News

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) today released a new report that quantifies the major consequences that truck driver detention at customer facilities has on industry productivity and safety. The research quantifies the direct costs for fleets, truck drivers and supply chains in general. It also corroborates previous research that detained trucks drive faster both after, and before, a detained trip occurs.

While driver detention has decreased slightly in the last few years, the overall costs of being detained at customer facilities for more than two hours is substantial. In 2023, drivers reported being detained in 39.3 percent of all stops. The frequency of detention was even higher among women drivers (49.1%), refrigerated trailer drivers (56.2%), and among fleets that operate in the spot market (42.5%).

Based on industry-reported data, truck drivers were detained between 117 and 209 hours per year, depending on the sector. In for-hire trucking alone, the total time lost to truck driver detention exceeded 135 million hours in 2023.

While 94.5 percent of fleets charge detention fees, they are paid for fewer than 50 percent of those invoices. As a result, the trucking industry lost $3.6 billion in direct expenses and $11.5 billion in lost productivity from driver detention in 2023. Additional ATRI impact assessments quantified supply chain inefficiencies, lost driver pay and driver turnover resulting from detention.

Finally, an analysis of ATRI’s large truck GPS data at different customer facility types found that detention contributes to higher truck speeds. Trucks that were detained drove 14.6 percent faster on average than trucks that were not detained. Interestingly, trucks also drove faster on trips to facilities where they were detained, indicating that truck drivers know which firms and facilities will likely detain them.

“Detention is so common that many industry professionals have accepted it as inevitable without realizing the true extent of its costs,” said Chad England, C.R. England CEO. “ATRI’s report puts real-world numbers to the true impact that truck driver detention has on trucking and the broader economy.” A full copy of the report is available through ATRI’s website here.

The purpose of this current project, funded by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), is to gain an in-depth understanding of detention time, what causes it, and its impacts on safety and operations in the trucking industry. Specifically, the objectives of this study are threefold:

1. Collect data on CMV driver detention time that are representative of the major segments of the motor carrier industry and analyze those data to determine the frequency and severity of detention time.
2. Assess the utility of existing intelligent transportation system solutions to measure detention time.
3. Prepare a final report that summarizes the findings, answers the research questions, and offers strategies to reduce detention.

The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, Telematics and Video Services, and Scopelitis Transportation Consulting are seeking support from providers of transportation management systems (TMSs), telematics service providers (TSPs), and motor carriers to collect the required data to complete the study and for participating in the interviews.

CLICK HERE for more information about the study and how you can participate.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requests your assistance in amplifying this important message regarding a new phishing fake email.  

The agency is aware that an email is being sent to registered entities by a party pretending to be FMCSA and requesting that carriers complete forms attached to the email. Those forms ask for a social security number and USDOT PIN. FMCSA does not require such information on official FMCSA forms. Carriers should NOT fill out forms attached to the fake email, and always refer to the official FMCSA forms for the latest and official documents. In some cases, the phishing attempt also asks for a certificate of insurance and driver’s license to help protect the recipient against fraud.  There is also a threat that if the recipient does not respond within a day, the individual will be fined, which is also not an FMCSA practice as part of the registration process. 

The fake email originates from either safety@fmcsa.gov, filing@fmcsa.gov, dotfilings@fmcsa.gov or audit@fmcsa.gov, none of which are legitimate email addresses and are NOT used or owned by FMCSA.  Next, if the recipient replies to the email, their message actually goes to @fmcsa-safety-fmcsa.com, which is also NOT a domain owned or used by FMCSA. Not only is some of this information Personal Identifiable information (PII), but this information would also allow the unauthorized party to gain access to  the recipient’s FMCSA account. The fake email containing the phishing link appears very convincing that the correspondence is from FMCSA. Screenshots of the fake email can be found on FMCSA’s website.

Communications from FMCSA relating to information requests of this type would either request individuals to log into their portal account at FMCSA Login (dot.gov), or the email would come directly from an FMCSA dedicated mailbox. While these emails typically end in “.gov”, we encourage our stakeholders and customers to verify any email or communication they feel to be suspicious with the appropriate agency.

Here’s What Individuals Can Do:

• Do not click any suspicious links, hover over them to see the real email address of url of that link. Click only on links you deem trustworthy
• Visit the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency for more guidance on online deceiving tactics. Learn more about phishing
• The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recommends following certain procedures for email verification. 
• File a complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) by using their IC3 site
• Reach out to the FMCSA Contact Center or call (1-800-832-5660) if you are the target of these practices

The program, which launched in 2022, allows 18–20-year-olds with an intrastate commercial driver’s license (CDL) to drive interstate upon successful completion of the program.

The SDAP Program is a great opportunity for motor carriers to shape the future of their workforce by recruiting, hiring, and developing apprentice drivers (students and recent graduates) in this age range who are interested in exploring career opportunities in the trucking industry.

Visit the SDAP website to learn more about the program and how to apply. You can also get more information at the motor carrier resources and toolkit links. Once a motor carrier is approved, they are then listed on the SDAP Program's job opportunities webpage for interested apprentice drivers to apply directly to their company.  

The Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a new toll schedule, effective September 1, 2024. 5 axle tolls will increase from $37.50 to $45.00.

DRPA bridges, include the Ben Franklin, Walt Whitman, Commodore Barry, and Betsy Ross bridges.

