The Nation

INDIANAPOLIS — The National Transportation Center, an organization dedicated to attracting, training and retaining the industry’s workforce, said it has been experiencing growing success with its industry-sponsored, hands-on training boot camps. In addition, the NTC Foundation that supports the nation’s first centralized transportation training and employment center, said two industry experts — Women In Trucking President and CEO Ellen Voie and former Werner Enterprises executive Dwayne Haug —  have joined its board of directors. “The transportation industry has always had a challenge reaching young people and making them aware of the many career opportunities it can offer,” said Tom Weisenbach, chief development officer at the National Transportation Center. “We recently hosted a group of 25 students from a high school in the Indianapolis area for a one-day industry-sponsored boot camp that included sessions at our training center on career opportunities in the industry and site visits at a FedEx Express maintenance facility and its Indianapolis airport hub. The boot camp was so successful that we’re getting calls from other school districts about hosting their students.” Weisenback said NTC invites students, veterans and career-seekers to join us for a free, one-day introductory boot camp to learn about transportation industry job opportunities and the skills needed for a career in the industry. “Our goal is for them to gain new insights, skills and contacts so they can pursue a career path in transportation, and with scholarships available through the NTC Foundation we should be able to help fill the pipeline with talented and properly trained individuals,” he said. Through boot camps, the NTC teaches basics like employability and interview skills that serve as career building blocks. There are also longer sessions with hands-on training led by industry experts for careers as a diesel technician, electrical systems technician and other industry specific, customized training. Support and funding for the National Transportation Center comes from the NTC Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit corporation that supports the nation’s first centralized transportation training and employment center with scholarships and other funding initiatives. Previously, the NTC was funded privately by its founder, Preston Harrison, a Vietnam veteran with over 40 years of experience in the transportation industry as a driver in fuel and food distribution, LTL and construction fleets, as an operations manager and as the owner of a truck and trailer dealership. Haug managed maintenance, sales, marketing, safety and operations for over 40 years, including at fleets with over 7,000 vehicles. Before retiring recently from Werner Enterprises, he served the truckload carrier in various executive roles where he focused on training and hiring technicians, and on achieving reduced maintenance costs, optimally specified, cost-effective equipment, and finely tuned, efficient shop operations. He has also served on several advisory panels and development teams for truck manufacturers and was active in the American Trucking Associations, the Technology & Maintenance Council and the Truckload Carriers Association. Voie is founder of the non-profit organization that promotes the employment of women in the trucking industry and works to remove obstacles that might keep them from succeeding. Voie has also served as manager of retention and recruiting programs for a national truckload carrier, as the executive director of Trucker Buddy International, on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Entry Level Driver Training Advisory Committee, on the board of directors of the Wisconsin Motor Carrier Association, as chairwoman of the ATA Safety and Loss Prevention Council’s Recruiting and Retention committee and on the ATA Image and Communications Committee.    

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The National Association of Small Trucking Companies (NASTC) has named Ellen Voie, president and CEO of Women In Trucking Association as the 2018 Transportation Person of the Year. The award was presented recently at the NASTC annual conference here. Voie created WIT in 2007 and has been a spokesperson for gender diversity in the trucking industry ever since. The association was formed to promote the employment of women in the trucking industry, remove obstacles that might keep them from succeeding, and to celebrate the successes of its members. Today, over a decade later, Voie, the association, and its members are collectively a force to be reckoned with economically and politically, having enhanced and elevated the image of trucking and its professional drivers to another level, according to David Owen, NASTC president. “I am truly honored to be recognized by David Owen and his team as the 2018 Person of the Year,” Voie said. “We’ve had a long partnership with NASTC and it has been supportive of our efforts to increase the percentage of women employed in the trucking industry by recognizing a female professional driver each year at their conference.” “NASTC is honored to count Ellen Voie as one of its longtime partners and colleagues. We are proud to name her our Transportation Person of the Year, 2018,” Owen said. “Her vision, energy, and forward-thinking has propelled women throughout the transportation industry to the forefront at a critical time in an extremely male-dominated industry.” Prior to establishing WIT, Voie’s role was manager of retention and recruiting programs at Schneider. Voie earned the Certificate Association Executive (CAE) credential from the American Society of Association Executives. In December 2008, she attended Tri-C Truck Driver Academy in Cleveland to earn her Class A commercial driver’s license. In July 2012, she was honored by the White House as a transportation innovators Champion of Change. She received the 2015 “Distinguished Alumna of the Year” award from her alma mater, the University of Wisconsin-Steven’s Point division of Communication. Voie was also named one of Supply & Demand Chain Executives magazine’s “2016 Pros to Know,” which honors select supply chain executives who are leading initiatives to help their clients, companies, or the supply chain community at large to prepare for the significant challenges in the year ahead. In May 2016, she was chosen as one of Fleet Owner’s Dozen Outstanding Women in Trucking. In 2017, Voie was named to Insight Success Magazine’s “The 30 Most Inspirational Leaders in Business” and “The 30 Most Innovative CEOs to Watch.” Voie’s background in the trucking industry began in 1980, when she earned a diploma in traffic and transportation management while employed as traffic manager for a steel fabricating plan in central Wisconsin. In 2015, Voie was appointed to serve a two-year term on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Entry Level Driver Training Advisory Committee. She serves on the board of directors of the Wisconsin Motor Carrier Association and is a member of the Wisconsin DOT’s Motor Carrier Advisory Committee. Women In Trucking Association is a nonprofit association established to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry. Membership is not limited to women, as 17 percent of its members are men who support the mission. CAPTION FOR PHOTO Courtesy: WOMEN IN TRUCKING Women In Trucking Association President and CEO Ellen Voie received the National Association of Small Trucking Companies 2018 Transportation Person of the Year from NATC President David Owen, left, and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Administrator Ray Martinez.

Changes in diesel prices were barely noticeable during the week ending September 24, with most regions seeing a gain of 1 cent or less, while there were a few regions where the price dropped by a fraction of a cent, and there was no change at all on much of the West Coast, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Put it all together, and the nationwide average price for a gallon of diesel rose a mere $0.003, to $3.271. The bad news is the price has climbed throughout the month of September; the good news is the gain has been less than 2 cents so far for the entire month. The Midwest saw the largest gain this week, with a full penny increase, from $3.208 to $3.218. By contrast, diesel dropped by $0.008 in the Rocky Mountain region, to finish the week at $3.355. The Gulf Coast was the only other region where diesel dropped. There, it fell from $3.056 to $3.052. Overall on the East Coast, diesel rose by $0.002, from $3.252 $3.254, with New England experiencing a hike of $0.003, while in the Central and Lower Atlantic, prices rose by one-tenth of a cent. Prices on the West Coast, minus California, were flat for the week at $3.759. In California, however, the price jumped by $0.007, from $3.979 to $3.986, raising the overall West Coast average by $0.004, from $3.755 to $3.759. Oil futures jumped September 24, as a committed of OPEC and non-OPEC oil producers concluded a weekend meeting without a plan to increase production to offset an estimated 2 million barrels per day that will be lost when U.S. sanctions against Iran begin November 4. Brent crude futures rose $2.42 to settle at $81.20 a barrel, the highest since November 12, 2014. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude jumped by $1.30 to end at $72.08 a barrel. Click here for a complete list of average prices by region for the past three weeks.  

WASHINGTON — An amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2018 that would have clarified Congress’ intent to have primary regulatory authority over interstate commerce and end the erosion of such authority by states who impose meal and rest breaks that run contrary to national uniformity failed to make the final bill as approved last week by House and Senate leadership. House and Senate Committee leaders announced late Saturday they had reached a bipartisan final agreement on the three-year reauthorization act, which said would provide long-term stability and critical reforms to the FAA. The aforementioned amendment had been approved the House on a vote of 222-193 last April. The amendment was based on California’s meal and rest break initiative, but it has spread to other states and included a retroactivity clause that makes its effective date 1994 — or in essence — as if it had been enacted through the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act (commonly called F4A) of 1994. That means no one could have filed litigation for violation of state meal and rest break laws, as occurred after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in July 2014 that F4A does not preempt the application of California’s meal and rest break laws for motor carriers because these state laws are not sufficiently “related to” prices, routes or services. The California law requires employers to provide a “duty-free,” 30-minute meal break for employees who work more than five hours a day as well as a second “duty-free,” 30-minute meal break for people who work more than 10 hours a day. Other states followed, enacting their own break rules. Nearly 20 states have their own separate meal and rest break laws. Trucking industry lobbying groups pushed for an end to what they see as “patchwork” legislation. What steps the trucking industry might take to continue its fight to get legislation passed to eliminate state mandated meal and rest breaks remained unclear Monday afternoon.

