Encompass™ Now Supports Oil Field Rules Along with Others

Neenah, WI – J. J. Keller’s Encompass™, the industry’s leading DOT compliance management tool, will now support the U.S. Oil Field logging exception through the use of Keller’s  Android-based EOBR system.

“The U.S. Oil Field exception is critical to effectively manage hours-of-service requirements in the oil and gas field industry,” said Rustin Keller, Vice President of Business Services for J. J. Keller. “Fleets can take advantage of the 24 hour off-duty reset of the 8-day period, and the ‘fifth line’ for time spent waiting at a well site.  Understanding this compliance is very difficult and our systems help eliminate both log audit headaches and DOT non-compliance fines.”

This feature is the latest addition to the Encompass system’s comprehensive database of 18 industry- and state-specific rule sets. The Department of Transportation reports that hours-of-service issues are the most commonly cited violations at roadside inspections, and the extensive support provided by Encompass and its E-Logs solution gives transportation professionals the tools they need to maintain compliance and avoid costly mistakes.

The rule sets currently supported in the Encompass EOBR/E-Log Solution include:

Federal:

• US Federal (60 and 70)
• US Oil Field
• CD Federal (Cycles 1 and 2)
• Intrastate:

Florida
Texas

Encompass also supports many additional Federal- and state-specific hours-of-service rules for the manual entry of driver logs.

Bob Larsen, Director of Business Services - Marketing for J. J. Keller, said, “J. J. Keller’s Encompass supports these unique state, federal and industry-specific rule sets at no additional cost. These complex calculations are developed and tested by J. J. Keller regulatory experts, so our customers "an relax in the knowledge that their fleets will remain compliant.”

About J. J. Keller’s Encompass™
J. J. Keller’s Encompass™ is the most comprehensive online system available for fleet compliance.  Fleets rely on Encompass to standardize critical functions such as hiring, driver qualification, training, licensing, hours of service, vehicle maintenance, fuel tax reporting, drug testing, tracking driver performance, and more. It integrates with Android™ devices and Windows laptops to automate E-Logs, electronic DVIRs, and in-cab performance reporting. These features are particularly significant, with the recent Congressional passing of the transportation bill that mandates all interstate trucks to maintain a record of duty status using electronic logging devices, to track their hours. To learn more about J. J. Keller’s Encompass, visit www.jjkellerencompass.com.

About J. J. Keller Business Services
J. J. Keller Business Services helps companies to reduce risk and improve regulatory compliance through online, outsource, and advisory services. The services support professionals in transportation, workplace safety, and human resources by helping them select the type of solution that makes sense to their operation. To learn more about J. J. Keller Business Services, visit www.jjkellerservices.com.  

For more information, or to obtain high-resolution images, contact:

Kathy Bowe
Marketing Communications Specialist
J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.®
(920) 967-7057
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

By Rip Watson, Senior Reporter
This story appears in the July 16 print edition of Transport Topics.

Second-quarter trucking earnings are expected to show that higher freight rates and lower fuel prices helped most publicly traded fleets notch better results than a year ago, analysts said. Earnings reports, which begin rolling in this week, are expected to rise at 21 of 27 carriers on a year-over-year basis, based on a Transport Topics review of analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg News. The increases should stretch across truckload, less-than-truckload, third-party logistics operators and include industry giant UPS Inc.

“There should be benefits from the decline in diesel prices,” Jason Seidl, a Dahlman Rose & Co. analyst told TT on July 10. “It’s always welcome when prices come down.” The diesel drop of about 40 cents per gallon, or 10%, from mid-May to late June lowers carrier expenses. Another benefit, Seidl said, is the catch-up in fuel surcharge recoveries for fleets whose collections were based on prices higher than what they actually paid for diesel as the price fell.

Trucking profits began to pick up late in 2009 as the recession eased, coinciding with the upturn in tonnage that has continued for 30 consecutive months on a year-to-year basis, according to American Trucking Associations. Less-than-truckload carriers’ results are expected to improve faster than their truckload counterparts because rates rose about 5% on average in the LTL business, while the average truckload rate increase was around 3%, Seidl said. Among LTL carriers, earnings are expected to rise the most at Saia Inc. and Con-way Inc. Saia’s profit is expected to more than double to $8.4 million, with Con-way projected to jump 34% to $37.7 million. Based on forecasts, earnings also should gain 12% at Old Dominion Freight Line and 33% at Roadrunner Transportation Systems, which is primarily an LTL company.

