Saudi Arabia — the world’s largest exporter of crude oil — curbed output last month, according to OPEC delegates, following signs that the kingdom couldn’t find enough buyers to justify elevated rates of production.

The fear is China friction related to higher tariffs will slow global economic growth and reduce fuel demand.

Article Courtesy of Transport Topics

“The Saudis are sending clear signals on their desired price range,” Mike Wittner, head of oil market research at Societe Generale SA, told Bloomberg News. “When the concern was prices getting too low, they unexpectedly trimmed output.”

Saudi Arabia — the world’s largest exporter of crude oil — curbed output last month, according to OPEC delegates, following signs that the kingdom couldn’t find enough buyers to justify elevated rates of production.

The fear is China friction related to higher tariffs will slow global economic growth and reduce fuel demand.

Article Courtesy of Transport Topics

Crude oil futures trading on the New York [...]

With today marking four months since full enforcement of the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate, a number of truck drivers still say there are problems with ELDs in use and the federal Hours of Service (HOS) rules that are their foundation.

This has never been much of a honeymoon. After Fleetowner’s recent articles noted that large percentages of drivers and fleets don’t believe ELDs are good for the transportation industry or are making trucks safer, we got another big dose or three of feedback.

Despite the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) adjustment of more leeway in what can be counted as personal conveyance—a driving status that can allow a truck driver to operate a commercial motor vehicle outside of the HOS on-duty drive time constraints—scores of drivers say more must be done.

FMCSA helped with one big problem many truck drivers complained of: running out of available drive time while delivering or picking up a load and then [...]

Cummins has instituted a voluntary recall of roughly 500,000 model-year 2010-2015 engines, according to an announcement from the U.S. EPA. The recall involves faulty emissions systems components that cause the engines to fall out of compliance with federal emissions regulations.

The trucks and engines under the voluntary recall have seen degradation of their selective catalytic reduction systems, according to financial reports issued by Cummins. SCR systems are the exhaust aftertreatment components that use diesel exhaust fluid to curb emissions of nitrogen oxides and greenhouse gases. All manufacturers of engines for Class 8 trucks use SCR and DEF in their emissions-control systems. Engine makers adopted the technology in 2010 to meet that year’s emissions hurdles

In financial reports issued for the 2017 fiscal year and for the first quarter of 2018, Cummins noted that the EPA and the California Air [...]

Ever felt like your trucking business was careening down an ice-covered mountain in ‘Georgia overdrive’? (That’s in ‘neutral’ for the younger truckers out there.) Many of us have wondered, “What was I thinking when I bought this #%&! truck? Now what?”

Well, to make it to the bottom in one piece, you’ll need to run smart.

For the majority of truckers and small motor carriers, even as the rates have improved, costs are still increasing. We’re left wondering what catastrophe is around the next bend. How are the threatened tariffs with our nation’s trading partners going to impact the freight we haul? And how can we plan for it?

As any great football coach knows, when the team’s behind and the opposition is first and goal on the 10-yard-line, he must return to the basics to turn the game around. We need to do the same—return to the basics of trucking, the basics of how [...]

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office has begun the process of implementing legislation that was signed into law regarding tow services in Charles County. House Bill 1320, which passed in March 2017 and was initiated by Sergeant Jon Burroughs of the CCSO Traffic Operations Unit, ensures oversight and regulation of towing operations within Charles County. In order to operate within Charles County, tow companies must now complete and submit the application for tow service operating in Charles County, MD.

To be considered for a permit, tow companies should visit the Charles County Sheriff’s Office website to download, print, and fill out the application and read through the county tow regulations.For a Level 1 Application, which covers only consensual tow services, the fee is $250. For a Level 2 Application, which covers consensual and non-consensual tow services, the fee is $500. All fees will need [...]