Sandy Recovery Efforts Continue as Latest Storm Moves On

Despite the arrival of another storm last night, recovery efforts from the hurricane-turned-superstorm Sandy continue throughout the Northeast, while fuel problems have a domino effect in the Southeast.
Permitting Help from the DOT.

The Federal Highway Administration is working with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the American Association of State Highway Officials to speed up permitting for carriers moving temporary mobile housing units from Maryland and Alabama to New Jersey.

Under normal circumstances, carriers have to work with states to get permits from each state they travel through. FHWA is coordinating with AASHTO to cut through some of the red tape and get all necessary permits at the same time. In addition, FHWA is also working with states to allow nighttime moves, which aren't normally allowed.

The Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is also helping speed the transport of hazardous materials - including much-needed fuel - to and from hurricane disaster areas with fast-tracked emergency special permits.

Several permits have been issued to expedite gasoline and diesel transport into New Jersey and New York. Another permit has been issued that allows a large retail store to move goods quickly from damaged stores to temporary facilities nearby so people still have access to needed goods.

Read more here.

(This is a doctored photo, but it illustrates the devastation)

East Coast Braces for Hurricane Sandy

UPDATED 2 p.m. EDT: Hurricane Sandy could knock out power and flood highways in heavily populated areas such as New York City and Washington, D.C., as it comes ashore today, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has declared a regional emergency, allowing for exception from some regulations for motor carriers providing emergency materials.

The national hurricane center said Hurricane Sandy was "expected to bring life-threatening storm surge flooding to the mid-Atlantic Coast, including Long Island Sound and New York Harbor."

FMCSA today declared a regional emergency that covers the states of Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia.

This exempts commercial motor vehicle operations that are providing emergency materials and services from Parts 390 through 399 of the federal regulations. The exemption does not include controlled substance and alcohol use (Part 382), the commercial driver's license requirements (Part 383), the financial responsibility requirements (Part 387), or applicable size and weight requirements.
Click here to view current highway closures and restrictions in the region

Story from Truckinginfo.com

Business Development Coordinator Position Available at Reed Transport

Position overview: The role of a “Business Development Coordinator” is to manage the sales process for a targeted group of customers while working in conjunction with the Business Development team. This individual will also provide business critical information to their respective customers and assist in developing strategies to create efficiencies while adding value to the client relationship for continuous and sustainable growth for ReedTMS.

Primary duties:
- Proactively develops and improves services for our customers.
- Understands clients' needs.
- Build and maintain excellent relationships with colleagues and clients.
- Administering accounts, customer websites and sending customer updates.
- Provide market feedback to BD and Transportation Sales Teams.
- Maintains customer records by updating account information.
- Be a team player by supporting the overflow call volume and operational needs of the Business Development Team.
- Provide support for BD reps during travel.
- Assist in customer bids, rates and problem resolution.
Working relationships: Candidate must be goal oriented, self-motivated and possess strong negotiation skills. Outgoing personality and competitive attitude is a must. Familiarity with Microsoft and related software is a plus.

Education: Bachelor’s degree and 2 years trucking/logistics experience required.

Submit resume to: kpein@reedtransport.net

ReedTMS is hiring!

Reed Transport is currently hiring to fill openings at its Florida location. The opening is an entry-level position and the ideal candidate is a recent college graduate. This operational position is in a fast-paced, customer service focused environment in the dynamic transportation services industry. Industry knowledge is not required or expected. Goal of the position is to learn the industry through detailed training and develop relationship and sales skills, with opportunities to grow into a Senior Logistics Coordinator role or internal/external sales role.

Candidate must be goal oriented, self-motivated and possess strong negotiation skills. Outgoing personality and competitive attitude is a must. Familiarity with Microsoft and related software is a plus.

Education: Bachelor’s degree required.

Visit their website for more information and how to apply!

www.ReedTMS.com

Diesel, Gasoline, Oil Prices Spike This Week

The average U.S. price of both diesel and gasoline rose this week, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. Also, oil prices climbed for a fourth day this week.

The price of diesel rose 1.2 cents to $3.695 per gallon. The only region to experience a fall in prices was the Rocky Mountain region. Diesel prices are down 22.8 cents from one year ago.

Gasoline prices rose 1.6 cents to $3.427 per gallon. However, the Midwest, Rocky Mountain and West Coast less California regions all experienced price decreases. Gas prices are down 25.5 cents from this time last year.

