Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/625735
6 commercial carrier journal | january 2016 From ELDs to AVs: The top news stories of 2015 By Jeff Crissey 2 015 was a down year for trucking, at least compared to the banner year in 2014. But there was no shortage of breaking news to cover, and the editors of Commercial Carrier Journal are always on top of the latest happenings in the industry. Here's a roundup of the top news stories of the year based on the number of page views each topic received at CCJDigital.com: 10. Walmart settles suit with Tracy Morgan: The retail giant settled a civil suit brought by actor and comedian Tracy Morgan stemming from a fatal wreck in 2014 that left one passenger dead and several others injured, including Morgan. The settlement (terms were not disclosed) brought an end to one of the most highly publicized truck accidents in history. 9. Speed limiter rule: As of this writing, the Federal Mo- tor Carrier Safety Administration hasn't published a rule to mandate the use of speed limiters, but the agency said it could come by yearend. The proposed rule, which has been sitting in the White House Office of Management and Budget since last May, could require speed governors and set a governed speed limit for all trucks weighing more than 27,000 pounds. 8. XPO buys Con-way for $3B: In September, XPO Logis- tics (CCJ Top 250, No. 12) announced the $3-billion acqui- sition of Con-way (CCJ Top 250 No. 6), and the deal was final- ized in October. The deal makes XPO, which has purchased a number of large fleet operations in the last two years, the second-largest less-than-truckload carrier in the industry. 7. Inspection blitzes garner attention: The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance held two safety blitzes in 2015. Road- check, which took place in early June and included almost 70,000 inspections in a 72-hour window, netted out-of-service violations for 1,623 drivers and 9,732 vehicles. CVSA's Brake Safety Week in mid-September emphasized brake compo- nents and resulted in 2,231 of the 18,817 commercial vehicles inspected being placed out-of-service. 6. Highway bill: On Dec. 4, President Obama enacted the FAST Act of 2015, a five-year highway funding bill that in- cluded some major wins for the trucking industry. The legislation pulled Compli- ance Safety Accountability scores from public view, created driver drug testing reform and requires FMCSA to conduct studies on detention time's effect on freight efficiency as well as carrier liability insurance minimums. Size-and- weight reform and under-21-year-old interstate truck drivers missed the cut in the final bill package. 5. Driver coercion final rule: As a precursor to the elec- tronic logging device final rule, FMCSA published a driver coercion final rule in late November that sets fines up to $16,000 for any carrier, broker, shipper or receiver who attempts to force a driver to operate a commercial vehicle in violation of hours-of-service rules (see p. 10 for more details). The rule takes effect Jan. 29. 4. Owner-operator wins $2.6M injury suit vs. Swift: A jury in a Houston-based federal court found in favor of Herbert Willoughby, an owner-operator leased to Swift (CCJ Top 250, No. 3), saying negligent maintenance practices by the mega-carrier caused a trailer to run over his foot. The jury ordered Swift to pay $2.6 million to Willoughby for mental anguish, physical impairment, lost wages and medical expenses. 3. Freightliner introduces road-legal autonomous truck: During a press event in Las Vegas in May that gar- nered international media attention, Freightliner Trucks introduced the Inspiration, an autonomous vehicle with legal operating authority on Nevada highways. The an- nouncement spurred enormous discussion about the im- plications of AVs and the future of the trucking industry. 2. C.R. England gets learner's permit exemption from FMCSA: FMCSA granted C.R. England (CCJ Top 250, No. 17) a two-year exemption from a federal rule that requires commercial learner's permit holders to always be accom- panied by a CDL holder in the front seat of a vehicle. The refrigerated carrier applied for the exemption in Decem- ber 2014, citing it as a way to mitigate the driver shortage. 1. ELD final rule published: Far and away the biggest news story of 2015, the long-anticipated and often-delayed final rule mandating the use of ELDs for heavy trucks fi- nally was published in the Federal Register on Dec. 16 (see page 40 for more details). As we put a wrap on 2015, 2016 is set to be another busy year. I expect we'll see several rules continue to dominate the news cycle this year, including the safety fitness deter- mination language from FMCSA, a CDL drug and alcohol clearinghouse, as well as legal challenges to the ELD final rule. We'll also closely follow the outcome of the presiden- tial election and its impact on trucking. upfront JEFF CRISSEY is Editor of Commercial Carrier Journal. E-mail jcrissey@ccjmagazine.com.