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Our Forum is the all year around meeting place, where drivers and owners come for Information or discuss trucking and expediting related questions. Whether you drive a Tractor/Trailer, Expediter Straight Truck or Van, you are very welcome here in Expediter World. We bring you Expediting and Trucking News on a regular basis. Trucking Professionals as well as Newbie's enjoy our Photo Gallery and NEW Free Classifieds. You can also find the right job with our new website, please visit us at www.expediterjobsonline.com. You can also check diesel fuel prices with our National Truckstop fuel price locator. Join us in relaxing, having fun and playing games.
What's Going On With The Tesla Semi Truck? |  | 
Unsurprisingly, the Tesla Semi will start production later than planned. With all the publicity surrounding the polarizing Tesla Cybertruck lately, you'd be forgiven for forgetting all about the Tesla Semi. Tesla's revolutionary electric semi-truck first debuted in prototype form alongside the Tesla Roadster concept back in 2017, but the automaker has remained suspiciously quiet about it lately. However, a leaked email reportedly sent to reservation holders from the company suggests the Tesla Semi will start limited production in the second half of 2020. "We are on track to produce limited volumes of the Tesla Semi in the second half of 2020," the email reads. This is later than planned, as the production of the Tesla Semi was slated to enter production in 2019 when the prototype was unveiled. By contrast, the reports claim the Tesla Model Y is said to be starting production early. The email also provides some insight into the test program for the Tesla Semi. "Over the last few months, we have continued testing the trucks in real world conditions," the email says. We also spent time at a proving ground to evaluate the truck's resilience over rougher road conditions. It continues: "Using instruments mounted on the vehicle, we collected road input data to ensure the trucks can handle severely degraded roads. At our own Fremont test facility, we subjected the trucks to a number of high energy, discreet events such as curb strikes, pot holes, and other harsh inputs to confirm the truck is capable of handling common hazards. Our test vehicles have held up great thus far and continue to impress. In addition to real-world test, we also successfully completed several important engineering development checkpoints." Tesla has already improved the Semi's range since its debut, but the email confirms that more improvements are being implemented. "As the truck's design continues to mature, those improvements are being rolled into our plans for building more production-representative vehicles," it reads. When it was announced in 2017, Tesla claimed the Semi will have a range of 300-500 miles, but Elon Musk has since claimed the range will be closer to 600 miles in the range-topping model when it launches. The range-topping Tesla Semi is expected to start at $180,000, while an entry-level version with a 300-mile range is expected to be around $30,000 cheaper. The more production-intent version of the Tesla Semi Truck is pictured below. As you can see, it drops the rear covers over the wheels, and traded the exterior cameras for a set of more pragmatic mirrors. Meanwhile, the center-mounted driving position remains intact. Michigan State Police teaming up with truckers to combat human trafficking | |
OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. - Michigan State Police are performing inspections on semi-trucks at weigh stations this month in an awareness campaign for human trafficking. Police estimate between 100,000 - 300,000 minor children are being trafficked in the United States at any given time. Such high numbers is why MSP is taking time at the beginning of 2020 talking to truck drivers and conferring with law enforcement in area states to combat the crime. And it all starts safety inspection. "Every truck driver we come in contact with at a traffic stop, at a rest area, at a truck stop - they're on the road 24/7, all throughout the week, all over the country. So they see a lot of things that might be unusual to them," said Michigan State Police Officer Joel Chester. Chester was at an Oakland County weight station on Monday knocking on the doors of semi-trucks, talking to their drivers. "A lot of these people that are in prostitution aren't there on their own choice - they're taken at a young age, transported across the country away from their family and support and kind of stuck there," said Chester. One of the most common ways that transportation happens is via delivery truck. In an effort to regionalize the effort, Chester and his partner Kiontae Cope are working in a multi-state effort that includes Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois, talking to drivers and encouraging them to be involved. Michigan State Police first partnered with Truckers Against Trafficking in 2015, before growing into a national leader in combating the practice. For them, working in connection with truck drivers gives them a leg up in the fight and is saving lives. "I think it's for a good cause, especially working with the truckers and us, coming together as a team and basically just having more eyes out there," said Cope. To report human trafficking, you can call (888) 373-7888 or text BeFree to 233733. Amazon Lifts Restriction on Sellers Using FedEx to Ship Packages | |
FedEx workers unload packages from a truck in New York City in December.
