Safety

Severe winter weather took a toll on truck tonnage in February, according to American Trucking Associations.

Legislation meant to enhance commercial operations for haulers of livestock and agricultural commodities was recently introduced in the U.S. Senate.

Selecting the right tires for a trucking fleet’s specific application and business model is both a science and an art, with experience, industry know-how and common sense mixed in.

Kim Thurman, environmental director for the Mississippi Department of Transportation, has been recognized by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials for 25 years of service.

It was crucial for commercial vehicle suppliers to be identified as essential while they tried to find their way through COVID-19 when it first spread a year ago and deepened afterward, an executive with a leading supplier trade group said.

Logistics companies that diversified, were nimble and leveraged data-driven technologies had the best chance to continue operating throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

“It was definitely a strange year for inspectors,” said Kerri Wirachowsky, director of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s roadside inspection program. “In the beginning of the pandemic, a lot of agencies just stopped doing inspections completely, only stopping vehicles if they saw an imminent issue,” she said.

American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear acknowledged the adversity the industry faced during the historic year.

American Association of Port Authorities CEO Chris Connor told Transport Topics the biggest takeaway from the coronavirus pandemic is the essential nature of ports.

Victoria Sheehan, president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, said technology made an important difference in state transportation departments’ pandemic operations.