Hair follicle testing allows testing for drug use for up to a year previously though the trucking industry says it will only test back 90 days. To do the test, anyone trained to do so may take 50 to 120 strands of hair, preferably from the head but other body hair will work also, and then seal those hairs into an envelope and send it to the laboratory for testing. The follicle test is thought of as more accurate than urine testing being able to detect substances dating back 1 month for every 1/2 inch of hair tested. Drugs tested for by federal mandate are Cocaine (Cocaine and Benzoylecgonine), Marijuana, Opiates (Codeine, Morphine and 6-Monacteyl Morphine), Methamphetamine (Methamphetamine/Amphetamine & Ecstasy), and Phencyclidine (PCP).

A few of the reasons stated for adapting hair follicle testing over the common urine testing are that the company can see drug use further back in a person’s history, the hair can be collected at the business instead of an employee going to the clinic thereby saving time and productivity, and increased highway safety. A few people are concerned about urine testing due to hygiene concerns where they may urinate on their hands while using the cup and not able to wash their hands until they return to the lab.

In June of 2011, Gordon Klemp, president of the National Transportation Institute (NTI) said that carriers who have adopted hair follicle testing have had a 10% increase in applicants failing the hair follicle test though they passed the urine test. Klemp went on to say that in his opinion, hair follicle testing would also lead to a further driver shortage. “Roughly 25 percent of the driver work force has exited the industry during the past 10 years as a result of demographic and health issues, Klemp said. The NTI, which Klemp founded 16 years ago, conducts periodic studies of truck driver availability, compensation, and turnover, among other topics.”

Urine testing for drugs costs approximately $40 a test, hair follicle testing costs approximately $150.00.
There are drawbacks to hair follicle testing. If a root is attached to the hair collected, DNA on the person may be obtained. According to DrugTestingNetwork.com, hair tests provide “nearly twice the number of positives as urine testing,” but they are not infallible because “after a drug is used, it takes about 7-10 days for the hair containing the drug to grow out of the scalp enough to be cut. Therefore, the hair test will not include drugs used in the week prior to the test.”

False returns can occur, According to a U.S. Army study, the amount of secondhand cannabis smoke needed to cause a false positive result (failure) is quite large indeed, and would require being sealed in an unventilated car or small room filled with marijuana smokers for several hours. Hair testing however is a different matter, particularly with passive exposure to crack/cocaine, which can deposit onto hair and be readily incorporated into it. Though for cannabis, typically only metabolites (produced by the body and thus not found in smoke) are tested rather than THC, so failure is unlikely to result from non-extreme passive exposure.

From EHow.com: “Medical research described in the publication titled “Drug Testing In Hair” reveals a potential bias that appears to be inherent in hair-follicle testing. According to these findings, hair belonging to people of Caucasian ancestry, particularly blond hair, does not retain drug metabolites as well as that belonging to people of other ancestries. Such findings open the possibility of future litigation as the previous drug practices of non-Caucasians would be detectable and punishable for longer periods of time.”

While drug testing has been around since Ronald Reagan enacted drug testing in the workplace laws for safety related employees such as airline pilots and truck drivers and will continue to be done in pre-employment and random scenarios, drug testing has spread throughout industry and business. Many feel that drug testing is invasive and goes into a person’s private lives too far. It is a moot point, illegal drug use is just that, illegal, it does not matter how a person is found out; though I would rather pee in a cup rather than lose 50 to 120 strands of hair each time my name came up.

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

This post was submitted by Sandy Long.

Yuan Zi observes the activity outside his specially-designed travel enclosure after a direct flight from Chengdu, China, to Paris France, aboard the specially-chartered FedEx Panda Express. The two pandas safely delivered to France today will reside at the ZooParc de Beauval, where conservationists hope they will breed. Experts estimate there are just 1,600 giant pandas left in the wild today.

PARIS – / N2N / – FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and the world’s largest express transportation company, safely delivered two three-year-old giant pandas from Chengdu, China, to Paris, France. The pandas, Huan Huan and Yuan Zi, arrived on a specially-chartered Boeing 777F flight known as the “FedEx Panda Express” and landed at Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport at noon Paris time, 6 a.m. Eastern time. The arrival of these special animals marks the first time in 10 years that giant pandas will reside in France.

