Brian Straight
is an award-winning journalist living out one of his boyhood dreams. Having joined Fleet Owner in May of 2008, Brian is the managing editor of Fleet Owner...more
The U.S. House passed an FAA Reauthorization extension bill yesterday that funds several safety programs for the airline industry, but still does not address the controversial FedEx Express and UPS (NYSE: UPS) “Brown Bailout” provision. The Senate approved the bill this morning.
“FedEx has long supported the important air safety legislation which Congress has now passed. We also support Congress’ effort to pass a broad Reauthorization bill, without extraneous labor provisions, after the summer recess,” said FedEx Corp. director of communications Maury Lane.
The extension gives Congress another 60 days to come to agreement on a broader reauthorization bill. But that doesn’t seem likely anytime soon.
Rep. James L. Oberstar (D-MN), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, has maintained his support for the controversial provision, which would make it easier for FedEx Express workers to unionize.
FedEx has vigorously fought the provision, creating a website, BrownBailout.com, and spending millions of dollars in lobbying and advertising efforts. UPS too, has, been active behind the scenes, as has the Teamsters.
Just my guess here, but I think this fight will continue to drag on until after the New Year. I don’t see Congressman having the fight in them to discuss such a controversial provision during a lame-duck session in September just before mid-term elections.
The hopes that a cap-and-trade bill would pass through Congress have taken a big hit in the past week as Sen. Harry Reid pulled the provision out of the Senate’s energy bill, citing a lack of support for the measure before the Senate’s August recess.
That is good news for trucking, many believe. The thought is that the effects of the measure would drive up fuel prices.
“Cap and trade is off the table at this point, which is good news for truckers,” Mike Joyce, legislative affairs director of the Owner-Independent Operator’s Association (OOIDA) told Land Line magazine. “We were concerned that the proposals we’ve seen drafted in both the House and the Senate would have created a trickle-down effect in the increase of diesel fuel prices.”
The idea behind cap and trade is to limit emissions. I don’t think anybody, me included, is against that. Under cap and trade, companies that emit fewer emissions than the set levels would receive credits that they could in turn sell to companies that exceed the levels. Those companies, by purchasing the credits, would then fall into compliance.
The issue I have with this scenario is the cost. No company is going to absorb the cost to buy the credits. That money is going to be passed along to consumers in the form of higher prices. And as long as credits are available to be purchased, there is little incentive for companies to reduce the pollution. That’s why many in the trucking industry believe the ultimate result of cap and trade would be higher diesel prices while also questioning whether the bill will in fact reduce emissions.
A lot of people would make money on cap and trade, unfortunately, none of them would be consumers.
The Senate bill was expected to follow the House version, the American Clean Energy and Security Act, passed in late 2009. That version drew criticism from many, including Con-way and Schneider National.
According to C. Randal Mullett, vice president-government relations & public affairs for Con-Way, one of the biggest problems with the cap-and-trade program is that it is unfair to the trucking industry, asking trucking to pay a disproportionate percentage of the costs while delivering no benefits or concessions in exchange, such as those being offered to the coal-fired utilities.
“If transportation does not get allowances like the other segments [of the economy], we have no choice but to oppose it,” Mullett told Fleet Owner.
Schneider issued a formal statement last year that claims the money spent on cap and trade would damage the economy.
“We believe that a carbon cap and trade program would further weaken the economy, misallocating resources better allocated by the markets,” the statement said. “The creation of wealth would be inhibited, and it is just such wealth that, in the past, funded and sustained the tremendous improvements in air and water quality our country has achieved over recent decades. We at Schneider remain committed to responsible environmental stewardship and believe that carbon cap and trade legislation is at best extremely inefficient – and is likely counterproductive – in furthering environmental sustainability efforts.”
For now, cap and trade can be put on the backburner as it seems unlikely that a lame-duck Congress will address the issue until after the mid-term elections.
Earlier this week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced the expansion of an internship program designed to encourage women to pursue transportation careers.
