE-Safe Act promotes a skill development and safety-training program for drivers under the age of 21 to engage in interstate commerce. “The truck driver shortage is slowing the movement of commerce in this country, raising consumer prices and wait times for goods,” said Mark Allen, President and CEO of the International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA). “Nowhere is this threat more evident than in the foodservice distribution industry which delivers food and supplies to the over one million professional kitchens across the country every day.” The letter says while 48 states currently allow drivers to obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL) at 18, those same drivers are prohibited from driving in interstate commerce until they are 21. Under current federal law, a 20-year-old truck driver could not drive 14 miles from Springfield, Virginia to Washington D.C., but that same driver could haul a load from Arlington to Norfolk, Virginia, a more than six-hour drive roundtrip. “The DRIVE-Safe Act is a common-sense proposal that will open enormous opportunities for an emerging workforce and strengthen safety training programs,” Allen said. The DRIVE-Safe Act creates a two-step training program to allow younger drivers to enter the industry safely. Candidates would be accompanied in the cab by experienced drivers for a total of 400 hours of on-duty time with at least 240 hours of driving time. Trucks would be required to be outfitted with the latest safety technology including active braking collision mitigation systems, forward-facing event recording cameras, speed limiters set at 65 miles per hour or less and automatic or automatic manual transmissions. The International Foodservice Distributors Association (IFDA) is the premier trade organization representing the foodservice distribution industry. With a combined annual sales volume of almost $300 billion, foodservice distributors play a crucial role in our nation’s infrastructure. This industry ensures a safe and efficient supply chain of food and products for more than one million restaurants and foodservice outlets in the U.S. every day. IFDA member companies operate more than 800 facilities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and around the world.  For more information visit: http://www.ifdaonline.org/    

WASHINGTON  — The average on-highway price of a gallon of diesel fuel dropped 2.2 cents to $3.244 for the week ending June 18, the Energy Information Agency of the Department of Energy reported. It’s the third consecutive week the price has dropped after the most recent peak of $3.288 for the week ending May 28. Every region of the country showed a decline led by a 2.7 cent drop in the Midwest and a 2.6 cent drop in the Gulf Coast region. The highest cost per gallon is in California at $3.976, the lowest along the Gulf Coast at $3.016. The price for the week ending June 18 is 75.5 cents higher than the same week last year. For a complete list of prices by region for the past three weeks, click here.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration chief Ray Martinez wasn’t kidding when he told The Trucker News Organization Thursday that it’s imperative FMCSA gets its computer systems upgraded and generating good data. FMCSA Monday issued an interim final rule delaying certain aspects of its Medical Certification integration in order to give FMCSA and state licensing entities more time to get their IT systems coordinated and up to speed. The delay changes the deadline from June 22 this year to June 22, 2021. The FMCSA Administrator said prior to his confirmation hearings that the agency’s information technology (IT) infrastructure is one of his three top priorities, the other two being safety issues and expanding and enhancing relationships with trucking industry stakeholders. “Our IT infrastructure is a challenge,” Martinez told reporters Thursday. “If your IT infrastructure is not up to the task it is being assigned, then you are going to have a challenge.” He said the agency must have good data on which to base its decisions and that so much of that data is related to the health of the agency’s IT systems. In the interim, certified medical examiners or CMEs will continue issuing the original paper certificate to qualified drivers; drivers will continue giving state licensing agencies their medical examination certificates and carrying the certificates with them; motor carriers will continue verifying their drivers have been certified by a CME listed on the National Registry and state licensing agencies will continue to process paper copies of examiners’ certificates (Form MCSA-5876) they receive from CDL holders and commercial learner’s permit holders. The interim rule doesn’t change the fact that CMEs must report results of all CMV drivers’ examination results in which the driver was unqualified, by midnight of the calendar day following the exam. “We have such a broad base of constituencies here that we are required to deal with, that we must be reliant on good IT infrastructure,” Martinez said Thursday. “ … We see that now with the medical registry, which is one of our biggest challenges. There are no quick fixes with this. “We are dealing with outdated technology that has to be updated on the one hand, and then on the other hand, we deal with a lot of personal identifiable information, sensitive information to carriers, drivers and medical professionals.” Consequently, he said, there’s a trust involved that the data received by the agency is secure and that it’s dealt with in a legal manner. The agency is also working to make its information more “customer-friendly” and easier to access, Martinez said. FMCSA has had a computer upgrade on its calendar for quite some time, but Martinez said he didn’t think there would be an end to it “because technology is constantly evolving.” The agency is working with DOT on specific IT challenges, he said, as well as with “some of the strongest companies in the field that work on both the data security and on designing customer-friendly interfaces, and those are the areas that we always have to look at.”

