Fuel News

Regulations surrounding autonomous vehicles are taking different approaches in the U.S. and Europe, with Europe writing specific technologies into its laws.

FreightWaves had a chance to speak with Jason Schenker about what’s ahead for the freight and automotive industries, and what that means for our lives.

Today prosecutors played a tape of former Pilot President Mark Hazelwood using the n-word and disparaging the citizens of Cleveland, Ohio, and Oakland, California. The other defendants asked the judge for separate trials, but he said a decision would have to wait.

Trucking and logistics have grabbed a share of the spotlight this year at the Consumer Electronics Show this week in Las Vegas. None, though, has grabbed more attention than Toyota’s E-Palette concept and alliance that includes such big names as Amazon, DiDi, Mazda, Pizza Hut and Uber.

Mexico’s ambassador to the United States told CBS News there is a 50% chance that the end result of NAFTA negotiations will be termination of the trade pact.

In the developed countries of the West, autonomous driving technology is widely touted as the thing of the future. Move halfway across the globe to one of the densest and the world’s second most populated country, the idea of self-driving vehicles might still be a distant dream.

The shift away from fossil fuels has attracted mayors in the state of Hawaii to commit to renewable transportation sources, according to an article written by Honolulu mayor Kirk Cameron with Dawn Lippert.

A holiday week did little to slow the rising tide of rates as 2017 came to a close. According to DAT Solutions, national spot rates for van and refrigerated loads reached their highest point of the year.

Peloton announced that vehicles equipped with its platooning technology have covered over 1,000 miles in Florida testing.

Oil prices finished 2017 above $60 a barrel for crude, surpassing their highest level in more than two years. Delivery of light, sweet crude for February was up 1% to $60.42 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude was up 71 cents to $66.78 a barrel.

Tesla is now accepting orders for its Tesla Semi in three European countries. The different dynamics of the European freight market represent some different challenges for the company.

The Canadian province of Ontario has announced an electric truck rebate of 60% of the incremental purchase cost compared to an equivalent conventional fuel vehicle, up to a cap of CA$75,000 per vehicle, under the new Green Commercial Vehicle Program.

California-based electric charging companies are set to benefit from the $2 billion settlement that VW agreed to with the government.

It is estimated that international trade-related freight transport accounts for nearly one-third of the total emissions across the world. Such situations call for innovation in the freight industry that could help mitigate carbon footprint through optimizing fuel consumption and improving operational efficiency.

Roads across the world have remained the same for generations, but that is slowly changing as research labs across the world are working on introducing electrically smart roads into the primitive niche.

Meritor has made a strategic investment in TransPower, hoping to tap into the company’s full electric trucking solutions and integrated drive systems along with energy-storage subsystems.

Global technology company Wabco Holdings has acquired a 1% equity stake in Nikola Motor Company with a $10 million investment. Nikola is designing a hydrogen-electric Class 8 truck.

Thor describes themselves as a “transportation lab with a goal of tackling fleet management problems.”

Toyota Motors’ trucking subsidiary Hino Motors has partnered with India’s Ashok Leyland in an effort to comply with the India Bharat Stage VI (BS6) regulations for reducing emissions from vehicles, The Japan Times reported.

The Budweiser brewer says this is part of its strategy to reduce the company’s carbon emissions by 30% by 2025.

Technology startup FR8 Revolution has received an investment from Sandhills Publishing as well as announced a new technology partnership with the company.

Recently, Mexico shifted into a supply-and-demand based pricing structure for its fuel markets, ditching the old system where the government set the fuel price through state-owned oil company Pemex as it seeks to attract more U.S. investment.

One of the questions many ask as the electric and autonomous vehicles are introduced to market is: What happens with the “last mile” delivery? It can be the most expensive leg of deliveries, especially in rural areas.

Shipping hazardous materials is risky. Yet carriers are willing to shoulder the risk of moving them across states, but to do so requires understanding a number of regulations that must be followed.

Anheuser-Busch’s private fleet is among the leaders in the country when it comes to efforts to cut carbon emissions through alternative fuel use. The company is taking another step, announcing it has reserved 40 Tesla Semi electric tractors.

A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Alkane Truck Company, based in Myrtle Beach, SC, and evLaboratory Inc., to have the latter’s powertrain and battery management technology integrated into Alkane’s OEM chassis products.

Following on the footsteps of its European counterpart, Daimler Trucks North America will begin shipping 3D printed parts under a pilot program. Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz unit started a similar pilot in Europe last year.