The program is well-intended, and as evidenced by the expansion of it, well-received. A pilot program was started at Spelman College in 2009. This expansion will add nine more programs around the country that will provide resources, technical assistance and outreach in all 50 states and U.S. territories.
The programs will be administered through the DOT’s Small Business Transportation Resource Centers.
“Women are an essential part of today’s labor force, yet women are underrepresented in the transportation industry,” said LaHood. “We’re saying to all the college women out there – no matter where you’re enrolled, there’s a DOT Small Business Transportation Resource Center close by to help you plug into your dream job, whether it’s an airport, an engineering or aerospace firm, a railroad, a transit agency or perhaps one of our DOT offices.”
The centers will help place qualified students in internship programs in their region of the country.
“We are excited about expanding a great program that will introduce young women to transportation careers nationwide,” said Office of Small and Disadvantage Business Utilization Director Brandon Neal. “It is our goal to assist as many women as possible and continue to be the training ground for future small business owners.”
This announcement follows LaHood’s signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Women’s Transportation Seminar International, which tries to encourage women to consider careers in transportation. The organization’s website includes a job board where job seekers can search for transportation-related careers – everything from CEO to marketing. There are currently more than 550 jobs listed, both in the private and public sector.
The job board also includes an employer section that allows each employer to search through eligible applicants.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, in speaking with attendees at an American Road and Transportation Builders Association conference late last week in Washington, DC, said the Dept. of Transportation and by extension the Obama administration has no interest in raising fuel taxes to help fund infrastructure improvements in the U.S.
According to the Journal of Commerce, where the comments were reported, LaHood said that while the Highway Trust Fund’s revenues are “insufficient” to meet current needs, “tolling can raise a lot of money.”
He added that other programs, such as creating public-private partnerships and Obama’s plan to create a $4 billion infrastructure fund that DOT could hand out as it sees fit, would supplement tolling and current fuel taxes.
Early last year, LaHood seemed to suggest a vehicle miles tax (VMT) may be an option. “We should look at the vehicular miles program where people are actually clocked on the number of miles that they traveled,” LaHood said.
With the highway reauthorization bill sitting in limbo, all these comments need to be taken seriously since we don’t know what that bill will eventually include. Tolling may seem like a good idea, but that could lead to more traffic congestion at tolling stations, something the administration is also trying to mitigate.
Public-private partnerships also sound good, except we’re not building thousands of new roads these days. As a result, those partnerships result more in “selling” or “leasing” a current road to a private organization that promises to maintain the highway. OK, how is that organization making money on under this idea? Tolls, of course.
What is the answer? I don’t really know. LaHood, though, is probably right in that it needs to be a combination of funding mechanisms. Stay tuned.
A group of Italian scientists launched a test of two driverless vehicles yesterday that actually fits nicely with a recent report from the Volvo Group (NYSE: VOLVY.PK) suggesting driver interaction with trucks may not be as prevalent years from now.
The test by the Italians involves driving two vans equipped with lasers and cameras from Italy to Shanghai, a trip expected to take about three months covering 8,000 or so miles. The vehicles will be powered by electricity generated by solar energy.
“What we are trying to do is stress our systems and see if they can work in a real environment, with real weather, real traffic and crazy people who cross the road in front of you and a vehicle that cuts you off,” project leader Alberto Broggi told the Associated Press.
It’s an ambitious goal, of course, but safety has not been set aside. According to the team, a vehicle with technicians will lead each of the two vans to fix glitches and also to intervene in the case of an emergency.
“We will definitely need some help by humans. It is not possible to have 100% driverless. This is why I call it a test, not a demonstration,” Broggi said.
The technology was developed by Vislab, an artificial intelligence company run by Broggi at the University of Parma. According to the Associated Press, Vislab is working with Caterpillar to develop unmanned vehicles for mining applications.
The project is being funded from a $2.3 million grant from the European Commission’s European Research Council.
The company has set up a website to allow people to track the vehicles’ progress through the test. The site has information as well as live tracking capabilities. Click here to follow the test.
