Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Sept. 14, 2020:
COVID-19 emergency declaration extended through year’s end
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Friday announced it is extending its COVID-19 emergency declaration, which suspends hours of service regulations for certain haulers, through Dec. 31.
The declaration was issued following President Trump’s declaration of national emergency in March. It has been extended several times and was most recently set to expire Sept. 14. The suspension of Parts 390 through 399 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations applies to the transportation of the following:
- Livestock and livestock feed
- Medical supplies and equipment related to the testing, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19
- Supplies and equipment necessary for community safety, sanitation and prevention of community transmission of COVID-19, such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, soap and disinfectants
- Food, paper products and other groceries for emergency restocking of distribution centers or stores
FMCSA says the waiver does not cover “routine commercial deliveries, including mixed loads with a nominal quantity of qualifying emergency relief added to obtain the benefits of this emergency declaration.”
Nearly 1,100 Peterbilt, Kenworth trucks recalled
Paccar announced last week it is recalling more than 1,000 Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks equipped with Watson and Chalin steerable lift axle suspension systems, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents.
The recall affects approximately 1,097 model year 2020-2021 Peterbilt 348, 365, 367, 389, 520, 567 and Kenworth T800, T880, W900, W990 trucks.
According to the recall, the axles in affected trucks may have lower rear pivot bolts that are not long enough to sufficiently engage the locking feature of the corresponding nuts. The short screws could cause the hardware to separate from the suspension system and become road hazards.
Paccar will notify owners, and dealers will inspect suspect chassis and replace the pivot bolts if necessary. Owners can contact Kenworth customer service at 1-425-828-5888 with recall number 20KWC or Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4220 with recall number 20PBE. NHTSA’s recall number is 20V-506.
The winner of the Transition Trucking award will walk away with a fully-loaded Kenworth T680.10 finalists announced for top rookie military veteran trucker award
Fastport has named its 10 finalists for the Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence award, which recognizes the top rookie military veteran truck driver. The program recognizes top drivers who have made the successful transition from active duty military to driving a truck.
The winner of the award will receive a Kenworth T680 with a 76-inch sleeper that’s powered by a Paccar MX-13 and Paccar 12-speed automated transmission with Paccar 40K tandem axles.
The top three finalists program will be announced later this month in an online event, and the winner will be determined by a popular vote and will be announced on Dec. 18, 2020.
The 10 finalists for the award are:
- Patrick Blevins – U.S. Air Force, Melton Truck Lines
- Matthew Fowler – U.S. Marines, EPES Transportation
- Ivan Hernandez – U.S. Army, Werner Enterprises
- Gail Losee – U.S. Army, Stevens Transport
- Marcia Luchenbill – U.S. Army, Knight Transportation
- Shaun Mason – U.S. Army and Marines, Prime Inc.
- Ray Miller – U.S. Army, Stevens Transport
- John Shepard – U.S. Army, Roehl Transport
- Kyle Smith – U.S. Air Force, Averitt Express
- Wade Wanner – U.S. Navy, U.S. Xpress
“Our 10 finalists represent a wide variety of military branches and occupations and are excellent examples of what military talent can bring to the trucking industry,” said Brad Bentley, Fastport president. “Culling the list of nominees to the top 10 was a difficult task, one not taken lightly. These finalists are outstanding and truly show the best of the best.”
Drivers were nominated by trucking companies that made a hiring commitment and pledge to hire veterans, by members of the National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools, or a Commercial Vehicle Training Association-member school.
Convoy offering discounts on fuel, trucks and trailers, ELDs and more
Through a network of partnerships, digital broker Convoy announced Monday it has launched a new program, TruckYeah Savings, to offer small fleets and owner-operators discounts on fuel, truck and trailer purchases, tires, maintenance and an ELD system.
For the full list of available discounts, visit Convoy’s list here.
