Archive for December, 2012

The most-viewed stories on Truckinginfo.com for 2012 were heavy on news from Washington, D.C., whether from the FMCSA or the halls of Congress, as well as from Lisle, Ill., where Navistar International is headquartered:

As 2012 draws to a close, we bring you our picks for the top stories and trends of the past year, in Letterman-style reverse Top 10 order.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, who was at the helm of the agency for its first-every greenhouse gas/fuel efficiency regulations for commercial trucks, is stepping down.

When it comes to commercial tire sales, 2012 could not have been any more contrasting from 2011, says Rick Phillips, Yokohama Tire’s director of commercial sales.

Phillips, a 35-year tire industry veteran, discusses what the challenges were within the commercial tire industry in 2012 and how they will affect truck owners in 2013.

ACOFAS, the American Council of Frame and Alignment Specialists, will hold a technician training clinic on “Chassis Vibration: Diagnostics and Repair” in Dallas April 22-23.

Shorepower Technologies has announced eight more truckstops added electric plug-in power pedestals to their locations. Connections providing 480-volt power for hybrid refrigerated trailers are also being installed at four of the eight truckstops.

The Heavy Duty Manufacturers Association and MacKay & Co. have announced the title and description of the presentation to be given by Stuart MacKay, president of MacKay & CO. as part of the First Annual Heavy Duty Aftermarket Dialogue conference.

TravelCenters of America LLC, operator of TA and Petro Stopping Centers, announced that it is offering both Michelin duals and X One tires at participating TA and Petro locations.

Universal Truckload Services Inc. announced that its board of directors has appointed H.E. “Scott” Wolfe as chief executive officer and David Crittenden as chief financial officer. Don Cochran, Universal’s previous CEO, has been selected as vice chairman.

SelecTrucks announces the addition of enhancements to its 60-Day buyer’s assurance and select limited warranty for used Freightliner and Western Star trucks.

People might think of trucking, tires and service bays as a typical “manly” realm, but for a little girl in Arizona, a Speedco became a princess fantasy.

The Port Equipment Manufacturers Association, TT Club and ICHCA International have jointly published recommended minimum safety features for container yard equipment, identifying features and functional requirements to improve the safety of people, equipment and cargo.

This holiday season, hundreds of thousands of wreaths were placed on the tombstones and memorials of the nation’s fallen heroes thanks to Wreaths Across America. With the help of professional drivers and customers across the nation, Pilot Flying J was proud to contribute $100,000

MD & HD Orders Better Than Average, but below October
November Class 5 through Class 8 truck orders in North America were better than 2012’s average, but fell below Octobers promising level of activity, according to ACT Research Co.

The Iowa Department of Transportation is announcing the temporary closure of the undeveloped rest area at mile post 51 on southbound Interstate 35 in Warren County, Iowa, beginning Jan. 2.

China’s GDP decelerated to 7.4% in Q3, the slowest pace 2009, according to the most recent China Commercial Vehicle Outlook, jointly published quarterly by ACT and China’s State Information Center.

The report includes an overview of the China’s economy and a review and forecast of the country’s heavy- and medium-duty truck and bus markets, as well as analysis of OEM market shares within China.

As the holiday week opened, diesel prices continued their recent downward trend, while gasoline prices crept back upward.

The Department of Energy’s Information Administration reported a nationwide drop of 2.2 cents in the price of a gallon diesel earlier this week. The average price was $3.92 per gallon.

The Work Truck Show 2013 exhibit floor opens Wednesday, March 6, but attendees have the opportunity to take part in educational sessions the day before.

Blood sugar level 235

As the trucking industry continues to lure new drivers into the vocation with promises of high pay and an exciting career, the fact remains that with a pitiful average annual salary of just $38,000 and fourteen hour work days, a driver can easily work thousands of hours per year and only average a rate of just over $8.00 per hour.

Combine this with the lack of proper sleep and rest, poor choices in healthy meals availability, coupled with the overall social abnormalities of the lifestyle, it is no wonder that professional truck driving is considered by many health experts as one of the deadliest jobs in America.

As the industry focuses on the importance of moving the freight on time, drivers are pushed to grabbing high calorie, carbohydrate junk food for a quick snack, often having to eat it down while still running down the road.  Thanks to the 14 hour rule, it is estimated that diabetes among truck drivers is increasing.

When one searches for a guideline to proper blood sugar levels, various charts can be found with very different ranges, leaving many in a state of confusion:

• Source 1:

Fasting = 70-110

1 hour after meal = 90-150

2 hours after meal = 80-140

3 hours after meal = 60-110

This same source also advises the following “Acceptable” ranges:

Fasting = 60-120

1 hour after meal = 80-180

2 hours after meal = 70-150

3 hours after meal = 60-130

• Source 2:

Fasting = 80-140

1 hour after meal = 100-160

2 hours after meal = Less than 180

• Source 3:

Fasting = 70-100

2 hours after meal = 70-140

This source also provides changes in the blood sugar levels, depending on your age:

2 hours after meal:

• Less than 140 (50 and younger)
• Less than 150 (50-60)
• Less than 160 (60 and older)

A well-known leading source for diabetes list the normal fasting range as 70-130 but yet, if the reading is higher than 126, then a diagnosis of diabetes is made. After 1-2 hours of a meal, they show the range to be less than 180. They continue to state that during a “random” test, if the reading is 200 or higher, then diabetes is also diagnosed.

I decided to put these charts to the test and after taking my own personal fasting reading, my sugar level showed to be 112, placing me as “in control” in the above example as well as per source two, but not “in control” per source one and three, although according to source one, the 112 reading is “acceptable.”

