The industry is ethically bound to improve safety wherever it can to reduce truck-crash injuries and fatalities. TCA’s Heller points out that including hair testing in the federal Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse is the next logical step in this mission. Zero emissions. The road to zero. It seems as if zero has ingrained itself in transportation culture as the ultimate endgame, yet we continue to slowly plod toward a zero tolerance for drugs and alcohol on our nation’s roadways. The U.S. Department of Transportation recently issued proposed rulemaking to include oral fluid testing in the nationa ..read more

The retail giant will be the first to receive Canoo’s Lifestyle Delivery Vehicle, which is expected to begin hauling Walmart goods in 2023. Walmart has signed a definitive agreement withCanoo to purchase 4,500 all-electric delivery vehicles, beginning with the Lifestyle Delivery Vehicle (LDV), with the option to purchase up to 10,000 units. The vehicles will be used to deliver online orders in a way that will contribute to Walmart’s goal to achieve zero-emissions by 2040. While the LDV is expected to begin hitting the road in 2023, the companies plan to kick off advanced deliveries to refine a ..read more

Industry experts illuminate which lighting specifications and maintenance practices will keep costs low and eliminate fines and violations. It’s long been established that lighting issues on commercial vehicles such as tractor-trailers are the cause of many violations and fines, not to mention a large portion of fleet maintenance expenses. According to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Analysis & Information data, some of the most common roadside inspection violations in 2021 were related to not having required operable lamps, inoperative turn signals, and defective lighting devi ..read more

The company has begun testing FCEVs, will launch customer pilots in a few years, and plans for commercialization for the latter part of this decade. A truck that only emits water vapor, produces its own electricity onboard, and has a range of up to 1,000 km is possible with fuel cells powered by hydrogen, and Volvo Trucks has started to test vehicles using this new technology. To decarbonize transport, Volvo Trucks already offers battery electric trucks and trucks that run on renewable fuels, such as biogas. In the second half of this decade, a third CO2-neutral option will be added to its pro ..read more

While many celebrate the nation’s independence this weekend, cargo thieves plan their next moves as demand for desirable goods skyrockets. Cargo theft incident reports are up 25% year-over-year and up 6% from May, according to data tracked by CargoNet. Over holiday weekends, those numbers trend higher as thieves plot and have extra time to “shop around” for sitting cargo. “Cargo thefts have been trending upwards in recent years over the Fourth of July weekend, with opportunistic thieves taking advantage of any chance to ‘liberate’ precious cargo and vehicles from their rightful owners,” Mayank ..read more

All emerging technologies have costs, but some are more apparent than others. Fleets must designate in-house experts to examine when is the best time to upgrade. If a recent study from Escalent is to be believed, fleets’ interest in adopting new technology has waned a little in 2021 compared to 2020. On some level, I suppose that is to be expected given all the challenges fleets are facing with supply chain issues, delayed truck orders, high fuel prices, and rising inflation. The study did find that the company’s Fleet Advisory Hub Index for 2021 was above that of 2019, meaning companies are s ..read more

Fleet needs, service provider capabilities, and data are driving maintenance decisions. Here’s how some fleets are finding the right balance. Fleet executives have a lot of big maintenance decisions to make, and perhaps the most impactful is who will do it. Keep it all in-house, outsource all of it, or some of both? Pair those decisions with the increasing complexity of today’s trucks, and new concerns have been raised that fleets need to address. A hybrid approach to maintenance—operating an in-house facility that is supplemented by external vendors—can help strike an ideal balance for many f ..read more

If trucking is to electrify, it must look beyond hardware. The industry must engage with stakeholders, utility companies, and trucking personnel to normalize conversation and education about electrification. I wish I had come up with the term “the culture of electrification,” but alas, I did not. Rather, I heard it when I was interviewing Jose “Pepe” Gutierrez, who is leading NACFE’s efforts in Mexico, for my podcast, Freight Efficiency With Mike Roeth & Friends. I really like the idea of a culture of electrification because it is all-encompassing. If the trucking industry is going to suc ..read more

Sensors that monitor the whole wheel area—not just the hub, not just the tire—work by distinguishing the vibrations from bad wheel bearings vs. badly mounted rubber vs. some other issue in the hub area. It’s all about preventing more serious problems. The sensors are tiny in wheel-end monitoring systems, but they are powerful. The TraX from Gothenburg, Sweden-based SKF looks different but functions very similarly to ConMet’s PreSet Plus SmartHub. The SKF TraX mounts to any wheel of a heavy-duty vehicle and wirelessly transmits data to an onboard transponder. That data on wheel-bearing vibratio ..read more

Every new commercial driver must pass basic standards for safety as they move into an unfamiliar environment, but making new employees familiar with equipment and policy will ensure they are not distracted by the changes. Every fleet manager is looking for new truck drivers. And not just new drivers–safe new truck drivers. Every fleet manager and their company’s human resources department should go through the same steps: Require an employment application and verify prior employment history. Check the motor vehicle record (MVR) of the applicant. With experienced truck drivers, consult the Fed ..read more