The Federal Bureau of Investigation issued a public service announcement regarding complaints reporting scam text messages from what appear to be toll road collection services. Since early March, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has received more than 2,000 complaints reporting so-called smishing texts representing a road toll collection service from at least three states. Smishing is a social engineering attack using fake text messages to trick people into downloading malware, sharing sensitive information or sending money to cybercriminals. IC3 complaint information indicates the scam may be moving from state to state. The texts claim the recipient owes money for unpaid tolls and contain almost identical language. The "outstanding toll amount" is similar among the complaints reported to the IC3. However, the link provided within the text is created to impersonate the state's toll service name, and phone numbers appear to change between states. These smishing texts look something like this:
If you receive one of these texts, the FBI suggests taking the following steps:
[Related: Threat ongoing: Fake safety audit scam] https://ift.tt/YAIs1MX
0 Comments
Trucking news and briefs for Monday, April 22, 2024: Bridge repairs to alter traffic patterns on I-87 in New YorkThe New York State Thruway Authority is beginning a project on four I-87 bridges that will impact traffic patterns through next summer. The bridges are the Thruway bridge over Kaaterskill Creek (milepost 111.13) NB and SB, and the Thruway bridge over the Catskill Creek (milepost 113.22) NB and SB. The bridges are located between exit 21 (Catskill/Cairo, NY Route 23) and exit 20 (Saugerties/Woodstock, NY Route 32). More than 33,000 motorists travel in this area daily and both bridges were built in 1955. As part of the project, concrete repairs will be made to the deck, which will then be covered with a waterproof membrane and asphalt wearing surface. Repairs will also be made to the existing bridge railing systems and bridge drainage. All traffic on both bridges was shifted to the NB side for work on the SB bridges on April 18. Work on the NB bridges is expected to take place in 2025. The entire project is expected to be complete in Summer 2025. [Related: Long-term I-840 lane closure] Autocar trucks recalled for three separate issuesThree separate recalls initiated by Autocar LLC involves hundreds of Autocar DC (Legend) trucks, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents. The largest of the three recalls affects approximately 597 model year 2020-’24 DC trucks -- the wiring harness in those impacted may route fusible links too closely to other components. During a short circuit, the fusible link may ignite nearby material, increasing the risk of a fire. The company said “a manufacturing error” resulted in the issue. Dealers will repair or replace the harness to include proper circuit protection, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed June 6. Owners can contact Autocar customer service at 888-218-3611 with recall number DC-2404. NHTSA’s recall number is 24V-264. A second recall, affecting approximately 398 model year 2020-’24 Autocar DC units, is due to an issue with the hazard warning lights. The recall states the hazard warning lights may not function independent of the ignition switch. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment." Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed June 6. Owners can contact Autocar customer service with recall number DC-2402. NHTSA’s recall number is 24V-262. Finally, approximately 41 model year 2022-’23 Autocar DC dump trucks are being recalled because the upper hoist cylinder mounting pin may fail. “Based on Autocar's current analysis, the upper hoist cylinder mounting pin configuration and material specification does not support the working loads,” the recall states. A pin failure can allow the hoist to fall, increasing the risk of injury. In addition, the hoist cylinder can disconnect from the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash. The remedy is currently under development. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed June 6. Owners can contact Autocar customer service with recall number DC-2403. NHTSA’s recall number is 24V-261. [Related: Recall hits 29K Freightliner, Western Star trucks] https://ift.tt/YAIs1MX The trucking companies left unpaid when broker Convoy went under, and then again when Flexport bought the company's technology and relaunched the app with its own brokered freight, may finally have some way to get paid -- albeit a reduced amount, months late. Jennifer Chrestman of Tucker Albin & Associates, the debt collection firm associated with the National Owner Operator's Association, recently said that Hercules Capital, the publicly traded VC bank with a $2.7 billion market cap, has been talking settlement. Convoy's collapse famously directed carriers and their operators into completing their final hauls under the failing brokerage while promising payment. In many cases, the money never came, despite the fact that Convoy was (and the tech