Amazon.com Inc. lifted restrictions established during the holiday shopping season that had prevented third-party merchants selling goods on the site from shipping packages with FedEx Corp.’s ground service. Amazon banned merchants from using FedEx less than two weeks before Christmas due to concerns about speed of delivery — highlighting the e-commerce giant’s growing power over how products get to shoppers.
Amazon has now informed sellers the ban was lifted effective 5 p.m. EST Jan. 14, according to an email reviewed by Bloomberg. FedEx shares jumped as much as 3.3% on the news. “This is good news for our mutual customers who have come to rely on the FedEx Ground offering,” FedEx said in an emailed statement. “Our service levels have been very strong throughout a historic peak season.” After Amazon abruptly banned FedEx, merchants had to find alternative ways to make deliveries at the busiest time of year, including through United Parcel Service Inc.’s ground service. Amazon declined to comment. The Seattle-based company’s ban on third-party shippers using FedEx followed a dispute between the two companies, after which a delivery contract between them was not renewed. Amazon examines its delivery providers’ performance each year to determine order cutoff times for the holidays. Source of this article and other great articles
New York state carrier announces closing | |
New York Express and Logistics announced it will close down March 31 and layoff some 107 employees due to the loss of an account with DHL, the parcel delivery company that is a division of the German corporation Deutsche Post DHL. New York Express and Logistics is a subsidiary of North East Freightways Inc., of Londonderry, New Hampshire. The company provides freight transportation and cargo hauling services. It has facilities in Depew near Buffalo, Rochester, Dewitte near Syracuse and Latham near Albany. The company filed a WARN notice with the New York State Department of Labor Dec. 30. The announced closing of New York Express and Logistics is one of the first in the trucking industry in 2020. Last year saw numerous closings including Diboll, Texas-based Fleetwood Transportation Services, Inc., which closed at 11:59 p.m. Dec. 31, putting some 250 drivers out of work. I-20 Vicksburg bridge project begins Jan. 20; expect delays | |
If your trucking travels take you across the bridge over the Mississippi River at Vicksburg, Mississippi, you can expect delays starting Monday, Jan. 20 and lasting at least until early 2021. The nearly 50-year-old span that carries Interstate 20 over the river will get a complete facelift and some structural improvements, according to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. The bridge is one of only a few interstate highway crossings of the Mississippi. LaDOT said travelers on westbound lanes of I-20 across the bridge will experience lane closures through Friday, May 15. Throughout the project, the construction will restrict vehicles to a 10-foot maximum width. However, 16-foot maximum width vehicles will be allowed to cross on Fridays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. No formal detours have been established for this work, and LaDOT said there will be no lane closures in both directions at the same time in order to maintain traffic flow. I-20 Vicksburg bridge project begins Jan. 20; expect delays | |
If your trucking travels take you across the bridge over the Mississippi River at Vicksburg, Mississippi, you can expect delays starting Monday, Jan. 20 and lasting at least until early 2021. The nearly 50-year-old span that carries Interstate 20 over the river will get a complete facelift and some structural improvements, according to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development. The bridge is one of only a few interstate highway crossings of the Mississippi. LaDOT said travelers on westbound lanes of I-20 across the bridge will experience lane closures through Friday, May 15. Throughout the project, the construction will restrict vehicles to a 10-foot maximum width. However, 16-foot maximum width vehicles will be allowed to cross on Fridays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. No formal detours have been established for this work, and LaDOT said there will be no lane closures in both directions at the same time in order to maintain traffic flow. |
Bulkmatic, Bulk FR8 Launch Joint Dry Bulk Logistics Venture | |
