Author: TDS

3PLs: Going Beyond Savings to True Value – Inbound Logistics.

Save the date for September 7,2013! MMAF will be hosting their ninth annual Say Thanks Day at the Boy Scout Base Camp in historic Fort Snelling. There will be music all morning and activities for the whole family.

8:00 a.m. registration opens at Boy Scout Base Camp. .

9:00 a.m. start for 10K Run and 5K Run / Marine RECON challenge; 9:10 a.m. start for 2-mile Walk.

10:30 a.m. Say Thanks Day program: Presentation of MMAF grants; Announcement of the race winners and the prize drawing winners. Must register in advance to be eligible, and be present to win.

All Morning – Music from the fabulous Emerson Avenue Band, food from the local VFW for sale, a ropes course, climbing walls, inflatables for children, displays of military equipment, and a sense of patriotic pride and comradery.

All run / walk participants will receive “Thanks” t-shirt. Participants who register in advance (either online or by mail) are eligible for the drawings, which include Twins tickets, Gopher tickets, and our Grand Prize: Two Sun Country Airline Ticket Vouchers. In addition, the participant who brings in the most pledges will win a premier pair of tickets to a Twins game.

Registration Fee: $20 per person for the 2-mile walk. $25 per person for the 10K or 5K Run. Runners attempting the Marine RECON challenge should register for the 5K. A separate time clock at mile 3 will be used. Walk / Run family maximum is $50. FREE for military service members and their immediate families. FREE for children 12 and under. Everyone must register, even if free.

Mail-In Registration deadline is August 30, 2013.

On-Line registration deadline is September 4, 2013.

For more information visit: http://www.thankmntroops.org/announcements/say-thanks-day-2013

REGISTER HERE: http://www.active.com/running/fort-snelling-mn/say-thanks-day-5k-10k-runs-marine-recon-challenge-and-2-mile-walk-presented-by-mmaf-2013

As part of the new highway bill, also known as MAP-21, which was designed to boost highway safety and organize highway funding, there is a new amendment increasing the freight broker bond requirement from $10,000 to $75,000. The new law, scheduled to take effect in October 2013, means that every freight broker will be required to provide proof of their $75,000 broker bond/trust in order to sustain their status as a licensed broker/forwarder.
The federal government hopes MAP-21 will decrease the occurrences of fraud in the industry. “The freight broker bond increase to $75,000 is expected to discourage fly-by-nights from entering the freight broker arena and hopefully protect both shippers and motor carriers from non-payment or delayed payment.” (JW Surety Bonds)

Less than three weeks into the new hours-of-service regulations, a second waiver to the regs has been issued by the FMCSA.

            The first waiver was issued on May 31. It was in response to a request from the Energy Department. The exemption dismisses truckers hauling security-sensitive radioactive materials for the Department of Energy from following the 30-minute rest break provision. The exemption is only valid from July 1 to June 30, 2015.

            The second exemption to the 30-minute rest break was allocated for truck drivers carrying live animals. Chelsea Good, vice president of government affairs at the Livestock Marketing Association, said “livestock trailers are vented to allow air to move freely through so that animals can be kept both cool and fresh with that air. When a trailer has to stop, and it’s extremely hot, that becomes an animal-welfare concern from our standpoint.” The FMCSA granted the 90-day waiver to go into effect on July 11.

            David Osiecki, senior vice president of regulatory affairs at ATA commented, “trucking is so diverse and specialized that it’s very difficult to have a one-size-fits-all applicability.”

Last week, President Obama announced that the administration will begin to work on new fuel-economy standards for heavy- and – medium-duty trucks starting in 2019.

            “The fuel standards we set over the past few years mean that, by the middle of the next decade, the cars and trucks we buy will go twice as far on a gallon of gas. And in the coming months, we’ll partner with truck makers to do it again for the next generation of vehicles,” Obama said.

            The standards on fuel consumption and emissions, issued in 2011, call for reducing the maximum levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in trucks and engines manufactured in 2014 and 2017.

            The goal for the new round of fuel-economy standards is to improve fuel economy, while reducing carbon emissions, and without sacrificing vehicle performance. The new standards may include rules for trailers, and will likely cover Classes 2-8 trucks.

US Supply Chain and Logistics Industries’ Growth Slows as “New Normal” Settles In According to CSCMP’s 24th annual “State of Logistics Report®, Sponsored by Penske Logistics | 3PL.

