Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2020:
Former South Bend, Indiana, mayor and presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg will be nominated to lead the DOT under the Biden Administration.President-elect Biden picks former mayor Buttigieg to run DOT
Former presidential hopeful and South Bend, Indiana, mayor Pete Buttigieg will head up the Department of Transportation under the Joe Biden administration, President-elect Biden confirmed Tuesday night. The post would be the 38-year-old Buttigieg’s first federal position should he be confirmed by the Senate to replace Elaine Chao, who assumed office Jan. 31, 2017.
Buttigieg ran against President-elect Biden in the Democratic primary and won the first caucus in Iowa before dropping out of the race soon thereafter and endorsing Biden.
“Innovation in transportation helped build my hometown, and it propels our country,” Buttigieg tweeted Tuesday night in response to his formal nomination. “Now is the time to build back better through modern and sustainable infrastructure that creates millions of good-paying union jobs, revitalizes communities, and empowers all Americans to thrive.”
In January, Buttigieg proposed a $1 trillion infrastructure plan had he been named the Democratic Party’s nominee and won the election. Tax reforms and repealing Trump’s tax cuts would be used to help pay for the plan, Politico reported at the time.
Part of his proposed plan at the time was to require DOT to propose a vehicle miles tax (VMT) to replace the gas tax to help fund the Highway Trust Fund. His plan also included provisions for road safety to work toward reducing traffic fatalities, Politico reported.
The Biden Administration is expected to officially announce Buttigieg’s nomination to the Secretary of Transportation post in the coming days.
Love’s rebrands maintenance network, opens 400th Truck Care
Love’s Travel Stops announced it has officially changed the name of its truck maintenance network from Love’s Truck Tire Care to Love’s Truck Care to reflect “the evolution and complete capabilities of Love’s Truck Care and Speedco centers across the United States.”
The company also announced the opening of its 400th truck care center with the opening of a Speedco in Marion, Illinois, this week. Love’s Truck Care started in 2008.
“In just over a decade, we’ve grown to be the nation’s largest and most comprehensive preventive maintenance and total truck care network, providing coverage 24-hours a day, 365 days a year with more than 1,500 maintenance bays across the country,” said Gary Price, executive vice president of Truck Care for Love’s. “We want to thank our customers for trusting us with their tire, oil change, roadside coverage and other preventive care needs.”
NEW REFRIGERANT OPTION FOR REEFERS | Carrier Transicold has begun offering reefer haulers R-452A next-gen refrigerant as an option for new and existing equipment. Starting in the first quarter of 2021, purchasers can spec R-452A on all the company’s trailer and truck-equipment orders. Reefer units with R-452A have performance comparable to Carrier units with R-404A, the traditional transport refrigerant, in terms of refrigerant capacity, pulldown, fuel efficiency and reliability, the company says, yet about half of the “global warming potential” (GWP). The California Air Resource Board (CARB) has proposed prohibiting high-GWP refrigerants on new transport refrigeration equipment starting in 2022. Additionally, Canada has banned high GWP refrigerants for new transport refrigeration starting in 2025. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved the use of R-452A for transport applications but has not prohibited continued use of R-404A. Carrier units already in service, the company adds, if they have an electronic expansion valve, require only an operating software update.J.B. Hunt adds temperature-controlled services to 360 platform
J.B. Hunt has added temperature-controlled transportation services to its Shipper 360 platform, allowing shippers to select from carriers using the J.B. Hunt 360 platform to haul temperature-controlled goods.
More than 10,000 carriers using J.B. Hunt 360 will offer temperature-controlled delivery services. Shippers will be able to select from a variety of temperature ranges when using Shipper 360 to create a shipment, which can be booked in the platform.
