P.M. Executive Briefing - April 21
This Afternoon's Headlines:
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Truckers Set to Get Go-Ahead on I-Pass
In an effort to cut congestion on the tollways, the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority has decided to allow truckers to join the electronic I-PASS system, but concerns about potential unsafe traffic patterns are forcing engineers to decide whether to limit which lanes they can use at toll plazas.The tollway authority is paying $4.2 million for more transponders and hopes to sign up the 8,000 or so carriers that go through the Tri-State Tollway's tollbooths at 163rd Street.
The Illinois Transportation Association said the move will let truckers achieve lower fuel costs and spend less time on the road. Chicago Tribune (04/21/00) P. 3, Metro Chicago Section; Worthington, Rogers
Trucking Ordinance Will Stand
A judge has ruled against an Augusta, Ga., FedEx owner-operator who sought the dismissal of charges against him for violating a county ordinance banning truck parking in residential areas.Citing four earlier rulings, Chief Magistrate Court Judge William D. Jennings III disagreed with driver David O'Bannon's contentions that the law is beyond the county's policing powers, denies equal protection to truckers, and violates substantive due process.
The ruling said the law is intended to uphold public safety that is threatened by trucks that are too big for narrow residential roadways; one of the earlier rulings, from the 1996 case of City of Atlanta vs. Watson, said those who own rigs are not a "suspect class" and that there is no "fundamental right" to own a vehicle.
Reached by telephone in South Bend, Ind., the trucker said he plans an appeal and that other truckers in the area are considering refusing to serve the city. Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle Online (04/21/00); Coryell, Heidi
Recent Rig Crashes Spur Special Easter Weekend Alert
Houston freeways have seen four truck crashes in recent days, prompting a vow from city police to step up patrols during the traffic-heavy Easter weekend.The truck enforcement unit will be assigned plenty of officers to keep an eye on trucks and truckers, as well as passenger cars, said unit chief Sgt. C.J. Klausner. He also said increased traffic makes it even more important for motorists to keep their speeds down, stay out of truckers' blind spots, and leave room around big rigs.
In Harris County, the Sheriff's Department is adding eight additional officers to help find drunken drivers.
On Wednesday, Houston trucker Luis Diaz, 29, died after his truck hit a guardrail on the North Freeway and he was thrown out of the vehicle. In another Wednesday crash, two people were hurt when a semi hit a passenger vehicle after going through a stop light on a South Loop feeder ramp.
On Tuesday, an SUV rear-ended a parked tractor-trailer on the Eastex Freeway, killing two SUV occupants, and another semi overturned on a ramp between Interstate 45 and U.S. 59 the same day. Houston Chronicle Online (04/20/00); Asher, Ed
Minnesota Company Buys Big Trailer
X-L Specialized Trailer, of Oelwein, Iowa, has built a 109-foot trailer for a Minnesota carrier that will use it to carry cranes; five more of the trailers have been ordered by the carrier. According to X-L, the $125,000 trailer, which has nine axles and was built over a period of two weeks, is longer than any other ever built in Iowa. Associated Press (04/20/00)Powerhouse
Short- and medium-haul truckload firm Heartland Express, among the most successful U.S. trucking companies, saw $261 million in revenues and an 82.8% operating ratio last year.Heartland Express has nine terminals, eight with maintenance bays, as well as a main maintenance site at the Coralville, Iowa, headquarters. Currently, the carrier is bringing on about 1,000 new Freightliner Columbia conventionals over a three-year period. Heartland also uses Century Class tractors, with Cummins engines and other components from Meritor, and Wabash aluminum-plate trailers.
According to Bruce Hudson, director of maintenance, using Freightliner tractors exclusively allows the department to have minimal parts inventory and let the dealers take care of service under warranty.
Every night, staff at Heartland headquarters update maintenance records in company computers using work orders faxed in from across the country, while the hard copies of the orders are sent in every week to serve as backup records.
Faced with difficulty recruiting mechanics, the company has increased pay and started providing referral incentives. Managers buy drivers lunch every day, partly to get the trucks in the terminals long enough for inspections and service. The managers also provide drivers with information on safety and other company matters during the lunches. Drivers who do not make it to lunches are still kept informed through driver appreciation days and defensive driving courses.
Heartland also has required training programs that drivers must attend on occasion, which provides additional time to bring the equipment in for maintenance. TruckFleet Management Online (04/00); Bennet, Shephen
M.H. Eby Rides the Aluminum Revolution
M.H. Eby, an industry leader in truck bodies and trailers for hauling farm goods, grain, and livestock, saves weight on its trailers by using plenty of components made from corrosion-resistant aluminum. At last month's Mid-America Trucking Show, the company showed its new live-floor bulk commodity trailer, which includes a rear impact guard made of aluminum.The company has two manufacturing plants in Pennsylvania and Ohio, offering parts and repairs, Timpte bulk trailer sales and service, and other accessories and equipment. The Ohio plant focuses on production, while the plant in Pennsylvania concentrates on customized niche items and also offers Great Dane Super Seal Refrigerated trailer sales and service.
One of the company's custom jobs was a trailer, designed for Pig Improvement Co., that maintains warm temperatures for hauling eight-pound baby pigs, so they can be transported in extreme cold.
The revenues of this third-generation family business, which has 30 dealers have increased 10% to 20% annually despite a recent downturn in the agricultural industry. According to Travis Eby, manager of sales and marketing for the Ohio facility, "livestock and agricultural commodities have to keep on the move, regardless of what the commodities prices are."
Company President Menno Eby Jr., son of the company's founder, also says the company still holds the credo that "our word is our bond," often taking orders "on handshakes," and old customers frequently greet M.H. Eby sales representatives at trade shows. Trailer/Body Builders (03/00) Vol. 41, No. 5; P. 42; Weber, Rick
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