The non-stop flight was chartered especially for the VIPs—Very Important Pandas—and the pair travelled in custom-built enclosures provided by FedEx Express. In-flight, Huan Huan and Yuan Zi spent the journey snoozing and eating bamboo. They were accompanied by a Chinese veterinarian and animal handler as well as the managing director from ZooParc de Beauval to look after their needs throughout the journey.

Source: Businesswire

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

After a direct flight on the FedEx Panda Express from Chengdu, China, to Paris France, giant panda Huan Huan is prepared for her trip to a new home at the ZooParc de Beauval. FedEx Express is provided full-service air and ground transportation for the pandas to ensure their safe delivery.

Giant panda Huan Huan is carefully unloaded after a direct flight from Chengdu, China, to Paris France, aboard the specially-chartered FedEx Panda Express. The safe arrival of the two pandas at Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport marks the fifth delivery FedEx Express has made of this endangered species.

Freight Cargo Map of the United States

- / N2N / – I have an acquaintance who owns a small, non-asset third party logistics (3PL) company.  He is constantly complaining to me about how cutthroat the transportation business is and how his customers and vendors are always cheating him out of money.  He spends a great deal of time trying to collect money and often ends up having to sue companies in order to get them to pay.

I’ve been involved in the transportation industry for a little over three years now and I can tell you that my experience has been exactly the opposite of that of my friend’s.  In three years I haven’t had a single customer stiff me for so much as a penny.  Sure, there’ve been a few slow-pays, but that’s to be expected.  In these 3 years I’ve met a lot of good people and I now consider many of them to be friends.

As a consultant that helps companies get C-TPAT certified my primary customers are importers, NVOCC’s (non vessel operating common carriers / international freight forwarders), U.S. Customs Brokers and Cross-Border Highway Carriers.  I also offer a program called “C-TPAT Compliant” for those companies that aren’t eligible for C-TPAT certification such as draymen, customs bonded warehouses, domestic trucking companies, most 3PL’s and domestic shipping and distribution companies. I think that’s a pretty good cross-section of the industry.  Even so, I’ve never encountered anyone who’s tried to cheat me.

Maybe I’ve just been lucky or maybe I’m just plain naive.  But what about you?  I’d be very interested to hear about your experiences.  I’m sure there are probably a lot of horror stories out there, but I’ll bet there are also some nice stories about transportation companies watching out for each other and stepping up to do the right thing.

——

Jeff Platts is the president of Combination Sales, Inc., a consulting firm with locations in California & New York.  Jeff can be contacted at 714-788-1531 or jeff@combinationsales.com.

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  contact@nation2nation.net.

By Sandy Long
- / N2N / – There is a lot of talk these days about how to make women more comfortable about entering male dominated fields. Leveling the playing fields so that any job is available to any gender in today’s economy makes a lot of sense; but how does one make anyone comfortable in entering any profession?
When I entered trucking, way back when, the predominant idea about women in male dominated jobs was that we would not be able to do the job, that our hormones would control us and that we would not hold up under the conditions both mental and physical demanded at that time in trucking.

Women who were hired back then and who persevered, did not get emotional once a month or anytime else unless angered, did the job without asking for quarter and kept any stress related issues to themselves and just dealt with them. Women who could not do the above, did not last long.
Sexual harassment was rampant back then too though not expressed in that term when I first climbed in my first truck. It was not uncommon for a lead seat to sleep with their female second seats…therefore many of us would not run with someone that we would not have a relationship with. Of course, the equipment back then was not conducive to private sleeping arrangements; single bunk cabovers, though some of us figured out how to sleep head to toe with our co-drivers.

Some safety directors or personnel directors would expect sexual favors for a woman to move up to second seat or to go solo, we fought those types of behavior. One must remember though that back then, before AIDS and sexual harassment laws, society as a whole was still in the free love ideal, trucking was no different and we women back then understood human nature too. We knew some men were most likely going to try something with us of an intimate nature and we learned quickly how to handle those times with humor and at times aggression.
Today, in trucking, companies want to hire women for many reasons; safety, performance and care of the equipment are just a few of the reasons. Women have moved up the corporate ladder and brought understanding to the boardrooms that women are not the weak, emotional creatures we were once thought of as being. Equipment has changed to be more female (and smaller male) friendly as has the fingerprinting of loads off and on the trailers, we can easily hire lumpers now days. Have ideas changed in reality though?
Women are now entering trucking that are vastly different than those of us who entered back in the day…the 1960’s and ‘70’s. With the poor image of truckers as a whole promoted by insurance companies, lawyers and the media in general, women, who are very aware of sexual harassment laws, enter trucking and look for obstacles such as predatory behavior, sexual harassment and discrimination. At times, they perceive those things where they actually do not exist. Women have forgotten human nature, it appears, in that they do not understand the difference between a driver being interested in them personally and a safety director asking for sexual favors to keep their job.

