Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/856429
16 | Overdrive | August 2017 Logbook ONE20 PARTNERED with RoadsideMasters. com, a membership program providing roadside assistance to commercial vehicles across the United States and Canada, to provide free roadside assistance to more than 350,000 drivers who are mem- bers of One20's free membership communi- ties. Services include truck and trailer towing, flat tire changes, tire repair, mobile mechanic service, jump starts and more. EFS LAUNCHED the Fleet One Edge savings network designed to provide smaller truck- ing companies access to its fleet payment services. The network offers over-the-road fleets fuel discounts at over 3,600 truck stop locations, nationwide card acceptance at over 8,000 locations and discounts on equipment, mainte- nance, wireless prod- ucts, lodging and most major tire brands. RUBICON GLOBAL announced the Rubicon- Pro Fuel program and a partnership with Fuel- man to provide indepen- dent truckers and waste haulers with financial benefits and discounts on fuel and equipment that previously were available only to large regional and national fleets. RubiconPro Fuel provides discounts on transactions at over 50,000 network locations. A Senate bill introduced last month would disqualify truck drivers from holding a commercial driver's license permanently if they've been convicted of a human trafficking offense. The legislation is part of a two-bill pack- age sponsored by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and introduced in the Senate's Commerce Committee. Both bills aim to combat hu- man trafficking on U.S. roadways. The No Human Trafficking on Our Roads Act would institute a lifetime CDL ban on those who use "a commercial motor vehicle in committing a felony in- volving an act of practice [in violation of] the Trafficking Victims Protection Act," according to the bill's text. The other bill, the Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act, would bolster efforts to educate truck operators on recognizing, reporting and preventing human trafficking. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association said that while it supports national efforts to combat human trafficking, the bills "unfairly single out truckers," given that other professions and modes of transportation are involved in human trafficking. – James Jaillet Congress eyes banning human trafficking convicts from trucking Facebook founder and billionaire Mark Zuckerberg heard from truckers about electronic logging devices, autonomous trucks and more as he took time during his tour of the United States to visit the Iowa 80 Truckstop in Walcott, Iowa. In a June 23 Facebook post, Zucker- berg said he heard stories about truck- ing's "unique lifestyle" and drivers' concerns about the switch to ELDs. "When the truckers I met started driving, you logged your driving hours on pieces of paper," Zuckerberg wrote. "Now it's electronic and automatic, which makes it harder to drive more hours than you're supposed to. Some people said they want to work longer, but they feel like regulations are getting in the way of their freedom and doing what they want to do. It's tough because those regulations try to keep people on the road safe." Drivers also told him they were skepti- cal that self-driving trucks would replace their jobs because of the sensors needed to deal with issues such as weather, and trucks being unable to handle the last mile to deliveries without drivers. Zuckerberg said from research he has seen, he's "confident we'll solve these problems. But it's interesting that people in the industry don't believe this will happen soon." Zuckerberg said truckers told him their biggest challenges on the road come from cars. In light of this, he told four-wheelers that "next time you're annoyed by a truck on the road, just know that they probably feel the same way about you." – Matt Cole Facebook founder meets truckers at Iowa 80 Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, left, speaks with a truck driver June 23 at the Iowa 80 Truckstop in Walcott, Iowa.