Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1009508
Voices 12 | Overdrive | August 2018 'Malfunction junction': Where ELDs meet hours enforcement | Owner-operator Jon Hose had an out-of-service experience as a result of an ELD malfunction that makes up part of this issue's cover story. He says that incident wasn't the fi rst time he'd noticed ongoing issues with the now-defunct One20 F-ELD device. To this day, he can't explain the erroneous automatic duty-status changes and other problems. While his story is one of technical diffi culty, it also reveals insights into how inspectors and state-patrol personnel are handling en-route malfunctions and how you can be prepared for one. LISTEN ON OVERDRIVE RADIO Visit OverdriveOnline.com/overdriveradio to hear the podcasts featured here and more from our weekly series. Alternately, subscribe to the podcast via iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Music or other podcasting app. A new way to do reefer washouts | Small produce broker Pam Young had an innovative response to the Food Safety Modernization Act's new FDA rules for sanitary transportation of fresh food. She conceived of and built an automated reefer wash- out machine that incorporates a variety of sanitary techs, including the use of UV light. Open for busi- ness in King City, California, and newly marketing to fl eets and others in her orbit, Healthy Trailer is just one focus of two podcasts with Young. The other: her brokerage business' old-school ways. That includes a focus on close freight partnerships with a core base of small fl eets and owner-ops in today's high-tech transactional environment. A poll about new tariff s on imported steel and aluminum showed no clear majority about how the levies will aff ect trucking. They were imposed not only on products coming from de- veloping economies but also on those from trading partners in the Europe- an Union, Canada and elsewhere. Most such readers didn't know enough to be certain of the eff ects, but 15 percent of respondents were more certain with their shrug. Among them was a reader commenting as "BW9" under the poll at OverdriveO- nline.com, who noted "there won't be any signifi cant impact." The largest share of respondents (39 percent cumulatively) saw a potential negative impact, particularly for those in niches aff ected by the tariff s, such as steel and aluminum. The uptick in freight volumes has been "fun while it lasted," noted "Mr- BigR504" under the poll, adding, "I swear, this guy at 1600 Pennsylvania!" The Trump administration hopes the tariff s will provide a long-term boost to U.S. businesses that man- ufacture such goods domestically. Positive impacts also could result if it leads to more manufacturing here for consumption domestically or export, about a quarter of readers noted. In the views of plenty U.S. truckers, though, the status quo of robust trade without added tariff s stands the best chance of creating a sustained solid freight environment. Since announce- ment of the tariff s, trade tensions have escalated as U.S.-made goods are hit with retaliatory import tariff s. One anonymous commenter sees the trade tension escalation as a "gift to industry and big business. ... The goal is to artifi cially boost worldwide infl ation rates. The tariff s will go away, but higher prices will not go away." WILL NEWLY IMPOSED U.S. IMPORT TARIFFS AFFECT FREIGHT VOLUMES FOR U.S. TRUCKERS? OverdriveOnline.com poll Negative effects [CUMULATIVE] 39% Industry-wide 23% Limited to freight segments 16% Positive effects [CUMULATIVE] 24% Industry-wide 13% Limited to freight segments 11% Not sure 22% No significant effect 15% HoT BUTToNs Readers mixed on freight impact of new tariffs TRADE TRADE