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The Roemer Report, November 1999
PREVIEW OF NEW HOURS-OF-SERVICE RULES:
It's a good thing the federal government isn't in the trucking business, because
it could never meet the deadlines. Congress initially set the deadline for
an update to the hours-of-service regulations for March 1, 1999. Now it's
saying it wants to issue a proposal this fall, but as of this printing, no
proposals are forthcoming. Still, information on the impending proposal has
been leaked to one trucking magazine. Sources tell Commercial Carrier Journal
to expect these general provisions in the new hours-of-service rules: (1)
Drivers would be required to have 10 consecutive hours off every 24 hours.
(2) During their 14 hours on duty, drivers would be given a total of two hours
off for breaks. These two hours could be broken into shorter periods of 30
minutes or longer. (3) For every seven-day period, drivers must take a 32-hour
break before starting the next seven-day period. The break would be required
to include two consecutive rest periods taken between midnight and 6 a.m.
(4) Long-haul drivers away from home for at least three nights would work
on a two-week period. They would be given 112 hours off every two weeks in
addition to the 10-hour rest period each day. The goal is to give drivers
two periods offone for 32 hours and another for 80 hours. This provision is
in response to drivers who say they need several days off after a long haul
to catch up on their sleep and personal matters. (5) To satisfy the required
10 hours off, split-sleep periods would still be permitted only in sleeper
berths. But instead of sleep periods as short as two hours in sleeper berths
(as current regulations allow), new regulations would require drivers to split
the period into a minimum of two five-hour sleep periods. Meanwhile, Transportation
Secretary Rodney Slater says he wants a final hours-of-service rule by November
2000. Meeting that goal is unlikely, however, since delays have plagued the
proposal from the start.
HEAVIER TRUCKS, GREATER PRODUCTIVITY: Though no major changes have
been made to the federal truck size and weight law since 1982, one study finds
there have been a number of truck size and weight factors that have bolstered
productivity during the last 20 years. Trailers went from 40 feet long, for
example, to 48 or 53 feet to gain 32 percent in capacity. And today's trucks
run loaded about 95 percent of the time, compared to about 55 percent of the
time a decade ago. While those gains are impressive, according to Robert V.
Delaney, vice president of Cass Information Systems, they're not enough. He
believes the industry could see an additional 21 percent improvement in productivity
if trucks had a sixth axle. "It is in everyone's interest to improve
trucking productivity," notes Delaney. "We in the U.S. should obtain
cost reductions that are available now by safely operating longer, heavier
highway vehicles." Because it is highly unlikely that legislation allowing
longer combination vehicles would pass, one shipper/carrier coalition, Americans
for Safe and Efficient Transportation (ASET), is focusing on allowing heavier
weights. Proposed legislation HR 1667 would allow states to adopt gross vehicle
weights of 97,000 pounds loaded on six axles in trailers at least 48 feet.
Current federal regulations limit size and weight, but HR 1667 would transfer
the authority to the states. The National Industrial Transportation League
(NITL) maintains that increasing size and weight takes more trucks off the
highway. The Transportation Research Board (TRB) is slated to study the effect
of size and weight changes on the economy, environment, safety, and service
to communities. Based on its findings, TRB will propose recommendations to
Congress.
NEW JERSEY PROPOSES BANNING TRUCKS FROM SOME HIGHWAYS:
New Jersey Governor Christie Whitman has issued an emergency executive order
that would ban interstate truck traffic from "non-National Network"
roads in New Jersey. That means double-trailer truck combinations and 102-inch-wide
standard trucks would not be permitted on Interstates and parts or all of
the following: NJ42, NJ81, US130, US322, NJ440, the Atlantic City Expressway,
and the New Jersey Turnpike. Trucks that originate in New Jersey or that deliver
in the state would be exempt from the ban. The Owner-Operators Independent
Drivers Association (OOIDA) says the state's proposed ban on trucks would
hurt owner-operators and could even threaten safety. In OOIDA's official comments
filed with the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the association claims,
"Restricting the movement of commercial motor vehicles to certain roads
creates an undue burden on interstate commerce and creates economic discrimination
against goods and services other than those that are from or are received
in New Jersey." While the state's goal is to stop commercial motor vehicles
(CMVs) from using certain routes as "short cuts" through the state,
these so-called short cuts, according to OOIDA, are sometimes the safest and
most efficient routes through New Jersey. OOIDA points out that truckers who
drive the shortest distance from their point of origin to their destination
(1) drive fewer miles, thus reducing wear and tear on New Jersey roads, (2)
expose less automobile traffic to CMV traffic, (3) burn less fuel, saving
money and reducing pollution, and (4) spend less time on New Jersey roads,
reducing congestion.
