Bulk Freight News & Industry Updates - Stay Ahead in Trucking

BY PETE BROOK Within the trucking community, the phrase “seeing the black dog” is used to describe hallucinations that occur as a result of sleep deprivation. “When truckers see black dogs scampering across the highway they know to pull over and get some sleep,” says photographer Michael Massaia, who made the hunt for the black dog a personal photographic project, spending many a night at New Jersey Turnpike truck stops. When an 18-wheeler’s engine fell silent and the trucker climbed in

By David Tanner, Land Line associate editor Forty-five members of Congress addressed a letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx this week to express concerns about how potential increases to truck size and weight could affect local roads, bridges and intersections all across America. The U.S. Department of Transportation is currently studying truck size and weight as required in the current highway bill, Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century. Congress commissioned the stu

By Geoff Turner, http://www.ttnews.com/ Chairman, Transportation Intermediaries Association President and CEO, Choptank Transport Inc. I am concerned with a particular statement in a letter to the editor titled “Illegal Brokering” written by David Dwinell in the July 29 edition of Transport Topics. Mr. Dwinell makes an inaccurate statement in his article when he states in his bolded section titled, “To all our brokering and brokering agent clients,” that “starting Oct. 1, it is illegal to

By Gene Lucht Iowa Farmer Today | 0 comments OGDEN — Ben Hollingshead opens the door to an empty grain bin. “It’s tough to cope with market flexibility unless you have some of your own storage,” the 28-year-old says. “You can do it. Every operation is different. But, it’s tough.” Of course, this 48-foot, 50,000-bushel bin is a bit different from the bins his father and grandfather put up a few decades ago on their Central Iowa farm. Today, farmers are erecting larger grain bins, equipping t

Federal regulators are proposing $45,500 in fines for what they say were two safety violations at a grain elevator in the southeast Nebraska town of Wilber. The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration said in a news release Tuesday that it's seeking to fine the Farmers Cooperative elevator in Wilber. Farmers Cooperative is based in Dorchester and has facilities in 40 Nebraska and Kansas communities. OSHA says the violations included allowing grain bin dust

By Jeff Lehr [email protected] A Vernon County man pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to participating in a scam, involving phantom loads of corn supposedly delivered to a feed mill at Butterfield in Barry County, that defrauded Cargill Inc. of $2 million over a 10-year period. Bob True Beisly III, 39, of Nevada, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Springfield to single counts of wire fraud and mail fraud. Court documents state that i

By Todd Dills http://www.overdriveonline.com/ Owner-operators responded in a big way to Wendy Parker’s telling of her first experience of a lumper fee on the long road with her owner-operator husband, George. Of particular note was Riley, Kan.-based Gordon Alkire’s account of an early-mid-1990s experience at a dock (find it under Parker’s post here — Alkire posts as “Mousekiller”), as well as the accounts that follow. Some receivers, particularly in grocery distribution, commonly outsource

By Justin Bachman It’s the kind of transaction that can raise an eyebrow or two: a large company buying a business owned by its chief executive. Swift Transportation (SWFT), one of the largest U.S. trucking companies, made just such a move by acquiring a refrigerated-trucking business owned by Swift Chief Executive Jerry C. Moyes for $189 million in cash and $36 million in assumed debt. Moyes—who founded Swift in Phoenix 47 years ago with a single truck—is also the company’s largest shareh

By AL KNAUBER Independent Record A Lewis and Clark County commissioner is asking Montana’s congressional delegation to wait for a federal study before voting on allowing longer trucks with heavier loads. The request to Commissioner Susan Good Geise came from Whitney Kontaxakis, with the Coalition Against Bigger Trucks LLC, based in Alexandria, Va., who prepared the letter for the county’s approval. “I think we need to get the results of the study and Congress can make a more informed d

By Ryan J. Foley The Associated Press 8/6/2013 IOWA CITY, Iowa — A judge has ordered the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to pay an Iowa trucking company $4.7 million in legal costs for bringing what she called dozens of "unreasonable or groundless" claims of sexual harassment during a lawsuit that's lasted six years. U.S. District Judge Linda Reade's judgment for CRST Van Expedited, entered last week, is believed to be the largest-ever fee sanction against the EEOC, according

OOIDA member fights Minnesota overweight citation, wins By Charlie Morasch, Land Line contributing writer One Minnesota State Patrol supervisor says troopers are allowed to enforce overweight restrictions after the fact by looking at private grain elevator receipts. A farmer and CDL-holder, however, recently challenged his $1,400 overweight citation – after police combed through his grain elevator receipts – and won. Greg Herden is a farmer from Brockway, Mont., and OOIDA member who

By Mark B. Solomon http://www.dcvelocity.com/ When the bill reauthorizing the nation's transport funding mechanisms became law in July 2012, much was made of the fact that it was the first multiyear funding law in seven years and that the federal government would be doling out $105 billion over the subsequent 27 months to pay for infrastructure projects. Largely overlooked in the 1,656-page bill was language that on Oct. 1 changes forever how truck freight is laded, brokered, and transpo

Push for Lower Rail Rates for Ag http://www.kmjnow.com/ The National Farmers Union and other organizations sent a letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, urging action to strengthen competition in the rail transportation market. Farmers Union President Roger Johnson says farmers, ranchers and rural communities need access to fair rates for rail shipments. The top four shippers control 90% of freight rail service. And 78% of the 28,000 places where cargo is picked up have

On Thursday, State Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon filed House Bill 17 to provide more revenue to help the Department of Transportation move forward with transportation projects (other than toll roads). The Bill would address the public's need for traffic safety and congestion relief, and facilitate commercial freight transportation. H.B. 17 would not require a constitutional amendment. It would change the motor fuel sales tax used for road vehicles from the current 20 cents per gallon by adding a di

There's pros and cons to every job, but most don't involve explosive fireballs On one hand being a truck driver has to have its good days. You’re driving around on the open road, on a beautiful sunny day, just enjoying chit chat on the CB radio. Then on the other hand it’s got to have its bad days, like when your 10 ton tractor trailer is flying through the air like a rocket, expoding into a massive fireball. The truck driver having the bad day miraculously survived the crash and we are hoping t

It was July 15th when Cathy Rossi, White’s girlfriend, knew something was wrong. White usually called her in the mornings, but she hadn’t heard from him, and couldn’t reach him. She tried calling the company he was driving for, Southern Refrigerated Transport (SRT) to see if they could help. “I made a couple phone calls that day and they got kind of nasty with me on the phone,” Rossi said. “They never called back. That’s when I found the missing truck driver network on Facebook.” With help

By JD Malone, Of The Morning Call 6:18 p.m. EDT, August 3, 2013 A 37-year-old Wilson man accused of stealing and scraping $1.2 million worth of semi trailers turned himself into Pennsylvania State Police Saturday. Jason Smith surrendered himself at the Belfast barracks Saturday, police said, and was arraigned before District Judge Daniel Corpora. He was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $20,000 bail. State police used an anonymous tip and satellite tracking to charge Smith a

By: Amy Langfield http://www.cnbc.com/ Too-tall trucks have been hitting the too-low Virginia Avenue Bridge in downtown Indianapolis too often. As many as 70 trucks have crashed into the bridge in recent years, causing transportation officials to mount a surveillance camera and finally a plan to lower the roadway and bring some peace to the smashed-up overpass. The Virginia Avenue Bridge isn't the only one taking a beating, as several overpasses in the area have been clipped hundreds of

by Mark Kinsel MANY people take the trucking industry for granted. Although trucking is one of the most important industries in the world, people outside of it don't seem to give it the respect and attention that it deserves. The reasons for why trucking is important are aplenty, but many of them unfortunately fall short of social consciousness. Nevertheless, truckers are an invaluable component of the global marketplace, culture and livelihood, and here's why: Transportation o

By Tom Schoenberg & Jeff Plungis http://www.bloomberg.com/ U.S. Transportation Department regulations meant to ensure truck drivers get more rest were mostly upheld by a federal appeals court, a defeat for companies that said the rules would add cost without improving highway safety. A three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals in Washington today rejected most arguments made by the American Trucking Associations Inc. as “highly technical points best left to the agency.” The court, giving on

