Mark Solomon joined DC VELOCITY as senior editor in August 2008, and was promoted to his current position on January 1, 2015. He has spent more than 30 years in the transportation, logistics and supply chain management fields as a journalist and public relations professional. From 1989 to 1994, he worked in Washington as a reporter for the Journal of Commerce, covering the aviation and trucking industries, the Department of Transportation, Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to that, he worked for Traffic World for seven years in a similar role. From 1994 to 2008, Mr. Solomon ran Media-Based Solutions, a public relations firm based in Atlanta. He graduated in 1978 with a B.A. in journalism from The American University in Washington, D.C.
A key part of the federal government's rules governing commercial truck driver operations will impact only a small
percentage of the driver workforce while preventing 1,400 crashes, 560 injuries, and 19 deaths annually, the Federal
Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) said yesterday in releasing a study on the impact of the so-called restart
provisions of its driver hours-of-service (HOS) regulations.
The study, jointly conducted by Washington State University's Sleep and Performance Research Center and Philadelphia-based
Pulsar Informatics Inc., was mandated by Congress under the transportation funding bill signed into law by President Obama in
July 2012. The study examined the real-world effect of the "restart" language requiring drivers to take at least 34 hours off
once every seven days and to include within that off-duty time two rest periods between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. over two consecutive
days.
Congress, which originally set a Sept. 30 deadline for having the report completed, is not required to take any action upon
receiving the document.
From January to July of last year, the researchers studied 106 drivers hauling various trailer types and driving different
lengths of haul. They found that drivers who began their workweeks with one nighttime rest period instead of two exhibited more
nighttime attention lapses, were sleepier towards the end of their shifts, and exhibited a greater propensity to drift from their
lanes regardless of the time of day. FMCSA said the report adds to the body of scientific evidence that the current rules, which
replaced regulations issued in 2004, are more effective at combatting driver fatigue than the prior version.
FMCSA said the restart provisions would mostly impact drivers who work, on average, 70 hours a week, the maximum allowed under
the rules. Those drivers comprise about 15 percent of the total driver workforce, according to the agency. "For the small
percentage of truckers that average 70 hours of work a week, two nights of rest is better for their safety and the safety of
everyone on the road," FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro said in a statement.
The Hours-of-Service rules are arguably the most controversial federal truck safety policies ever implemented. Shippers,
carriers, owner-operators, organized labor, and public utility commissions opposed the regulations for one reason or another.
The rules, which also reduced the maximum workweek to 70 from 82, have resulted in a 3- to 5-percent reduction in truck
productivity, shippers and carriers contend. Drafted in December 2011 to be enforced 18 months later, the rules survived
a major legal challenge in August when a federal appeals court in Washington upheld virtually all of the FMCSA policy.
The American Trucking Associations (ATA), which opposed the rules from the start, said the report falls short in several key
areas. For example, the report doesn't address the safety impact or the effectiveness of the once-a-week restart provision, even
though the language has never been part of federal driver safety rules before, the group said. Though the study acknowledges that
the two late-night rest periods might result in more drivers on the road during the day, it fails to discuss the safety or
congestion impacts of that scenario, ATA said. The report also does not evaluate the driver health benefits of the restart
provisions even though that was the main reason FMCSA wanted to change the language in the first place, the association said.
The "incomplete nature of the analysis and the lack of justification for the once-weekly use restriction is consistent with the
flawed analyses that led the agency to make these changes in the first place," said Dave Osiecki, ATA's executive vice president
and chief of national advocacy."
The Owner-Operators Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) criticized the study as a poor representation of the commercial
driver universe, noting that only 106 drivers were canvassed and, of those, only 36 were over-the-road drivers, the types of
drivers most affected by the new restart provisions. "Unfortunately, this was a study that was sort of thrown together," said
Todd Spencer, OOIDA's executive vice president.
Rep. Richard L. Hanna, R-N.Y., who has introduced legislation to rescind the restart provisions, was quoted in trucker
magazine Landline as calling the study "worthless" and too narrow in scope. "FMCSA is telling millions of truckers
they are tired, but the study only examined 100 [drivers] from three companies," Hanna said. Hanna also criticized the
findings for ignoring the issue of forcing truckers on the road during morning rush hours when roads are most congested
and dangerous. The lawmaker has called for a delay in the provision's implementation so the Government Accountability Office
(GAO) can conduct an independent study of its impact on all stakeholders.
Thomas E. Bray, an HOS expert at J.J. Keller & Associates Inc., a Neenah, Wis.-based consultancy that has worked with carriers
to prepare for the rules, said he wasn't surprised by the study's findings. Bray said it's hardly a secret that more driver rest
results in better performance. In addition, because FMCSA already has studies that support the rules, conclusions to the contrary
would have forced it back to the drawing board and would have drawn the wrath of lawmakers, he added.
However, Bray said he was taken aback that the study failed to address the once-a-week restart requirement that is so
important to long-haul drivers. "Without a safety study to back up the ... provision, it will remain open for debate as to
whether the cost and effects are worth the loss of hours," he said.
The number of container ships waiting outside U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports has swelled from just three vessels on Sunday to 54 on Thursday as a dockworker strike has swiftly halted bustling container traffic at some of the nation’s business facilities, according to analysis by Everstream Analytics.