GREENBELT, Md. — Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance-certified enforcement personnel will conduct roadside inspections on commercial motor vehicles as part of the CVSA’s Brake Safety Week September 16-22 in an effort to identify and remove CMVs with critical brake violations from our roadways and to call attention to the dangers of faulty brake systems. Properly functioning brake systems are crucial to safe CMV operation, the CVSA said in a news release. Brakes must be routinely inspected and carefully and consistently maintained so they operate and perform to the manufacturer’s specifications throughout the life of the vehicle. Improperly installed or poorly maintained brake systems can reduce braking efficiency, posing serious risk to public safety on our roadways, CVSA said. The organization released data and research to emphasize its initiative: According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Large Truck Crash Causation (LTCC) Study, 32.7 percent of large trucks with pre-crash violations had brake problems. Brake-related violations comprised the largest percentage of out-of-service vehicle violations cited during last year’s International Roadcheck. The LTCC Study’s relative risk analysis indicated that large trucks involved in a crash where the braking capacity of the truck was critical were 50 percent more likely to have a brake violation than were trucks involved in crashes where the truck’s braking capacity was not critical. According to the LTCC Study, of the trucks involved in brake-critical crashes, 45.5 percent had brake violations, compared with 29.9 percent of trucks involved in crashes of the same type where the braking was not relevant. Results from last year’s Brake Safety Day found that 14 percent of all inspections conducted during that one-day brake safety initiative resulted in a CMV being placed out of service for brake-related violations. Brake Safety Week aims to reduce the number of crashes caused by poorly maintained braking systems on CMVs by conducting roadside mechanical fitness inspections and removing dangerous vehicles from our roadways. The CVSA said in addition to inspections and enforcement, outreach efforts by law enforcement agencies to educate drivers, mechanics, owner-operators and others on the importance of proper brake maintenance, operation and performance are integral to the success of the safety initiative. During Brake Safety Week, inspectors will primarily conduct the North American Standard Level I Inspection, which is a 37-step procedure that includes an examination of driver operating requirements and vehicle mechanical fitness. Inspections conducted will include inspection of brake-system components to identify loose or missing parts; air or hydraulic fluid leaks; defective rotor conditions; measurement of pushrod travel; mismatched air chamber sizes across axles; air reservoir integrity and mounting; worn linings, pads, drums or rotors; required brake-system warning devices; and other brake-system components. Vehicles with defective or out-of-adjustment brakes will be placed out of service. In addition, in the 12 jurisdictions using performance-based brake testing (PBBT) equipment, vehicle braking efficiency will be measured. PBBTs measure the cumulative brake force for the entire vehicle and divide it by the total vehicle weight to determine overall vehicle braking efficiency. The minimum braking efficiency for trucks is 43.5 percent, required by 393.52 of the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and the CVSA North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria. Brake Safety Week is part of the Operation Airbrake Program, sponsored by CVSA in partnership with the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators and FMCSA.