Every Wednesday we grill for TDS and our customers. Find out how you can be a part of it!

According to a study released this week by the American Transportation Research Institute, the new hours-of-service changes will cost the trucking industry $322 million more than the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration had anticipated.

            ATRI is the research wing of the American Trucking Association and is known for their opposition to the new rule. The two provisions of the new rule that they studied included the requirement that two rest periods be taken each week between 1 a.m. and 5 am, and the limit to one 34-hour restart per week.  ATRI reports that FMCSA’s claim that the new rules will actually benefit the industry by $133 million a year is incorrect. FMCSA’s regulatory impact analysis is based on a “biased set of driver logs from carriers undergoing compliance reviews and safety audits.”  This results in skewed data toward drivers operating at the higher limits of available hours. It does not take into account “lost work hours, the limiting of driver productivity, increased congestion on roadways, increased restart times and other costs.” ATRI calculated that the new changes will actually cost the industry $189 million a year, based on what they call a “conservative measure that 15 minutes a week in productivity will be lost by the average driver.”

            The changes to the hours of service rule will become effective July 1, 2013.

To see a copy of ATRI’s full report: http://atri-online.org/2013/06/17/assessing-the-impacts-of-the-34-hour-restart-provisions/

For more information about the new hours of service rule click here: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/topics/hos/index.htm

Corporate fleet managers are now using recording devices, such as in-cab cameras, to monitor driver behavior. The goal is to improve safety and use fuel more efficiently. Many companies have reported that they have already seen a major reduction in vehicle incidents since they have installed the in-cab cameras. Lily Transportation Corp. in Needham, Mass. said they have seen a 30% decrease in incidents since 2011, when they installed the cameras.
Drivers who were once skeptical of the in-cab cameras, viewing it as “Big Brother” spying or as punishment, now see it as an opportunity to prove their professionalism and earn rewards, increased pay, and therefore increased job security.
Dane Smith, Vice President of worldwide sales for SmartDrive Systems Inc., said “We teach [customers] to coach drivers like athletes and not just to catch them doing something wrong. Drivers oftentimes don’t recognize how much they are affected by distractions on the road or when they are reaching for something in the cab. They are in a trance-like state. They don’t realize the amount of time they take their eyes off the road.”
In 2012, SmartDrive came out with a study from over 15.1 million video events, that revealed that mobile phone usage, along with the manipulation of objects, smoking, and eating were the main sources of distractions for drivers. The video recordings have also been used to acquit thousands of drivers involved in crashes caused by other drivers. 80% of the time it is not their fault. By closely monitoring speed, engine idling, and other factors through the technology, vendors can also improve fuel efficiency by as much as 20%.

On April 10, Obama released a transportation budget proposal for 2014. “The budget provides a total of $76.6 billion in discretionary and mandatory funding for the Department of Transportation, plus an additional $50 billion to jumpstart economic growth and job creation through immediate infrastructure investment.”
Obama hopes that the new budget will serve as a jumpstart to economic growth and the creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs.
The proposal calls for a $27 billion one-time increase to go towards “critical highway infrastructure” and cross- border roads in addition to the $41 billion Congress has already authorized for highways next year. The $27 billion is part of a larger $50 billion transportation infrastructure investment plan intended to go towards roads, transits, railroads, and airports. By 2015, Obama wants Congress to increase the nation’s annual spending commitment to highways and public transportation by 25%.
Obama says that the new budget will be paid for by winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Because rebuilding our transportation infrastructure is an urgent need, the Budget uses savings from ramping down overseas military operations to fully offset baseline Highway Trust Fund solvency needs, the out-year surface transportation reauthorization allowance, and the rail reauthorization proposal.”
The new proposal leaves many skeptical. Among the skeptics, is the American Trucking Association. In a written release the Association voiced concern that “the budget fails to provide adequate detail and direction. For five years, we’ve waited for President Obama to clearly state how we should pay for these critical needs, and I’m sad to say, we continue to get lip service about the importance of roads and bridges with no real roadmap to real funding solutions. It’s time to show us the money and where you intend to get it from”, said Bill Graves, CEO of ATA.
Rep. Tom Petri, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, says “the president indicates he wants to use savings from reduced overseas military operations to pay for infrastructure improvements, but this is not a long-term solution and only further emphasizes that we’re spending more than we’re taking in.”

For more information on the 2014 Transportation Budget, visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2014/assets/transportation.pdf