This project may seem futuristic, but the brilliant engineers at Volvo also think it may have practical applications in the future. A few weeks ago, Volvo unveiled its Concept Truck 2020, a futuristic look at technologies, both those available today and possibly in the future, and concepts that may change the look and productivity of trucks.
Among the items the Concept Truck 2020 project addressed is driver interaction. That is addressed in the idea that trucks travel long distances in “trains” where vehicles are linked together electronically.
“This will be possible when the transport sector’s vision of green corridors becomes reality,” says Rikard Orell, design director. “Here heavy goods vehicles are separated from other traffic, driving in their own lanes, like a railway but without rails.”
Advantages to this, the report notes, include road safety, decreased costs, less wear and tear on roads, lower fuel consumption and a drop in CO2 emissions due to reduced drag as trucks are slipstreamed together.
The other advantage, the company says, is the driver may be able to rest behind the wheel as “the truck drives itself. If this is counted as idle time, transport times can be cut, deliveries will be made more quickly and drivers can get back to their families and friends earlier.
“Progress is getting ever faster,” Orell says. “Because of this our vision for the future is not that far away. Much of the technology in the Volvo Concept Truck 2020 is already available; other technology needs to be developed. One needs to dare stride firmly into the debate, demonstrating what one can and will do. Just tinkering at the edges runs the risk of progress slipping away.”
How soon will we see any of this become everyday reality? It will probably be a long time given that scientists had predicted years ago we’d be travelling in flying cars by now – Jetsons style – and that has yet materialize.
The Golden Age of Trucking Museum, a hidden gem chronicling the history of trucking in the U.S., will be shutting its doors on July 20. The reason, like everything these days, is financial.
The museum, tucked away in the small town of Middlebury, CT, has been fighting what has proved to be a losing battle for years now. A source of pride for the family of founders Richard and Frances Guerrera, the museum has been running a deficit since its opening in 2002, according to a story in the Waterbury (CT) Republican-American.
The brainchild of Richard, who owned his own business, R.J. Guerrera, the museum came out of his love for trucks of all types. After his liquid transportation company grew to greater than 120 vehicles with terminals in five states, Richard Guerrera started collecting and restoring antique trucks. His hobby grew and soon he had nearly 20 vehicles stored in garages throughout Connecticut.
In 1998, the idea of buying land and building a museum dedicated to the history of trucks became a reality when the Guerreras broke ground in Middlebury – the Golden Age of Trucking Museum was born.
Unfortunately, Richard Guerrera passed away shortly after the official groundbreaking ceremony in 1999. His widow Frances and family continued to pursue his dream, eventually opening the doors to the museum in 2002. But as with any non-profit organization, donations and visitors are what kept it running, and in the small town of Middlebury, with businesses few and far between, and tourists even fewer, the museum just couldn’t make it.
The staff kicked off a $100,000 fundraising effort last year, but has been able to raise only $20,000 to date. The museum sought federal and state grants and other means to bring in revenue, but have had no luck. Richard Guerrera’s dream, which has been kept alive by Frances and the Guerrera family, now appears to be coming to an end.
The museum included more than 30 vehicles at any given time.
I had occasion to visit the museum last year with my children, ages 6 and 2, and the looks on their eyes were priceless. Barring a last-minute miracle, it’s a shame that other children will not have the chance to learn about the history of trucking as we say goodbye to the Golden Age of Trucking Museum.
You probably don’t know their names, but you know their uniforms. Vince and Larry, two vital cogs in the world of safety testing have been immortalized in the Smithsonian Institution. The announcement was made this week by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
Still don’t know who Vince and Larry are? That’s OK. Most people don’t. But throughout the mid to late 1980s and all the way up to 1998, Vince and Larry appeared on your television screens, telling you how important seat belt use is to saving your life in the event of a crash.
So who are Vince and Larry? They were the dummies. The crash-test dummies we watched over and over again in television commercials. The Vince and Larry costumes were worn by actors posing as the duo, telling us through the use humor about the importance of wearing a seat belt.
