Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024:
After a truck's bridge strike in Chicago, looters made off with packages
A UPS truck struck a bridge, peeling the roof off of the trailer and leaving it exposed to at least a dozen looters who ran off with packages on Friday in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood.
"On the 2100 block of South Kedzie Avenue at approximately 10:46 a.m.," the UPS truck "struck a viaduct causing damage to the vehicle," the Chicago Police Department told Overdrive. "After relocating the vehicle, approximately 12-15 offenders began to remove miscellaneous packages from the vehicle."
A media relations representative from UPS said that "the driver is OK and we're working with authorities, and will refer any additional questions to them."
As of Monday, CPD said "no offenders are in custody at this time and no citations have been issued."
Fox 32 captured video of the damaged truck.
The damaged trailer that was looted in Chicago on Friday.Fox 32
[Related: Bridge strike leads to shutdown for Canadian fleet]
FMCSA extends comment period for guidance review
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is giving trucking stakeholders an additional two weeks to comment on its notice announcing the agency will review its existing guidance documents to evaluate their continued necessity and whether they should be updated or eliminated.
In August, FMCSA published a notice asking the public to help identify and provide input on guidance documents that are good candidates to be updated or removed.
The comment period was initially set to close Sept. 12. With the extension, the comment period is now open through Sept. 26. Comments can be filed here.
FMCSA said it received a comment from the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance requesting that the agency extend the comment period by 60 days. CVSA said 30 days was “not an adequate amount of time to provide substantive, meaningful feedback to the agency on the more than 1,300 individual guidance documents in FMCSA’s Guidance Portal.”
The agency noted that while only granting a two-week extension, public comments can be provided at any time on FMCSA guidance.
In its original notice, FMCSA specifically asked commenters to provide the following information:
- A specific reference to the guidance document and associated statutes or regulations that the comment discusses, including the title or subject, date of issuance, guidance docket number if available, web address of guidance location, or other source of the guidance document. If available, the reference should include citations to the associated statutes (e.g., FAST Act) or regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations.
- A description of the problem with the specific guidance document explaining why the document should be revised or removed. Comments that reflect experience with the guidance or a related statutory or regulatory requirement and provide data describing that experience are more helpful than comments that are not tied to direct experience.
- A description of alternatives that are better than the specific guidance document.
- Examples of entities that are, have been, or will be negatively affected by the specific guidance document and examples of entities that will benefit if the guidance is removed or revised.
[Related: FMCSA guidance: What needs an update or removal?]
Iowa issues harvest proclamation for certain ag haulers
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has issued a proclamation relating to the weight limits and transportation of grain, fertilizer, and manure.
The proclamation is effective immediately and continues through Oct. 9, unless extended. It allows trucks transporting corn, soybeans, hay, straw, silage, stover, fertilizer (dry, liquid, and gas), and manure (dry and liquid) to be overweight (up to 90,000 pounds gross weight) without a permit.
The waiver applies to loads transported on non-interstate highways within Iowa that do not exceed a maximum of 90,000 pounds gross weight, do not exceed the maximum axle weight limit determined under Iowa Code by more than 12.5%, do not exceed the legal maximum axle weight limit of 20,000 pounds, and comply with posted limits on roads and bridges.
[Related: Wyoming to issue emergency relief permits to livestock feed/livestock haulers]
Wisconsin Mack dealer expands with acquisition
Mack Trucks announced Tuesday that its long-standing dealer, Kriete Truck Centers, has expanded its operations through a strategic acquisition of La Crosse Truck Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
"We're encouraged by Kriete Truck Centers' continued growth and investment in the Mack brand," said Jonathan Randall, president of Mack Trucks North America. "The acquisition of the Mack franchise in La Crosse reinforces Kriete's commitment to providing exceptional products and support to our customers.”
Headquartered in Milwaukee and with 10 locations across Wisconsin, Kriete, with this acquisition, will now sell and service Mack trucks in both La Crosse and Mauston, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to supporting customers in the Upper Midwest, the company said. As part of this acquisition, LaCrosse Truck Center operations are being consolidated into Kriete’s current facility in nearby West Salem, Wisconsin.
“We’re super excited about the significant lift this brings to our ability to serve customers in this area,” said David Kriete, president and CEO of Kriete Truck Centers ADK. “Bringing our two amazing teams together -- and in the process doubling our technician count and doubling our parts inventory -- gives us a tremendous opportunity to enhance customer experience and grow market share.”
Kriete’s La Crosse-area location is also set to become a Mack Certified Uptime Dealer (CUD) by the end of the year. CUDs meet stringent requirements to amplify customer service and uptime. Redesigned service bays along with standardized workflows and processes at Mack Certified Uptime Dealers permit quicker repairs and improved customer service, Mack noted. “Uptime bays” reserved specifically for trucks requiring less than four hours of work for service and repairs also enable the rapid diagnosis and repair of vehicles, increasing dealership efficiency and improving customer ROI.
[Related: EPA 2027 diesel emissions regs: Class 8 truck price hikes in the offing]