stack's buyer, Flexport, is) valued by some estimates in the billions. An interpleader lawsuit between Ikea and Convoy illustrated just how complicated a shipper paying carriers can get when a big broker shuts down in the blink of an eye, and illustrating a key question at the center of the mess: Can Convoy's unpaid carriers go after shippers for payment now? [Related: Ikea v. Convoy: Lawsuit reveals glimpse at contract rates, broker margins] Often, the answer is yes, and it's a good idea, too. But language in Convoy's carrier packet forbids carriers seeking payment from shippers. As the Ikea interpleader lawsuit revealed, too, the shipper refused to pay Convoy because it's own contract with the company makes Convoy's payment of subcontractors a required condition of Ikea's own payments to the broker. Because Convoy never paid the carrier, the shipper won't pay Convoy. Because Convoy didn't get paid by the shipper, there's no money for the carrier. Ikea of course isn't the only shipper with loads caught up in this scenario, as this week's Overdrive Radio podcast with small fleet owner Surinder Gill makes abundantly clear. Chrestman, as well as other debt collectors and legal observers, say that the clause in the carrier agreement wouldn't stand in court for the simple fact that shippers are not party to contracts between Convoy and carriers. As such, she's been pursuing payment for a handful of Convoy carriers, and says a settlement for those carriers is in the works. In early April, Overdrive confirmed with another debt collection agencies that Hercules Capital, the venture bank that owns Convoy's accounts receivables, was trying to settle Convoy debts at just 25%. "That's ridiculous," Chrestman said at the time, noting she typically targets payment in full, if not tacking on interest and collection fees as well. In her recent representation of Blaga Express, a carrier that got caught up in a double-brokering scheme and was never paid, she certainly stuck to her guns and refused partial payment, from Uber Freight in that case. Now, according to Chrestman, Hercules has upped its offer, but just barely. In the end, Chrestman said Hercules is looking to settle for less than half. She's been encouraging Convoy's unpaid carriers to get in touch if they want to explore this option. Chrestman will take a cut of any settlement reached, and carriers signing on with her will forfeit their right to seek payment on their own. Another debt collector working with unpaid Convoy carriers did not confirm any similar offer from Hercules. The venture lender itself has not commented on the process at all, but does seem ready to put the Convoy chapter behind it. "Our workout efforts with regards to Convoy remain ongoing and our recovery efforts will likely wrap up early this year, although that situation remains ongoing and fluid," Hercules CEO Scott Bluestein said on a recent earnings call. Efforts from carriers to get paid without debt-collection assistance or legal representation have gone nowhere so far. Flexport, the company now operating Convoy and asking some of the very same unpaid carriers to come back to haul via their new Convoy Platform app, offered a few ways to get in touch with Convoy's "transition team," or the team associated with Hercules Capital that's working on the issue of the unpaid carriers. "We understand the stress and frustration many carriers have experienced in receiving payments following the closure of Convoy," wrote a Flexport spokesperson before giving the following email addresses for carriers looking for payment and/or other information: Claims: [email protected] Other carriers, like Surinder Gill of Gill Freightlines, contacted Hercules directly via their customer service phone number listed on the website. Gill got in touch with a managing director at Hercules from that number, but ultimately has yet to be paid what he says is $35,000 worth in loads hauled. Gill, in this week's edition of Overdrive Radio, relates the tale of his own nonpayment and so-far-futile efforts to seek compensation from shippers, Hercules Capital, and Convoy's $75,000 bond -- the last would amount clearly to a small fraction of unpaid Convoy loads, as Ikea's $500K-plus interpleader case with the broker makes clear. As for the dozen carriers Overdrive shared the above email addresses with, none have reported being paid. [Related: Should freight brokers' required bond amount vary according to broker size?] https://ift.tt/YAIs1MX Trucking news and briefs for Friday, April 19, 2024: Driver fined $19K for overweight violation, later arrested for violating OOS orderThe driver of a tractor-trailer found to be 63,000 pounds overweight on an Oregon roadway was fined more than $19,000, placed out of service due to insufficient rest and fatigue, and later arrested for continuing to operate. According to the Washington County (Oregon) Sheriff’s Office, deputies specializing in commercial motor carrier enforcement on April 10 conducted a traffic stop of the truck at the intersection of NW Jackson School Road and NW Shadybrook Road -- a section of roadway with