Many women today want to be treated differently because they are women in male dominated fields. I have heard women saying they want everything from front row reserved parking at truck stops to separate truckstops all together for women only. Some do not think they should have to go to certain places because it is unsafe, though they think it ok that men should go there. Some are so fearful that they want to carry guns or mace even before they get out on the road from trucking school, they think all male drivers are predators.
Women of this type do perpetuate the myth of long ago that women cannot do the job as well as men and may be too emotional or find the stress too great to stay in the field. Companies are now afraid of the sexual harassment suits that are brought by women and some are scrambling to defend themselves against them. Even our male peers are afraid to say good morning to a lady driver because of fear of being called in on for just being polite. Trucking has not changed enough for only women to train women or for women to only deal with other women.
To make women more comfortable in entering the trucking, or any other male dominated field, education is the key. Education of both genders that is. Straight honest information beginning in the trucking schools and ending with companies and recruiters would be a good start. That education should point out the human factors that one will meet in working with the opposite gender, what exactly sexual harassment or discrimination means and how to deal with it to begin with; then further education of company personnel on how to treat everyone equally and with respect to finish off with.

In addition, straight facts on how in actuality many women of both genders are victims of crime especially by other drivers instead of making women fearful of their brother drivers should be taught and talked about.

Women entering a male dominated field have to learn that they have to fit into the field, not the field change to fit them; there is a job to be done and whether one is a male or a female, that job is the same and is done the same way. Problems only enter in on the human level and those sometimes are just nature and the way the genders differ. Any woman who enters any male dominated profession or field has to accept some hard facts about the job too. No, it might not be comfortable until you prove yourself one of the guys and that you can do the job with the rest of them, you will have to have on leather gloves instead of kid gloves to handle some of what you will find. Then you will be comfortable and succeed…if you want to badly enough.

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

This post was submitted by Sandy Long.

- / N2N / – May of 2007, Ellen Voie founded the Women In Trucking Association (WIT) with a dream of making the industry better for women and all drivers. After four years, WIT and Ellen Voie have come a long way.

With over 1600 members comprised of both drivers, carriers and others in the trucking industry, WIT has become a ‘go to’ association for people to contact for information about driver’s issues, obstacles facing women in the trucking industry and about the increasing role of women within trucking. Ms Voie has met with FMCSA’s Anne Ferro, DOT’s Ray LaHood and NTSB’s Debra Hersman among others in Washington D.C. and is working with the Department of Justice on getting a crisis line in place for drivers in trouble with trainers or who have other major issues.

This year brought the second annual Salute to the Women Behind the Wheel event in Louisville KY at the Mid American Trucking Show. NTSB Chairperson Hersman was scheduled to speak at the event and Ms Voie was implemental in Ms Hersman making the journey to Louisville by truck, some driven by WIT members. During the event, WIT’s driver advisory committee, along with America’s Road Team met privately with Ms Hersman to talk about highway safety from the driver’s point of view.

WIT’s mission statement is “Women In Trucking was established to encourage the employment of women in the trucking industry, promote their accomplishments, and minimize obstacles faced by women working in the trucking industry”; Ms Voie is using the current interest in women’s issues to address issues faced by all drivers. After years of work and research, Ms Voie recently completed a white paper about training protocols for WIT’s corporate members concerning abuse by some trainers of their trainees of both genders.

What is next for WIT in the future? Under Ms Voie’s capable leadership, the sky is the limit, but be assured that she will continue taking WIT forward to put faces to the women who work in the trucking industry and to assist in any way the association can to remove obstacles facing women who want to advance within trucking.
By Sandy Long, ladygodiva1953@att.net

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

This post was submitted by Sandy Long.

- / N2N / – UPS (NYSE: UPS) has activated its newly-created Logistics Action Teams (LAT) to support the American Red Cross’s relief efforts for victims of the recent tornadoes in the southeastern United States.

Additionally, the company pledged an additional $100,000 to its original $500,000 commitment to the American Red Cross and made a $50,000 contribution to the Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter of the Red Cross, also earmarked for emergency relief for tornado victims.