One of the largest elements of operational expenses in the freight hauling business is fuel, and yet there are a limited number of fleets that actively manage this cost effectively. Wisconsin-based Breakthrough Fuel is providing a way to effectively manage energy and reduce costs.

German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen has decided to throw its hat into the electric vehicle market, planning to develop 40 models for Chinese automobile market by 2025.

The Grundon system is a hydrogen-fueling system that is retrofitted onto a DAF truck. It is a dual-fuel system, allowing the truck to operate on diesel fuel when hydrogen is not available.

Toyota announced it is building a megawatt Tri-Gen hydrogen plant in California. The plant will produce hydrogen using renewable sources and will provide fuel for its Project Portal Class 8 hydrogen truck.

Fuel surcharges have a long history in the transportation industry, dating back to the Arab oil embargo in 1973 by most accounts. While the early days of surcharges were straightforward to calculate, that is no longer true, and they may not even be the best way to manage costs anymore.

British startup Tevva Motors was one of the companies that took advantage of the exposure afforded transportation companies at the recent Freight in the City 2017 event in London. The company introduced its greenest truck ever, Trucking TV reports.

The recent Freight in the City event in London served as the perfect time for UK-based Hiab, a subsidiary of Finland-based Cargotec Corporation which manufactures on-road load handling equipment, to launch its skip loader truck powered by electricity.

The Tesla Semi is purely battery-electric, carrying enough storage capacity for 500 miles, according to the company. With plenty of fanfare, the truck made its long-awaited debut, and the range was not the only surprise.

Shippers may not be paying the correct price for fuel based on the way contracts are written and fuel surcharges are applied, according to Breakthrough Fuel, which advises a market-based approach instead of the traditional surcharge method.

The quest for greener sources of automobile fuel usually boils down to finding fuel with lower carbon emissions. Toyota is trying to develop an approach using fuel cells powered through its Hydrogen Supply Project.

JD.com, Alibaba’s closest rival in Mainland China, is pushing to develop 1,000 “new energy logistics” vehicles through its subsidiary JD Logistics, Yicai Global reports.

The U.S. has its first electrified highway. While not a long stretch, the one-mile catenary system on the north- and south-bound lanes of South Alameda Street from East Lomita Boulevard to the Dominguez Channel in Carson, CA, are providing a proving ground for the technology.

Fuel theft and fuel card abuse is a constant problem, but finding $300 worth of abuse on a $5,000 monthly fuel bill is not easy. That’s where Fueloyal believes it can help.

On Monday in Chattanooga, federal prosecutors presented their opening arguments in the conspiracy and fraud trial of former Pilot Flying J employees Mark Hazelwood, Scott Wombold, Karen Mann, and Heather Jones.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) SmartWay program has recognized 48 carriers, retailers, manufacturers and logistics companies with its SmartWay Excellence Awards.

Former Tesla shareholder Daimler seems intent on upstaging the upstart with its own electric truck program, reports Bloomberg. Weeks before Tesla is set to unveil its own electric vehicle, Daimler introduced its own model, the E-Fuso Vision One.

Two bills introduced in the U.S. House last week could potentially change the classification of port truckers, requiring them to become employee drivers.

Californians are about to see huge increases in the fuel taxes they pay at the pump. California’s Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown (D) in April and will begin taking effect this Wednesday with a 12 cent jump in the gasoline base excise tax and a 20 cent spike in the diesel fuel base excise tax.

Hyliion announced the availability of its tractor electrification system at the American Trucking Associations’ MCE show in Orlando this week. The system uses regenerative braking to collect energy and store it for later use by the tractor.

The provincial government of Sichuan in China is pulling out all the stops to promote development of alternative energy vehicles even as sales of heavy trucks in the country climb to record highs.

As its Tractor AeroKit continues to gain acceptance – it is now installed at the factory by three truck OEMs – FlowBelow has continued to look for new ways to improve aerodynamic performance of tractor-trailer units.

Foton Motor Company and Cummins have reached a deal to build a “Super Truck” for China designed to reduce fuel usage and improve productivity.

General Motors has advanced its next-generation fuel cell system, which is part of its concept SURUS (Silent Utility Rover Universal Superstructure) platform that was shown last week at the fall meeting of the Association of the United States Army. Whether commercial transportation is willing to adopt fuel cell technology, though, remains a question.