As of Thursday morning, the two ports with the biggest traffic jams are Savannah (15 ships) and New York (14), followed by single-digit numbers at Mobile, Charleston, Houston, Philadelphia, Norfolk, Baltimore, and Miami, Everstream said.
The impact of that clogged flow of goods will depend on how long the strike lasts, analysts with Moody’s said. The firm’s Moody’s Analytics division estimates the strike will cause a daily hit to the U.S. economy of at least $500 million in the coming days. But that impact will jump to $2 billion per day if the strike persists for several weeks.
The immediate cost of the strike can be seen in rising surcharges and rerouting delays, which can be absorbed by most enterprise-scale companies but hit small and medium-sized businesses particularly hard, a report from Container xChange says.
“The timing of this strike is especially challenging as we are in our traditional peak season. While many pulled forward shipments earlier this year to mitigate risks, stockpiled inventories will only cushion businesses for so long. If the strike continues for an extended period, we could see significant strain on container availability and shipping schedules,” Christian Roeloffs, cofounder and CEO of Container xChange, said in a release.
“For small and medium-sized container traders, this could result in skyrocketing logistics costs and delays, making it harder to secure containers. The longer the disruption lasts, the more difficult it will be for these businesses to keep pace with market demands,” Roeloffs said.
The British logistics robot vendor Dexory this week said it has raised $80 million in venture funding to support an expansion of its artificial intelligence (AI) powered features, grow its global team, and accelerate the deployment of its autonomous robots.
A “significant focus” continues to be on expanding across the U.S. market, where Dexory is live with customers in seven states and last month opened a U.S. headquarters in Nashville. The Series B will also enhance development and production facilities at its UK headquarters, the firm said.
The “series B” funding round was led by DTCP, with participation from Latitude Ventures, Wave-X and Bootstrap Europe, along with existing investors Atomico, Lakestar, Capnamic, and several angels from the logistics industry. With the close of the round, Dexory has now raised $120 million over the past three years.
Dexory says its product, DexoryView, provides real-time visibility across warehouses of any size through its autonomous mobile robots and AI. The rolling bots use sensor and image data and continuous data collection to perform rapid warehouse scans and create digital twins of warehouse spaces, allowing for optimized performance and future scenario simulations.
Originally announced in September, the move will allow Deutsche Bahn to “fully focus on restructuring the rail infrastructure in Germany and providing climate-friendly passenger and freight transport operations in Germany and Europe,” Werner Gatzer, Chairman of the DB Supervisory Board, said in a release.
For its purchase price, DSV gains an organization with around 72,700 employees at over 1,850 locations. The new owner says it plans to investment around one billion euros in coming years to promote additional growth in German operations. Together, DSV and Schenker will have a combined workforce of approximately 147,000 employees in more than 90 countries, earning pro forma revenue of approximately $43.3 billion (based on 2023 numbers), DSV said.
After removing that unit, Deutsche Bahn retains its core business called the “Systemverbund Bahn,” which includes passenger transport activities in Germany, rail freight activities, operational service units, and railroad infrastructure companies. The DB Group, headquartered in Berlin, employs around 340,000 people.
“We have set clear goals to structurally modernize Deutsche Bahn in the areas of infrastructure, operations and profitability and focus on the core business. The proceeds from the sale will significantly reduce DB’s debt and thus make an important contribution to the financial stability of the DB Group. At the same time, DB Schenker will gain a strong strategic owner in DSV,” Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz said in a release.
Transportation industry veteran Anne Reinke will become president & CEO of trade group the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) at the end of the year, stepping into the position from her previous post leading third party logistics (3PL) trade group the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), both organizations said today.
Meanwhile, TIA today announced that insider Christopher Burroughs would fill Reinke’s shoes as president & CEO. Burroughs has been with TIA for 13 years, most recently as its vice president of Government Affairs for the past six years, during which time he oversaw all legislative and regulatory efforts before Congress and the federal agencies.
Before her four years leading TIA, Reinke spent two years as Deputy Assistant Secretary with the U.S. Department of Transportation and 16 years with CSX Corporation.
National nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) kicked off its 2024 season this week with a call for volunteers. The group, which honors U.S. military veterans through a range of civic outreach programs, is seeking trucking companies and professional drivers to help deliver wreaths to cemeteries across the country for its annual wreath-laying ceremony, December 14.
“Wreaths Across America relies on the transportation industry to move the mission. The Honor Fleet, composed of dedicated carriers, professional drivers, and other transportation partners, guarantees the delivery of millions of sponsored veterans’ wreaths to their destination each year,” Courtney George, WAA’s director of trucking and industry relations, said in a statement Tuesday. “Transportation partners benefit from driver retention and recruitment, employee engagement, positive brand exposure, and the opportunity to give back to their community’s veterans and military families.”
WAA delivers wreaths to more than 4,500 locations nationwide, and as of this week had added more than 20 loads to be delivered this season. The wreaths are donated by sponsors from across the country, delivered by truckers, and laid at the graves of veterans by WAA volunteers.
Wreaths Across America
Transportation companies interested in joining the Honor Fleet can visit the WAA website to find an open lane or contact the WAA transportation team at trucking@wreathsacrossamerica.org for more information.