California Trucking Association

CTA Annual Management & Leadership Conference, January 2012
(Caltrux © 12/16/2011 )

Gearing Up for “Hitting On All Cylinders,” CTA’s 58th Annual Leadership & Management Conference Gears are in motion and the pistons are hitting on all cylinders as we are hard at work putting together a dynamic program for the January 2012 conference taking place at the beautiful La Quinta Resort & Club in La Quinta, California. With the support of your trucking colleagues, CTA Board of Director...

Cell Phone Restrictions Now in Effect

Truckinginfo.com, January 3, 2012

Interstate truck and bus drivers are prohibited from using handheld cell phones while driving as of today, Jan. 3, under a final rule posted by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

FMCSA may be relying on 34-hour restart, 30-minute breaks to offset 11th-hour risk

The Trucker, December 30, 2011

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration appears to be counting on the new 34-restart restriction and the required 30-minute break to offset any risk involved in maintaining the 11-hour daily driving limit.

Safety group expresses disappointment over new HOS; likely headed to court

The Trucker, December 30, 2011

Faced with rejection of their most-wanted changes in the final rule on Hours of Service released last week, safety advocacy groups are most likely headed back to court for what has turned into an eight-year battle with the federal government over trucking safety.

This toll hike could be just the beginning

Star-Ledger, January 1, 2012

It took a bit longer, but Gov. Chris Christie also broke a key campaign promise. During the 2009 campaign, Christie promised he’d never raise taxes. But this toll hike is a tax hike. Tolls qualify as user fees only if they are used to maintain the road or bridge for which they’re collected. But Christie is raking off $1.25 billion from this toll hike over the next 10 years to throw into the budget to cover transportation expenses unrelated to either toll road. That makes this a tax hike.

CSA 'raising all boats,' says Schneider's Osterberg

Fleet Owner, December 30, 2011

On the one-year anniversary of CSA, it would be tough to find anybody who thinks it has been an absolutely perfect fit. There is, however, a growing wave of optimism about its effects on the trucking industry as a whole.

Unwelcome expansion by the TSA

Burlington Times News, January 2, 2012

“Agents are recruiting truck drivers … into the First Observer Highway Security Program to say something if they see something. … It’s all meant to urge every driver to call authorities if they see something suspicious.”

Rail-Freight Surge Before Holiday Shows U.S. Skirting Recession

Bloomberg, December 29, 2011

Analysts focused on pre-Christmas rail traffic this year because record retail sales over the Thanksgiving weekend suggested that the seasonal peak in freight shipping might extend into December. Many retailers delayed building inventory amid concerns that the economy was weakening.

The downside of the upturn: a truck driver shortage

Idaho Statesman, January 2, 2012

U.S. trucking companies may face a 30 percent surge in wage costs by 2014 as rising demand for freight shipments threatens to push the industry’s driver shortage to the longest on record.

Ag exemption still on table for 2012

The Trucker, December 30, 2011

An agriculture exemption to truckers’ Hours of Service is still on the table for 2012 and could “maybe” be a part of a new highway reauthorization bill, says a beltway agri consultant.

Oil price ending 2011 near $100 a barrel

The Trucker, December 30, 2011

The price of oil soared in 2011 and will finish about 19 percent higher, on average, after a volatile year dominated by concerns about global supplies.

How's it going? Depends on who you ask

DC Velocity, January 3, 2012

Just 39 percent of the respondents to the online poll, which was conducted in November, said they were optimistic about the direction the U.S. economy would take in 2012. That's the lowest percentage since our 2009 survey, when just 23 percent expressed optimism about the economy. It's also a significant drop from the percentage of respondents who were upbeat about the economic outlook for 2011 (52 percent) and 2010 (56 percent).

Searching for signs of optimism

DC Velocity, January 3, 2012

Yet it's hard to find anyone who feels things have gotten materially better since then. A November 2011 poll conducted by the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, a research center based at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., showed that not only do 73 percent of Americans think we're still in a recession, but more than half (53 percent) believe the worst is yet to come for the U.S. economy.