Only Arkansas Best Corp.’s LTL unit — ABF Freight System — is forecast to lag, with a 20% earnings decline to $4.1 million. Vitran Inc. is expected to re­verse the second-quarter 2011 loss and post a slight profit of about $160,000. Seidl said the LTL rate trend should accelerate following the latest round of widespread price increases, most at 6.9%, that appear to be generally accepted by shippers. At UPS, owner of the fourth-largest LTL carrier, where rates rose 5.9%, net income for the entire company as a whole is likely to climb 11% to $1.14 billion.

For truckload carriers, earnings are expected to show more modest increases, mostly in the 10%-to-20% range. For example, Swift’s net in­come is projected to rise 22% to $30.9 million and Werner Enterprises is pegged to climb 10% to $30.8 million. In addition, Landstar System is in line for net income of $34.9 million, up 19%, and a 15% gain is expected at Knight Transportation to $18.4 million. However, profits are expected to fall at truckload carriers Heartland Express, Covenant Transportation and USA Truck. Seidl said he expects more truckload carriers would follow Swift and announce pay increases that will dilute the effects of rate and diesel price changes.

While earnings are generally expected to increase, Seidl told TT there will be an intense focus on carrier commentary about July freight demand in light of disappointing reports about last month, which typically is the busiest of the quarter. “June demand was a real concern,” Seidl said, following freight levels that were “decent” in May. “It was weaker than many people thought it would be.”

ATA has not yet released June tonnage. May’s increase was 4.1%, but the trade group’s Chief Economist Bob Costello cautioned that the growth pace would soften as the year unfolded. A report from Thom Albrecht, a BB&T Capital Markets analyst, added a regional dimension to second-quarter demand, while noting that June was the quarter’s busiest month even though it lacked the freight surge seen last year.

“The Southeast and to a lesser extent the Northeast have been very busy, with the Southwest experiencing very tight capacity,” Albrecht’s report said.

“The Midwest has been inconsistent and even occasionally slow, while the West has been better than a year ago,” he added. “Western freight markets were quite weak until the third quarter of 2011.” Profits at third-party logistics companies also are expected to improve, including 6% higher profit of $115.7 million at C.H. Robinson Worldwide and 23% growth at both Echo Global Logistics and Hub Group. Only Pacer Inc.’s profit is predicted to fall in that sector. Ryder System Inc.’s earnings are expected to increase a modest 2% to $47.8 million, following the company’s announcement late last month that earnings will be tempered by lower demand.

Source: Transport Topics

TUCSON- If you're looking for a job, and you don't mind being on the road then here's some good news. Here in Tucson and across the country truck companies are searching for drivers.

It's a job that can take you on the road for weeks at a time and it seems less people are willing to make the sacrifice these days.

"It's not easy, it's hard on the family guy," says Douglas Prall, who owns HDS Trucking and operates a trucking school in Tucson.

Over the past couple of years he has also opened schools in Yuma and Phoenix, in anticipation of what is now a nationwide truck driver shortage. "If we had 20 drivers, we could put them to work today," Prall says.

Prall says the shortage is based on a few factors. They include baby boomers now retiring, a new law that places tougher standards on driving records and it's not your conventional job.

It's bad news for CTI Trucking Inc., based in Marana.

"We've been looking in areas near Benson, Safford, Tucson, Phoenix, Flagstaff, we're hiring everywhere," Senior VP Tom Jones says.

Jones says CTI currently has about 300 drivers, but could use 50 more. "We have more requests for demands of loads for deliveries than we can accept," Jones says.

The shortage is forcing companies to get creative. CTI offers to pay for trucking school, if the driver stays with them for a period of time. It can cost anwhere from $4,000 to $8,000.

They're also developing their marketing strategy. "We're advertising everywhere, billboards, anything we can do," Jones says.

"We hold open houses every other Saturday, where potential drivers can talk to recruiters," Prall says.

They know they have a long road ahead of them, but hope their efforts will bring people back to the industry.

The average salary for a truck driver in the first year is $35,000, but Prall says the pay is increasing to attract more applicants.

An article posted by DOT Secretary Ray LaHood on his Blog: Fast Lane

Since early April, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been working hard to protect our nation's most vulnerable passengers--young children--from the dangers of heatstroke.

Heatstroke is the leading cause of non-crash, vehicle related deaths for children under the age of 14, with at least 33 fatalities reported in 2011 alone. NHTSA's first-ever national campaign to prevent child heatstroke in cars seeks to save lives and spare America's families the heartache of a tragic loss.

As part of this nationwide effort, NHTSA Administrator David Strickland is in Raleigh, North Carolina today bringing this important safety campaign to the Wake Tech Public Safety Education campus, an innovative facility that trains fire and rescue personnel, EMS technicians, and others.

Safety is DOT's highest priority, and the safety of children is a special area of concern for this agency and this administration. So last year NHTSA intensified its involvement with a first-of-its-kind heatstroke roundtable and a series of town hall discussions in the states worst hit by heatstroke fatalities.

This year NHTSA is delivering on its promise to bring safety advocates, industry experts, and health and law enforcement professionals together for its public education campaign: "Where's baby? Look Before You Lock."

So far this summer, NHTSA has visited Texas, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Louisiana to raise awareness of the threat heatstroke presents.

Heatstroke

In addition to the deaths that get reported, serious injuries from heatstroke strike an unknown number of children each year, including permanent blindness, hearing loss, and brain injury. Children's bodies don't regulate heat the same way adults do; they heat up 4-5 times faster. When it is just 80 degrees outside, the inside temperature of a vehicle can reach dangerous levels in just minutes--even with the windows rolled down. So children are particularly susceptible to heatstroke in hot cars.

As Administrator Strickland will tell the audience at Wake Tech, "The safety community has the data, ideas, expertise, and determination to make a difference on this issue and prevent any more of these horrific deaths from ever occurring again.  But we need your help to make it happen."

And that means being mindful when you park your car. Never leave an infant or a young child unattended in a vehicle—even if the windows are partly open or the air conditioning is on. Always check the backseat before walking away from a parked vehicle. And if you see a child alone in a car, call the police immediately.

Parents Central

NHTSA features these tips and more on its Parents Central website. And I urge you not only to visit this site but to--please--share it with others, particularly parents, grandparents, and caregivers.

I thank NHTSA and its terrific partners like SafeKids Worldwide for this important initiative. But they can only do so much; the rest depends on you.

So please, when you're parking your vehicle, always look before you lock.

From Dean Cochran, Director of Driver Recruiting, TransAm Trucking, Inc.

The scammer is at it again.

We have received a few calls from truck driving schools the last two days stating that a Mark Henderson is making calls claiming that he works with TransAm and is looking for students and to have them call him at 786 459 3896. Then he ask the students to wire him $250.

Please  don’t ever give his number to your students or give him your students number. It is a scam that he has been working for many years now just switching the names of the trucking company every few days.

Freight Shipments Unchanged in May from April

The amount of freight carried by the for-hire transportation industry was unchanged in May from April, after a one-month rise, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ (BTS) Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) released today. The May 2012 index level (109.6) was 16.3 percent above the April 2009 low during the recession.

BTS, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that the level of freight shipments in May measured by the Freight TSI, 109.6, declined 3.8 percent from the level of December 2011 (114.0), which was the all-time high since 1990 when BTS’ TSI records began. See historical TSI data.

The Freight TSI measures the month-to-month changes in freight shipments by mode of transportation in ton-miles, which are then combined into one index. The index measures the output of the for-hire freight transportation industry and consists of data from for-hire trucking, rail, inland waterways, pipelines and air freight.

Analysis: The Freight TSI has shown little change since dropping in January from its December peak. The recent plateauing of the freight TSI since January appears to reflect slowing growth in the general economy. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth slowed to 1.9 percent in first quarter of 2012, from 3.0 percent in fourth quarter of 2011, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Changes in employment and personal income suggest that the slower growth continued in May, which is consistent with the lack of change in the freight TSI. Personal income grew by only 0.2 percent in May and April after higher growth in the previous four months, according to BEA, and total nonfarm employment grew by only 80,000 jobs in May for a second quarter monthly average of 75,000 new jobs, down from a monthly average of 226,000 new jobs in the first quarter, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Trend: Freight shipments in May 2012 (109.6) were at the fifth highest monthly level since the early recession month of July 2008 despite the 3.8 percent decline from its peak in December 2011 (114.0), which was the highest level in the 22-year history of the Freight TSI series. After dipping to a recent low in April 2009 (94.3) during the recession, freight shipments increased in 24 of the last 37 months, rising 16.3 percent during that period.