a weight limit of 13 tons. During the stop, deputies discovered that the tractor-trailer exceeded this limit by a significant margin, weighing in at 89,000 pounds -- 63,000 pounds over the permissible weight. This violation resulted in a fine totaling $19,400. Further inspection revealed that the driver, 23-year-old David Barbacar from Tacoma, Washington, had also falsified his logbook, according to police. Barbacar additionally seemed “extremely fatigued and was observed dozing off during the stop,” the sheriff’s office wrote, which led to him being placed out of service. Barbacar was then arrested for knowingly violating the OOS order less than two hours later by another motor carrier enforcement deputy. The sheriff’s office encouraged drivers needing to exceed standard vehicle size and weight limits to consult with Oregon’s Land Use & Transportation (LUT) department or the Oregon DOT for necessary permits and exceptions. [Related: CDL testing scheme: School owner gets 5 years for bribery] New non-recourse factoring service available1st Commercial Credit has launched a new affiliate, Nationwide Commercial Credit, dedicated to enhancing the financial operations of the trucking industry through advanced cash flow solutions on receivables and fuel advances, the company said. Nationwide Commercial Credit will provide specialized non-recourse factoring and fuel advance services to a range of trucking companies, from individual owner-operators to larger fleets. The service offers non-recourse credit protection against the insolvency of freight brokers and shippers, covering even those nonpayment scenarios typically not included in traditional factoring agreements, the company noted. To bolster the initiative, 1st Commercial Credit has increased its trade credit insurance by an additional $36 million, elevating the total protection to $206 million. This expansion supports the new trucking-related receivables managed by Nationwide Commercial Credit and its affiliates. "Supporting small trucking operators can be demanding without the right systems and technology in place,” said Raul Esqueda, company president. “They require quick access to funds with minimal paperwork, a need our system addresses by enabling funding with just a rate confirmation and bill of lading, and even automates invoice generation for the trucking company.” Esqueda added that Nationwide Commercial Credit also offers “online credit checks for brokers, fuel advances, fuel card discounts, and mobile uploading capabilities.” For larger fleets, Nationwide offers “QuickBooks and TMS integrations that streamline the upload process,” he said. Nationwide is also offering a referral program designed for financial consultants, finance brokers, dispatchers, freight brokers, and trucking companies. [Related: Sharing risk: Load factoring can offer strategic value] In-the-works Mojave Truck Stop partners with Phillips 66 for biodieselA new truck stop is planned to open in Mojave, California, next to the Mojave Inland Port and across from the Mojave Air & Space Port. The Mojave Truck Stop announced it has entered into an exclusive biodiesel partnership with Phillips 66. The stop will be located strategically off U.S. Highway 58 and Minard Trail in Mojave. Under the terms of the agreement, the Mojave Truck Stop will exclusively pump Phillips 66 biodiesel at its fueling stations, ensuring that customers have access to high-quality, renewable fuel. This commitment signifies the Mojave Truck Stop's dedication to reducing carbon emissions and promoting renewable energy solutions, the company said. "We are excited to join forces with Phillips 66 to offer our customers access to high-quality renewable fuels," said Rich Marshall, co-founder of The Little Red Hen Travel Centers. "This partnership aligns with our mission to provide sustainable solutions while delivering top-notch services to truckers." Co-founder Amir Faquir estimated the Mojave Truck Stop would serve 2,120 customers daily at its location and sell more than 14,850,000 gallons annually. The Mojave Truck Stop will include fuel, food, shop, hot foods, restaurant, truck scales, truck service, truck wash, lounges, showers, charging stations, and solar energy generation. https://ift.tt/q0pwIBT The Atlas Van Lines company held its first-ever Bravo PVO Truck Show and Conference event in Arlington, Texas, in late March -- intended as a networking, educational and appreciation event for the many "professional van operators" (PVOs) doing business within the nationwide Atlas network of agents. "The PVO Truck Show is a celebration of the dedication and hard work of our professional van operators," the backbone of the van line's service to customers. That's according to Fleet Corporate Resources Director Aaron Chenoweth, who added the company takes "pride in honoring not just their service, but also their valued trucks." The educational component of the attendant conference, all held at Globe Life Stadium, offered owner-operators opportunity to "engage with the leaders of various business units essential to our fleet’s support," Chenoweth added. "The agenda includes a previous-year review, exchange of best practices for minimizing claims, and the latest updates in technology, pricing, and safety. We also discuss legislative changes that have impacted our industry." Show winners follow. 1st place: Grant Imlach's 2003 Kenworth W900LComing out on top was this beauty of a 2003 Kenworth from Grant Imlach, who notes that, though many of his fellow show entrants' super sleepers are "super convenient when you're out on the road," he never "wanted a big sleeper. I always had this stretched- out, long, low, traditional kind of hot rod-looking truck in the back of my head." He put 22 months' worth of restoration work into the truck to bring it to where it is today, now in his GDI Enterprises company's eighth year owning the KW. He's been through the unit "front to back, top to bottom," he said. "Just about had it down to the bare frame rails rebuilding it." It's been stretched and outfitted with an air ride front end, and with a boatload of work on the interior. If Imlach sounds like a truck-show veteran, think again. This was the first show he's ever entered, and the experience, he noted, was humbling as an honor to "all of the hard work over the years. All of the pride we put into our equipment." Next up for the GDI Enterprises owner? "I’ve got a 2013 Peterbilt 389 glider that we’re redoing from the frame up. Cab’s off, bunk’s off, it’s bare chassis right now, and we’ve been picking away at it for almost three years now and we’ve got a long way to go.” Stay tuned. 2nd: Herb West's 2020 Volvo VNL64T3rd: Tim Rowan's 2022 Volvo VNL64
4th: Bryan Nowak's 2018 Peterbilt 389https://ift.tt/q0pwIBT Barry "B.J." Lefroy, owner of three-truck BJ Lefroy Inc., owns and operates this 1998 Peterbilt 379, equipped with a 140-inch ICT big-bunk sleeper. The rig is powered by a 550-hp Detroit Series 60 with a 10-speed. Lefroy, a 45-year trucking veteran, runs from Anderson, Alabama, to Riverside, California, routinely. [Related: Regional hauler's 2016 International LoneStar] Click here to see more photos of reader uploads or to submit your own. For custom-equipment features delivered to your email inbox, subscribe to Overdrive's weekly Custom Rigs newsletter via this link. https://ift.tt/q0pwIBT Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, April 18, 2024: 5-year prison sentence for bribery handed to former CDL-school ownerThe former owner of a Philadelphia CDL school has been sentenced to time in prison for bribing a CDL examiner. United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Vladimir Tsymbalenko, 53, the former owner of Vlad’s CDL School in Philadelphia, was sentenced to 57 months in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $5,000 fine for bribing an examiner to pass some of his students who did not actually pass (never even took in some cases) the CDL examination, and for asking a witness to lie. On Oct. 11, 2023, Tsymbalenko pleaded guilty to one count of bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds and one count of witness tampering. “The last thing anyone should want on our roads are people behind the wheel of big rigs or school buses with bogus CDL certifications,” Romero said. “Licensure standards are intended to ensure that someone has the training and skills needed to safely move these huge vehicles and their cargo -- human or otherwise -- from Point A to Point B. As Tsymbalenko’s nearly five-year prison sentence shows, my office and our partners will work to hold accountable anyone seeking to evade such critical government regulations.” The case was investigated by the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania State Police, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney K.T. Newton. [Related: Colorado retesting 183 CDL drivers after Randy Lopez CDL school shuttered] Freightliner builds 1 millionth CascadiaFreightliner recently celebrated a significant milestone with the production of the 1 millionth Freightliner Cascadia -- the first Class 8 truck in North America to reach the seven-figure mark, the company said. “For more than 80 years, Freightliner has been dedicated to serving its customers with purposeful and innovative transportation solutions to help businesses succeed,” said David Carson, SVP of sales and marketing at DTNA. “When the Freightliner Cascadia launched in 2007, it was designed to do exactly that, and we are incredibly grateful to our customers who have placed their trust in the Cascadia and Freightliner to help us reach the 1 million mark. With our flagship Cascadia, our commitment to making a safer, cleaner, and more cost-efficient solution for our customers has never wavered. And we are not done yet.” What started as an idea to develop a truck with new aerodynamic, lightweight, and uptime-improving features has since evolved through four generations of the platform, the company noted. Its innovations have been designed for driver comfort, increased safety, and reduced fuel consumption. Notably, since its original introduction, the Cascadia has improved its fuel efficiency by more than 35%. Freightliner noted that the Cascadia is serving as the vehicle base for the SuperTruck initiative, the multi-year co-funded project by the Department of Energy (DOE) that investigates next-generation technologies for heavy-duty commercial trucks and potential product integration into series production trucks. The battery-electric Freightliner eCascadia, which launched in 2022, has today driven more than 6 million real-world miles with customers across more than 50 fleets in the U.S. Daimler Truck has also designed an autonomous-ready Cascadia with redundant safety features, which include braking and steering for a truck tailor-made for autonomous driving functionalities and prepared for the integration of any virtual driver. Currently, the autonomous-ready Cascadia is being tested as a self-driving truck in real-world operations by Torc Robotics, an independent subsidiary of DTNA since 2019. [Related: Lawmakers override guv's veto, clearing autonomous-vehicle path] St. Christopher raised $13K at MATSThe St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund (SCF) raised more than $13,000 through fundraising activities at the Mid-America Trucking Show last month in Louisville, Kentucky. The funds were raised through a number of activities at the trade show, including a silent auction, booth donations, prize wheels, and corporate/sponsor donations and matches. The silent auction during the Opening Night Ceremony, which included more than 50 items donated from MATS vendors and SCF supporters, raised more than $6,000, while booth donations and prize wheel activities in the SCF booth brought in more than $2,000. “The trucking industry, our corporate sponsors, and MATS vendors stepped up once again to show their support for the St. Christopher Fund and the work we do all year long for truckers in need,” said Shannon Currier, Director of Philanthropy at St. Christopher Fund. “We are so grateful for the support we receive at this event, because it allows us to help truck drivers when they need it most, as well as support our proactive wellness programs for drivers throughout the year.” Additional fundraising activities at the show resulted in several corporate sponsors raising thousands of dollars, including Carter Express, which donated $1,000 through U.S. Army Veteran and Citizen Driver Sgt. Don Talley (Ret.); Heartland Express, which provided a $1,000 matching donation; TravelCenters of America, which raised more than $1,000 through their Spin the Wheel activation in their booth; and Shell Rotella, whose Plinko game in their booth raised $1,500. The SCF provides short-term relief to Class A OTR drivers suffering from an illness or injury that took them out of work within the last year. The SCF also provides several free preventive health and wellness programs for OTR drivers in an effort to keep them on the road, including tobacco cessation, diabetes prevention, chronic disease management, at-home cancer screenings, and vaccine vouchers. [Related: A shot at affordable health insurance, and new Driver Advocacy Network, with CDL Drivers Unlimited] https://ift.tt/DNS5kXP DAT analytics chief Ken Adamo's "Big Rips and Fat Lips" look at broker margins -- the percentage of a shipper's payment the broker keeps after paying the carrier -- focused on outlying large takes (those rips) and very-small cutd or even money-losing loads (the lips). As Alex Lockie reported, Adamo hadn't much studied the outliers on either end before, though given intense focus among spot market carriers (and some brokers, for that matter) on dwindling revenues and profits over the last year and more, light on brokers' margins serves the interest of market trust and transparency. Adamo's data-driven look at the matter isn't exactly the kind of broker transparency most owner-operators in Overdrive's earlier-year survey reported wanting -- whether the kind of post-load automatic disclosure of transaction records sought from the feds by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association or more up-front information sharing that might help in spot negotiations. Adamo pointed out that both big rips (broker margins higher than 40% of what the shipper put into the load) and fat lips (when the broker lost money) together represented just 5% of the total transactions Adamo analyzed for March 2024. With better recognition of those realities, might carriers and brokers come to a better understanding of the broader market? It's transparency, of a kind though Adamo's working with anonymized data and doesn't ID those responsible for the loads on either end of the scale. We asked Overdrive's largely owner-operator readership what they'd seen at the far end rip side of that scale throughout their careers. Results showed a majority of respondents at one time or another have pulled a load where the broker kept far above the average 15% or so margin Adamo continues to see in data shared with DAT. Results of that recent question to the audience follow. There was plenty cynicism about brokered transactions in respondents' commentary. As one owner-operator put it, "Every time I ask for a rate, I hear 'That's