By BARBARA LYON | [email protected] A California semi driver who pleaded guilty of causing the death of a fellow trucker has been sentenced. In a plea deal reached in May, Destry D. Wilson, 23, agreed to plead guilty to the charge of felony homicide by the negligent use of a vehicle. On Thursday, Dunn County Judge Rod Smeltzer sentenced him to six months in Dunn County Jail and 42 months of probation. In addition, Wilson must pay court costs of $268, submit a DNA sample, have an al

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Transportation Department has issued a permit for a shipping company seeking to haul two massive loads along scenic U.S. Highway 12 in north central Idaho. Click Here to Read Full Story Vi

By Jeff Plungis http://www.businessweek.com/ The U.S. Transportation Department relaxed a requirement that trucking companies file equipment inspection reports regardless of whether defects were found, a move it said will save the industry $1.7 billion a year. It’s the biggest savings under a directive from President Barack Obama to regulators to cut red tape and improve conditions for business, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx told reporters today in Washington. “It’s the kind of

PUBLISHED FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2013 AT 1:00 AM / UPDATED AT 3:50 PM Gavilon subsidiary buys 5 grain elevators By Barbara Soderlin / World-Herald staff writer View Original Post View Original Article

By Jane Fyksen Crops Editor The 2013 net incomes for grain operations will probably be below their strong levels in recent years, due to ratcheting back of grain prices, says University of Illinois farm management specialist Gray Schnitkey. Anticipating slightly above-average yield (at least in northern and central Illinois), Schnitkey’s analysis puts net farm income for an average 1,200-acre Midwest grain farm at $146,000, given the softer grain prices noted. That compares with more than $

The Trucker Staff 8/1/2013 WASHINGTON —Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx Thursday said the Office of Management and Budget had cleared the proposed rulemaking to eliminate the need what most drivers consider a burdensome daily paperwork requirement that will reduce costs to the industry by an estimated $1.7 billion annually while still maintaining the department’s high safety standards. The proposed rulemaking would eliminate the necessity for drivers to complete and motor carriers to r

Bill that would undo hours rule pulled from House By James Jaillet OverdriveOnline.com House has pulled a transportation bill that could have potentially reversed the new hours of service rule that went into effect this month. The House reportedly may consider bringing the bill back to the floor after its August recess. Rep. Richard Hanna (R-N.Y.) was set to propose an amendment to a House bill that would halt the hours of service rule that went into effect July 1 and allow fleets and

By Local business founder refuses to retire The founder of a local business is saying no thanks to retirement. Carmen Pariso is 94 years old. He's says he's been working since he was 16 and wouldn't have it any other way. Pariso heads into work each day, with his faithful dog Dolly at his side. He is the CEO of Carmen M. Pariso Inc. The trucking company offers services from dump trucks to moving construction equipment or hauling stone and soil. Pariso originally founded Pariso Brothers Truc

by Laura Hand http://www.cnycentral.com/ OSWEGO COUNTY -- 176 Fort Drum-based soldiers who are deployed have gotten notices from the New York Attorney General that the company storing their vehicles is now defunct. The good news is, that the company that leased storage space to that company is stepping up to take care of the cars, trucks and motorcycles until the sodiers return to claim them. The attorney general's office sent notices to the soldiers, and has turned over the keys to L

By Greg Fulton | OverdriveOnline.com Why would our government make war on one of the most productive and safest groups in the transportation sector? While there is no declared or undeclared war on owner-operators and independent drivers by government, it sure feels like it for many of them. How else can one explain the variety of laws, regulations, and rules that have come out or are pending that may adversely affect them? The title of this op-ed for Overdrive by Colorado Motor Carri

By MATEUSZ PERKOWSKI Capital Press A major global distributor and processor of grains and oilseeds is blaming last year's drought on a sharp drop in profit margins during its most recent fiscal quarter. Bunge, based in White Plains, N.Y., has reported a net income of $110 million during the second quarter of 2013, down nearly 60 percent from the same period last year. "It's clear success has to be defined by stronger financial performance," said Soren Schroder, the firm's CEO, during a conf