LATs were established in January to leverage UPS’s transportation network, logistics expertise and far-reaching employee volunteer base for the benefit of the Red Cross during natural disasters and emergencies. The LAT approach was modeled after the World Food Programme’s Logistics Emergency Teams, which utilize logistics experts from private companies like UPS in times of crisis. This is the first deployment of a UPS LAT team, one of four created so far and assigned to the Metropolitan Atlanta Chapter. In addition to Atlanta, UPS has trained LAT teams to work with the Red Cross in San Francisco, Houston and Louisiana.

In addition to the Atlanta team’s efforts, UPS also is managing emergency supply shipments to Alabama and Mississippi for the Red Cross’s national office.

“The UPS Logistics Action Team has been invaluable to our tornado relief operation,” said Nancy Brockway, Chief Emergency Services Officer for Metro Atlanta Chapter of the American Red Cross. “Their expertise has helped us be more efficient in transporting meals and supplies to the families who so desperately need them.”

Mark Krause, a UPS operations division manager, is working directly with the Red Cross’s Logistics Command Center in Atlanta. His current assignment is working with the local Red Cross Bulk Distribution Manager to help coordinate relief efforts in Georgia. Projects underway include:

• Bulk distribution of clean-up supplies to the hardest hit areas.
• Pick-up and delivery of hot meals to fixed feeding sites.
• Transportation of documents, equipment and supplies from warehouses to service delivery sites.
• Operation of daily pick-up and delivery routes between Red Cross warehouses and affected areas.

This week, UPS volunteers saw the benefits of recent donations of time and labor. On April 15 in Atlanta, the employees on their day off cut huge donated linoleum sheeting for use to protect school gymnasium floors used for shelters. That sheeting has been delivered to schools around the region.

UPSers also got a “thank you” from the mayor of Geiger, Ala., who asked UPS to lend the town two 53-foot trailers to protect personal items that were retrieved after the storms.

The Red Cross partnership and recent activation in the Southeast are extensions of The UPS Foundation’s innovative use of logistics experts for humanitarian relief around the globe.

Yuki Muramatsu, UPS Japan, has been assigned to the World Food Programme Logistics Emergency Team (LET) in Tokyo to support relief efforts for earthquake victims there. She began on March 23 and continues to serve as the LET lead coordinator, responsible for handling all incoming relief shipments for the WFP including warehouse management, customs clearance and transportation to the impacted areas.

Other recent UPS humanitarian relief activities include grants to the Red Cross of Columbia (Cruz Roja Colombiana) after extensive floods and mudslides; shipments of relief supplies to refugees in Tunisia and Liberia for CARE and the UNHCR, respectively, and continued shipping of goods for Japan relief efforts.

About The UPS Foundation
Since its founding in 1907, UPS has built a legacy as a caring and responsible corporate citizen, supporting programs that provide long-term solutions to community needs. Founded in 1951, The UPS Foundation, which celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2011, is responsible for facilitating employee involvement in the local, national and global communities. In 2010, UPS and its employees, active and retired, invested more than $95 million in charitable giving around the world. The UPS Foundation, which has urgent humanitarian relief as part of its core focus giving areas, can be found on the web at UPS.com/foundation. To get UPS news direct, visit pressroom.ups.com/RSS.

Mexican Truck Stop at Sunset

- / N2N / – It is amazing that the United States of America bows down to economic pressures from a third world country to allow hundreds, if not thousands, of foreign trucks and their drivers into the country to take freight out of US driver’s trailers. This after the American people, and congress, spoke and stopped the initial Mexican Border Pilot Program the first time. Mexico responded by placing retaliatory tariffs on U.S. imports. Under the new agreement, half the tariffs will be lifted as soon as the deal is signed, and the remainder once the first Mexican truck is allowed to enter the US. Some may call this tough politics, but it sure sounds like blackmail to me.

This new so called pilot program has a couple of new twists though. First off, companies who participated in the first pilot program will be allowed to add the time credited to them during that program to this program and can be give full authority to run in the US quickly under their own authority even if the pilot program is stopped once again.

While I do not necessarily agree that Mexican trucks or their drivers would be less safe than American trucks or truckers, I do think that by bringing Mexicans into the US to haul freight directly to and from shippers and receivers, American truckers will lose their jobs. With the current tight economy and freight situation, any addition of equipment to the supply and demand equation will tip the balance to the ones able to haul cheapest.