all we have in it,'" but the shipper's full payment is "never disclosed. If I had a dime for every time I heard that my finances would be great!" Others were realistic, noting the almighty dollar guides the pursuit of big rips, and it's just a "business practice that's been going on for years," another commenter noted. Among brokers, shippers too, "there's no loyalty for service or longevity. Low bids get the job. I don't understand why a shipper would use a broker to begin with. That's another finger in the pie that doesn't need to be there. Call a trucking company directly." Still, others took the time-honored approach to effective management of any small business: Focus on taking full control of just what you can control. It was the general message around brokered-transaction transparency and rates that longtime owner-operator business coach and radio host Kevin Rutherford took in the Mid-America Trucking Show talk he delivered -- and the brief argument with an owner-operator in the audience that derailed part of the talk's end. [Related: Keeping cool, in control as difficulties heat up: Was business ownership supposed to be this hard?] The view was best summed up by this commenter under our poll question, who cut straight to that point: "If I'm happy with the rate to the truck, I don't care what the broker is taking." Finally, a big theme in the commentary had to do with the consequences of learning about the big rips -- something an automatic post-load records disclosure requirement might make the standard in brokered-freight transactions, should FMCSA choose to write that regulation and get it across the finish line. One commenter detailed a conversation with the receiver of a load that ended up disclosing the biggest margin he'd ever seen a broker take. The upshot for that owner-operator: "I never will haul for that broker again." More recent coverage around the broker "transparency" issue: **Download the "Broker margins, rates data and transparency" special report https://ift.tt/DNS5kXP The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is requesting approval from the White House Office of Management and Budget for a new information collection request (ICR) titled “FMCSA Registration System (FRS).” In a Federal Register notice set for publication Friday, April 19, FMCSA said it is replacing its Unified Registration System (URS) with a new online registration system, which will be named the FMCSA Registration System. FMCSA announced its plans to overhaul its registration system at the Mid-America Trucking Show last month, partly in an effort to “clean up the bad actors” in the industry. [Related: The criminal element lurking in FMCSA's outdated registration system] The new system will allow anyone required to register under the agency’s commercial or safety jurisdiction to do so online. Specifically, this new ICR will apply to:
It will also apply to designated agents and those entities providing proof of financial responsibility requirements, such as insurance companies and broker bond agents, FMCSA noted. According to FMCSA, the new FRS will eliminate a number of forms currently used by motor carriers and others in the transportation industry, including the MCS-150, BOC-3, OP-1 and more, integrating them all into a new online system. The agency will accept comments on the proposed information collection for 60 days after its publication Friday. Comments can be filed at www.regulations.gov by searching Docket No. FMCSA-2024-0109. As reported, FMCSA is hosting a public virtual "stakeholder day" at the end of May to discuss the development of "a more user-friendly registration system that manages the registration life cycle of regulated entities." Registration for the May 29 event will be available at this page when it opens. [Related: FMCSA to end MC numbers, overhaul registration system to stamp out fraud] https://ift.tt/DNS5kXP Lawmakers override guv's veto clearing autonomous-vehicle path | Long-term I-840 lane closure4/17/2024 Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, April 17, 2024: Kentucky lawmakers override veto of autonomous vehicle billAfter Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear vetoed a bill earlier this month that would have cleared the way for fully-autonomous, driverless vehicles -- including trucks -- to operate in the state, lawmakers overrode the veto, allowing the bill to become law. HB 7 was passed by the state’s House and Senate before being shot down by the governor. It clears a regulatory path for fully autonomous vehicles without a human driver to operate, as long as the vehicle meets certain conditions. [Related: Chronicling the collision of trucking and automation: New photo exhibit] Beshear, in vetoing the bill, said it “does not fully address questions about the safety and security of autonomous vehicles, nor does it implement a testing period that would require a licensed human driver to be behind the wheel” for passenger vehicles. The bill did require a testing period with a driver to be present for trucks with a declared gross weight and any towed unit over 62,000 