Roses & Razzberries – July 2024

ROSES for the addition of truck parking spaces along Interstates 65, 70 and 74 in Indiana. As part of its Rest Area and Welcome Center Improvement Plan, the state projected more than 1,200 truck parking spaces would be created. A project at the northbound Kankakee rest area has already been completed, while the Lebanon rest areas project is expected to be completed this fall, state transportation officials said. Three additional projects at the Lizton, Taylorsville and Nancy Hanks rest areas are planned, with completion dates still to be determined.

RAZZBERRIES for the renewal of an exemption removing the requirement that CRST International trainers must be in the passenger seat while a commercial learner’s permit holder is driving. The exemption allows student drivers who have passed the skills test but not yet received their CDL to drive a CRST commercial motor vehicle accompanied by a CDL holder “who is not necessarily in the passenger seat.” Similar exemptions also are in effect for Stevens Transport, New Prime, CR England, Werner Enterprises and Wilson Logistics. “There has never been a more important time to have high and uncompromising standards and yet, it is in this catastrophic context that CRST requests a renewal of its exemption request that allows CDL holders ‘supervising’ new drivers to literally lie down on the job,” the Truck Safety Coalition wrote in its opposition of the exemption request.

RAZZBERRIES for the reported costs of converting trucking fleets to electric. A white paper recently released by Ryder compared the costs associated with operating a diesel truck to costs of operating an electric truck. According to Ryder’s data, it will take nearly two electric trucks and more than two truck drivers to match the current production of one diesel truck. This means an increase in the monthly payments of an equivalent electric truck as well as higher labor, personnel and operating costs. “Small-business truckers make up 96% of trucking and could be regulated out of existence if the EPA’s misguided mandate comes into effect,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer said in a statement. “Local mom-and-pop trucking businesses would be suffocated by the sheer cost and operational challenges of effectively mandating EV trucks.”

ROSES to a quick-thinking truck driver at a Miami fueling station. A report by WSVN-TV said Ruben Eng was filling his truck with diesel and noticed the truck had caught fire. He reacted immediately, driving the truck around the corner and away from the other fuel pumps. “The fire came really fast; in less than 30 seconds, the entire truck was completely on fire,” he told the South Florida television station. Emergency crews were able to extinguish the fire soon after. Eng reportedly suffered minor burns to his face and foot but was in good spirits after helping to prevent what could have been a major disaster.

RAZZBERRIES to a move of the goalposts by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in its Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program. FMCSA recently announced driver-facing cameras have been removed from the program’s requirements. The revisions are aimed at making it easier for motor carriers and 18-, 19- and 20-year-old drivers to sign up for the program after an extremely underwhelming start. The under-21 pilot program was launched in 2022 based on the premise that there is a shortage of truck drivers. In April, it was reported that FMCSA had received only 113 applications from motor carriers. Only 34 of those had been approved. The program was set up to accommodate 1,000 motor carriers and 3,000 under-21 drivers. “The lack of enthusiasm for the under-21 pilot program has nothing to do with DOL apprenticeships or inward-facing cameras but is another indication that the industry must prioritize driver retention,” said Jay Grimes, OOIDA’s director of federal affairs. LL