READ MORE

TOLL SCHEDULE

FMCSA removed the ELDs below from the list of registered ELDs due to the companies’ failure to meet the minimum requirements established in 49 CFR part 395, subpart B, appendix A.

ELD Name	Model Number	ELD Identifier	ELD Provider
CTE-LOG ELD	CRS	CRS102	CTE LOG ELD LLC
ELD VOLT	ERS	ERS246	Power Deal Corp
POWERTRUCKS ELD	PRS	PRS211	Miran Support LLC
TFM ELD	TFM100	TFM001	TFM GROUP INC.

Motor carriers and drivers using the ELDs above must take the following actions:

1. Discontinue using the revoked ELDs and revert to paper logs or logging software to record required hours of service data.
2. Replace the revoked ELDs with compliant ELDs from the Registered ELDs list before September 21, 2024.

Motor carriers have up to 60 days to replace the revoked ELDs with compliant ELDs. Motor carriers and drivers who continue to use the ELDs listed above on or after September 21, 2024 will be in violation of 395.8(a)(1)– “No record of duty status” and drivers will be placed out-of-service in accordance with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) OOS Criteria.

If the ELD providers correct all identified deficiencies for their devices, FMCSA will place the ELDs back on the list of registered devices and inform the industry and the field. However, FMCSA strongly encourages motor carriers to take the actions listed above now to avoid compliance issues in the event that these deficiencies are not addressed in time. An email containing this information was sent to our subscriber list on July 23, 2024. To ensure you receive updates like this from FMCSA, sign up to receive our emails.

In a June 13th Federal Register notice, FMCSA announced its plan to submit an Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for its review and approval and invites public comment.

FMCSA intends to use quantitative data collection techniques through a self-administered online survey to understand CMV drivers' perceptions and behaviors regarding safety belt usage and road safety.

Background

Existing data on the usage of safety belts and perceptions related to road safety do not capture the diversity of different types of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers in a post-coronavirus disease 2019 national emergency landscape. Understanding safety belt usage and perceptions of road safety among CMV drivers will assist FMCSA in gauging emerging trends among this cohort and will inform future messaging and communication efforts targeting CMV drivers.

Eligible participants are self-identified CMV drivers residing in the United States with internet access. The collection is an online voluntary survey, with a low burden for respondents and a low cost for the Federal Government. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other Federal agencies. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public, and the information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future. Personally identifiable information is not being collected. There are no gifts or payment incentives ( e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, a token of appreciation) being provided to participants.

CLICK HERE for Federal Register notice.

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) today released a new report that analyzes the benefits of employing renewable diesel (RD) as an alternative to battery electric vehicle (BEV) trucks.

This analysis is a follow-up to findings from past ATRI research on the topics of zero-emission vehicles and electric infrastructure challenges.  In those past reports, ATRI utilized the U.S. Department of Energy’s GREET Model to confirm renewable diesel as a promising solution for lowering the trucking industry’s CO2 emissions.

While both RD and BEV pathways have implementation costs, the report concludes that relying on BEV to decrease CO2 emissions is nearly six times more expensive than using RD. 

In the report, RD and BEV pathways are evaluated on three criteria:

• Environmental Benefits
• Operational Capabilities
• Financial Viability

It was confirmed that when trucks using RD today are converted to BEV, there is a significant negative environmental impact.  Additionally, the report highlights operational benefits for trucking when using RD as an alternative, as well as significant infrastructure and new vehicle cost savings.

“My company quickly and successfully transitioned to renewable diesel in April of last year.  ATRI’s research offers concrete evidence that this move is better for the environment and easier to achieve than other low-carbon options,” said Andy Owens, CEO and Manager of A&M Transport of Glendale, Oregon.

Overall, ATRI estimated that a transition to BEV for long-haul trucking will cost over $1 trillion in electric infrastructure and vehicle purchase costs over 15 years.  However, to achieve similar CO2 benefits with RD, ATRI estimates a price tag of $203 billion, a significant cost savings for achieving the same environmental benefits.  Since RD is considerably more scalable than BEV and can be deployed immediately in trucks without modifications, it is likely that CO2 benefits using RD can be achieved on a much shorter timeline than with a BEV transition.

A copy of the full report is available through ATRI’s website here.

ATRI is the trucking industry’s 501c3 not-for-profit research organization. It is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation’s essential role in maintaining a safe, secure, and efficient transportation system.

A text messaging scam designed to trick drivers into entering their banking or credit card information into a bogus website is now targeting New Jersey drivers.

The text message, which claims to be from “NJ Turnpike toll services,” directs drivers to click a link to pay an outstanding toll balance in order to avoid a late fee. NJ Turnpike toll services is not associated with the New Jersey Turnpike Authority or any other toll agency in the New Jersey E-ZPass Group. The outstanding toll balances described in the text messages are not real. Drivers who receive text messages from NJ Turnpike toll services should delete them without clicking on the link. And drivers who have clicked the link and filled out the form should immediately contact their bank or credit card provider.

Similar scams have been reported recently by the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and other U.S. tolling agencies. The New Jersey Turnpike Authority received the first inquiries from drivers who have received the NJ Turnpike toll services messages on Thursday, April 11th.

This scam does not appear to target New Jersey E-ZPass customers. The bogus text messages are being sent to phone numbers in New Jersey area codes regardless of whether the recipients are E-ZPass account holders.

Drivers who believe they have received one of the bogus text messages can file a report with the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.