Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/378850
7 News Anti-coercion rule com- ments: Carriers want pro- tection, drivers unhappy with burden of proof … Remaining lawsuits in Pi- lot fuel rebate scam sent to mediation … California cleared to require aero devices on trucks, trailers … DPF sales jump 65% in California in response to state's emissions regs … California Supreme Court rules drivers are employ- ees, not contractors … Hours rule defense, truck- ing's safety investment highlight Senate hearing … Judge dismisses ATA's lawsuit against NY's use of toll money … Senate bill would allow weight exemption for NG users 8 InBrief SEPTEMBER 2014 | VOL 171 | NO. 9 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER 2014 1 FEATURES 49 JOURNAL LEADING NEWS, TRUCKING MARKET CONDITIONS AND INDUSTRY ANALYSIS Mark White's Old Time Express of Hartsville, Tenn., got stuck in what one transportation attorney calls the "safety jail" effect of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administra- tion's Compliance Safety Account- ability program. After receiving a Conditional rating, more bad ratings and violations compound- ed, and business vanished – until White determined how to claw his way out. Cover design by David Watson 59 Buy, sell or hold? Pulling the trigger on buying and selling expensive assets such as trucks, tractors and trailers relies on many factors out of a fleet's control. Fuel prices, the economy, freight demand, driver availability, competition, customer preferences, maintenance costs, downtime, used truck prices and acquisition costs are some of the many factors that come into play when considering vehicle life and liquidation and acquisition procedures. 45 Innovators: Roehl Transport The Marshfield, Wis.-based fleet develops its Your Choice Pay Plan to drive out waste from its operations and improve driver productivity and customer satisfaction. TRAPPED IN A CSA NIGHTMARE 67 Going intermodal While intermodal may seem like a golden opportunity, the business is complex with high barriers to entry. Managing containers and trailer chassis and specialized over-the-road trailers can be complex, with multiple parties involved in the custody chain. Satellite tracking and mobile communications systems have been slow to gain traction in intermodal, but that is starting to change.