RANDOLPH, Neb., Jul. 30, 2013 – Archer Daniels Midland Company (NYSE: ADM) and Central Valley Ag Cooperative (CVA) announced today the formation of 81-20 Grain Terminal, LLC, a joint venture to construct a 5 million bushel shuttle loader grain elevator near Randolph, Neb. The elevator will originate corn and soybeans from regional farmers, primarily for transportation by 110-car BNSF shuttle trains to export markets via the U.S. Gulf Coast, Pacific Northwest and Southwest. ADM and CVA will ea

By Travis Loller The Associated Press 7/29/2013 NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Two more members of the Pilot Flying J sales staff pleaded guilty Monday to defrauding customers at the truck-stop chain owned by the family of Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam. The pleas by Regional Sales Manager Michael Scott Fenwick and Regional Account Representative Janet Welch bring the total number of sales employees pleading guilty in the case to seven. Two others have agreed to coo

July 2013, TruckingInfo.com - Cover Story By Kate Harlow Whether its dumps to dry vans, flatbeds or tank trailers, trailer makers have been focusing on making trailers lighter to improve freight capacity and fuel efficiency, safer for drivers, and stronger to extend the trailer’s life cycle. We contacted trailer manufacturers and learned about the latest in trailers, manufacturing, product innovations and corporate news. East Manufacturing East has introduced a new time-saving and

TransportTopics.com By David Dwinell, Owner, LoadTraining.com In less than 90 days, the new highway law — MAP-21 — is to be enforced in the United States. Here is what our companies are doing to comply. • To all shipping clients: Starting Oct. 1, it is illegal for a motor carrier working with your company to take possession of your freight for “brokering” purposes. Motor carriers are now limited to hauling your load alone, in their own tractor and trailer. This means that the trucker

By KYLE ARNOLD, World Staff Writer Eva Gray isn’t what you might expect out of a long-haul trucker. The 29-year-old Maryland native has a petite frame, red hair and a big smile. She spends her nights and weekends taking online classes and is just a year away from getting a master’s degree in psychology. View Original Article

By ROLF LOCKWOOD http://www.todaystrucking.com/ Yes, it exists. But first, while I have your attention… I’m going to hammer a tired old nail here: the driver shortage. And whack a new one too — overtime pay for drivers, even if they’re paid by the mile. First off, I’m tired of getting angry, sometimes abusive emails accusing me of being in the pocket of the trucking associations and big fleets every single time I raise the fact that there aren’t enough people to pilot Canadian trucks.

http://www.todaystrucking.com/ TENNESSEE — You’ll be glad to know that Joseph “the trucker spy” Volpe will be taking the next few months off work. Because what Volpe does for a living is extort truck companies. He calls his business Third Eye Highway Safety. Volpe drives around the U.S. with a camera, ready to video any trucker making an unsafe move. If he catches one on video, he takes the footage to the carrier and demands money, in exchange for the company getting “exclusive rights”

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/ The weigh station at mile marker 343 showed a red light on Wednesday July 17th for what turned out to be too long, making a huge backup of trucks, causing drivers to have to slam on their brakes in order to prevent an accident. One trucker couldn’t brake fast enough and ended up dead. The trucker was killed when his truck rear-ended the rig in front of him, causing the load to roll off the back and crush his cab while he was still inside. The line for the

Todd Dills I’ve written about this provision of the new hours rule before, of course: in the recent rewrite of the hours of service regulations that went into effect July 1, FMCSA excluded time spent resting in a parked truck from the definition of on-duty time. Some viewed it as a mere technicality, a bone thrown to daycab or pickup drivers to force the 30-minute off-duty rest break to make sense if there happened to be nowhere else palatable to go during said break other than the front seat

The Trucker News Services 7/26/2013 WINDSOR, Colo. — Capacity growth among carriers is remaining flat, Transport Capital Partners said Thursday. TCP said a survey reveals two-thirds of carriers were planning to add capacity, nearly identical to the numbers for the first quarter 2013 and second quarter 2012, In the second-quarter survey, 65 percent of carriers indicated they plan to increase capacity, presenting no notable change from first-quarter 2013 and second-quarter 2012 percentages.

Jill Drury SIDNEY, Ohio (WDTN) - Sidney firefighters are working to keep a fire under control at the Cargill plant. Crews responded to 2400 Industrial Drive just before 8:00 pm. They say the fire originated in a grain dryer and that is where firefighters want to keep it. Workers moved as much product out of the way as possible as firefighters worked to extinguish the smoky, smoldering blaze. No one was hurt and no evacuations were ordered. How the fire started is under investig

Wisconsin Farm Bureau While many farmers around the state may be experiencing challenges to finding hay and feed supplies, other farmers may be in the position where they have hay to sell. If you are a farmer in that fortunate position, the Farmer to Farmer website serves as an excellent venue to sell your hay. The website facilitates the local marketing of feed commodities where livestock producers in need of high moisture corn, corn silage, hay, or straw can easily make contact with seller

By Keith Goble, Land Line state legislative editor Gov. Jay Nixon signed into law a bill that includes a provision to comply with federal rules on learning permits for commercial driver’s licenses and outlaw texting and the use of hand-held cellphones by truckers while driving. Effective immediately, the new law also boosts the incentive to stop idling. The governor vetoed a separate bill a month ago that included the truck provisions. He cited a provision to authorize new vehicle and traile

Wendy Leavitt | Fleet Owner Transportation and logistics companies could save approximately $459,000 per year as a result of process re-engineering and the implementation of mobile technology across workflows, according to a recent survey conducted by Intermec (NYSE: IN). A significant proportion of companies may be missing out on the potential savings, however. The survey also revealed that more than one in three (39%) companies have not initiated re-engineering efforts in the past year and

Northwest News Network An Oregon shipping company and the U.S. Forest Service appear to be at a standoff over whether huge pieces of oil equipment will pass through a scenic stretch of Idaho. These so-called “megaloads” are ultimately headed to the oil sands of Alberta, Canada. The Forest Service says it can’t authorize shipments that are as wide as two lanes and the length of five semi-trailers to use a protected portion of Highway 12. At least, not without a lengthy review. Yet this

Agrium Advanced Technologies has increased shipping ESN controlled-release fertilizer via barges on the Mississippi, Ohio and Illinois Rivers as part of a company-wide commitment to sustainable practices. As part of its ongoing company-wide commitment to environmentally responsible and sustainable practices, Agrium Advanced Technologies (AAT) has increased shipping ESN controlled-release fertilizer via barges on the Mississippi, Ohio, and Illinois Rivers. AAT has made this move in an effor

By Evan Lockridge http://www.truckinginfo.com/ The U.S. House has passed a measure that would allow Wisconsin to continue its practice of allowing trucks weighing more than 80,000 pounds along a section of U.S. 41 when the route is designated as an Interstate roadway, most likely next year. The bill now heads to Senate for consideration. where a separate bi-partisan measure has also been introduced for the stretch between Green Bay and Milwaukee. Currently trucks hauling grain, coal or

ARLINGTON, Va. -- US for-hire truck tonnage nudged up 0.1% in June, on the heels of a 2.1% increase in May, according to the latest data from the American Trucking Associations (ATA). May’s gain was revised down from the initially reported 2.3% gain. June’s seasonally adjusted truck tonnage is the highest level on record. The seasonally adjusted tonnage index was up 5.9% compared to June 2012, ATA reported. It characterized the latest data as “robust, although below May’s 6.5% year-over-ye

By DENNIS K. BERMAN Over the Next Two Decades, the Machines Themselves Will Take Over the Driving. View Original Article

By Katie Taube WICHITA, Kansas– Now that the Kansas wheat harvest is over, much of that grain is going to Horizon Mill in Wichita for flour production. “Sometimes if it’s really busy we can do anywhere from 90 trucks a day,” says truck dump operator, Charlene Johnson. “I sample each truck, then it comes into our pan,” explains Charlene. She’s the first stop for the grain, and she makes sure there’s no critters, moisture or other issues. “You can really smell the aroma. Without jus

Jim Park http://www.truckinginfo.com/ Be careful what say when in the company of strangers. One of them may take your boastful claims to task. On my recent trip to Cwmbran, Wales, hosted by Meritor so we could learn more about air disc brakes, a group of North American trucking journalists experienced air discs on several truck configurations popular in Europe. One of them was a truck and full trailer combination, coupled with a convertor dolly. Someone in the group had mentioned that bac

http://www.landlinemag.com/ A minority owner of a trucking company that was supposed to be delivering materials for runway work at a Detroit area airport has been fined $12,000 for defrauding the federal government. A press release from the U.S. DOT inspector general says Benjamin Marshall of BN&M trucking claimed falsely he did the work. “Between January 2005 and December 2010, false claims on the above project were submitted indicating that runway services were provided by BN&M, when

http://www.truckinginfo.com/ The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nebraska has announced truck driver Artak Medjbarian of Sherman Oaks, Calif. has pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to attempt to steal $163,000 worth of beef products from a Nebraska Beef facility in Omaha. Medjbarian, age 33, was charged in May 2012 by a federal grand jury in a scheme with others to steal loads of meat cargo, by pretending to be the legitimate freight haulers to whom authority to transport the loads had bee

Jill Dunn http://www.overdriveonline.com/ The Association of Independent Property Brokers and Agents is suing the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration over a substantial hike in the broker bond requirement. The FMCSA requires a $10,000 surety bond or trust fund agreement for brokers and freight forwarders. The 2012 highway reauthorization act mandates that amount increase to $75,000 on Oct. 1. Overdrive reporting on efforts to raise the broker minimum surety requirements in Ju

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Mary Rose Mittlesteadt Read more: http://www.dvidshub.net/news/110557/not-typical-truck-drivers#.Ue027_k3uSo#ixzz2ZmhLQu4b BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - They call themselves the Mavericks. Members of the 32nd Transportation Company, 157th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion in support of Task Force Lifeliner. Their mission is a big one. To make sure supplies get out to remote operating bases. Then to turn back around with equipment that is no longer needed. En

By BETH HUNDSDORFER — News-Democrat Three years before truck driver Johnny Felton was accused of hitting and killing Illinois State Trooper Kyle Deatherage, a company manager wrote in a memo that Felton was "bound to have a very big accident sooner or later." Manager George Garbutt referenced in his Oct. 19, 2009, memo to Felton that the over-the-road truck driver had three at-fault accidents in three years, including smashing into the back of a car when he fell asleep, falsification of hi

By Todd Dills, http://www.overdriveonline.com/ Sunco Carriers-leased owner-operator Bruce Johnston says Joseph Volpe, convicted in May on three counts – second-degree attempted murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon — after shooting through the back of Johnston’s 1997 Peterbilt on I-24 in Chattanooga, Tenn., in 2010, was sentenced yesterday, July 18, 2013. Rather than get “the maximum” for his crimes, as Johnston hoped, Volpe will go

Lawmaker introduces bill to raise carriers' required insurance minimum almost 500 percent The Trucker News Services 7/19/2013 WASHINGTON — Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Penn., has introduced legislation that would raise the required insurance minimum for motor carriers from $750,000 to $4,422,000 per truck, increase of almost 500 percent. Congress established the current insurance minimum in 1980. Before being elected to Congress last year, Cartwright was a member of the law firm of Munley, M

by Patrick Rawlings, KOMU 8 Reporter KINGDOM CITY - The freight that semi-trailer trucks haul through Mid-Missouri could provide some insight on improvements in the economy. Trucks that transport construction equipment, new cars, and furniture are positive signs, said owner-operator of Gasper's Truck Plaza, Ron Atkinson. "The guys over the road, cross-country typically food, produce, refrigerated stuff. Local based trucks are more agricultural based items," Atkinson said. Atkinson