BIG WELLS, Texas  — At least five people were killed and several others hurt Sunday as an SUV carrying more than a dozen people during a suspected “smuggling event” crashed while fleeing from Border Patrol agents in South Texas, authorities said. The SUV carrying 14 people went out of control at more than 100 mph and overturned on Texas Highway 85, ejecting most of the occupants, Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd said. “From what we can tell the vehicle ran off the road and caught gravel and then tried to recorrect,” Boyd said, adding that “caused the vehicle to turn over several times.” Four victims were dead at the scene, Boyd said. He said at least one and possibly two others died at a hospital. The Border Patrol said in a statement Sunday night that two other vehicles had been traveling alongside the SUV earlier in the day. An agent suspected they were conducting a “smuggling event,” according to the statement, which did not elaborate. The border agent stopped one of the vehicles and another agent stopped a second one. Multiple people from both vehicles were arrested. The third vehicle kept going when agents encountered it, and a sheriff’s deputy took over the chase prior to the fatal crash, the border patrol said. The incident comes amid heightened tensions over the treatment of immigrants at the southern border. The Trump administration has said tougher immigration policies — even separating children from their parents — are needed to deter immigrants from coming to the country illegally. Over a six-week period ending in May, about 2,000 children had been separated from their families, administration officials said Friday. Most of the occupants in the SUV were believed in the country without legal permission. Boyd said the driver and one passenger were believed to be U.S. citizens. The driver was among those hospitalized, and a deputy who assisted the Border Patrol with the chase found the driver sitting upright in his seat and took him and the passenger into custody. “This, I think, is a perfect example, of why are borders need to be secured,” Boyd said. Some injured were taken by helicopter to San Antonio, about 90 miles northeast. Dimmit County is directly north of Webb County and east of Maverick County, which border Mexico. “Our deepest sympathies go out to the families of those who died in the crash,” The Border Patrol said in the statement.

WASHINGTON — The implications for changes in highway infrastructure driven by the wider deployment of connected and automated vehicles must be “recognized and addressed,” Wyoming Director of Transportation William “Bill” Panos has told a Senate committee. Panos said autonomous vehicles “are increasingly connected and equipped with electronics that can receive data from [technology] installed in or near the roadway. Such signals help a vehicle ‘see’ in the snow or fog and provide other information. State DOTs can develop and deploy roadside infrastructure that can assist both automated driving system (ADS) equipped vehicles and increasingly advanced non-ADS equipped vehicles,” according to a report in the Journal of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Panos’ testimony came as part of “listening session” held by the Senate’s Committee on Environment and Public Works to determine how transportation infrastructure should evolve to accommodate connected and autonomous vehicles. Panos, who also serves as chair of the committee on transportation system operations for the AASHTO, testified along with Shailen Bhatt, president and CEO of ITS America, Polly Trottenberg, commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation, Zachary Doerzaph, director of the center for advanced automotive research at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, and Shaun Kildare, research director for the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. Panos said in his remarks that autonomous vehicles “have the potential to decrease crashes and fatalities … not only of vehicle occupants, but also for highway maintenance and construction workers, bicyclists, and pedestrians,” the Journal reported. Yet he stressed that “many questions” regarding autonomous vehicles remain, such as to how they will navigate through temporary highway work zones and handle variable speed limits. “AASHTO’s member DOTs believe that establishing a strong foundation for autonomous vehicles requires ‘robust connectedness’ for vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication,” Panos said. “But if autonomous and/or connected vehicpanos-wyo.jpgles rely on roadway sensors, that could place ‘upward pressure’ on the already high need for investment in maintaining and improving pavement quality.” That’s but one reason Panos said state DOTs and other infrastructure owners are “uncertain” which particular roadway characteristics will be “critically important” to the safe and efficient operation of autonomous vehicles as aspects of them have been developed in the “absence of significant collaboration” between the infrastructure owners and technology developers. It is such “collaboration” issues that Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., chairman of the EPW committee, said he hopes to avoid as connected and autonomous vehicles begin operating on U.S. roadways in greater numbers. “”We’re planning to build surface transportation infrastructure that will last for decades, so we need to understand the new challenges the next decades will bring to all of us [such as] the ongoing development and implementation of autonomous and connected vehicles,” he said in his opening remarks. “These and other innovations have the potential to fundamentally change the nature of how our nation’s infrastructure works. “Autonomous vehicles will likely require modifications to our roadways and the practices of federal, state, and local transportation agencies. It is critical that federal and state transportation agencies are prepared and equipped to tackle the potential opportunities and challenges they present for our roads.” Yet WYDOT’s Panos stressed in his testimony that such concerns aren’t slowing down the willingness on the part of state DOTs to test connected and autonomous vehicle technologies. “About 33 locations in the U.S., including Wyoming, are deploying connected vehicle technologies under sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation, while 17 locations are deploying them without sponsorship from USDOT,” Panos said. “Combined, that represents 72,000 vehicles on the road and 65,000 devices installed on the infrastructure. As the owners of a significant amount of the highway transportation infrastructure, state DOTs are at the forefront of preparing for deployment of connected and autonomous vehicles, including ensuring that the current infrastructure is in a state of good repair such that any vehicle can operate on it in a safe and effective manner.”