Part of the NAFTA agreement was that American truckers would have access to run in Mexico just like the Mexicans could run here; this is the same deal the US has with Canada. While thousands of American drivers and Canadian drivers cross the Canadian border, few if any want to cross the border into Mexico with their high crime rate, theft of equipment and drug wars not to mention their lousy infrastructure.

Another twist is that all Mexican trucks would be required to be equipped with EOBRs. Those are coming to the truck nearest and dearest to you too soon, but guess who is paying for the Mexican EOBRs; yep, the USA. The money will be taken out of the highway trust fund that US trucking companies and owner operators routinely pay into. The way I read it, the US will be paying for other things under the agreement so the Mexicans can come here and haul freight. Our government is paying someone to come in and take our jobs.

The ATA and the US Chamber of Commerce, and I am sure many corporations with operations in Mexico, are all for this latest border program. The ATA, made up of many large trucking companies with sister companies in Mexico are thinking that it will open up more freight and put more money in the company pockets due to the Mexicans hauling for cheaper rates. The US Chamber of Commerce thinks opening the border will increase commerce between the two countries. While they have not said, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out what the large corporations are thinking. If they can cut out the middle drivers along the borders and the transfer warehouse costs; and get the Mexicans to haul the freight back and to from their factories south of the border into the US and back again at substantially reduced rates, their bottom-lines increase. Win win for everyone but the American trucker.

Makes one wonder what Mexico has that influences our government so greatly. Drugs? White slaves? Black market goods? Cheap labor force? Perhaps all of those things are a factor when one realizes the money the government pays itself for the trying to control those illegal things at least. There is something there though for our own government to go against so many people who don’t want the Mexican trucks here.

I am adding my voice to OOIDA’s and the Teamster’s voices; get out your ink pens, fire up those laptops and buy extra minutes on your cells and write, email and call your representatives once again about this border issue. Raise hell, tell them you won’t stand still for this. Do make sure to tell your representative that you will not be an accessory to a criminal act; the blackmailing of America. Speak out loudly and proudly as American truckers and let us put this down once and for all…again.

Sandy Long: ladygodiva1953@yahoo.com, http://www.sandylongsfaire.weebly.com

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

This post was submitted by Sandy Long.

- / N2N / – The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Clean Cities program and the U.S. Department of Interior’s National Park Service (NPS) are accepting proposals for transportation-related projects that use renewable and alternative fuels, electric drive and advanced vehicles, and fuel-saving initiatives that reduce petroleum use and benefit air quality. Projects implemented through this initiative will help NPS reduce vehicle congestion, noise, air pollution, and dependence on imported petroleum. See a map and description of current projects.

Objective

The objective of the initiative is to create projects that reduce petroleum consumption, vehicle greenhouse gases, and other emissions.

Benefits

By partnering with Clean Cities and its nationwide network of coalitions, NPS units will enhance their relationships with surrounding communities, receive technical assistance, take advantage of training opportunities, and gain access to valuable outreach materials and other resources.

Application Process

NPS units or Clean Cities coalitions may submit project ideas. Individual NPS units must work with one or more Clean Cities coalitions during the project-development process.

• Find contact information for Clean Cities coordinators.
• Request NPS unit contact information by e-mailing Andrew Hudgins (andrew.hudgins@nrel.gov).

Step 1: Submit the one-page Project Idea Form, explaining the basic concept, approach, potential partners, and benefits of your project, to Andrew Hudgins  (andrew.hudgins@nrel.gov) at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

Step 2: If your idea is selected for further consideration, you will be asked to submit an in-depth project proposal. Proposals should not exceed seven pages and must be submitted electronically to Andrew Hudgins (andrew.hudgins@nrel.gov).

The following documents are examples of successful project proposals:

NREL and DOE will work with the submitting NPS unit and Clean Cities coalition to refine and enhance the project proposals before sending it to NPS and DOE headquarters for final consideration.

Eligible Projects

The following types of projects will be considered:

• Acquisition and deployment of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) and advanced technology vehicles. Activities can include developing plans and park-specific feasibility studies that will result in the deployment of AFVs in NPS units.
• Technical assistance, planning, and implementation efforts for fueling infrastructure.
• Improvements to alternative transportation systems in NPS units. Transportation-specific action items contained in Climate Friendly Parks Climate Action Plans, the NPS Green Parks Plan, or individual NPS unit Environmental Management Programs.
• Idle reduction programs
• Public education related to the use of these technologies and best practices in the parks, including printed materials or signage.
• Training for park employees or support service partners.

