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Here are the 10 most read stories on the Transports Topics site in 2021, based on Google Analytics. In contrast to 2020, when eight of the top 10 stories were directly related to the COVID-19 epidemic, only one story in 2021 had a direct link. Two others, however, were related to the vague supply chain exposed during the plague. Two of the top 10 stories were about TFI’s acquisition of Uber Freight, a year in which there were many mergers and acquisitions. For more coverage of trucking in 2021, see the 2021 survey.
No. 1: Officials call for a $ 202,000 towing account A textbook is an example of fraud
By Eric Miller, Senior Writer
Goochland County Fire Department Rescue via Facebook
A Wisconsin mover got a big surprise when one of his tractors hauling a cheese truck had to be pulled out of a ditch on I-64 in central Virginia: a $ 202,000 evacuation and towing bill.
“We all fell off our chairs,” said Eric van Handel, president of Kaukauna Airlines, Visna, when he saw the bill. He immediately suspected that he was being overpaid for removal and towing which he claimed were quite routine. He keeps a copy of the August 23, 2020 invoice on his office’s bulletin board to entertain his visitors.
“They do not believe,” Van Handel told Transport Topics.
Jennifer Vironi, executive director of the National Board of Accounting and Finance of American Trucking Associations, called the invoice an example of a textbook of outrageous payment for “just a simple tow.” The conscience.
remarkable: Readers spent more time on this story from March 11 than on any other in the top 10.
No. 2: FMCSA issues an emergency statement for June 8 due to a cyber attack on the pipeline
By Eugene Molero, Senior Writer
Wendeland Carolyn / Getty Images
The Federal Vehicle Safety Administration provides emergency relief and repair service hours for carriers and drivers assisting operations related to refined oil supply networks on the East Coast following a cyber attack against a colonial pipeline, which has extensive operations across multiple operations. Countries.
The agency issued a statement of emergency assistance on May 9, noting that the relief will be in effect until June 8 or until officials determine the emergency is over.
The statement covers operations in Alabama, Arkansas, Washington, D.C., Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. .
remarkable: This May 9 story raised cyber security concerns. Groups representing different infrastructure sectors have called for strong methods of protecting the country’s transport and mobility networks.
No. 3: TFI International completes acquisition of UPS freight
By Dan Ronen and Conor D. Wolf, Team Writers
UPS by John Sommers II Transportation Issues
TFI International has completed the previously announced acquisition of UPS Freight, the company said on April 30.
The UPS division, which focuses on less-than-cargo and dedicated shipments, was acquired by TFI in a $ 800 million deal announced in January.
TFI, a Montreal-based transportation and logistics company, said about 90 percent of the businesses acquired will operate independently within its LTL sector under the new name TForce Freight. The former dedicated UPS Freight truck assets will be integrated into the TFI cargo segment.
As part of the deal, TFI entered into a five-year contract for the use of UPS’s local package delivery network.
remarkable: This May 3 story combined with number 5 in 10 had more reader views than story number 1. 2021 was a particularly busy year for mergers and acquisitions.
No. 4: Failures in the diesel exhaust fluid sensor at the side edges of thousands of trucks
By Eric Miller, Senior Writer
jacquesdurocher / Getty Images
It is estimated that a continuing shortage of spare parts for failed diesel emission fluid quality sensors is causing thousands of trucks across the country to be disabled and parked.
The sensors, which measure the quality and level of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) in a tank, are typically sold for about $ 300. But because of a shortage of global computer chips that is accumulating, the part is being offered for sale – in some cases on digital retail sites like eBay – for up to $ 7,000, according to some industry technicians.
“It’s part of the global chip shortage,” Paul Anos, CEO of the Nevada Trucking Association, told Transport Topics. “We see trucks parked across the country. Only here in Nevada are 300 trucks parked waiting for quality level sensors. “
remarkable: This September 9 story was one of two related to the vague supply chain that was in part a result of the plague. Software fixes for the problem soon came out of truck manufacturers.
Number 5: TFI buys UPS freight for $ 800 million
By Conor D. Wolf, team reporter
Transport issues
TFI International Inc. Acquires UPS Freight in a $ 800 million deal that company leaders say matches the personal and shared goals of their businesses.
As part of the deal, announced on January 25, the UPS Freight business of less than cargo will operate independently within TFI’s LTL business sector under its new name, TForce Freight, while the dedicated cargo side will join TFI’s business sector.
The companies are also entering into an agreement under which TForce Freight will continue to use UPS’s local package network to fill shipments for a period of five years. TForce Freight, in turn, will continue to serve UPS’s LTL ongoing distribution needs, TFI CEO Alan Bader told Transport Topics.
remarkable: This story from January 25th combined with number 3 in 10 had more views from readers than story number 1.
No. 6: New Law 7/3 for a split sleep inhibitor seems slow to gain popularity
By Eric Miller, Senior Writer
EpicVue
Veteran owner-operator truck driver Gary Box says splitting dock time may have some benefits, but to be honest he finds it quite confusing.
“I use a lot of the 8/2 split,” Box said at a listening meeting of the 2018 Federal Vehicle Safety Administration in Dallas. “It can be hard – math can be hard.”
He uses computer software to help him understand how splitting the sleeping berth affects his 14-hour workday.
“As an officer once told me, you have to be Einstein to make your diary,” Box said. “Many of us who are in this business know this.”
Gear forward two years later – as things change and as they appear to remain the same: an amendment to the Hours of Service Act (HOS) which went into effect on 29 September introduced a new 7/3 distribution in the mix as an alternative to meet 10 hours of freedom in the sleeper dock. It can also be a bit confusing.
Which may explain – at least in part – why regulators and technology experts hear that the new 7/3 split seems to be slow to take over in the trucking industry. Even on the internet boards, where truck drivers are debating about their day problems, questions about the 7/3 division are common.
remarkable: This February 2 story focused on drivers. Other topics that included drivers included vision standards and drug tests.
No. 7: LTL Carrier Yellow hires 1,500 new drivers
By Dan Ronen, Partner News Editor
Yellow Corp.
Yellow Company is launching a driver training initiative that aims to bring up to 1,500 new drivers to the trucking industry.
“We need to bring more talented men and women into the trucking industry,” Darren Hawkins, CEO of Overland Park, Cannes, told Transport Topics earlier this month after the company changed its company name from YRC around the world. “Many Americans are looking. Start a new career, and those are good jobs with competitive advantages in the community closest to you. “
According to an announcement on February 22, the company will offer an eight-week CDL training program in 12 locations.
Yellow said students will study in class 40 hours a week during a four-week paid training program, with a guide that will prepare them for Class A CDL skills and a road test of the appropriate state. If the student is not home during the program, Yellow will provide payment for travel and lodging. After completing the program, there are four more weeks of training at the driver’s home terminal.
“We are growing our CDL drivers,” Hawkins said, adding, “2021 is going to be a year of growth for us.”
remarkable: This story from February 22 was one of many this year that highlighted the shortage of drivers nationwide.
No. 8: Fear of border congestion due to a change in vaccine requirements in January
By Dan Ronen, Partner News Editor
Paul Sensia / AP
The flow of cargo between the United States and its neighbors Canada and Mexico is likely to slow down starting in January, as all three countries will adopt stricter vaccination requirements against COVID-19 for cross-border truck traffic.
“All incoming foreign passengers seeking entry into the U.S. through land entry points or ferry terminals – whether for essential or non-essential reasons – must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide vaccine-related proof,” the U.S. newsletter said. Department of Homeland Security. While the November 23 announcement only said the restrictions would be adopted in January, they are expected to take effect on January 22.
The DHS rule applies to non-U.S. citizens crossing the country.
remarkable: This December 2 story was the only one in the top 10 that was directly related to the epidemic.
No. 9: Congestion, slowdown in ports cause growing concern
By Dan Ronen, Partner News Editor
Patrick T. Fallon / Bloomberg News
Many state ports, especially on the West Coast, report long delays in unloading cargo ships, and warehouses near these facilities fill up when supply chains are laden with goods.
This is the result of retailers seeing an increase in e-commerce purchases and significant changes in spending patterns of consumers and businesses in the US.
“This is truly the perfect storm,” supply chain and logistics expert Mirko Wiczyk told Resilience360 in Cologne, Germany, in an interview with Transport Topics.
“There are so many factors contributing to this. There are so many different interests between truck drivers, carriers, port operators and then put the COVID situation into it, the huge demand and the previous huge drop in demand six months ago. It probably won’t be resolved until Chinese New Year. , Mid-February 2021 “.
Usually, then there is a lull in shipping because factories in Southeast Asia have been closed for several weeks.
remarkable: This September 9 story was one of two related to the vague supply chain that was in part a result of the plague. Despite the congestion, on the east and west coasts and in the ports along the Gulf of Mexico, container volumes have skyrocketed.
No. 10: Arkansas is forced to close after a multimillion-dollar ruling
By Eric Miller, Senior Writer
Randy Clifton
During last year’s Valentine’s Day dinner, Randy Clifton and his wife Karin decided on the fate of the moving company that had been Randy’s pride and joy for a decade.
The odds were stacked against the third-generation truck driver. That same month the bank froze its credit line and its insurance costs doubled, The result of a multimillion-dollar jury verdict for a 2015 accident that involved a truck and driver of a motor carrier that Clifton’s company, RCX Solutions Inc., brokered to tow a load of cosmetics in an RCX trailer.
“We agreed, we finished,” Clifton said of the couple’s fateful dinner discussion of the years-long legal battle over the incident. “We fought it, we got tired of it. We’ll just have to close it.” He added, “We had families of truck drivers and 12 people in the office. One accident affected a lot of people.”
The supplier closed on March 1, 2020.
remarkable: This March 24 story highlighted the implications of “nuclear rulings” against carriers. Other legal issues this year have included efforts to curb staged accidents.
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