After first acknowledging it was a developing a fuel-cell powered heavy-duty truck in the spring, Toyota is now set to unveil its Project Portal truck to the public through a demonstration program at the Port of Los Angeles that starts Oct. 23.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB), through chairperson Mary Nichols, has revealed the state’s interest in banning vehicles that produce carbon emissions, Bloomberg News reports. Governor Jerry Brown has called Nichols to ask why the CARB has not moved forward on this idea, Nichols told Bloomberg.

The world is going electric, and according to a McKinsey Energy Insights report, it is leaving the U.S. behind. According to the report authored by Chrsiter Tryggestand, Namit Sharma, Jasper van de Staaij and Arjan Keizer, because of market dynamics, the U.S. and China are lagging in the development and cost parity needed to make electric trucks viable.

An entirely new generation of technological change is now occurring in the transportation industry, and it’s called the autonomous truck, or what design specialists refer to as “intelligent engineering.” But what are some of the benefits, and risks, associated with the technology?

Ford is following that of other automakers and investing in electrification and connectivity. The company also said it would redirect $7 billion from car production to increase SUV and truck production.

GM announced yesterday that it will stop developing new gas-powered vehicles and instead will invest in electric and fuel-cell vehicles, including a truck platform that could potentially serve as a package delivery vehicle in last-mile operations.

All week at the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta, nearly every presenter has mentioned electric trucks and the growing electrification of the trucking industry. So, it was no surprise when solar company eNow noted how it too could help with these growing electric needs.

It may seem like a small product enhancement, but the “quick-release” option now available on FlowBelow’s Tractor AeroKit system could save fleets thousands of dollars.

Ryder System will install automatic tire inflation systems on its vehicles through an agreement with Aperia Technologies. Aperia’s Halo Tire Inflators will be included as a standard spec on Ryder’s heavy-duty rental fleet.

Bosch may be well known for its automotive technology, but it is less known for its commercial vehicle technologies here in the United States. That is starting to change as Bosch is investing in technologies that will be part of the electric and autonomous future many are predicting for the industry.

Customer experience and uptime are two of the focus areas that Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA) addressed when designing its new lineup of VNL and VNR tractor models – both launched earlier this year at separate events.

A wide-ranging morning-television style event to kick off its participation in the North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta ended with a bit of an electric vehicle tease from Roger Nielsen, president & CEO, Daimler Trucks North America.

The myth of the 10-mpg truck has been proven wrong thanks to a group of seven drivers with seven differently equipped tractor-trailers driving for seven different companies.

Cummins’ electrified powertrain inside the AEOS Class 7 concept truck is part of the engine maker’s aim to create diverse powertrain options for customers. 

Daimler’s trucking arm has confirmed an investment in Israel-based tech startup StoreDot. The investment will help StoreDot commercialize its quick-charging, CEO Doron Myersdorf told TechCrunch.

Electric vehicles have come a long way, yet there is an important question that never seems to get addressed when discussing electric cars and trucks: what happens if the power goes out? Will your trucks still make their deliveries?

Four more former Pilot Flying J executives formally pleaded guilty to charges related to the company’s alleged defrauding of carriers.

As Nikola Motor continues to develop its hydrogen-electric Class 8 tractor, the company continues to evolve its design. The latest is the introduction of an eAxle developed by Bosch.

No need for those extra extension cords just yet; electric vehicles are not about to take over the world. That is one of the points that Lars Stengvist, CTO of the Volvo Group and EVP of Volvo Group Truck Technology, made to a select group of reporters during a roundtable discussion on truck technologies

After several years in development, Daimler Trucks unveiled its electric Mitsubishi Fuso eCanter yesterday at a ceremony in New York City. The first trucks have been delivered to UPS and four New York City-based NGOs.

Mack Trucks has a new Anthem that incorporates all that the Mack Bulldog stands for – strength, loyalty, and American made. Mack introduced the new Anthem model, complete with its own song, at a special unveiling event in Allentown. 

China’s vice minister of industry and information technology, Xin Guobin, said the government will set a deadline to end the production and sales of fossil-fuel-dependent vehicles during a Sept. 9 forum in Tianjin.

Ports were closed and Florida highways were jammed with people on Friday fleeing Hurricane Irma, as the Category 4 storm approached the state.

Remember when you had to wait to flag down a taxi? Now we order a taxi via an app and it arrives at your door within minutes. The same innovation is now happening to cargo shipping. 