CLEAN-BURNING SYNTHETIC DIESEL AROUND THE CORNER?
You may not have heard of Syntroleum yet, but the alternative liquid fuel
may have a big future in store. In fact, the diesel-run Dodge Power Wagon
concept truck uses Syntroleum, and DaimlerChrysler and Syntroleum are investigating
future clean-fuel possibilities. An especially clean alternative fuel, Syntroleum
is a synthetic diesel fuel refined from natural gas. One advantage over its
cousin, CNG (compressed natural gas), is that Syntroleum doesn't require such
large storage tanks (CNG has less energy density than liquid fuel so it requires
more storage space). Also, since there is no infrastructure in place for CNG,
its use is limited to vehicles that can return to a central fueling station.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of Syntroleum is that it can be stored and dispensed
from existing diesel fuel tanks. The vice president of marketing at Syntroleum
Corp. says, "In its refined state, our fuel contains no sulfur, no aromatics,
and no metals. Syntroleum burns extremely clean." In fact, the Dodge
Power Wagon meets the Environmental Protection Agency's tough diesel emissions
standards for the year 2002. Syntroleum Corp. also expects the fuel to be
competitively priced within five or six years, especially when produced in
volumes. The company also notes that the fuel can be mixed with diesel #2
for a cleaner-burning engine, which needs no modifications. One industry magazine
notes that "the end result of widespread Syntroleum use would probably
be much cleaner diesel vehicles and a reduction of the smoke plumes that say
'filthy' to consumers."
INCREASED TRAFFIC INEVITABLE: The robust economy
means more trucks and cars are pouring onto the already-crowded U.S. highways.
At a recent conference of the National Association of Women Highway Safety
Leaders, Texas Motor Transportation Association President Bill Webb said the
situation is grim. "I think we've got serious problems," he told
participants. "Honestly, it's not going to get better." The problem
is nationwide, but Texas, which logs the most highway miles traveled, faces
some of the worst risks. Texas leads the states in truck-involved highway
fatalities, with 450 deaths in 1996 and 454 in 1997. Although there is a steady
increase in cars and trucks on U.S. roads, pavement mileage remains stable,
leading to more vehicles vying for increasingly crowded road space. To complicate
matters, the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has
meant that southern border states must deal with Mexican trucks, which are
sometimes overloaded and poorly maintained. More than 2 million trucks drove
through Texas's border crossings last yeartwice as many before NAFTA took
effect. Webb says no easy answers exist. For example, proposals to limit trucks
on the road at night have been criticized, since that would lead to more trucks
on highways during the day.
CAMPAIGN TO BOOST TRUCKING'S IMAGE: "The
North American trucking industry today moves more goods to more people in
more places than ever before in its history," declares Mark C. Pigott,
chairman and CEO of PACCAR, a leading truck manufacturer. "We are proud
that the industry's safety record continues to improve even as freight volumes
increase." While the industry's progress in highway safety has been tremendous,
few people are aware of the improvements the industry has made over the years,
according to a study. The study also found that consumers are unaware of the
important role trucking plays in their lives. To get the story out, PACCAR
is promoting a campaign lead by the American Trucking Associations (ATA) intended
to increase awareness of the positive impact trucking has on the economy and
in peoples' everyday lives. The campaign began last month with advertisements
in various publications. The need for the campaign was evident, according
to the ATA, when it found that people were not aware of the strides made in
truck safety and that people generally had a less than positive image of the
industry. Pigott says, "That's why we as an industry need to step forward
now and inform the public about the positive impact that trucking has on their
lives, and the extent to which it has contributed to the dynamic economic
growth in the country."
I've never learned anything while I was talking.
- Larry King, Television talk show host