Fleet Owner

Deborah Whistler

Articles by Deborah Whistler

Odyne Systems awarded plug-in hybrid system contract

Odyne Systems of Waukesha, WI, has received a contract to supply its plug-in hybrid system technology to about 120 large plug-in hybrid trucks under a $45 million contract the Electric Power Research Institute in Palo Alto, CA.

The funding is a part of a federal Dept. of Energy initiative supporting electric vehicle commercialization. The South Coast Air Quality Management District in Southern California is also a partner in the project.

Trucker who risked life to rescue motorist named Highway Angel

Adam Phillips of Portage, IN — a driver for Ruan Transportation Management Systems — has been named a Highway Angel by the Truckload Carriers Assn. (TCA) after risking his own life to pull an injured man from a flaming car.

On March 21, 2013, at about 2:10 a.m., Phillips was running his normal overnight shift hauling milk along I-65 in Johnson County, IN, when traffic suddenly came to a screeching halt.

Trucking companies challenge L.A. port rail project

Six trucking companies sued the city of Los Angeles and its Harbor Commission, claiming they abused powers of eminent domain and violated environmental law to force the trucking operations off land in order to build a $500 million rail yard near the Port of Los Angeles.

The lawsuits challenge the city’s May 8 approval of a BNSF Railway final environmental review, and its issuance of a permit for the Southern California International Gateway project, according to a Courthouse News Service report.

Mobile phone app coming for tolling at Detroit Windsor Tunnel

Drivers using the Detroit Windsor Tunnel will soon be able to use a mobile phone app brand named NEXPRESS Pay As You Go. The app generates a unique QR-code that can be read by a scanner, according to a TollRoad News report.

NEXPRESS Pay As You Go is an alternate to a NEXPRESS proximity card based toll payment in use at the border for several years.

OSHA targets industrial truck safety

OSHA is launching a new program in Idaho that will emphasize safety when working with industrial trucks like forklifts and lift trucks. Investigations will begin this month identifying and evaluating hazards associated with using these trucks.

Maryland tolls increase up to 50% on July 1

Maryland toll rates are rising July 1 as part of the second stage of a two-stage set of hikes approved by the Maryland Toll Authority board Sept. 22, 2011. Tolls were previously raised Nov. 1 2011, but before that had been frozen for over a decade, according to a TollRoad News report.

FMCSA orders New Mexico truck driver off the road

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has declared New Mexico-licensed truck driver Bobby C. Cleveland to be an imminent hazard to public safety and has ordered him not to operate any commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce. Cleveland was served the federal orders May 4, 2013.

Traffic accidents spike along Washington bridge detour routes

Mount Vernon, WA, one of the communities impacted by the Skagit River Bridge collapse caused when a semi truck’s oversized load struck the span, has seen a huge uptick in traffic accidents due to detours around the closed span.

Mount Vernon had 75 crashes the first week after the bridge collapse, and police found that 26 of those wrecks were directly tied to detours around the bridge, according to a KOMO News report.

FMCSA shuts down Colorado-based car hauler

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has ordered Aurora, CO-based trucking company GD Cars, Inc., a used car and truck transportation company, to immediately cease all operations, declaring that its vehicles and drivers pose an imminent hazard to public safety.

EEOC sues Illinois trucking firm for religious discrimination 1

Star Transport, Inc., a trucking company based in Morton, IL, was charged with violating federal law by failing to accommodate two employees because of their religion, Islam, and discharging them, according to an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) lawsuit filed on May 29.

The lawsuit alleged that Star Transport refused to provide two employees with an accommodation of their religious beliefs when it terminated their employment because they refused to deliver alcohol.

Trucking company owners sentenced for $800,000 scheme to defraud boat manufacturer

Tammy Dickinson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that the owners of a Lebanon, MO, trucking company have been sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy to defraud Tracker Marine, a Springfield, MO.-based manufacturer of boats and trailers sold throughout North America.

TCA webinar will highlight the Do’s and Don’ts of social media 1

The Truckload Carriers Assn. has announced it will hold a webinar June 27 from noon to 1:30 p.m. ET focusing on the Do’s and Don’ts of social media designed for motor carrier sales and marketing personnel.

Left-lane truck ban expanding in Texas

The Texas Transportation Department plans to nearly double the number of highway miles in Dallas-Fort Worth where vehicles with three or more axles are banned from the left lane beginning this summer, the Star-Telegram reported.

Construction begins on Chicago area toll road project

The Illinois Tollway is moving ahead on construction of the Elgin O’Hare Western Access project following final approvals by the state legislature, according to a Tollroads News report. The $3.4 billion project will connect the Addams I-90 and the Tristate I-294 Tollways along the western side of the airport, and provide a new link to the west — about 11 miles of 2x3 lane toll expressway in total.
The project involves:

North Dakota unveils $878 million worth of construction

The North Dakota Dept. of Transportation unveiled its $878 million construction program for this year, the largest in the state’s history and is urging motorists to use caution when traveling in construction zones, especially on dangerous stretches of “Oil Patch” roads in the western part of the state.