Feds ban truckers on handheld phones

Chattanooga Times Free Press, January 3, 2012

A new federal rule that bans truckers and bus drivers from using handheld cellphones took effect Tuesday, triggering the prospect of thousands of dollars in fines for drivers caught using their mobile phones. The ban announced in late November calls for penalties of up to $2,750 against drivers caught talking on their handheld phones, and fines as high as $11,000 against their employers.

Road Safe America applauds progress on HOS, questions 11 hour rule

The Trucker, January 4, 2012

A recent move by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to tighten several rules for commercial truckers’ work schedules drew questions from Road Safe America as to why the limits for airline pilots, announced the day prior to the trucking rules, would differ for truck drivers.

Truck traffic slowed at Canadian border in Wash.

eTrucker, January 3, 2012

Construction of commercial inspection booths will delay truck traffic entering Canada at the Pacific Highway Port of Entry in Blaine, Wash., until Jan. 20, according to the Canada Border Services Agency.

FTR's Trucking Conditions Index Ticks Upward

Truckinginfo.com, January 4, 2012

The environment for truckers remains modestly favorable with decent growth, capacity and pricing conditions as we enter 2012 -- but a severe capacity shortage that could significantly affect rates is less likely, thanks to a delay in new driver regulations, according to transportation forecasting firm FTR.

LA, Long Beach Ports End Dirty Truck Fees

Journal of Commerce Online, January 3, 2012

The Los Angeles-Long Beach’s penalty for the operation of older trucks expired Sunday, as the ports became the first in the nation to have a fleet comprised totally of 2007 or newer trucks.

Tight times forecasted for used trucks

Fleet Owner, January 3, 2012

Though sales of used trucks slowed at the end of 2011, inventory is expected to continue tightening in 2012 and beyond – with mileage on used truck odometers predicted to keep climbing as well.

Road funds at risk in some states over truck safety rule

The Trucker, January 4, 2012

Stuck in a financial pothole, Missouri's highway department has been selling equipment and eliminating employees to scrounge up enough money to repair its roads. Unless it also changes state law, it could lose tens of millions of federal highway dollars as a penalty for not adopting new safety requirements for commercial truck drivers.

FEC Railway Expands Intermodal Reach in Georgia

Journal of Commerce Online, January 3, 2012

Florida East Coast Railway plans to expand the reach of its intermodal business in 2012, adding a second drayage “relay” station in Georgia and strengthening its partnerships with large U.S. truckload carriers, President and CEO Jim Hertwig said.

D.C. gridlock seen as big threat to small business

The Bottom Line – MSNBC.com, December 22, 2011

“We’re just not seeing the long-term strength that we had predicted a year ago,” said Keith Tuttle, president of Motor Carrier Service, a long-haul trucking company based in Northwood, Ohio. “We'll have three very good weeks in terms of volume and then we see a week of indecision on the part (of) some shippers.”

Oil falls slightly amid improving U.S. economy

The Trucker, January 4, 2012

Oil prices inched lower toward $102 a barrel Wednesday in Asia as investors eyed signs of an improving U.S. economy.

Diesel Dips 0.8¢ to $3.783 in Sixth Decline

Transport Topics Online, January 3, 2012

Diesel dipped 0.8 cents to $3.783 a gallon, its sixth straight decline, while gasoline had its biggest increase since October, the Department of Energy said Tuesday.

ISM Manufacturing Index Hits 6-Month High

Transport Topics Online, January 3, 2012

December U.S. manufacturing activity rose to the highest level since June, the Institute for Supply Management said Tuesday. ISM’s monthly factory index rose to a reading of 53.9, from 52.7 in November, the group said in its monthly report. Figures over 50 indicate expansion.

Workers' compensation rates for trucking industry to increase 2% in 2012

Truck News, January 3, 2012

The Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) has announced that workers' compensation premiums for the trucking industry will increase by 2% in 2012. Rates jumped by 11.1% in 2011.