pounds through July 31, 2026. “Opening Kentucky's highways and roads to fully autonomous vehicles should occur only after careful study and consideration and an extensive testing period with a licensed human being behind the wheel, which is what other states have done before passing such law,” Beshear added. The Kentucky House voted 58-40 to override the veto, and the state Senate voted 21-15 to override. [Related: California reignites driverless-truck ban] Long-term I-840 lane restriction after railroad damaged bridgeThe Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has implemented a single-lane closure on I-840 for about three months to make the necessary repairs to a damaged bridge in Williamson County. The bridge on I-840 eastbound at milemarker 28 was damaged by a CSX crew doing work underneath the bridge on the railroad underpass Tuesday afternoon. TDOT closed the bridge to all traffic while bridge inspection crews reviewed the damage. After a thorough inspection, they deemed the untouched portion of the bridge safe to cross, but the right lane of the road will remain closed until the necessary repairs can be made. One lane of travel will remain open for most of the project, aside from some temporary, short-term full closures of the bridge during work. TDOT said it “is doing all it can to make the necessary repairs as safely and as quickly as possible while limiting the impact on traffic.” [Related: FMCSA explains the HOS waivers around Baltimore's bridge collapse]
Florida’s request for CDL skills testing flexibility deniedThe Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has denied a request from Florida officials for an exemption from certain provisions in the CDL skills testing regulations. In December, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) asked FMCSA for a waiver from the requirement for the three-part CDL skills test to be administered and successfully completed in the following order: pre-trip inspection, basic vehicle control skills, and on-road skills. The department wanted to allow the tester, at their discretion, to continue testing an applicant who failed the pre-trip inspection or basic vehicle controls segments of the test and allow the applicant to come back at a later date to retake the failed segment(s) only. FLHSMV said the exemption “would allow compliance staff to better utilize their time and resources in completing the required monitoring of third-party testers.” The Commercial Vehicle Training Association (CVTA) and National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC) voiced support for the exemption during the public comment period. In denying the request, FMCSA said it “believes that conducting the elements of the CDL skills test in the required order ... is the best practice for the safety of the CDL applicant, the examiner, and any motorists who must share the public roadway with the CDL applicant during the on-road portion of the CDL skills test.” FMCSA added that current regulations already provide flexibility for retesting, depending on when the failure in the three-part CDL skills test happens. If a candidate fails the pre-trip, they must come back to take the entire test. If they pass the pre-trip but fail the vehicle control portion, they must return to repeat the vehicle control portion and take the on-road test. Finally, if a candidate passes the pre-trip and vehicle control portions but fails the on-road test, they only have to return to repeat the on-road test. “The sequence of the skills test ensures that an applicant has demonstrated sufficient knowledge and skills to safely attempt the next step in the testing process,” FMCSA concluded. “The current regulations also provide flexibility, in that generally, applicants are not required to retake portions of the test which have been successfully completed. Moreover, with the implementation of the federal Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) requirements, the agency believes [states] should see a reduction in the percentage of applicants who fail portions of the CDL skills test.” [Related: Florida officials seek waiver for CDL testing regs] Tech firm establishes driver advisory board for eliminating distracted drivingNoCell Technologies, supplier of products to mitigate the use of cell phones by those behind the wheel of commercial vehicles, announced the establishment of the NoCell Driver Advisory Board. The Board is comprised of acclaimed professional drivers who are committed to helping improve safety on roadways by eliminating distracted driving, the company said. This group understands the need for technology solutions for the trucking industry and, as importantly, the essentialness of properly communicating the benefit of technology for the driver. The new advisory board will provide feedback to the NoCell Technologies team on current technologies and issues with adoption, and help determine the best way to share technology advancements with professional drivers. The NoCell Driver Advisory Board is composed of six truck drivers and trucking industry professionals:
https://ift.tt/DNS5kXP |
|