Is a trailer just a box on wheels or potentially a portable battery charger? That is one of the questions that could be answered through the continued innovation of commercial vehicles.

A major pipeline supplying diesel fuel from Texas to the East Coast has had to be shut down with no indication of when it will be turned back on.

Cummins has unveiled a Class 7 electric powertrain that will power Class 7 trucks by 2019 and could recharge in as little as 20 minutes.

As efforts to delay implementation of the electronic logging device rule continue to flounder in Congress, opponents have received an olive branch from CVSA. The group says that while it will enforce the ELD mandate on Dec. 18 as planned, out-of-service orders will not be issued until April 1, 2018.

While recovery efforts are still ongoing in many areas, the nation as a whole is about to feel the impact of Hurricane Harvey through increased fuel prices.

How did the solar eclipse last week affect the trucking industry? New data from Lytx tries to some numbers behind the event.

The never-ending mystery over what kind of truck Tesla is building may have moved one giant step closer to being solved on Thursday when it was revealed the electric truck will likely have an operating range of 200 to 300 miles.

The National Hurricane Center has seen rapid intensification of Hurricane Harvey today and is now expecting the storm to gather strength before it makes landfall in Texas late Friday/early Saturday morning. The trucking interests are watching the storm closely as its final path and impacts will influence area spot rates, capacity, and fuel costs.

After seeing the fleet-wide fuel economy average climb 3% in 2015, the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) says that the increase reported in its Annual Fleet Fuel Study was not as dramatic for 2016.

Solar power is most known as a source of electricity, but it is now proving that it belongs in other applications. Within the trucking industry, the use of solar is growing and it’s showing itself quite capable of the demands. 

The recent news that the Environmental Protection Agency plans to revisit some portions of its Phase 2 greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency rules for medium- and heavy-duty on-highway trucks and engines has raised concern with the Truck and Engine Manufacturer’s Association (EMA).

As the numbers of electric-powered vehicles grows, questions about whether the electrical grid can handle the power demands are growing. Michael Barnard of Clean Technica looked at the possibility of electric-powered vehicles breaking the grid by the years 2021 and 2040.

 An impending terminal crisis in net energy is looming over the global economy, according to Jonathan Rutherford of Insurgent Intelligence. The kind of growth that some multinational companies have been conducting is “green growth,” he notes with no signs of “degrowth.”

Siemens has been awarded a contract by the German state of Hesse to build an overhead catenary line to run electric trucks along. The line will be built on a 10 kilometer stretch of the A5 federal autobahn.

The I-95 Corridor Coalition is moving forward with research that will help it determine whether a mileage use tax is the right approach to taxing in Pennsylvania and Delaware, according to NBC 10 Philadelphia.

Although some politicians abhor rising GHG levels while others deny that global warming even exists, the general consensus of the private sector is that if corporations don’t get on board with safe environmental practices now, they will quickly fall behind their competitors.

As interest in alternative fuels continues to grow, ACT Research is making it easier for fleets to compare different fuel types.

Analysts continue to argue that EVs are not ready to compete with internal combustion engines (ICE), and technology advances will need to come in the next decade or two before EVs can dominate the marketplace. But the Tesla Model 3 is challenging that, and it’s success is something that trucking will watch closely.

The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) has made changes to the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC). The changes, which took effect on Aug. 5, will impact how some items are packaged and costs to shippers, particularly those shipping via less than truckload.

Oil or electric? The future of transportation power is still unclear, but electric is making a strong push amid oil price volatility.

A 2014 report found that drivers are more than twice as likely to be obese than the general population, and there are a number of other health risks drivers face. So how can drivers, on the road for weeks at a time, stay fit?

As governments start to phase our incentives to purchase electric cars, there are some who believe the electric car revolution is about to come to a quick end.

Amid sluggish freight rates and oil prices, overcapacity issues, and the Baltic Dry Index pointing to a looming slowdown in global trade growth, finding innovative ways to solve repositioning problems is now a major part of a wider effort to reduce costs in the container-shipping industry.

Contract pricing, which has affected second-quarter earnings for a number of 3PLs, remains weak according to the latest data from FTR.

A push in on to go electric with more countries planning a ban on sales of gas and diesel cars. Few, though, address commercial goods movement specifically, which is primarily handled by diesel-powered trucks. So what happens to the diesel truck?

UPS has announced an expansion of its large alternative vehicle fleet with the addition of hydrogen fuel cell delivery trucks. The vehicles will be in operation in California later this year.