Oil prices have risen four consecutive days this week in hopes that the Federal Reserve will take more steps to boost the economy, reports the Associated Press.

Benchmark U.S. crude on Monday rose $1.33 to end at $88.43 per barrel in New York, while Brent crude rose by $1.95 to finish at $103.37 per barrel in London.

The Federal Reserve is considering a new strategy to boost consumer spending, and analysts are anticipating that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will speak on this when he addresses Congress on Tuesday and Wednesday this week. As consumers spend more and the economy strengthens, demand for oil is likely to rise.

For more information: www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel

Ohio Troopers Seek Driver Help in Stopping Crime

With the the Ohio State Highway Patrol's newly launched Truck Shield program, truck drivers can assist patrol by acting as extra sets of eyes and ears on the road.

Training for the program will be conducted by patrol officers statewide and consists of instruction on impaired driver detection, criminal patrol, homeland security and human trafficking.

The program was launched Memorial Day weekend, which is traditionally a dangerous period on Ohio roads, particularly for impaired driving crashes. Last Memorial Day holiday, five of the 14 people killed on Ohio roadways were involved in alcohol-related crashes.

"Once trained, these drivers have the ability to help law enforcement keep Ohio roadways safe, whether from impaired drivers or terrorist activity," says Colonel John Born, Patrol superintendent. "We are very excited to have the help of these drivers - not only Memorial Day weekend - but for years to come."

Trucking companies interested in receiving Truck Shield training should contact their local Ohio Patrol Post.

All drivers are encouraged to call #677 to report impaired drivers or drug activity.

For more information, go to http://statepatrol.ohio.gov/.

U.S. Supply Chain and Logistics Industry Rebound Led by Trucking, Rail

Total U.S. business logistics costs in 2011 rose to $1.28 trillion, a 6.6% increase from the previous year and accounting for 8.5% of the U.S. gross domestic product, according to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals' 23rd Annual "State of Logistics Report," presented by Penske Logistics.

This year's report reveals that with overall revenue 15.3% higher than 2010, railroads gained market share, especially in intermodal, and did not experience capacity problems faced by the trucking sector. Trucking companies are also using intermodal rail help to offset the impacts of driver shortages and the costs of acquiring and maintaining new equipment. In spite of tightening capacity and an overall decline in volume, trucking rates were up 5% to 15% in 2011.

Inventory carrying costs in 2011 continued their rising trend and overall inventories have returned to pre-recession levels, which could be a cause for concern for the economy. The growth has occurred among wholesalers and manufacturers while retail inventories remained flat, indicating that inventory management processes have changed.

Semi driver kidnapped, truck stolen

Police are investigating after a trucker was kidnapped on Highway 301 and driven blindfolded to a location in Baker County. Tuesday around 3:30 a.m. deputies with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office were called to the Baker County Sheriff's Office. When officers arrived they learned the victim, a semi driver, had been at the Pilot truck stop on Highway 301 to get fuel for his semi-truck and snacks from the nearby Chevron station. The victim was scheduled to drop off a load of deli foods to the Publix Supermarket Company.

A gunman pulled the victim by his shirt to over to the semi-truck.  The victim repeatedly asked the men to take his money and leave his truck.  They demanded the keys to his truck and his money.  The suspects then tied the victim's hands and feet and picked him up, placing him in the sleeper cab area of the truck. The men then drove the victim away from the gas station at gunpoint with the Ford Mustang following behind.

Eventually the truck stopped and the men took the victim out of the truck's cab, placing him on the floor of an empty storage building. Once he heard the truck leave, the victim was able to break the ropes tying his feet and rubbed his head on the storage building's floor to remove the shirt still covering his face.

Police are still looking for the three men and the stolen tractor-trailer.  The semi-truck is a black 2000 Freightliner, described as having grey fenders and a sleeper cab.

The woman the victim encountered in the parking lot prior to being kidnapped is described as being a white woman, 19-22 years of age, 100-120 pounds, approximately 5 feet two inches tall, with blonde hair.  She was wearing blue jeans and a white tank top at the time.

The black man who was walking with the female is described as being between the age of 20 and 25, 6' tall, weighed about 160 pounds and was wearing brown pants and a white shirt.

The other two suspects were described as being black males, between the ages of 30 and 35.  One was said to be wearing a grey tank top, was bald or balding and weighed between 140 and 150 pounds.  The other was said to be between 200 and 220 pounds, was approximately 5'10" tall, had short, low hair and was wearing blue jeans, a blue shirt and black Reebok tennis shoes.

