Transport Topics

August orders for Class 8 trucks in North America reached 36,900, ACT Research reported. That would be the highest monthly order total in five months. In August of 2020, orders reached just 19,500. FTR pegged preliminary orders at 39,400. FTR said OEMs remain cautious about fully booking all 2022 orders, as price negotiations continue with numerous fleets. In addition, manufacturers are still having difficulty scheduling production in the first quarter due to continuing uncertainties with the supply chain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As battery-electric vans and medium-duty trucks become more prominent, the charging infrastructure those vehicles will require must expand, too, according to panelists speaking at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Long Beach, Calif. Having infrastructure in place will be "the impetus and motivation” for a customer to go into this electric last mile, Oshkosh CEO John Pfeifer said. Oshkosh recently was awarded a contract to supply the U.S. Postal Service with between 50,000 and 165,000 delivery vehicles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The largest commercial deployment of battery-electric trucks in North America is ramping up in Southern California, state officials announced. One hundred heavy-duty trucks — 50 from Daimler Trucks North America and 50 from Volvo Trucks North America — will be delivered beginning next year and into 2023. They will operate in drayage and regional haul applications at the Port of Los Angeles and Port of Long Beach. Two of the largest U.S. fleets, Schneider and N-F-I, are participating. First steps toward the construction of vital charging infrastructure are underway. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Aug. 29 issued a regional emergency declaration offering relief from regulations related to maximum driving time provisions for property-carrying vehicles and passenger-carrying vehicles. The declaration encompasses Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas and applies to drivers who are providing direct assistance in support of emergency relief efforts. The Federal Railroad Administration has activated an emergency relief docket that offers railroads the ability to obtain temporary waivers from safety regulations to expedite service recovery and restoration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is accepting public comments on the agency’s intention to request approval for an information collection regarding event data recorders. NHTSA issued the request for comments in a notice published in the Federal Register on Aug. 26. Written comments should be submitted by Oct. 25. NHTSA, which is responsible for carrying out the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, is authorized to collect motor vehicle crash data. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The White House and the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Friday that John Porcari will serve as port envoy to the administration’s Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force. The goal of the task force, which was established in June, is to provide a federal response to supply chain challenges as the country recovers economically from the coronavirus pandemic. Porcari will work with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, DOT officials and representatives of the National Economic Council to address congestion at U.S. ports. He also will tackle issues such as backlogs, delivery delays and product shortages. Porcari’s experience includes being DOT deputy secretary in the Obama administration and secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

