TDMST Weekly Round-Up: 2022.04.23

This is the TDMST Weekly Round-Up of news affecting professional truck drivers, written by Vicki Simons for the week ending April 23, 2022.

We welcome your comments, thoughts and feedback on the items of your choice below.

1. Regarding emissions, environment, idling, and zero:

According to Genesis 1 and 2 in the Bible, after God created male and female, He gave them specific tasks, one of which was to take care of the place He had made and where He had located them.

In our day, some people have put a heavy emphasis on protecting the earth, perhaps at the expense of the humans who inhabit it.

Earlier this week, I conducted a Facebook livestream about "Earth Day" in which I referenced the following:
article 1, article 2, and a video.

Please understand that there is a political agenda -- and sometimes even a spiritual ideology -- behind fuel choices, emissions, vehicle production, the "net-zero carbon" initiative, and other related endeavors.

Here are some of the most recent articles on these topics:

Emissions

• New York announces statewide diesel truck emission enforcement blitz
  
  
• Two companies admit to tampering with emission monitoring systems
  
  
• Volvo vows to 'accelerate the shift' to zero-emission vehicles in Canada
  
  
• White House Eyes Emissions, Fuel Prices as Congress Finalizes Supply Chain Bill
  
  

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Environment

• House GOP Pushes Back on White House NEPA Guidance
  
  

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Idling

• Vigilante Anti-Idling Law Hits NYC Fleets with Heavy Fines
  
  

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Zero

Please feel free to look at other trucking commentaries on this site in which I examine the issue of "carbon."

Even though I do not necessarily agree with the articles in this section, I am listing them for your convenience.

• Achates near-zero diesel fighting for production
  
  
• AIT Worldwide Logistics aims for net-zero emissions by 2035
  
  
• Decarbonization: The power of 'and'
  
  
• Net-Zero Carbon keynote: Collaborating on sustainability reaps host of benefits
  
  
• Net-Zero Carbon recap: 3PLs' key role in sustainability efforts
  
  
• Net-Zero Carbon recap: A collaborative approach to decarbonization
  
  
• Net-Zero Carbon recap: Autonomous trucks a boon to decarbonization
  
  
• Net-Zero Carbon recap: Collaboration is key for the rails
  
  
• Net-Zero Carbon recap: Collaboration key to hitting sustainability goals
  
  
• Net-Zero Carbon recap: Data could be key to decarbonization
  
  
• Net-Zero Carbon recap: Fighting climate change takes all transportation stakeholders
  
  
• Net-Zero Carbon recap: How to build and execute sustainability strategy
  
  
• Net-Zero Carbon recap: Planting 1 tree per shipment
  
  

 

2. Regarding spot market, tolls, pay, coercion, and warranty:

Spot market

• Shippers take pricing power as softening conditions continue
  
  
• Spot rates soften as capacity swings to contract freight market Land Line
  
  
• Trucking bloodbath ‘22?
  
  Quote: "FreightWaves founder and CEO Craig Fuller [talks] about the collapsing spot market and why he thinks a trucking bloodbath is imminent."
  
  
• U.S. spot market cooling
  
  

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Tolls

• Louisiana Truckers Battle Proposed Bridge Toll
  
  Please note the references to how poorly the first bridge was planned, how long overdue the replacement is, and other things.
  
  I suggest that everyone beware of "public-private partnerships."
  
  

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Pay

Most of the articles in this section address a bill that was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Andy Levin entitled "Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act," which would repeal the motor carrier overtime exemption in the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act).

In a Facebook truckers group that we're both members of, an owner-operator friend of mine stated that this bill would create tension between company drivers and independent drivers and cause other problems.

I asked for specific details and am eagerly looking forward to learning more.

• Bill introduced to remove truckers' overtime exemption
  
  
• Driver feedback shows that equipment, compensation remain top concerns
  
  
• New bill would allow truck drivers to collect overtime pay
  
  
• OOIDA makes push in support of GOT Truckers Act
  
  
• Truck drivers aren't entitled to overtime because of 84-year-old law
  
  
• Truckers would earn overtime pay under newly introduced bill
  
  

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Coercion

Never put up with coercion!

There are other trucking companies out there that respect professional truck drivers.

• Daily Infographic: Truckers are filing coercion complaints with the feds at a record pace
  
  

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Warranty

• Importance of a Truck Warranty
  
  

 

3. Regarding accidents: alcohol, bridge, distracted, fatal, parked, shoulder, sleep, and train; and close calls:

Please learn what you can from the articles listed in this section so that you will be able to avoid getting into these kinds of accidents or "close calls."

Accident

• Tractor-trailer falls off I-95 after being struck by car
  
  

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Accident: alcohol

• Tractor-trailer driver facing intoxication manslaughter charge in deadly Texas collision
  
  

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Accident: bridge

• Driver, passenger hospitalized after tractor-trailer falls off Atlanta bridge
  
  

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Accident: distracted

• Distracted trucker completely demolishes gas station
  
  

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Accident: fatal

• Fatal chain reaction crash shuts I-81 in MD for six hours in snowstorm
  
  
• Fatal, double semi wreck shuts down I-75 for hours
  
  
• Kentucky highway fatalities increase; officials urge safety
  
  
• No charges issued after semi truck runs red light in fatal crash
  
  
• Tractor-trailer driver charged in death of Pennsylvania siblings
  
  

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Accident: parked

• Tractor-trailer hits three parked vehicles in Pennsylvania, shuts down Route 422
  
  

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Accident: shoulder

• Pickup collides with OSP cruiser at "freeway speeds" during encounter with semi truck
  
  

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Accident: sleep

• Trucker fell asleep and tumbled 200 feet down a steep hillside, CHP says
  
  

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Accident: train

• Tractor-trailer driver hospitalized after collision with train in Texas
  
  

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Close calls

• Arkansas log truck driver ditches rig to save busload of kids
  
  
• Dash cam captures truck driver's terror in near miss with stopped school bus
  
  
• Log truck driver took the ditch to avoid slamming into a school bus full of students
  
  

 

4. Regarding fuel, green diesel, green hydrogen, renewable diesel, electric vehicles, and autonomous vehicles:

Fuel

• 4 of the Most Fuel-Efficient Work Vans
  
  
• Benchmark diesel price up only slightly despite wild futures market
  
  
• Diesel Bumps Up 2.8¢ to $5.101 a Gallon
  
  
• Diesel up outside of New England Land Line Fuel prices
  
  
• Fuel tax relief, tax rebates pursued at statehouses
  
  
• Fuel-Cell Trucks and the Sleeper Enigma
  
  
• Gas Imports Flowing to West Coast at Near-Record Pace
  
  
• Gulf Coast Diesel Exports Soar on Wartime Shortage
  
  
• MVT Solutions testing demonstrates fuel savings for rear trailer device
  
  
• One owner-operator's success reducing fuel costs
  
  

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Green diesel

• Green Diesel Is Suddenly a Booming Business
  
  From what I understand in the article, "green diesel" is biofuel derived from vegetable oils, used cooking oil, and animal fats.
  
  You can read in the article about the process that is used to create "renewable diesel."
  
  

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Green hydrogen

• Walmart will run up to 9,500 lift trucks on green hydrogen from Plug Power
  
  Quote: "Green hydrogen is produced by using electrolyzers powered by renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Oxygen is the only byproduct, making it a 'clean, secure and affordable energy solution,' the companies said."
  
  I would love to know how large the electrolyzers are, if green hydrogen can be converted into electricity, and if some day, trucks will be able to run on fuel that is basically pulled out of thin air and converted just a short time before it is needed to power the vehicles.
  
  

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Renewable diesel

• Why These Fleets Use Renewable Diesel Fuel
  
  Quote: "Refiners make biodiesel from vegetable oils and/or animal fats, which they process through a method called transesterification."
  