If you know anything that may help lead police to the location of the tractor-trailer of the suspects you are asked to call the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500.

To remain anonymous you may call First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.  You could be eligible to receive a cash reward.

Read more here 

Overturned truck-trailer causes backups on Howard Frankland

Traffic heading into Pinellas County on the Howard Frankland Bridge is backed up due to an overturned truck-trailer partially hanging over the railing.

The westbound right lane (Interstate 275 South) is blocked nearly halfway across the bridge, causing significant backups into Tampa, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Eastbound traffic toward Tampa (I-275 North) is also slow. The incident occurred shortly before 8 a.m.

Stay with TBO.com for updates.

Diesel particulate pollution down 50%, CARB says

We’ve all heard about the negative effects of pollution on the atmosphere (global warming) and the health risks as well. Many industries are doing their part to help in the ways they can. One thing the trucking world is doing to help is to try to control emissions of their diesel trucks. Although some companies are slower to adapt than others, the trend is a positive one. The California Air Resources Board, also known as CARB, goals include attaining and maintaining healthy air quality; protecting the public from exposure to toxic air contaminants; and providing innovative approaches for complying with air pollution rules and regulations.

The chemicals that are the main focus are: black carbon (the black soot portion of health-damaging fine particle pollution), methane (the primary constituent of natural gas and also emitted by livestock) and hydrofluorocarbons (industrial chemicals used in refrigeration and air conditioning).

These chemicals tend to have strong and immediate global warming influences. Actions to reduce emissions of these short-lived climate pollutants will produce a relatively rapid reduction in their contribution to climate change.

California has been addressing fine particle pollution from diesel engines over the past 10 years, and findings presented last week indicated a 50 percent reduction of these compounds in ambient air over the past 20 years. I’m happy to say that all TMS Logistics trucks, a ReedTMS company, are CARB approved and we’re doing our part to help control harmful gas emissions. Let hope more fleet owners get on board and leave the world a better place than we came into it.

Read more here.

CVSA's Roadcheck 2012 Set for June 5-7, delays in service expected

About 10,000 federal, state, provincial and local truck and bus inspectors will fan out at more than 1,500 locations from June 5-7 across North America for the annual "Roadcheck" inspections on commercial vehicles.

During the 72-hour event, inspectors will conduct comprehensive North American Standard Level I Inspections, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance said Tuesday.

This year's focus will be on vehicle brake systems and preventing driver fatigue by conducting hours-of-service compliance checks, said CVSA, which represents law enforcement personnel who conduct truck safety inspections in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Maryland State Police will host the Roadcheck kickoff event to underscore the importance of comprehensive driver and vehicle safety inspections of trucks and buses and on enforcing safety belt use.

Read more here.

March Surface Trade with Canada and Mexico Exceeds $85 Billion for First Time

There was so much arguing when they planned to comply with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that our country agreed to back in 1994. Would foreign truck drivers have to follow U.S. laws? Would the U.S. pay for electronic HOS devices on foreign trucks? Would foreign truck drivers be able to stay here forever? Would foreign drivers steal business that could be given to U.S. companies? There were and still are many unanswered questions. But the idea seems to be – the agreement was a good one.

Surface trade between the U.S. and its North American Free Trade Agreement partners, Canada and Mexico, was 6.2% higher in March 2012 than in March 2011, totaling $85.8 billion, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics of the U.S. Department of Transportation. March 2012 was the highest month for NATFA trade value since collection of data began in 1994, exceeding $85 billion for the first time and topping the previous record of $80.8 billion in March 2011.

The value of U.S. surface transportation trade with Canada and Mexico in March increased by 88.2% compared to March 2002, a period of 10 years. Imports in March were up 76.1% since March 2002, while exports were up 104.5%.

U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico surface transportation trade in March 2012 both increased compared to March 2011 with U.S.-Canada trade reaching $50.1 billion, a 2.9% increase, and U.S.-Mexico trade reaching $35.7 billion, an 11.2% increase.

More exports are leaving giving the U.S. more money and we are able to import more goods thus reducing prices of goods in the U.S. Overall, the outlook is positive… only time will tell if the trend continues. Hopefully it does.

