ELD Mandate Update: FMCSA Gives Further Detail about ‘Grandfather Clause’
Does the Grandfather Clause Affect You?
According to a guidance issued in February by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Automatic Onboard Recording Devices can be used to remain compliant with the Electronic Logging Device mandate until December 16, 2019. The two-year extension is due to the “grandfather clause” that is included in the ELD mandate.
However, the grandfather clause comes with a couple stipulations:
• In order to qualify for the December 2019 extension, new commercial vehicles installed with an AOBRD must replace an old vehicle. If an older vehicle is not being replaced, the newer vehicle must be installed with an ELD instead.
• New vehicles purchased after December 18, 2017 must be installed with an ELD. After December 18, 2017, it does not matter if an old vehicle is being replaced.
AOBRDs [...]
SmartLINQ – Peterbilt’s Built-In Monitoring System
Here to Help You Stay on the Road
SmartLINQ is a factory installed diagnostic system in all new Peterbilt trucks – including all of the new Petes on our lot!! – and it is designed to help you stay on the road. SmartLINQ helps drivers, fleet owners, and vehicle service and maintenance coordinators by remotely keeping track of engine and aftertreatment diagnostic codes, notifying the appropriate parties of problems that need to be addressed, and instantly giving the driver an easy to understand alert with directions on how to proceed.
The online portal for SmartLINQ, through PACCAR, allows the fleet owner or truck maintenance person to view all of the fleet’s trucks color coded to show their current engine health, allows for customized notifications 24/7/365 of alerts from trucks, and tracks the vehicles through North America.
U.S. Senate to Consider Bill Opposing Increases in FET
H.R. 2946: Heavy Truck, Tractor, and Trailer Retail Federal Excise Tax Repeal Act of 2017
A new bill has been introduced to U.S. Congress that will seek to repeal the federal excise tax (FET), which is at present 12 percent. The FET on heavy duty trucks dates back to 1917 when it was introduced to defray the cost of World War I. The tax on new heavy duty trucks later grew from 3 percent in 1917 up to the 12 percent we see today.
The 12 percent FET on the purchase of heavy duty trucks is a burdensome tax – higher than taxes for all other vehicles, and when combined with recent federal emissions and fuel-economy mandates, can add up to thousands of extra dollars when purchasing a new truck. At its present 12 percent, the FET depresses heavy duty truck sales and, as a result, slows companies [...]
Is the Towing Insurance Market Really That Bad?
Tow Truck Market Gets Hit Hard as Carriers Exit Market
Article by Hal Kresser, Principal at Hal Kresser Agency
“Tow Truck Market Gets Hit Hard as Carriers Exit Market.” This article appeared in The Insurance News Journal on February 6, 2017 and featured on the front cover. Simultaneously, it was posted in the Forums section of Tow 411, so it was written before February 6, 2017. Naturally, a front page article will get the attention and it did! That magazine is distributed to every insurance company in the country and most agencies. Within just a few weeks I heard from underwriters that they will have to tighten up their requirements and continue to raise rates due to claims. They were also apprehensive because many of their competitors were exiting the market. In their minds the only reason a competitor would exit the market is if they [...]
The hot weather that’s paired with the summer months adds more difficulty to the towing industry. Not only does the heat provide additional health risks for you, but also for your towing truck and for the vehicles of your customers. Here are some summer towing tips for avoiding heat illnesses and dealing with common summertime towing issues to help you ride out the heat waves.
Safety Tips for You
Working out in the sun provides two big threats for truck towers: heat exhaustion and heat stroke.
Heat Exhaustion
Heat exhaustion is an illness that occurs through a combination of exposure to high temperatures and dehydration. While not as serious as heat stroke, failing to intervene may lead to more danger heat related illnesses. Symptoms of heat exhaustion include:
- Confusion
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Fainting
- Pale skin
- Dizziness
Heat Stroke
If heat exhaustion is left untreated, you may suffer a heat stroke. A heat stroke [...]