July sales of used Class 8 vehicles, along with the average price for a heavy-duty truck, rose year-over-year again, ACT Research reported. Sales were 22,800 units compared with 18,000 a year earlier and landed flat compared with June. The average price for a Class 8 in July was $59,377 compared with $40,666 in 2020. Last month’s average price also fell from June’s $61,219, which was the highest in ACT’s 20-year history of record-keeping. Month-over-month, July’s decline was the first since January. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mathias Carlbaum has been appointed CEO and president of Navistar International, effective Sept.1. Since April, Carlbaum has been leading the post-merger management of Navistar on behalf of Munich-based Traton Group. Carlbaum will succeed Persio Lisboa, who has held the position since July of 2020. Carlbaum previously was executive vice president of commercial operations at Traton brand Scania AB, where he worked in sales and international markets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Truck tonnage in July declined 2.9% when measured against the same month in 2020, according to data released yesterday by American Trucking Associations. When measured against the previous month, the index declined 1.2% in July after falling 2% in June. ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello pointed to issues such as supply chain challenges and a shortage of truck drivers as contributing to the drops. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The average price of a gallon of diesel dropped 3.2 cents to $3.324, marking the fourth decrease in five weeks. It’s also the largest drop in the price of trucking’s main fuel since May 4, 2020, when a decrease of 3.8 cents was reported, and the country was more than a month into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The nation’s new chief accident investigator is concerned that public confusion over automated driving systems is threatening to undermine the potential safety benefits of the technology. Jennifer Homendy, the new chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board, says manufacturers must be honest about what their technology does and does not do. She cited TV advertisements that create the false impression some vehicles are capable of steering and braking on their own when drivers must still monitor the systems. She’s vowing to ask Congress to put new focus on emerging technologies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Supply chain challenges have prompted the governors of Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska to extend hours-of-service relief to truckers who haul fuel. Iowa Motor Truck Association President Brenda Neville said she has heard from convenience stores that have not been able to accommodate all of their customers on certain days because they run out of gas and haven’t been able to get fuel deliveries. Minnesota’s executive order said fuel terminals across the state have experienced shortages or outages of fuel products. Iowa’s order will expire Aug. 28, while Nebraska’s will remain in effect until Aug. 31 and Minnesota’s until Sept. 4. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Autonomous truck developer Waymo Via announced plans to build a 9-acre facility near Dallas that will serve as a regional hub for advancing operations and service for automated Class 8 trucks. The facility will be Waymo’s central launch point in the southwest U.S. for testing with its carrier partners, the company said. Waymo also announced a partnership with Ryder System Inc. for fleet management services. The two companies said they will partner on servicing and evolving maintenance practices for autonomously driven trucks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Department of Commerce advisory group says the nationwide shortage of truck drivers is likely at an all-time high, and is urging federal officials to mount a widespread effort to address the problem. The 45-member panel is endorsing efforts to allow individuals younger than 21 to drive trucks in interstate commerce, which is currently prohibited by federal law. Infrastructure legislation that recently advanced in the U.S. Senate includes language to allow younger drivers to operate Class 8 trucks across state lines after completing an extensive training program. American Trucking Associations has estimated the industry is short at least 60,000 drivers, and cautions that that number could grow in the coming months as more drivers retire and freight volumes increase. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tropical Storm Fred crashed ashore on the Florida panhandle Monday with powerful winds, becoming the fourth system of the 2021 hurricane season to strike the U.S. Fred’s top winds were 65 miles per hour when it made landfall near Panama City, Fla. The storm was expected to weaken after landfall, but will still cause disruptions as it slices through Alabama and Georgia and into the Carolinas over the next two days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kansas City Southern Railroad has rejected the latest bid of $31 billion from Canadian Pacific in an attempt to keep its planned merger with Canadian National on track. Kansas City Southern said Aug. 12 that its board unanimously decided to continue backing CN’s higher offer of $33.6 billion. KCS shareholders are scheduled to vote Thursday on whether to accept CN’s offer, but the U.S. railroad said it may delay that vote if the U.S. Surface Transportation Board doesn’t issue its decision on a key part of CN’s acquisition plan before tomorrow. CN proposes to use a voting trust that would acquire KCS and hold the railroad during STB’s review of the overall deal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jennifer Homendy was recently confirmed by the U.S. Senate to become the National Transportation Safety Board’s chairwoman. Prior to kicking off their congressional summer recess, senators gave her nomination voice-vote approval Aug. 9. Homendy’s confirmation occurred shortly after a Senate committee had easily approved her nomination to lead the transportation investigatory agency. Homendy has served as an NTSB member since 2018. She also has held positions with the Teamsters union, the AFL-CIO and the American Iron and Steel Institute. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

U.S. Class 8 retail sales improved 16.3% in July to nearly 17,000, but still landed at the year’s second-lowest level, WardsAuto.com reported. Sales reached 16,824 compared with 14,462 in the 2020 period, according to Wards. July’s sales surpassed the 2021 low of 15,369 in February. Yet, all truck makers improved sales in July compared with a year ago, except Volvo Trucks North America, which experienced strike-interrupted production by members of United Auto Workers Local 2069 in Dublin, Va., that ended in July with a new, narrowly approved, contract. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Legislation aimed at modernizing the country’s mobility networks, freight corridors and transit systems gained approval in the U.S. Senate on Aug. 10. After weeks of bipartisan negotiations, senators voted 69-30 to pass the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a $1 trillion measure consisting of President Joe Biden’s signature infrastructure and climate change proposals from his “build back better” agenda. The legislation would dedicate about $550 billion in new funds to ameliorate highways, bridges, tunnels and a transportation system in need of major upgrades, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Xos announced an agreement to deliver 120 zero-emission, medium-duty electric trucks to 35 different FedEx Ground operators in five states. Xos builds Classes 5-8 electric commercial vehicles. The FedEx Ground operators that will be receiving the trucks are in California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Texas, and the companies expect delivery to occur at the end of this year and into 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices