Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/93143
LOGBOOK Trucking suffers major losses to Sandy In the days before and after Superstorm Sandy, nearly $140 million per day – nearly 20 percent of daily national trucking revenue – was being lost in aggregate by the industry due to downtime, according to trucking consultant FTR Associates. However, FTR also said that money would be recouped as demand ramped up for resupplying retail stores and as rebuilding efforts in nine New England-area states created long-term freight demand. the storm meant blocked roadways and revenue losses due to freight movement coming to a standstill. Many trucking companies also closed their doors as they braced for severe When this issue went to press, carriers and owner-operators were moving water, generators and other emergency supplies to the affected areas. Companies like Arnold Transportation were ready days before the storm hit to send relief trucks from Louisiana SHORT HAULS DIESEL ENGINES produce more smog than their gasoline counterparts, said a University of Cal-Berkeley study, which concluded that diesel produces nearly 15 times the amount of vehicular-delivered secondary organic aerosol – a main ingredient of smog. Diesel Truckers began aiding storm victims as soon as the severe weather passed. This trailer of water was provided for Hudson County residents in Hoboken, N.J. to the Northeast. Crete Carrier Corp. said it had "started working with customers such as Lowe's and Walmart even before the storm to stage equipment and supplies in the right places." U.S. Xpress had 200 loads ready to roll with water and generators. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration suspended hours-of- service regulations for more than two weeks for drivers carrying emergency engines also are responsible for 65 to 90 percent of a region's smog, the study said. A FAST-FILL compressed natural gas fueling station will be built near Savannah, Ga., on I-95 at the intersection with State Highway 21. The project is expected to be completed in the second half of 2013. and relief supplies to states hit by the storm, and the U.S. Department of Transportation gave tens of millions of dollars to states per their request to repair roads and bridges requiring immediate attention. According to reports at press time, the storm's death toll had reached 110 in the United States. Also, 71 were killed in the Caribbean and two in Canada. – Staff Reports PETERBILT ANNOUNCED its trucks will be available with the next-generation Paccar engine line starting in 2013, the truck maker said in October. The Paccar MX-13, PX-9 and PX-7 engines are designed for better fuel economy and lower cost of ownership, Peterbilt said, and will be available in all medium- and heavy-duty models. A BRAKE INSPECTION blitz in September put 3,248 trucks out of service. As part of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's Brake Safety Week, 21,255 trucks were inspected, and 15.3 percent were placed out of service. In 2011, 14.2 percent of the inspected vehicles were placed out of service, and 13.5 percent were issued out-of- service notices in 2010. 12 | Overdrive | December 2012 Liz Roll/FEMA