Overdrive

Logbook January 2018 | Overdrive | 17 The Iowa Department of Transpor- tation is launching a truck parking information management system along the Interstate 80 corridor. The project is part of an eight-state initiative that will provide truckers will real-time in-cab information on parking availability at public rest areas and private truck stops along the interstate. The system will use in-pavement and entrance/exit ramp sensors, and parking information will be available through Iowa's 511 Traveler Infor- mation System and a data feed that can be used in existing and future in- cab routing systems, Iowa DOT said. "Having this system in place will help truck drivers better manage their hours of service and provide a safer, more efficient travel experience for motorists along I-80," said Phil Mescher, an Iowa DOT transporta- tion planner. Iowa DOT said its portion of the system is expected to be fully oper- ational by Jan. 4, 2019. Other states participating in the initiative are In- diana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. Each state is responsible for imple- menting its own system. – Matt Cole Iowa implementing parking info system The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last month released a proposal to slightly alter the guidance issued to carriers and drivers involving the use of a truck as a personal vehicle for travel to home or to restaurants and motels along a delivery route. The guidance, though related to hours of service regulations in general and not specifically the use of electronic logging devices, stems from questions surrounding personal conveyance usage that have arisen as the ELD mandate put more focus on the special driving category. FMCSA published a notice in the Federal Register to announce the pro- posed changes and field comments for 30 days from industry stakeholders. The key change to the personal conveyance guidance is the removal of the requirement that trucks be unladen to be used for personal conveyance. The agency said the change is meant mostly to allow straight truck drivers the opportunity to use their truck, even if it is laden with work- or load-related materials or tools, for personal use. The agency appears to envision drivers of tractor-trailer combination vehicles dropping their trailer before us- ing the truck as a personal conveyance vehicle. The proposed update to the guidance does nothing to change that interpretation, only removing the re- quirement that the vehicle be unladen. As proposed, the guidance would allow drivers to use their truck for personal conveyance when off duty in "time spent traveling from a driver's en route lodging," such as a motel or truck stop, "to restaurants and entertainment facilities and back to the lodging," according to the agency's notice. Also included is "commuting from the last location where on-duty activity occurred to the driver's permanent residence and back to the last on-duty location," as well as driving from trailer drop lots to a driver's residence and between work sites and residences. When ELDs are placed into personal conveyance mode, their location func- tionality changes, tracking the truck within a 10-mile radius via GPS rather than only the one-mile radius required for on-duty recording. – James Jaillet ELD personal conveyance guidelines proposed PETERBILT announced that Bendix's ADB22X rear air disc brakes now are available on its Model 579 tractor. The Bendix front air disc brakes were stan- dard on the Model 579 when it was introduced in 2012. MERITOR LAUNCHED the first products under its new Mach value brand that includes about 2,000 part numbers for the com- pany's driveline, drive axle and transmission offerings, including U-joints, gears, shafts, bearings and other commercial vehicle parts. AARON HYNES of Kuna, Idaho, pleaded guilty to filing false applications with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administra- tion to obtain U.S. Department of Transportation registration num- bers. Hynes recruited computer programmers to create a program to automatically fill out at least 10,000 online applications using fraudulent names and data to obtain the numbers and sell them to carriers. Iowa DOT's truck parking information manage- ment system will update truckers on available parking along I-80.

• Cover
• ELD enforcement gets slow, rocky start.
• Pulse: Chasing greener pastures.
• Closing the case of the ELD-loving “bot.”
• What if everyone’s lives mirrored trucking?
• A TRIBUTE TO RJ | RJ Taylor, who passed last month at age 75, and his 1950s Kenworth were fixtures at trucking shows.
• Further delay of livestockers’ ELD compliance sought.
• Short-term rental trucks land ELD exemption.
• Business: All systems go for trucking in ’18 Bullish forecasts for the trucking market during much of 2017 continued through yearend. That strength is expected to continue into 2018, with projected higher rates and tighter capacity.
• COVER STORY: The coming of blockchain Carriers, manufacturers and other trucking players are flocking to an emerging “distributed ledger” approach to online business. Here’s how it could affect owner-operators.
• Caught in the middle When you’re ill far from home, finding a local doc often isn’t practical, and getting sicker doesn’t cut it. Now there are better remedies for remote care.
• Diversions New “Black Out” model sales help support vets; supporting “Cargo” is what truckers do best; truckers compete for Super Bowl tickets, other perks.
• ’Money-making motor home’ Though costly, custom sleepers make a relentless OTR lifestyle much more tolerable.
• ’78 KW becomes patriotic hot rod.
• Next-gen owner-op’s ’84 Pete.
• Keeping ’09 W900 in the family.
• Reader Rigs: ’85 K100 a hardworking COE; whiteout ’98 W900; wax on, wax off for ’14 T800.
• EQUIPMENT SPOTLIGHT Drive tires.
• Gear Guide Tires, straps, lights, more.
• FLEET NEWS CFI paying extra for experience.
• BETTER HEALTH Don’t dismiss weak circulation.
• Female trucker says ELDs aren’t answer to safety.
• Army veteran trucker wins new Kenworth T680.