Business Tips
U.S. moves closer to tougher driver training standards
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Entry-level truck drivers in the U.S. will face newly mandated training requirements as of Feb. 7, 2020. But the new training standards set out by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will not define the minimum number of in-class or in-cab training hours, as previously advocated for...
Get real — and retain your drivers
KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Basic marketing sense says you should sell your positives, but when it comes to selling your fleet to potential drivers, overselling may be causing higher turnover. Industry experts talking driver retention and feedback at the 2018 Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) convention say broken promises lead to higher driver turnover, with a large number of drivers walking out the door before they’ve been employed a full six months.
UPS executive challenges fleets to ‘define excellence’
ATLANTA, Ga. -- Carlton Rose, president, global fleet maintenance and engineering at UPS, is challenging the trucking industry to define the excellence needed to realize cleaner cities, safer vehicles, and underlying technical knowledge. “If you’re the one who defines excellence, then you’re the one who shapes expertise to achieve it,” Rose said.
Expect more Run on Less from NACFE
The North American Council for Freight Efficiency has unveiled a new look and redesigned website (www.nacfe.org) as it widens its focus beyond the fuel-saving equipment and components on the road today. The organization’s original goal was to promote the doubling of freight-moving efficiency. And the recent Run on Less event proved that target is “pretty practical”, said executive director Mike Roeth, during a briefing at the Technology and Maintenance Council’s annual meeting. Seven trucks participating in Run on Less proved an average of 10.1 mpg (23.3 L/100 km) is possible with existing technologies, and under real-world operating conditions. This compares to a national average of 6.4 mpg (36.75 L/100 km), and U.S. Department of Energy super trucks achieving 11-13 mpg (21.38-18.09 L/100km).
Border can represent a technical divide
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Marc Greco, manager of corporate solutions with Challenger Motor Freight, was direct when he summed up a comparison of Canadian and U.S. trucking operations. “We do things slightly differently,” he told a crowd at Omnitracs’ Outlook user conference in Nashville, Tenn.
Cyberattacks are a real threat to trucking: panel
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It can begin with someone surfing porn on a fleet tablet, clicking on the link in an email from someone who appears to be a trusted customer, or even using a poorly designed ELD. But no matter how a breach in fleet systems is created, the cybersecurity threats in trucking are all too real.