Eligible Vehicles

• Light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles using alternative fuels authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 1992.
• Advanced technology vehicles, including hybrid electric vehicles, fuel cell electric vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, neighborhood electric vehicles (only if replacing a full-size, on-road vehicle), and hydraulic hybrid vehicles.
• E85-capable flexible fuel vehicles will be considered on a case-by-case basis if the applicant can ensure E85 will be used by these vehicles at all times.
• Alternative fuel off-road and utility vehicles, such as lawnmowers or forklifts, will be considered if they replace vehicles powered by petroleum-based fuels.
• Some purpose-built vehicles powered by alternative fuels that provide a specific NPS support service may be considered. (Applicants must provide a thorough description of the vehicle in the Project Idea Form to determine eligibility.)

All vehicles acquired under this initiative must replace an existing conventional gasoline or diesel vehicle. Vehicles and vehicle conversion systems must be compliant with applicable emissions and safety regulations (EPA, CARB, DOT-FMVSS, etc.).

Eligible Alternative Fueling Infrastructure

• New alternative fueling or electric charging facilities or additional equipment or upgrades and improvements to existing fueling or charging sites. Fueling infrastructure projects can only dispense EPAct-authorized alternative fuels.
• Purchase of fueling equipment or specific turn-key fueling services by alternative fuel providers. Infrastructure projects must dispense fuel into vehicles onsite to be considered.
• Facility upgrades or building modifications necessary to accommodate alternative fuels for fleet garages and other maintenance or service centers.
• Projects may be proposed that include multiple fuel types, such as electricity and hydrogen, propane and biodiesel, or E85 and natural gas at the same location or in different locations.
• Extra consideration will be given if proposed fueling facilities are to be shared, openly accessible to multiple fleets, or accessible to the public and local partners.
• Fueling and charging equipment must be safety certified by Underwriters Laboratories or the equivalent and meet appropriate building and construction codes.

Ineligible Vehicles and Activities

• Nonfuel system vehicle upgrades, such as transmissions and exhaust systems
• Marine applications and locomotives
• Fuel additives, lubricants, and conditioners
• Golf carts, experimental or novelty vehicles
• Bicycle paths and pedestrian walkways
• Parking facilities (except where they provide access to electric vehicle charging or alternative fueling infrastructure or preferential parking for these vehicles).

MORE INFORMATION & APPLICATION FORMS

Source = DOE

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

Washington, DC – / N2N / – BMI Corporation, a company in South Carolina, in partnership with the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has successfully developed a technology that will make semi trucks more fuel efficient with the potential to save millions of gallons of fuel. Utilizing the nation’s most powerful computer, BMI Corp designed a SmartTruck UnderTray System, a set of integrated aerodynamic fairings that improve the aerodynamics of 18-wheeler (Class long-haul trucks.  If all 1.3 million Class 8 trucks in the U.S. were configured with these components, companies could achieve annual savings of 1.5 billion gallons of diesel fuel – approximately equal to $5 billion in costs – and reductions of CO2 by 16.4 million tons.

“The Department of Energy’s supercomputers provide an enormous competitive advantage for the United States,” said Secretary Steven Chu.  “This is a great example of how investments in innovation can help lead the way to new jobs, new ways of cutting our carbon emissions, and new opportunities for America to succeed in the global marketplace.”

The work on ORNL’s Cray XT-5 “Jaguar” supercomputer shortened the computing turnaround time for BMI’s complex models from days to a few hours and eliminated the need for costly and time-consuming physical prototypes. In all, running simulations on Jaguar allowed BMI to go from concept to a design that could be turned over to a manufacturer in 18 months instead of the 3½ years they had anticipated.

With installation of BMI’s SmartTruck UnderTray System to improve the aerodynamics of Class 8 long-haul trucks, the typical big rig can achieve fuel savings of between 7 and 12 percent, easily meeting the new California Air Resources Board mandate that calls for a minimum mileage improvement of 5 percent.

BMI’s work with the Department was made possible through ORNL’s Industrial High-Performance Computing Partnerships Program, supported by the Department’s Office of Science. Through this effort, BMI was able to access Jaguar, which has a theoretical peak computational capability of 2.3 petaflops (2.3 quadrillion mathematical operations per second) making it more than 100,000 times more powerful than a typical home laptop.