Read more here

Road condition update for drivers

I-70 Bridge to Detour Drivers During Summer and Next Year

For 12 months starting in November and for several weekends this summer, construction on Interstate 70's Blanchette Bridge over the Missouri River, between St. Louis and St. Charles, Mo., at mile marker 230, will detour westbound I-70 traffic. Due to the construction, commercial motor vehicle drivers are urged to take a detour, using I-270 and Mo. 370 as an alternate route.

Between now and November, smaller weekend projects will close multiple lanes of I-70 near the bridge. These weekends, the the Missouri Department of Transportation says, are a good opportunity for drivers to get used to the detour route. Although the detour adds five miles to the route, it is expected to shave several minutes off of travel time compared to driving through the narrow work zones.

That work is scheduled for the weekends of June 22-24, June 29-July 1 and July 21-23. The dates are subject to change due to weather or supply issues.

The weekend of July 13-25 on the east end of the bridge, two lanes of I-70 will close in each direction as crews build crossover lanes in the median. In early November, the crossover will be put to use as the current westbound bridge is closed.

To learn more about the project, go to www.modot.org/blanchettebridge. Drivers can sign up for MODOT email updates on the bridge project and detours.

Freeze cuts Michigan apple crop by more than 50%

I wanted to give a produce update for those of you who follow the industry or you’re like me and you just really love apples and get upset when they’re out of season…

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — More than half of Michigan’s apple crop — possibly much more — could be lost due to late-April freezes, and the state’s southwestern fruit production is a near-total loss.

The damage to that part of the state applies to apples, peaches, plums and cherries.

“Essentially, there is no tree fruit in southwest Michigan,” Barry Winkel, general manager of Greg Orchards & Produce Inc., said May 16. “We’ve been saying we need to wait and see. Well, we’ve waited. In this business, you don’t want to face the reality. You want to hope there’s something out there, but there isn’t.”

This year’s losses are unprecedented, Winkel said.

“My uncle, who is 81 and still a partner here, said he can’t remember anything like this,” he said.

Grower-shippers in the Fruit Ridge region of Michigan, where the majority of the state’s apples are grown, said they should have a much better handle on the extent of damage in June. What isn’t in doubt is that it will be substantial.

“We’ve been telling our customers not to expect more than 50% (of normal volumes), and that may be very optimistic,” said Tom Pletcher, vice president of sales and marketing at BelleHarvest Sales Inc., Belding, Mich. “We’re going to have fruit, and it’s going to be a reduced amount, we’re just not sure what that amount will be.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Michigan shipped the equivalent of nearly 4.8 million 40-pound cartons of apples last season.

By June 1, Sparta, Mich.-based Riveridge Produce expects to know the extent of damage, said Don Armock, president.

“I thought we’d know by now, but we didn’t start to get warm weather until the last three or four days,” Armock said May 16. “We have some side bloom that appears to be viable. But we got some pretty significant damage.”

In some areas, temperatures dipped to 22, but in others, they never got below 32, Armock said.

At Hart, Mich., northwest of the Fruit Ridge region, losses are also heavy, said Tyler Hodges, sales manager of Hart-based Todd Greiner Farms.

“There may be 5% left,” Hodges said May 16, referring to all tree fruit in the region. “It’s going to hurt a lot of people.”

Story from thepacker.com

Several crashes in Tampa on Interstate 275

Interstate 275 in Tampa was closed for hours today when several vehicles were involved in two crashes.

At 12:18 p.m., four vehicles crashed on I-275 southbound mile marker 46, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Three of the vehicles were Hyundai Sonatas and the other was a Nissan Maxima.

The drivers were taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa with minor injuries and the at-fault driver was cited for careless driving, according to the FHP.

The roadway was re-opened at 2:04 p.m.

Then, at 12:53 p.m., three vehicles crashed also on I-275 southbound near Fowler Avenue.  This crash involved a Nissan, Honda and Toyota. There were no injuries. One driver was cited for careless driving.

The highway reopened at 1:36 p.m.

Story from TBO.com

Our promise to you

We strive to provide the highest quality service at all times. We are committed to a professionally handled transportation experience accomplished by understanding and delivering on expectations.

To keep in line with our service promise, here are a few things our drivers do to uphold the highest level of customer service possible:

·         Every time they disconnect, they sweep out the trailers to have it clean for the next load.

·         They notify dispatch if they’re going to be arriving late or if they’re experiencing a longer off load so we can get our customers involved.

·         Our drivers notify dispatch when leaving or arriving at the customer or cosignee in order to keep customers up-to-date on the location of their load.

