Nearly eight months into the enforcement of the new Compliance Safety Accountability safety measurement tool, the American Transportation Research Institute is allowing carriers to let them know how it’s working. ATRI’s survey seeks input on how the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s program is impacting their operations, as well as their feelings about it. A previous ATRI study about the impact of Continue Reading

A prominent road safety researcher who once headed the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s research division is calling into question the methodology and thus conclusions drawn from several studies used as the basis for proposals to revise the current hours-of-service rules. Dr. Ronald R. Knipling says the handful of studies the FMCSA allowed comment on during the extended discussion period were flawed either in their sampling or the stretch in comparing two very different subjects. At best, these findings would need more research or attempts at replication to make them Continue Reading

A new report from FreightWatch International is now available to help manufacturing and logistics industries make more educated decisions about cargo security. Covering five years of theft data and analysis, the report examines theft trends over a longer period of time, which shows fluctuations specific industries have experienced in both rates of theft and average loss values. The Five Year Review special report includes theft rates over a variety of denominators such as month, state and product type; most common locations for thefts; areas with the highest risk and more. For a copy Continue Reading

According to a research conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), new safety technologies, such as lane-departure warning and roll-stability control are gaining favor in the industry. Tested by Con-way Freight drivers over a 10-month period, the study found that at the conclusion, the majority drivers preferred being equipped with these technologies than without. The research also found that drivers responded more quickly to avoid potential crashes when the safety systems were on. So impressed was Con-way with the results, that the company Continue Reading

Though new trailer orders took a dip from June to July this year, industry analysts remain positive about the overall direction of the market. According to data from ACT Research, Co., last month’s numbers showed a 74 percent improvement over the same time last year. And the largest segment of commercial trailers, dry vans, saw something of a comeback with a 134 percent jump from July 2009. As far as the 9 percent decline in new orders from June to July, researchers say bear in mind the continued effects of a very weak 2009. Despite these tentative numbers, ACT Research showed the demand Continue Reading

Recent spikes in new truck sales may not be a sign of prosperity to come any time soon, according to various research firms, like Standard and Poor’s and FTR Associates and industry analysts. Now, FTR Associates is saying, that the jump may be the optimistic part of the rebound-then-fizzle-out sales cycle experienced in the 1982 recession. If that’s the case, truck sales have a hard road ahead to approach recent peak levels in the U.S. in Continue Reading