Source = DOE

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

- / N2N / – In the latest issue of Landline Magazine is a letter to the editor from a friend of mine. In it he talks about how women are still treated in the industry at truck stops, shippers and receivers and among other places we all have to do business at or with. He is right in his contention that it should not happen that a woman driver is not waited on, served, talked to with respect or acknowledged as a professional driver. Things are better than they were 20-30 years ago, but there is still much room for improvement.

Some of we women drivers are working on making the changes we see as needed. Last fall, myself and several other of the Women In Trucking Association Driver Advisory Committee had a phone conference with the executives from the TA/Petro corporation. During the over two hour conference call, we women drivers addressed the very issues at truck stops that my friend in his letter to the editor mentioned; that of courtesy given to women at the restaurants, fuel desks and shops affiliated with TA/Petro. The executives all agreed that it was unacceptable for any woman to be disrespected as a customer of their truck stops and they said that they would institute some additional training for staff to address courtesy towards women drivers especially.

In addition to the above issue concerning women, during the conference call, we also initiated dialog about lighting, pot holes, security and goods available in the stores with the executives that affects all drivers not just women. One of the things I brought up specifically was cleanliness in the bathrooms and showers; I told them, “it does not make a difference if you have big orange towels and flowers if the floor is not clean.”

In my friend’s letter to the editor, he mentioned organizations that are not addressing the issues facing women quickly enough or something to that effect. As a charter member of Women In Trucking Association and as a member of their Driver Advisory Committee, I have seen some good things happen in the four years since it’s founding. A White Paper, which Ellen Voie started researching even before the founding of WIT, is now available thru J.J. Keller, free to WIT’s corporate members, that addresses the treatment of trainees of both genders.

From the Trucker.com:

“The trucking industry has struggled with how to avoid harassment issues between driver trainers and trainees during the initial weeks of employment. “The practice of putting two unrelated individuals in the cab of a truck for a few weeks of training can create a tenuous environment, especially when one is a male and one is a female,” said Ellen Voie, President/CEO of Women In Trucking Association.”

““Unfortunately, the situation is unavoidable if there are not enough female trainers to accompany a female trainee,” Voie remarked. “We realize that harassment issues are not limited to those of opposite gender, so the white paper will be gender neutral to address potential harassment scenarios and offer ways to minimize or eliminate negative interaction,” she added.”
Ray LaHood, Ellen Voie and Anne Ferro

The 2nd annual Salute to the Women Behind the Wheel will be again at MATS this year highlighting women drivers and their accomplishments. This tribute to women truckers puts women out in the limelight so to speak and brings attention to the fact that women are valuable assets to the trucking industry and are garnering millions of miles both as solo and team drivers. It might not seem like much to some people, but it is amazing to see the photo of all those women truckers in their red shirts standing together and focuses media and public attention on the positive role women play in the trucking industry.

As far as organizations go, in my opinion, OOIDA uses a sledgehammer weighted with our huge (though not huge enough yet) membership and their almost four decades of experience in making changes and in getting their point across. The Women In Trucking Association uses a tack hammer and through their affiliations with trucking companies on all levels is chipping away at the inequalities facing we women in the trucking industry in all areas of it. WIT encourages their connections to see women as a valuable resource to fill their truck’s seats and to treat them equally with our brother drivers.

As a young organization, we members at WIT are making the connections necessary to effect change in the future with politicians, companies and other organizations. Eventually, through good publicity such as the Salute to the Women Behind the Wheel, the White Paper concerning policies to avoid harassment of trainees of both genders and opportunities given to us member advocates of the trucking industry through interaction with people who approach WIT for accurate information; WIT will graduate to a bigger hammer.

Until then, we women drivers need to be patient, good things will come through hard work and finesse; I cannot wait for the day we are treated totally equally with our brother drivers, but it will come, making changes just takes some time.

By Sandy Long, ladygodiva1953@att.net

Nation2Nation publishes articles of interest to professionals involved in Supply Chain Security, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, Import Export, International Trade, Border Security, Transportation, Transportation Safety, Trucking, Railroad, Air Freight, Maritime and Cargo Management.  Contact Jeff Platts at contact@nation2nation.net.

This post was submitted by Sandy Long.