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. — The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association said Friday it had presented input to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) earlier this week on the programs that are supposed to protect truck drivers from retaliations for reporting unsafe practices and work environments. At a meeting held by OSHA at the U.S. Department of Labor, feedback was sought for the Whistleblower Protection Program in the transportation industry. OOIDA members were represented by Director of Federal Affairs Jay Grimes who shared information about how OOIDA believes these programs inadequately serve truck drivers. The association provided the background to illustrate the experience that truck drivers face with regard to reporting unsafe situations with their jobs that also affect the public: In 2016, FMCSA adopted a coercion regulation that prohibits motor carriers, shippers, receivers or transportation intermediaries from coercing drivers to operate commercial motor vehicles in violation of certain provisions of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, including drivers’ Hours of Service limits; the commercial driver’s license regulations; drug and alcohol testing rules; and the Hazardous Materials Regulations. To file a complaint, drivers must submit it in writing to the division office located in the state where they are employed or submit the complaint to the National Consumer Complaint Database (NCCDB) via a hotline telephone number or online portal. Both of these methods have been proven as unsatisfactory, OOIDA said. Typically, drivers receive little, if any, response from the NCCDB, the association. Additionally, OOIDA said, there is insufficient follow-up with drivers after filing a complaint and the lack of response from the agency results in many unresolved complaints and also discourages drivers from using the NCCDB to report unsafe practices as the NCCDB does not efficiently address a driver’s complaint efficiently after its been reported. “Our membership has had less experience with OSHA’s whistleblower program,” Grimes said. “We usually receive one or two calls inquiring about OSHA per year but have not been active in any OSHA whistleblower cases.  Our general thought is that many drivers are not aware of the OSHA Whistleblower protections provided by the Surface Transportation Assistance Act. Drivers are also likely more familiar with the DOT/FMCSA filing processes rather than OSHA’s. “We are hopeful this meeting and subsequent meetings will be an opportunity to increase the awareness about OSHA’s whistleblower program,” Grimes said. “We would certainly be interested in working with OSHA and other industry stakeholders to educate professional truck drivers about OSHA’s whistleblower program and the whistleblower laws it enforces.” The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is the only national trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers. The Association currently has more than 160,000 members nationwide. OOIDA was established in 1973 and is headquartered in the Greater Kansas City area.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts Brent Crude oil prices to average $71 a barrel for the rest of this year and to stay around $68 a barrel in 2019, the agency said today. The predictions were part of EIA’s June 2018 update of its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO). The updated 2019 forecast price is $2 a barrel higher than the May STEO. Brent crude oil spot prices averaged $77 a barrel in May, an increase of $5 a barrel from April and the highest monthly average price since November 2014. