NTA News

The California Air Resources Board has withdrawn its request for the waiver it would need from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for its controversial Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation, since it’s unlikely to get approval from the incoming Trump administration.

Cold temperatures and water can lead to only one outcome – and ice has no place in a truck's air system. Frozen moisture can disable compressors, along with any of the multitude of air valves in the system. Plunging temperatures, like we have seen across much of the Lower 48 in recent weeks, will put air systems to the test. Compressed air always contains moisture, and when the air leaves the compressor, it’s hot. But as it travels through the line from the compressor to the air dryer, it cools, and that’s when the moisture in the compressed air condenses to liquid. If it's cold enough, that liquid will freeze, threatening the air supply to various systems, including transmissions, suspensions, and of course, brakes. A heavy truck's air compressor puts out 4-6 ounces of water during an average day’s operation; more when operating in regions of high relative humidity, and less when air is cold and dry. If all that water is sloshing around in your air reservoirs or some other spot further downstream, you could be in trouble when temperatures plummet.

What’s the best lowboy trailer for your business? The wrong one can not only cost in the long term, but it may also have an immediate impact on the ability to haul the necessary equipment. It’s important to thoroughly research lowboy trailers in advance to help avoid trailer failures in the future.  Original equipment manufacturers provide a wide range of heavy haul solutions. Some offer lowboy trailer models with a removable gooseneck that is available in either hydraulic or mechanical configurations. Which type of removable gooseneck is right for your business? While most contractors choose hydraulic goosenecks for ease of use, there may be some situations where a mechanical gooseneck is preferred.

“Fred,” a seasoned owner of a heavy-haul trucking business , has built a solid reputation for handling oversized loads. His fleet includes specialized equipment , such as an extra-long extendable step-deck trailer, essential for transporting massive machinery like excavators. Last May, Fred took on a contract to move a large excavator across the Midwest — a routine job that soon turned into a challenging ordeal.  A young driver in a Mustang veered into Fred's lane and collided with his trailer. The police arrived at the scene, and it was clear that the Mustang driver was at fault. Fortunately, neither Fred nor the excavator he was transporting were harmed. However, the damage to Fred's step-deck trailer was significant enough to render it undrivable according to federal Department of Transportation standards.

In 2024, truckers traveling the nation’s highways couldn’t help but notice the construction zones popping up like springtime Texas wildflowers, offering evidence of the road and bridge improvement investments during the third anniversary of the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law passed in 2021.

No matter what California does it will not change this so-called myth that climate change will doom the world.  It seems that the Democrats of California live in a fantasy world since they legalized marijuana because they ALL believe that all the “clean air” that they “generate” in California will somehow be kept in some “fantasy bubble” over California.

Two more electronic logging devices have been kicked off the list of registered ELDs by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, meaning drivers or motor carriers using them will need to replace them with ones on the list. Electronic logging devices are required to monitor commercial drivers' hours of service and must be registered as complying with the minimum federal specifications for these devices. On December 18, 2024, FMCSA removed the following ELDs from the list of registered ELDs due to the providers' failure to meet the minimum requirements established in 49 CFR part 395, subpart B, appendix A.

Traffic congestion on U.S. highways added $108.8 billion in costs to the trucking industry in 2022 according to the latest Cost of Congestion study published by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI). This finding, part of ATRI’s ongoing highway performance measurement research, marks a new record-high national congestion cost. ATRI utilized a variety of data sources, including its substantial truck GPS database and Operational Costs benchmarks, to calculate the impacts of trucking delays on major U.S. roadways. The total hours of congestion decreased slightly in 2022 from record 2021 highs due to a softening freight market, but the cost of operating a truck during this period increased at a much greater rate.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has removed four devices from the agency’s list of registered electronic logging devices, or ELDs.  Motor carriers or drivers using the following ELDs must take steps to stop using and replace them.