68 items span a John Deere 4640 “one of the nicest I’ve seen,” tractors for every need, utility vehicles ready to run, and an announcement that “could very well change the farm equipment online auction market."
As 2019 gave way to 2020, a squeeze on trucks appeared to be easing, but plenty of questions still hovered over the transportation sector as the new year progressed, suppliers said.
Electronic logging devices (ELDs), which track driver hours of service, remain a major issue for produce shippers looking to get their product to market in a timely fashion, logistics suppliers say.
Opening the door for truckers to go “off the clock” for up to three hours when faced with delays in loading or unloading, new proposed rules on hours of service regulations have been introduced.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will take comments until Sept. 27 on a new effort to create a clearer definition of “agricultural commodities” in its hours-of-service regulations.
A shortage of trucks was reported in Midwest shipping regions in on July 24, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s truck rate report noted mostly stable rates for other regions.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has extended the comment period for a possible pilot program that would allow drivers under age 21 to operate trucks over interstate highways.
Hours-of-service regulations for truckers are attracting attention again, with some dead set against any relaxation in the rules and others fighting to give truckers more flexibility.
While produce shipments from South Carolina encountered a slight shortage of trucks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s June 26 truck rate report found adequate to surplus conditions in other shipping districts.
While truck availability was considered adequate for most areas, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s truck rate report showed moderately higher rates on June 18 for most produce shipping districts.
To say there is pushback against the idea of creating another pilot program to allow drivers under 21 to operate commercial trucks is putting it mildly.
Truck rates increased for Florida produce growing districts for the week ending April 16, though most U.S. shipping districts reported an adequate supply of trucks.
With the Trump administration shifting some federal employees away from the border to deal with increased illegal immigration, commercial shipments of produce from Mexico are taking longer to cross into the U.S.
A broad coalition of fruit and vegetable industry groups have petitioned the FMCSA to modify the Hours of Service and Electronic Logging Device rules for perishable fruit and vegetable commodities.
Giving produce shippers, trucking outfits and receivers a way to hedge risk of volatile rate changes, trucking futures contracts will be launched in late March by the Nodal Exchange.
Electronic logging devices that have been certified by their makers to meet minimum requirements are now listed on the website of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Excepting winter weather that closed some roads and hindered trucks in some regions, ample equipment led to adequate to surplus transportation for U.S. produce shippers in late February.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped a truck carrying cucumbers entering the U.S. at Nogales, Ariz., and made the largest seizure of fentanyl in the agency’s history.
Slight truck shortages have been reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for Mexican produce crossings and shipments of potatoes and onions in Idaho, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Both truck rates and shipment volumes set new records in the second quarter of 2018, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Giving commercial truck drivers as young as 18 the ability to operate across state lines is drawing support from industry leaders. The current age requirement is 21 years old.