·         They ensure the freight is secure before leaving the loading dock.

TMS Logistics consistently delivers superior, on-time performance as a result of building a strong dispatch team, operating well-maintained, late-model equipment, hiring quality drivers and fully utilizing technology.

Did you know hot fuel delivers less energy per gallon?

BP Products North America Inc., ConocoPhillips Co. and Shell Oil Products US have agreed to settle lawsuits accusing the oil companies of profiting from "hot fuel," gasoline or diesel fuel for which price has not been adjusted for temperature. "Hot fuel" refers to the expansion of gas or diesel fuel in warmer months. Critics charge that when the fuel expands, it delivers less energy per gallon to the consumer, but the consumer is still charged the same price per gallon.

Oil companies argued that consumers benefitted in cold weather because fuel contracts and then contains more energy per gallon than usual. The companies also claimed that it would be too expensive to equip every retail pump with a temperature compensating device. Sixty degrees is the century-old government standard for gas or diesel sold at the pumps.

In 2006, the Kansas City Star wrote a series of stories about the issue, estimating that hot fuel cost consumers $2.3 billion dollars a year. With today's fuel prices, that would be as much as $3.5 billion. After the Star's reports, class-action lawsuits sprouted up against dozens of companies, including oil giants and fuel-station chains. Being that I live in Florida, I think I am getting the short end of this stick no matter what way you look at it…

Read the full story here.

Some roads will get money for much-needed repairs

The government is seeing the need to repair many of our nation’s roadways, mostly due to natural disasters. The Department of Transportation is allocating $62 million to repair numerous roadways and bridges. Although how the money will be spread out is still up for debate, some of the money already has a home. Some of the winners are: Alaska - $11.9 million to repair flood damages, Alabama: $1.8 million for sinkhole damages, South Carolina: $3.8 million for bridge damage and Washington: $5.8 million for landslide damage and another $8.6 million for storm damage.   

This is definitely a good plan by the government. Roads are vital to any community’s survival. If you can’t travel, there could potentially be serious problems. Being in Florida, I have seen many roads ruined by hurricanes mostly due to flooding and it’s very frustrating and sometimes downright impossible to get around. And many towns simply don’t have the money to hire local contractors to repair major damages. So kootoes to the government for helping out.

Read the full story here

163 Citations given for unsafe driving around trucks

Recently, police officers near Portland, Ore. were on the hunt for unsafe drivers. The officers ended up making 216 stops and issued 163 tickets! Woah baby! That’s a lot of driving tickets. What the officer did was drive in a loop on Interstate 5 riding in an Oregon Department of Transportation truck, observed traffic and radioed ahead to other officers to stop offenders. The violations ranged from speeding to tailgating to unsafe changing of lanes. We all hate driving down the interstate and seeing the cops. Although I’m not a big speeder, my unconscious reaction is to hit the brakes. In two days these cops issue 163 driving citations. 163! Seriously makes you think about all the things you do when you’re driving that can give you a ticket. It’s simply unsafe to drive like a maniac and even worse to do it around trucks. I have to say I’m happy they did this and would like to see more cities do this. Let’s crack down on aggressive driving and make it safer for everyone out there!

See the full story here: http://www.truckersnews.com/163-citations-given-for-unsafe-driving-around-trucks/

More controversy over driver’s hours

First they complained about the proposed change. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration was going to cut the amount of hours a driver could drive in a day from 11 to 10. There was uproar. Business owners nationwide claimed they wouldn’t be able to function. They’d have to hire more drivers, pay customers more money, miss delivery dates, etc. Then the ATA sued saying the referential agency who promoted an advantage to the change overstated the safety benefits of the new rule, and that the costs outweigh the claimed benefits. No one seemed to be happy about it. So the FMCSA axed the rule. The decided they wouldn’t make a change and leave the hours at 11. And guess what? More people are unhappy..

Highway safety groups along with two unidentified truck drivers filed suit seeking judicial review of the FMCSA. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Public Citizen and the Truck Safety Coalition object to FMCSA not reducing the driving day to 10 hours from 11. They claim the FMCSA “had no data to support” increasing truck driving time to 11 hours in 2004, from the previous 10 . And so the debate continues back and forth. Where do you stand?

Read for the change here: http://www.truckersnews.com/groups-sue-over-hours-rule/

Read against the change here: http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-detail.asp?news_id=76087