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) prices are forecast to average almost $7 a barrel lower than Brent prices in 2018 and $6 a barrel lower in 2019. Crude oil prices have increased as global oil inventories have declined from January 2017 through April 2018. Even though the 2019 oil price forecast is higher than it was in the May STEO, EIA expects oil prices to decline in the coming months because global oil inventories are expected to rise slightly during the second half of 2018 and in 2019, the agency said. Oil inventory is expected to outpace forecasted oil demand growth next year. EIA currently forecasts global petroleum and other liquids inventories will increase by 210,000 barrels per day next year, a factor that, all else being equal, typically puts downward pressure on oil prices, the report said. Most of the growth in global oil production in the months ahead is expected to come from the U. S. EIA projects that the country’s crude oil production will average 10.8 million barrels a day for 2018, up from 9.4 million barrels a day in 2017, and will average 11.8 million barrels a day in 2019. If those averages hold true, they would be the highest levels of production on record, surpassing the previous record set in 1970, EIA noted. Tight oil production in the Permian region of West Texas and New Mexico is the main driver of rising U.S. production. Among other countries outside of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), Canada and Brazil are also expected to experience significant growth in oil production in 2019. EIA expects that OPEC crude oil production will average 32.0 million barrels a day in 2018, a decrease of about 0.4 million barrels a day from the 2017 level. Total OPEC crude oil output is expected to increase slightly in 2019 to an average of 32.1 million barrels a day. The 2018 and 2019 levels are 0.2 million barrels a day and 0.3 million barrels a day lower, respectively, than what was forecast in the May STEO, stemming frm revised expectations of crude oil production in Venezuela and Iran. The lower OPEC forecast is one of the main reasons EIA expects oil prices to be slightly higher in 2019 compared with last month’s forecast. OPEC, Russia, and other non-OPEC countries will meet on June 22 to assess current oil market conditions associated with their existing crude oil production reductions. Current reductions are scheduled to continue through the end of the year. Oil ministers from Saudi Arabia and Russia have announced that they will re-evaluate the production reduction agreement given accelerated output declines from Venezuela and uncertainty surrounding Iran’s production levels. The June STEO  assumes declining Venezuelan and Iranian crude oil production in 2019 will be offset by increasing production from Persian Gulf producers, mostly Saudi Arabia. However, much depends on the outcome of the June 22 meeting. Overall, EIA expects global oil production to increase by almost 2.0 million barrels a day in 2019 compared with forecast oil demand growth of 1.7 million barrels a day.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Born Ready, a new album from country music singer/songwriter Steve Moakler, has been released via all digital streaming services. The title track, which grew out of Moakler’s relationship with Mack Trucks and the hours he spent on the road building his career, tips a cap to the sacrifices made every day by truck drivers. Moakler originally debuted the song “Born Ready” during a live performance in September 2017, marking the launch of the Mack Anthem, the legendary American truck maker’s new highway model. Moakler then decided to also name his album and tour Born Ready, which is Mack’s global tagline. The 27-stop tour launched in March and included stops in Atlanta, New York, Houston and Dallas before wrapping up in Detroit May 19. “It’s been an amazing experience connecting with fans and sharing this new music with them,” Moakler said. “Working with Mack Trucks, and all the hours I’ve spent touring, have given me a whole new appreciation for what it’s like to live life on the road, and all the hard work truck drivers do without any accolades.” “When we entered into this partnership with Steve, the primary objective was a song to mark the launch of our new Mack Anthem model,” said John Walsh, Mack vice president of marketing. “The collaboration has since grown into an album and tour, but most importantly, it has provided a way to shine a light on truck drivers and the vital role they play in society. Steve’s dedication to his craft reflects the commitment of these dedicated men and women and Mack’s commitment to supporting them in all they do.” Moakler will also be featured in an upcoming episode of RoadLifeTV, Mack Trucks’ video series saluting the men and women of trucking. The eight-part series, available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, launches June 19, with new episodes released weekly.