Bulkmatic, one of the largest dry bulk transporters in North America, and Bulk FR8 LLC, a major provider of liquid bulk logistics and freight management, are starting a joint venture to provide nationwide truckload capacity solutions for dry bulk shippers: Dry Bulk FR8. The new company brings together the two companies’ expertise in pneumatic tank truck management and brokerage to offers nationwide dry bulk brokerage and logistics services. Dry Bulk FR8 will improve shippers’ ability to handle dry bulk supply chain challenges and provide access to capacity from a large base of tank truck carriers capable of handling dry bulk loads, according to the announcement. “We’ve provided dry bulk trucking and rail transload services for more than 50 years,” said Chris Kravas, president of Bulkmatic. “We are happy to announce that we can now offer brokerage services by working with one of the best liquid bulk brokerages in the business and become a one-stop transportation solution for our customers.” According to the new website, the company will offer brokerage, outsourced transportation management including rail car management and transloading, and third-party logistics and project management. Dry Bulk FR8 is headquartered at Bulkmatic’s newly renovated corporate office in Griffith, Indiana. Bulk FR8’s employees have relocated from Seattle to the new company’s location. “This is an exciting alliance because we share a similar customer service philosophy and company culture,” said Wayne Levinson, founder and president of Bulk FR8. “By combining our strong management team, advanced brokerage technology, and safety- focused processes with Bulkmatic’s expertise and capacity in dry bulk trucking, we will offer the dry bulk transportation market unparalleled service and rates.” USDOT Announces $900 Million for Freight, Highway Grants | |
Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao
Transportation officials nationwide who are seeking a federal boost to help advance major freight or highway projects may find it in the form of a federal grant. The U.S. Department of Transportation announced this week that slightly more than $900 million has been made available for the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America, or INFRA, grants.
Applications for the grants will be accepted through Feb. 25. Entities interested in vying for a grant are asked to emphasize national and regional economic vitality, a strategy for attracting nonfederal sources of funding, innovative technology and accountability. “The nation’s industry depends on the transportation network to move the goods that it produces, and facilitate the movements of the workers who are responsible for that production,” according to a Notice of Funding Opportunity the department unveiled Jan. 13. “When the nation’s highways, railways and ports function well, that infrastructure connects people to jobs, increases the efficiency of delivering goods and thereby cuts the costs of doing business, reduces the burden of commuting and improves overall well-being.” The grants are designed to assist various aspects of an infrastructure project. Eligible projects include highway freight corridors on the National Highway Freight Network, highway or bridge projects on the National Highway System, projects that would increase capacity on the Interstate System and an intermodal or rail project. At least a quarter of the grants would be provided for rural projects, according to DOT. “The department will invest more than $900 million in major projects that will improve transportation infrastructure, economic productivity and quality of life across our nation,” Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao indicated. Source of this article and other great articles
With truck fatalities on the rise, FMCSA to study the cause of deadly semi crashes | |
The FMCSA admits that fatal crashes involving large trucks have increased by 5.7% over the last three years.  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced a major new study into the underlying causes behind fatal large truck crashes. In a Request for Information document to be published in the Federal Register on January 15, 2020, the FMCSA announced plans to begin a groundbreaking new study into the causal factors in large truck crashes — dubbed the Large Truck Crash Causal Factors Study (LTCCFS). The FMCSA pointed to a rise in truck crash fatalities as a reason for the study: “Over the last three years (2016- 2018), fatal crashes involving large trucks increased 5.7 percent. This study will help FMCSA identify factors that are contributing to the growth in fatal large truck crashes, and in both injury and property damage only (PDO) crashes. These factors will drive new initiatives to reduce crashes on our nations roadways.” The FMCSA says that they “seek information on how best to design and conduct a study to identify factors contributing to all FMCSA reportable large truck crashes (towaway, injury and fatal).” The agency says that the purpose of the study is “to yield information that will help FMCSA and the truck safety community to identify activities and other measures likely to lead to significant reductions in the frequency, severity, and crash rate involving commercial motor vehicles.” The FMCSA laid out three specific goals for the LTCCFS study:
The announcement of the LTCCFS comes just months after worrisome new statistics showed an uptick in fatal crashes involving large trucks in 2018 that corresponded with the first full year that the Electronic Logging Device Mandate was in effect for most truck drivers. In October 2019, the NHTSA released a report on crash fatalities in 2018 — the first full year since the FMCSA required most truckers to start using ELDs to track Hours of Service compliance in December of 2017. The FMCSA promised that the ELD Mandate would “help create a safer work environment for drivers.” While there was a 2.4% decrease in crash fatalities for all drivers, the NHTSA data showed that fatal crashes involving large trucks actually increased by 0.9%. During a similar study conducted by the FMCSA in 2001 — 2003, the FMCSA said that “a primary finding of the study was that in the vast majority of crashes where the critical reason for the crash was assigned to the large truck, it was attributed to a driver-related action or inaction.” The FMCSA will be accepting public comments on the study for 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. For more information on how you can submit your comments once the comment period officially opens, please click here. You’ll soon see new exit numbers on MA interstates | |
Starting this summer, Massachusetts will begin renumbering exits on interstates and other freeways based on milepost numbers. The state’s Department of Transportation says the new system offers several advantages including:
In addition to new numbers, exits will also have “Old Exit” signs displayed for at least two years, according to MassDOT. You can see an interactive map detailing existing exits and what their new numbers will be on a website with details about the project, which is expected to cost $2.8. You can also make comments about the program online. MDOT is also holding numerous public meetings to explain the program. Today’s Pickup: Slain trucker’s in-cab camera leads to suspect’s arrest | |
Man charged with first-degree murder of driver on I-269 outside Memphis after authorities circulated chilling photos captured by camera inside tractor-trailer.
Photos of the suspect captured by the in-can cab in slain trucker Dajuante Stuart A man was charged Thursday with shooting a truck driver on I-269 outside Memphis, Tennessee, after an in-cab video captured the suspected killer, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said. James Huddleston, 27, was arrested after his father identified him as the person in images captured by an in-cab camera in Dajuante Stuart’s tractor-trailer, WKRN news reported, citing court documents. Stuart, 30, was found shot to death in his tractor-trailer on Wednesday. Authorities subsequently released images of a person of interest from video recorded on Stuart’s in-cab camera. An arrest warrant states that the video shows the man talking with Stuart before entering the cab, WKRN reported. After a gunshot is heard, the man drags Stuart and shoots him again, the warrant states, according to WKRN. Loss of DHL contract leads to New York carrier shutting down | |
New York Express and Logistics will shut down after losing a contract with DHL, the company said in a filing in New York state. The company completed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act filing in New York, citing the loss of a contract with DHL as the reason for the shutdown of New York Express and Logistics in Latham, New York. In all, 48 employees will be affected as of March 31, 2020. The filing, entered into the New York WARN database Dec. 30, 2019, says locations in East Syracuse, Rochester and Depew, New York, will all be affected. It is unclear from the WARN filing what services New York Express and Logistics provided DHL, and the company does not appear to have an active website. New York Express and Logistics is a subsidiary of North East FreightWays, based in Hooksett, New Hampshire. North East does business under Land Air Express. Land Air is a large provider of less-than-truckload and truckload direct next day services in the Northeast. Chris Kalavantis, operations manager, declined comment on the filing, referring all questions to North East FreightWays. The phone number for North East is managed by Land Air. A request for comment left with Bob McDermott, vice president of Land Air, was not returned by publication. Companies are required to file WARN Act notices when laying off 25 or more employees or closing a plant that affects more than 25 employees. The filing must give 60 days’ notice prior to any formal layoffs. Economic conditions, insurance liability increases and a general overcapacity in the marketplace after some fleets expanded to meet 2018 demand led to many high-profile closures of carriers in 2019. Celadon, New England Motor Freight, Falcon Transport and LME are among the companies that closed in 2019. In all, it is expected that carrier closures led to more than 50,000 power units being removed from the marketplace. Source of this article and other great articles
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