  The article describes how one trucking company realized a "36% emissions reduction over the entire three-state fleet and lowered its overall costs."
  
  According to the article, "With the same chemical structure as petroleum diesel, fleets don't have to use blends; they can use 100% renewable diesel in engines that run on conventional diesel fuel."
  
  

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Electric vehicles

• FedEx, GM set electric delivery record
  
  
• Ruan deploys all-electric terminal truck in St. Joseph, Missouri
  
  
• Soaring Lithium Prices Affect Vehicle Production
  
  
• Walmart Will Run Forklifts on 'Green' Hydrogen in Plug Power Deal
  
  

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Autonomous vehicles

I am 100% opposed to truly driverless, self-driving, or autonomous commercial motor vehicles sharing the same roads at the motoring public, but share these articles to help you stay informed about the subject.

• Daimler's Martin Daum: Autonomous Trucks Will Benefit Industry Without Threatening Jobs
  
  
• Torc Demonstrates Autonomous Trucking Progress
  
  

 

5. Regarding delivery, ALD, same-day delivery, state of emergency, HOS, supply chain, doubles, and COVID-19:

Delivery

• USPS to slow down some parcel deliveries
  
  

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ALD

• Alternative delivery: Does it have a place in e-commerce?
  
  Acronyms used in the article:
  - ALD: alternative delivery locations;
  - BOPIS: buy-online, pick-up-in-store; and
  - BOPA: buy-online, pick-up-anywhere.
  
  

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Same-day delivery

• Retail leaders: Same-day delivery is no longer optional
  
  

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State of emergency

One of the articles linked below states, "The executive order [issued by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp] aims to soften many of the detrimental effects of the COVID-19 crisis that is still having impacts on the global supply chain."

However, there are no details on exactly:

• which "detrimental effects" those are; or
  
  
• why -- after the so-called "pandemic" has been going on for two years -- supply chain issues are just now a problem.

Furthermore on the 2020 list of Executive Orders issued in the State of Georgia, the one issued on March 14, 2020 -- entitled "Declaring a Public Health State of Emergency for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)" -- addresses commercial motor vehicles and their drivers a number of times.

So, I'm puzzled over this.

Here are some of the most recent articles on this subject:

• Georgia governor cites supply chain issues as he suspends some hours of service regs
  
  
• Georgia governor declares supply chain state of emergency
  
  
• Georgia governor issues state of emergency targeting supply chain crisis
  
  
• Hours of service regs suspended in Georgia | Used truck sales, prices increased in March
  
  
• Supply chain 'State of Emergency' declared in Georgia
  
  

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HOS (Hours of Service)

• Oral arguments up next in case over hours of service
  
  

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Supply chain

• Chinese lockdowns will create shocks to American supply chains (but China is the biggest loser)
  
  
• Shanghai lockdown is not causing global supply chain chaos (yet)
  
  
• Shanghai tries to ease supply chain crunch amid lockdown
  
  

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Doubles

• Two 20-foot containers could be pulled in tandem under Louisiana proposal
  
  

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COVID-19

• Homeland Security extends vaccine requirements
  
  
• How COVID transformed trans-Pacific container shipping
  
  

 

6. Regarding inspections, Roadcheck 2022, and staged:

Inspections

I hope that the Texas governor got what he was after.

• Border Inspections Lost Texas $4.2 Billion, Economist Says
  
  
• Briefly: Trucker delays end as Texas governor reverses course on inspections
  
  
• EXPLAINER: Why is Texas policing its border with Mexico?
  
  
• Faulty rigs, zero drugs found during increased border inspections
  
  
• Increased inspections at the border have cost Texas $4.3 billion so far
  
  
• New border inspections repealed after Abbott reaches deal with Mexican states
  
  
• REMINDER: Troopers may pay you a visit if you're stopped in Virginia today
  
  
• Texas border disruption cost state and nation billions of dollars, report says
  
  
• Texas Governor Reverses Truck Inspection Plan After Backlash
  
  
• Texas Halts Inspections That Led to Border Gridlock
  
  
• Truck delays at US-Mexico border blamed for $240M in produce losses
  
  
• Trucking, Economic Experts Weigh Impact of Texas Border Bottlenecks
  
  

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Roadcheck 2022

• Here's your Roadcheck 2022 'Cheat Sheet'
  
  

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Staged

• Four more plead guilty in Louisiana staged-accident fraud scheme | I-10 closures through next week
  
  
• Three sentenced for roles in Louisiana staged accident scheme
  
  

 

7. Regarding age, technology, chips, flatbed, drugs, and fire:

Age

• FMCSA moves under-21 pilot program forward
  
  
• FMCSA responds to suggestions about teen driving program
  
  
• FMCSA responds to under-21 apprenticeship program concerns | Georgia guv suspends HOS
  
  
• Poll shows Americans opposed to reducing age requirements for CDLs -
  
  

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Technology

• Could Crowdsourcing Make Trucks Smarter?
  
  
• Freightflow completes integration with Trucker Tools Smart Capacity®
  
  
• Latest Apps Promise Fast Service, but Can They Deliver?
  
  
• Leveraging technology to improve the driver-life-cycle
  
  
• Louisiana lawmaker's bill would double fines and use cameras to catch speeding drivers on I-10 bridge in effort to curb crashes
  
  
• Only for IFTA? TruckingOffice PRO Does More
  
  
• TriumphPay’s new leaders ready to 'break the archaic 30-day payment cycle'
  
  
• Truck Fleets Can Better Leverage Data For Maintenance
  
  
• US Drone Company Zipline Starts Delivering Medicine in Japan
  
  
• Wireless backup cameras becoming appealing for heavy trucks
  
  

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Chips

• Congress Seeks Compromise to Boost Chip Industry
  
  
• Rivian's EV Factory Constrained by Chip Shortage
  
  

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Flatbed

• Recent trucker deaths highlight dangers of being a flatbed driver
  
  
• Specialized brokers provide leg up in strained flatbed market
  
  

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Drugs

Never ever haul illegal drugs, no matter how much you are offered.

• 6-State Trooper Project netted arrests for drugs, weapons
  
  
• Briefly: FMCSA reports drug-related violations increasing
  
  
• DEA arrests trucking company owner on drug, gun charges
  
  
• Florida Highway Patrol seizes $5 million worth of cocaine from semi truck
  
  
• Law enforcement finds $5 million worth of cocaine in Florida tractor-trailer
  
  
• Traffic accident slings 500 pounds of marijuana along I-70 in Missouri
  
  
• Troopers find 500lbs marijuana at crash site between pickup, semi trucks
  
  

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Fire

• UPDATE: Major wildfire closes U.S. 89 in Arizona, threatens lives, property
  
  
• There have been reports of an increasing number of fires at food processing facilities, particularly in the USA.
  
  Please prepare yourself for tight food supplies in the days to come, per these posts:
  
  Telegram post 1
  
  Telegram post 2
  
  Telegram post 3
  
  Telegram post 4
  
  Food Supply Incident Map
  
  

 

8. Regarding shortage, economy, middle mile, last mile, and rates:

Shortage

• Driver shortage continues to challenge employers: Trucking HR Canada
  
  
• Personnel capacity challenges extend beyond driver retention
  
  

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Economy

• Cross-border truck freight picked up in February
  
  
• Daily Infographic: E-commerce returns: Give the customers what they want
  
  
• February Trucking Conditions Improve Ahead of Expected Plunge
  
  
• J.B. Hunt says freight demand remains strong, but small carriers may struggle
  
  
• Knight-Swift: Trucking downturn would favor carriers with large trailer pools
  
  
• March Truck Tonnage Jumped 2.4%
  
  
• Noose tightens on Russian economy as import options dwindle
  
  
• Truck tonnage continues upward trend
  
  
• Truck Tonnage Rises 3.8% in March
  
  
• Trucking conditions up in February but projected to turn negative in March
  
  
• Up $10B: Big truck freight value trending higher over 2021
  
  
• Used Canadian truck prices soar in Q1
  
  
• Used Class 8 trucks defy falling freight rates
  
  

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Middle mile

• Middle mile meets final mile as Warp joins Urban Freight Lab
  
  

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Last mile

• Voice of the customer: On time rules in big and bulky last mile
  
  

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Rates

• Rising Freight Rates Put Heavy Burden on Grain-Importing Nations
  
  

 

9. Regarding recall, roads, shippers, and weather:

Recall

• Daimler recall reveals new Western Star model
  
  
• Western Star recalls include side air intake and windshield wiper issues
  
  

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Roads

• Rockslide closes part of I-75 near Tennessee/Kentucky border
  
  

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Shippers

• Spending by freight shippers remains high; volume drops slightly
  
  

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Weather

• Major snowfall snarls traffic in areas of northern California; parts of I-80 closed to big rigs
  
  
• Trucks being turned around on I-80 after 1ft+ of snow
  
  

 

10. Regarding theft, fraud, and gambling:

Please don't take something that isn't yours -- unless it is given to you by the owner.

Theft

• Police exchange gunfire with suspect during alleged attempt to steal big rig
  
  

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Fraud

• New Jersey trucking company owner charged for kickback scheme
  
  
• Trucking company owner indicted in $40 million truck investment Ponzi scheme
  
  

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Gambling

• Cops raid Texas truck stop for alleged illegal gambling
  
  

 

11. Regarding mode, oil, operations, parking, and parts:

Mode

I have read other articles (including this one) about how some rail companies are refusing to haul fertilizer and Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF), so I wonder if the trucking industry is going to pick up the slack.

According to Wikipedia, "Diesel exhaust fluid (DEF; also known as AUS 32 and marketed as AdBlue[3]) is a liquid used to reduce the amount of air pollution created by a diesel engine. Specifically, DEF is an aqueous urea solution made with 32.5% urea and 67.5% deionized water. DEF is consumed in a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) that lowers the concentration of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the diesel exhaust emissions from a diesel engine.[4]"

I found a resource that answers my question (worded a little differently from #10 on the website list):
"What happens to the engine if the DEF Tank is empty?"

Meanwhile, here are some of the most recent articles on this topic:

• Rail News Roundup: Sweetener shippers bemoan rail service
  
  
• USPS to Move More Packages by Truck Instead of Plane
  
  

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Oil

• Next oil category to see lower viscosities, better wear performance
  
  

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Operations

• 5 Tips for Safely Transporting Construction Materials
  
  

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Parking

• City okays truck parking plan, bans idling or sleeping in rigs at location
  
  
• DOT unlocks money for clean-truck parking capacity
  
  
• Parking garage partially collapses as trucker searches for overnight parking
  
  

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Parts

• Underride guards the focus of New Jersey, Pennsylvania bills
  
  

 

12. Regarding recognition:

We recognize all truckers who helped out their fellow human beings in a time of need.

Thanks so much for your compassion!

• Tennessee trucker earns Angel wings for helping tanker driver
  
  
• Trucker extinguishes car fire; recognized for his efforts
  
  

 

My husband Mike and I wish you -- and all professional truck drivers -- safe travels and lots of money saving opportunities on the road.

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Return from TDMST Weekly Round-Up: 2022.04.23 to our TDMST Weekly Round-Up Trucking Commentary or our Truck Drivers Money Saving Tips home page.

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Recommended Trucker Accessories

• Portable Toilet
  
  
• Cold Food Storage Device
  
  
• Appliances to Cook in Your Truck
  
  
• Powering Your Appliances
  
  
• Navigation Tools
  
  
• Communication Tools

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