“We learned a lot from Vince and Larry about the importance of buckling up,” said LaHood. “They are a part of American culture and became household names while educating the public on seat belt use. Their message still holds true today.”
The costumes, along with other auto safety items, have been donated to appear as part of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington, DC.
Now, visitors to the Smithsonian will know the important role Vince and Larry have played in getting America to buckle up.
In trucking, FMCSA reported that overall safety belt use by commercial drivers climbed to 74% in 2009 from 65% in 2007, with seat belt use at 78% in states with primary safety belt laws versus 67% in states with weaker laws.
Clearly we have come a long way, but there is still more we can learn from Vince and Larry.
Many Americans believe lobbyists play too great a role in politics. We’ve all heard the stories – and felt the impact - of pork placed at the end of lengthy bills just to satisfy some special interest.
The latest example is the powerful Teamsters and other pro-union lobbyists battling with anti-union lobbyists over the FAA Reauthorization bill before Congress. The House version of that bill, which covers the U.S. airline industry, includes a provision that would reclassify FedEx Express drivers, making it easier for them to unionize. FedEx has fought vigorously against the bill while UPS and the Teamsters have supported it.
The Senate version of the bill does not include this language. The fight has gotten so contentious that FedEx Express, along with a number of lawmakers, are accusing UPS and the Teamsters of holding up the important FAA Reauthorization bill, which includes many safety initiatives needed in the airline industry.
Can we just imagine if there were more lobbyists involved? Well, however we may feel – positively or negatively – toward lobbyists here, across the pond the view of at least one politician is different.
Chris Kelly, a Conservative MP in the House of Commons, is calling on the trucking industry in England to more effectively lobby parliament.
In an interview with Commercial Motor excerpted on Roadtransport.com, Kelly, the son of the owner of Keltruck Limited, the largest independent Scania dealer in the UK, says the industry has not done enough to prevent gains made by rail and environmental lobbies.
“I really think that freight and road transport does not punch its weight,” he told Commercial Motor. “The industry must be more effective with its lobbying. It has always been an issue.”
While saying that he will do everything he can support pro-trucking legislation, he called on the industry to step up its efforts.
“I would like to see things like opinion-editorials in major national publications about how vital our industry is to the economy as a whole,” he said. “The anti-vehicle lobby has left us behind. There has been an anti-motoring agenda and when you challenge that you can expect a fight.”
Can anyone imagine Rep. James Oberstar standing up and encouraging more lobbying efforts these days? And we think the political process moves slowly sometimes now. Just think what it would be like if there were more special interests involved.
Each June, Fleet Owner announces its Vehicle Graphics winners. Graphics are playing an increasingly important part for fleets, both from a brand identity standpoint, and from a revenue perspective.
Whether promoting your own brand or a local charity’s, or even using the space on trailers as an additional revenue source, fleets are finding a vehicle without a wrap is just a wasted opportunity.
But that’s not the reason for this post. I received an email the other day from Tim Walker, executive vice president, sales, at Truck-Lite Co. Walker, who says he has lived in England for the past 10 years, read our article and was inquiring about whether I was aware of any similar publications in Europe that recognized great vehicle graphics.
Well, I made one suggestion, but if anyone else knows of a publication, send me the information and I’ll pass it along. Walker also sent along a few photos of his company’s vehicles that transport the Truck-Lite products across England. Since the trucks were not eligible for this year’s contest, I thought I’d post the pictures here.
Had they been eligible, would the trucks have made the cut? Hard to say. But, it’s clear that the use of graphics is not just an American way of doing business, it’s gone global.
You can read more about this year’s winners here. And if you’re interested in seeing all the trucks featured in our June issue, there is a photo gallery posted here.
While truck driving has never quite worked out for Brian, commenting on the many facets of the trucking industry is the next best thing. Trucking Straight Talk is designed to engage readers with fresh insight and thoughts on topics important to all the players in the trucking industry.