One hour after eating a high sugar meal, my level came in at 235 and according to the above example as in all sources, placing me as high or “not in control.”  Two hours after eating, my level showed to be 127, “in control” by all above sources.

Finally, after three hours from my last meal, my blood glucose reading was 109, acceptable with all above sources . . . except by one final guideline.

Blood Glucose Levels Confusion

All of my readings, every single one, from fasting to three hours after a meal are shown to be high or “not in control” by yet another guideline provided by the American Truck Drivers Diabetes Association.

To wrap up the final results of my tests, my fasting reading failed per source one but at the same time, was “acceptable.” It also was acceptable via source two, but failed per source three and was fine with the leading source but failed with the ATDDA.

My one hour reading failed per all sources and the two and three hour readings were acceptable by all sources other than the ATDDA.

So what exactly are the normal control ranges for blood glucose levels in diabetics?  According to the ATDDA, the confusion lies with the attempt to separate normal blood sugar levels between diabetics and non-diabetics.

They contend that normal glucose levels are the same for both individuals:

Fasting = 70-90

1 hour after meal = 140 or less

2 hours after meal = 120 or less

3 hours after meal = Under 100

High blood sugar levels lead to the complications in diabetics, not having diabetes itself. These complications include heart and kidney disease, stroke, neuropathy, blindness and amputation.  Many of these varied guidelines are not as strict for maintaining lower blood sugar levels nor do they take into consideration the abnormal lifestyle of the professional trucker.

Blood sugar level 109

Following a guideline that is closer to what a diabetic’s blood sugar level should be, will greatly reduce the risks for these complications. One should be concerned with staying as close to the “normal” range as possible, with that range being outlined by the ATDDA.

© 2012, Allen Smith. All rights reserved.

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The Rubber Manufacturers Association forecasts that original equipment truck tire numbers will end 2012 up by more than 5%, but growth will be slower for 2013. Replacement truck tires, on the other hand, are predicted to fall this year but rise in 2013.

Increased demand for commercial trucks and trailers will boost OE medium/wide-base/heavy on-highway commercial truck tire shipments by more than 5% for 2012,

“Leveraging Technology for Quality Maintenance” is the theme of American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council’s 2013 Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition.

M & K Quality Truck Sales announced the promotion of Ted Pilecki to the position of chief operating officer for the company.

FleetPride Inc.has appointed Jeff Liaw as chief financial officer. Liaw will report to Chairman and CEO W.M. McGee.

Millard Refrigerated Services announced plans to develop and operate a new cold storage distribution facility in Charleston County, S.C.

“The facility will give us access to the world-class port in Charleston and provide an efficient hub for our customers along the East Coast and throughout the Southeast,” said Lance Larsen, president and CEO of Millard Refrigerated Services.

The average value of stolen freight tracked by FreightWatch spiked 77.6% September through November from the previous three-month period, with high-value electronics bucking an overall trend of fewer thefts.

In all the years I’ve been doing update articles for HDT, particularly on Class 1, 2 and 3 cargo vans, I’ve repeatedly asked execs at the truck builders about trends in engines.

After finishing a feature story for the January issue of Heavy Duty Trucking about the pending GHG14 rules, I’m more convinced than ever that this burdensome regulation is unadulterated politics, and will get industry nothing we wouldn’t have got already — for way less money.

A coalition of more than 100 local, state and national trade associations sent a letter to President Obama yesterday urging action to prevent an East and Gulf Coast port strike next week over intermodal container handling.

Federal truck safety regulators are looking for public comments on plans to toughen entry-level driver training requirements.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will host a listening session on the issue January 7 in Charlotte, N.C., at an American Bus Association meeting.

Johnson Controls Inc. filed an appeal Monday of last week’s court decision approving Wanxiang’s purchase of A123 Systems, the bankrupt hybrid battery supplier that supplies batteries for Navistar’s eStar and other electric vans.

AAA projects 93.3 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the year-end holidays, an increase of 1.6% over the 91.8 million people who traveled last year.

NAFA Fleet Management Association announced seven new fleet industry awards designed to recognize the best and brightest in the field. Winners will be announced during NAFA’s First Annual Fleet Excellence Awards Night on April 23

Navistar International Corp. appointed Dennis Mooney as group vice president, Global Product Development. Mooney succeeds Ramin Younessi, who is leaving Navistar to pursue other opportunities.

FTR Associates’ Shippers Conditions Index for October improved month-over-month by nearly two points to a reading of -5.0, but FTR analysts predict the pendulum will soon swing back toward the carriers’ side of the equation.

Virginia planning officials this week held open house meetings to get public input on a proposed multimodal North-South Corridor that would link I-95 with Dulles International Airport and could take pressure off the Capitol Beltway.

New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority board voted unanimously to approve a fare and toll increase for all MTA facilities. The new fare and toll rates go into effect on March 1, 2013.

Navistar International reported a worse fourth-quarter loss than expected, thanks in part to a spike in warranty costs along with the weakened truck demand affecting all truck makers.

The Lisle, Ill.-based truck and engine maker reported a fourth quarter 2012 net loss of $2.8 billion, or $40.13 per diluted share, compared to fourth quarter 2011 net income of $255 million, or $3.48 per diluted share.

The National Biodiesel Board, which represents more than 260 U.S. and international companies that produce and distribute renewable biodiesel fuel, is the newest allied member of the Diesel Technology Forum.

Polar Tank Trailer, a producer of dry and liquid bulk tank trailers, has hired Jim Bach as director of materials.

Randall McCauley drove his first truck at age 8, a 1940s GMC hauling hay on the farm in Barbour County, W.V.