Fleet Management

XRS Corp. (formerly Xata Corporation) announced that it will launch its Driver Xperience Board - a "listening panel" made up of truck drivers from diverse segments of the industry - with a special event during the Mid-American Trucking Show, Thursday, March 21 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Tags: XRS, MATS, Event

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration yesterday posted rule exemptions for agricultural transporters that were ordered up in last year’s highway law.

Tags: FMCSA, HOS exemption

Most serious traffic accidents occur when drivers are making a left-hand turn at a busy intersection. When those drivers are also talking on a hands-free cell phone, "that could be the most dangerous thing they ever do on the road," said Dr. Tom Schweizer, a researcher at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.

Tags: Distracted driving

Modern semitrailers for the most part do a good job of keeping passenger vehicles from sliding underneath them, greatly increasing the chances of surviving a crash into the back of a large truck, recent tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety show. But in crashes involving only a small portion of the truck's rear, most trailers fail to prevent potentially deadly underride.

Tags: IIHS, NHTSA, Underride guard

The National Insurance Crime Bureau warned drivers in the Las Vegas area to be on the lookout for criminals targeting trucks in a deliberate attempt to cause an accident for the purpose of collecting insurance money.

Tags: Accidents

FTR’s Trucking Conditions Index for January as reported in the March 2013 Trucking Update jumped 2.2 points from the previous month to a new reading of 10.6.

Tags: FTR, TCI

The turnover rate for drivers in the truckload sector took a surprising dip in the fourth quarter, according to the American Trucking Associations' Trucking Activity Report, the likely result of a weakened economy and overall freight volumes.

Tags: ATA, Driver turnover

Over the past 90 days, more than 230,000 jobs were advertised online for truck drivers in the United States, according to Wanted Analytics, a source of real-time business intelligence for the talent marketplace. As demand for goods increases, more truck drivers will be needed to keep freight and the supply chain moving. Hiring for this occupation has increased more than 20% compared to the same 90-day period in 2012.

Tags: Driver demand

AMP Holding Inc., through a newly formed subsidiary, Amp Trucks Inc., has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Workhorse brand, logo, IP, patents, and assembly plant from Workhorse Custom Chassis LLC, a wholly owned affiliate of Navistar International Corp.

Tags: Acquisition, Workhorse, Navistar, AMP

Volvo Trucks in North America announced it has entered into memorandums of agreement with both Telogis and Trimble to develop future fleet management services. Both companies are providers of onboard fleet management and location intelligence services.

Tags: telematics, Volvo, Telogis, Trimble

The amount of freight carried by the for-hire transportation industry rose 1.2% in January from December, rising for the third consecutive month, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ Freight Transportation Services Index.

Tags: BTS, TSI

This year’s Bendix Tech Talk Series at the Mid-America Trucking Show will include insights on air disc and drum foundation brakes, air treatment and charging systems, and advanced safety technologies.

Ryder System Inc. announced that Eagle Distributing of Shreveport Inc., has signed a full-service lease agreement for 23 compressed natural gas tractors.

Zonar has announced an expanded lineup of presenters for its upcoming fleet management conference titled, “The Zone 2013,” scheduled for May 14-16 in San Antonio, Texas.

Tags: FMCSA, CVSA, The Zone 2013, Roadcheck

The U.S. national DEF pump price remained level at $2.79 per gallon for the third consecutive month in February 2013. Prior to this period, the national average has only held steady month-to-month once, which occured in April 2012.

Tags: DEF, DEF Tracker

Help Inc., the provider of PrePass and other commercial vehicle safety services, announced that Mark Doughty, an organizational management and business planning expert, will serve as the organization’s Chief Operating Officer effective March 11.

Tags: Leadership, Help Inc.

Bobit Business Media announced that Kate Miller has left the company to pursue new opportunities. Miller had been publisher of Heavy Duty Trucking and was president of Newport Business Media when it was acquired by Bobit in May 2012.

Tags: Bobit Business Media, Heavy Duty Trucking magazine

The Technology & Maintenance Council of ATA opened its annual meeting and exposition in Nashville yesterday evening by announcing healthy attendance and describing goals set by a Strategic Planning Committee. Officers also named seven recipients of the Silver Spark Plug award for service to the organization.

Tags: TMC