Index highs and lows: Freight shipments in May 2012 (109.6) rose 16.3 percent from the recent low in April 2009 during the recession (94.3). In April 2009, freight shipments were at their lowest level since June 1997 (92.3). The May 2012 level is down 3.8 percent from the historic freight shipment peak reached in December 2011 (114.0).

See Freight TSI Press Release for summary tables and additional data. See Transportation Services Index for historic data and methodology.

On April 20, 2012, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published proposed guidance in the Federal Register intended to assist medical examiners in diagnosing commercial motor vehicle drivers with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). FMCSA rescinded the guidance later that same day, claiming that it was premature and not intended for publication. FMCSA has been in the process of developing this guidance since the present direction to medical examiners on respiratory conditions (such as OSA) is widely regarded as vague and insufficient. In short, it directs the medical examiner to ensure that the driver does not have respiratory dysfunction likely to impair the driver’s ability to operate a CMV according to the examiner’s “professional judgment.”

FMCSA now anticipates publishing the new guidance later this year or perhaps early next year. Although FMCSA announced that the guidance document was published prematurely, ATA believes it will very closely resemble the final document when it is ultimately made public. The document released in April was based on a joint recommendation by two agency federal advisory committees: the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee and the Medical Review Board. The proposed (and subsequently withdrawn) guidance is summarized below:

Certifying drivers:

A medical examiner may certify a driver if the individual:
1) Does not exhibit symptoms of OSA suggesting that a sleep study is warranted; or
2) Has been diagnosed with mild OSA with an apnea-hypopnea index¹ (AHI) of 20 or less² AND the driver reports no symptoms of excessive daytime sleepiness, (note: treatment is not required if AHI is 20 or less); or
3) Has OSA that is being effectively treated.³

Driver who should be tested for sleep apnea:

Medical examiners should refer a driver for a sleep study if the individual:
1) Has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 35 or more kg/m² or
2) Has a BMI of 20 or more and, in the judgment of the medical examiner, exhibits other conditions that are likely to indicate the patient suffers from OSA, including: a small or recessed jaw, a small airway, a neck of greater than or equal to 17 inches (males) or 15.5 inches (female), hypertension (treated or untreated), Type 2 diabetes (treated or untreated), or hypothyroidism (untreated). The guidance states that the following conditions are also indicative of possible OSA, but not as strongly indicative of those listed previously: a BMI of greater than or equal to 28 kg/m², age 42 or older, a family history of OSA, being male or a post-menopausal woman, or being involved in a single-vehicle crash... Read the Full Document.

The trucking industry is having difficulty finding drivers. CNN's Athena Jones reports

On July 11, 2012, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Deputy Administrator Bill Bronrott testified about the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program before the U.S. House of Representative’s Committee on Small Business. Deputy Bronrott’s written testimony discusses CSA’s safety benefits and its impact on small businesses, and is posted on FMCSA’s Website. Some of the key points of the testimony are listed below:

• Independent analysis indicates the CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) is a significant improvement over prior systems to effectively meet FMCSA’s Congressional mandate to investigate high-risk carriers.
• The CSA SMS is effectively monitoring the motor carrier industry. The 200,000 carriers with sufficient data to be scored in the SMS are involved in 93% of the crashes reported to FMCSA.
• The CSA SMS is not biased against small business. While carriers with 5 or less power units make up over 85% of the industry, 93% of these small carriers do not score poorly in any area of the SMS.
• Analysis of the CSA interventions model demonstrated an overall 35% increase in the number of carriers reached per Safety Investigator. CSA uses Onsite Focused Investigations and warning letters, which are effective in improving compliance and less intrusive and time-consuming for motor carriers.
• From CSA rollout in December 2010 until the end of 2011, violations per roadside inspection declined by 8% and driver violations per inspection declined by 12%. This the most significant improvement in violation rates in the last 10 years.

The Agency is committed to continuous improvement of the CSA program. In fact, five proposed enhancements to SMS are currently being previewed by motor carriers based on specific industry and enforcement personnel feedback since SMS rollout in December 2010. These proposed enhancements are outlined in the Federal Docket Management System and were the topic of a recent public webinar series held by the Agency. Overall, 670 participants listened in, many of whom have expressed positive feedback. The presentation is now available to everyone on the CSA Website.

The CSA program has already shown many safety benefits and FMCSA will continue finding ways to make our roads safer.