The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) is reaching out to industry stakeholders to gauge what they believe are trucking’s top concerns. The 2010 Top Industry Issues Survey asks participants to rank the industry’s top issues and provide strategies for addressing them. The American Trucking Associations (ATA) commissions the study annually and the results will be presented at Continue Reading

For nearly three years since the state of Rhode Island has imposed weight restrictions on the Pawtucket Bridge, drivers continue to cross the overpass, which garners an $85 ticket for ignoring the sign and a $3,000 fine for the company that owns the trucks. With the bridge expected to be complete by 2013, these problems won’t go away any time soon, even despite carriers’ best efforts to make their drivers aware Continue Reading

Effective September 1, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will eliminate the use of registrant-only Department of Transportation (DOT) numbers to boost the accuracy of its safety records. Non-motor carrier vehicle owners who have leased their equipment to motor carriers have posed challenges when the driver of the vehicle has been charged with a safety violation. Often, the negative mark goes Continue Reading

Navistar’s eStar all-electric truck is rolling off the production line to what the company calls “significant interest” in the marketplace. President Barack Obama made a multi-million dollar pledge a year ago to put more “green” vehicles on the road. Already, eStar trucks have been delivered to and Pacific Gas & Electric Company. Navistar plans to deliver more support by expanding its dealer locations into Continue Reading

If the economy is in fact improving, then the trucking industry seems slow to realize it. Freight volumes are slowing, banks are hesitant to lend and carriers aren’t replacing equipment. Despite the dip in orders and a sluggishly improving economy, analysts say the general upward trend will continue. For now, business seems Continue Reading

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is debating whether to require stability control systems for highway trucks in light of research that shows its addition could prevent nearly 3,500 rollover-related accidents and save more than 100 lives annually. Research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the University of Michigan indicates that rollovers reportedly occur in Continue Reading

A new tool recently launched by Alcoa Wheels is aimed at helping fleets boos their bottom lines by making smart choices when purchasing wheels. Alcoa’s Version 2.0 of its CalcuLighter calculates fuel, payload, scrap value and wheel maintenance information with N.A.D.A. Official Commercial Truck Guide trade-in Continue Reading

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) model won’t be enforced until later this year, but already some groups are raising concerns about its methodology. To address these, the FMSCA has made some updates, which include updating the severity weights for some roadside inspection violations and using a more strategic approach to address Continue Reading

A new bill introduced in the Senate would allow states to up the maximum weight for trucks traveling on their interstates beyond the current federal limit of 80,000 pounds. The Safe Efficient Transportation Act is identical to a bill introduced in the House of Representatives last year which would require a sixth axle to help support the additional weight. The American Trucking Associations (ATA), one of the Continue Reading