Overdrive

November 2018

Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info

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16 | Overdrive | November 2018 Logbook LOVE'S TRAVEL STOPS opened a new location in Yemassee, South Carolina. The facility on Interstate 95, Exit 38, has a Hardee's and 68 parking spaces. MORE THAN 50,000 TRUCKS have been recalled by manufac- turers due to a fuel line defect in trucks equipped with Cummins ISX15 and X15 engines. The issue has prompted Daimler Trucks to recall 4,500 model-year 2017-19 Freightliner 122SD, Freightliner Cascadia, Freightliner Coronado and Western Star 4900 tractors; Paccar to recall nearly 49,000 Kenworth and Peterbilt mod- el-year 2017-19 trucks; Navistar to recall about 26,000 model-year 2017-19 trucks; and Volvo to recall more than 3,000 model-year 2016-19 VNL tractors. The affected Cummins engines were manufac- tured between March 12, 2016, and Aug. 8, 2018. CARRIERS' PER-MILE COSTS rose 9.9 cents in 2017 compared to 2016, with increased spending on driver wages and benefits accounting for more than half of that increase — 5.2 cents. Carriers spent on average 55.7 cents a mile on driver wages in 2017 compared to 2016's 52.2 cents, according to a report from the American Transportation Research Institute. Spending on benefits rose from 15.5 cents to 17.2 cents. THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY helped raise more than $80,000 for Wreaths Across America, which provides remembrance wreaths placed at military veterans' gravestones on National Wreaths Across America Day in December. At a fund-raiser hosted by the Truckload Carriers Association, the biggest donation, $50,000, came from the National Association of Independent Truck- ers and its insurance partner, IAT Insurance Group. ATA takes fight over break laws to FMCSA The American Trucking Associations has turned to the Federal Motor Carri- er Safety Administration in its quest to relieve carriers operating in California from the state's meal and rest break laws. A federal court in 2014 ruled that carriers must comply with California's laws and provide drivers with paid 10-minute rest breaks every four hours on duty and 30-minute meal breaks every five hours. ATA and others have argued that the ruling presents a conflict with the 1994 Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act, which says that any state laws that would alter prices, routes or services of motor carriers are pre-empted by federal regulations. In this case, ATA argues that federal hours of service regulations supersede any state laws that are in conflict or have additional hours requirements. ATA on Oct. 1 asked FMCSA to reassert that the 1994 act trumps Califor- nia's regulations and to exempt all interstate carriers from having to comply with the state's break laws. The 2014 ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which involved driv- ers suing Penske Logistics for not providing the breaks, has caused a surge of lawsuits against carriers that operate in California, particularly small carriers based in the state, said Joe Rajkovacz, director of government affairs for the Western States Trucking Association. WSTA also has been active in trying to exempt carriers from California's laws. ATA and WSTA have pressed for congressional action on the issue in recent years. Amendments to exempt carriers from California's break laws have been attached to transportation bills but were stripped before the bills were passed. – James Jaillet TOUGH IN PINK Mack Trucks unveiled "Pink Lady," a new Anthem model that was showcased at the company's head- quarters in Greensboro, North Carolina, and at dealer, customer and com- munity events in October in support of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Among the truck's unique features is the pink Mack branding across the grille.

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