Trucking news
So, we’re driving in beautiful rural Manitoba, and I notice something quite disturbing – I can see leaves changing colour! Summer is moving into autumn, which brings us a little closer to winter. I’m not sure that I’m ready to part with summer yet. Okay, the changing seasons isn’t exactly news but still notable in mind.
In case you’ve been a little too busy to keep up with the headlines, we’ve put together important trucking industry news.
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Infrastructure & Parking
Manitoba Government Investing more than $61 Million to Upgrade Segment of Provincial Highway 75 – “The Manitoba government is investing more than $61 million to restore a segment of Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 75 from Morris to Ste. Agathe, as part of its $1.5 billion three-year commitment to improving Manitoba’s highway network, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Piwniuk announced.”
Trucking Association Calls for Completion of Manitoba Highway 1 Twinning – “The Manitoba Trucking Association says the province needs to move ahead and finish twinning the Trans-Canada Highway. The only stretch that remains undivided in the province runs for 17 kilometres between Falcon Lake and the Manitoba/Ontario boundary.”
We might be having the completely wrong conversation about truck parking – “There are publicly owned rest areas and big travel centers, of course. But truck drivers usually struggle to find spots; almost half of the commercial truck stops operate at more than 100% capacity on weeknights. Then, there’s the fact that truckers might wait overnight to load or unload at warehouses that don’t let them park there. ”
Trucking Safety & Compliance
Safety critics argue new U.S. underride guard rules are not tough enough – “Two safety groups are calling on U.S. regulators to further strengthen underride guards, arguing that coming rules which largely mirror Canadian standards do not go far enough. The Truck Safety Coalition and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety filed the petition calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to revise the final rule that they call “inadequate and alarming.”
Road Deaths Climb for Seventh Straight Quarter as Driving Increases – “Traffic fatalities on U.S. roads grew 7% in the opening three months of the year, just-released data show, reaching the highest levels for the first quarter since 2002.”
Why do Brake Defects Put so Many Trucks Out of Service? – “Brake safety is a big deal and always has been — but it’s probably safe to say we take our brake systems largely for granted these days. And why not? They are robust and reliable, and with automatic brake adjusters and now air disc brakes, we don’t really need to pay a lot of attention to them…. Or do we?”
Dozens of citations issued during Illinois ‘Trooper in a Truck’ detail – “The Illinois State Police (ISP) and the Illinois Trucking Association (ITA) recently teamed up with an Illinois trucking company to nab distracted drivers and encourage safe driving around commercial vehicles.”
The toughest states for brakes violations – “Brake-related violations regularly make up the majority of vehicle out-of-service violations, according to the CVSA, and considering the maintenance category broadly, close to a majority of vehicle violations in some states with a brake-heavy focus like North Dakota, Montana, Virginia, California and Texas. Those five states lead the nation for high percentages of brakes violations uncovered, calculated as a percent of all violations issued in the state.”
Hands in Truckers’ Pockets
Tolls to increase by 5% on the Pennsylvania Turnpike – “On August 2, 2022, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) approved a 5% toll increase for 2023 for all E-ZPass and Toll By Plate customers. This marks the fifteenth year in a row that tolls have increased on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.”
Oregon Targets Truckers with Proposed Interstate Tolling System – “The Oregon Department of Transportation is seeking public input regarding a tolling system that would level a higher fee on the trucks that deliver more than 70 percent of Portland’s goods and materials.”
Thanking Truckers
US Truck stop chains announce Truck Driver Appreciation deals – “As National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (TDAW) draws closer, major truck stop chains are planning giveaways for September and beyond to celebrate the efforts of professional drivers.”