Saturday is National Coffee Day and truck stop chains are planning to celebrate in various ways. Pilot Flying J says it is treating guests to a free cup of Pilot coffee (any size) Friday and Saturday through the mypilot app. Pilot Flying J said guests who take advantage of the promotion can enjoy a choice of Pilot Flying J’s exclusive line of coffee varieties including new cold brew, bean-to-cup coffee and a limited time offer of pumpkin caramel macchiato. Participants can open (or download) the mypilot app for find a coupon in the myOffers portion of the app. The new bean-to-cup coffee allows guests to brew a fresh cup of coffee on demand by selecting the coffee beans and watching the machine grind, brew and dispense it. First-time users of the mypilot app receive an additional free drink of their choice when downloading the app. Love’s Travel Stops says it is doubling the fun and fundraising for CMN Hospitals this year by celebrating on Friday and Saturday. On both days, customers can get 24-ounce coffee or other hot beverages at Love’s for $1. Those hot beverage sales will benefit Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to help sick and injured children across North America. My Love Rewards members can use a free drink refill credit on coffee, and Love’s will still donate $1 to CMN Hospitals on their behalf. “We are excited to extend National Coffee Day for our loyal and generous customers who rally around our CMN Hospitals campaign year after year,” said Jenny Love Meyer, vice president of communications for Love’s. “National Coffee Day is the perfect way to connect with our customers and wrap up another successful fundraiser.” Customers can choose from Love’s signature house blend, Colombian and Brazilian blends, and Love’s signature dark roast at more than 470 locations in 41 states. Fall favorites such as the pumpkin spice cappuccino and bourbon pecan coffee are available for a limited time. French vanilla cappuccino and hot chocolate are also available. Love’s customers are encouraged to show their support for CMN Hospitals and Love’s by posting on social media using the hashtag #MilesOfMiracles. Customers can also support their local hospitals through Sunday by purchasing a CMN Hospitals Miracle Balloon at a Love’s location for $1, $5 or $20. Love’s annual campaign to raise funds for CMN Hospitals began August 26. Since 1999, Love’s has raised more than $25 million for children and their families who visit Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. At both TravelCenters of America and Petro Stopping Centers locations, guest can receive free coffee, cappuccino or hot team up to a 24-ounce size all day Saturday while supplies last.

DALLAS – Drivewyze PreClear weigh station bypass has expanded its service into Nebraska, adding three more locations on Interstate 80, and two on Highway 2. These five locations join an existing Drivewyze service site on I-80. All six Nebraska bypass sites are located at busy weigh stations and are integrated with weigh-in-motion sensors embedded in the roadway. The added locations in Nebraska follow Drivewyze’s announcement that 21 locations in Oregon, through the Oregon Green Light (OGL) preclearance program, will be activated soon. In addition, six locations in Missouri were activated at the end of August. “We continue with our aggressive expansion, having coverage in 43 states and provinces; plus we’ve been working hard to expand the number of service sites within our existing state network,” said Brian Heath, president and CEO of Drivewyze. “Our goal is to provide our customers with the industry’s most bypass opportunities. It incentivizes participation in the bypass program by providing coverage where and when drivers need it most.  It also gives our customers a competitive advantage by saving more time and money while improving driver recruitment and retention.” I-80 is the major artery running through Lincoln and Omaha – Nebraska’s two largest cities, and it has the state’s highest truck volume with an average of around 3,500 trucks per day. “The interstate connects truckers through Denver and all the way to Salt Lake City to the west; to the east, it will take them to Chicago.” The new Drivewyze locations were installed at the three busiest weigh station locations in Nebraska — located in Waverly — eastbound (joining the westbound site that was previously activated), and North Platte (both east and west). On Highway 2, the locations are in Nebraska City — both west and eastbound. Nebraska City is the state’s third busiest weigh station (about 40 minutes south of Omaha) and connects truckers to Kansas City. Highway 2 near Lincoln has the largest truck volumes among highways outside of urbanized areas with some portions experiencing more than 2,500 trucks per day. According to Colonel John Bolduc, superintendent of the Nebraska State Patrol, the activation of more Drivewyze sites will help the state continue to improve highway safety, while rewarding industry for their safety and compliance practices. “We strive for efficiency at the Nebraska State Patrol and are always looking for ways to improve our service to Nebraskans and others who share the road,” Bolduc said. “The Drivewyze system gives our Carrier Enforcement Troopers a valuable tool to work with carriers and keep Nebraska roads safe.” With the Drivewyze PreClear weigh station bypass service on their Drivewyze-enabled smartphones, tablets, and electronic logging devices, customers can now receive bypass opportunities at more than 700 locations. The Drivewyze PreClear weigh station bypass application is available on a number of Drivewyze partner platforms, including Omnitracs, PeopleNet, Transflo, Rand McNally, Zonar, and Platform Science. Fleets can request a free weigh station activity report to help them determine how much Drivewyze can potentially save them before activating the subscription-based weigh station bypass service. The application is also available for Android and iOS-based tablets or smartphones. Drivewyze comes with a free Weigh Station Heads-Up service for real-time notifications at more than 1,200 weigh stations and inspection sites nationwide. The notification service helps carriers improve driver compliance and reduces violation rates to positively impact carrier safety scores. To learn more about Drivewyze, visit www.drivewyze.com.