Jul
17
Truck Safety Act Proposes Hourly Pay & Increased Insurance
United States Senate has proposed a new bill, the Truck Safety Act, which would call for hourly pay for truck drivers as opposed to the current payroll plan of by the mile. Legislators claim the new act would increase safety measures and truckers would feel less inclined to push themselves on the road. The act would also call for an increase in required insurance amounts from the current coverage of $750,000 to $1.5M. Insurance requirements haven’t been raised since the 1980’s but experts say the current minimum is not enough to cover crash victims. Legislators are proposing that in addition to the policies within this act, all trucks be required to install speed-regulating devices and collision avoidance systems to increase safety initiatives. Read more…
Google’s Self-Driving Vehicles Tested in Austin, Texas
Google is one step closer to make self-driving vehicles a reality as it tests a self-driving Lexus in Austin this week. The initiative has been active since 2009 and the company hopes to learn more about traffic conditions and driving behaviors in major cities before fully debuted the feature. While it might seem like there would be a high rate of accidents, over half of the incident involved with the self-driving vehicle were due to human error, totaling 14 crashes since inception. As we move closer to self-driving vehicles, the Logistics industry explores the possibility of self-driving trucks in an attempt to reduce expenses, decrease road incidents and get around labor policies. In an industry with constant change, some experts are still wary of the idea and await more information before beginning tests of their own. Read more…
Diesel Prices Continue to Drop
Diesel Prices are down by 1.8 cents, nationwide, making this the 7th week in a row that diesel prices continue to drop. Oil prices in Saudi Arabia declined significantly in the past week, contributing to the drop is diesel prices in the United States. Experts are predicting that due to the rate of production in Saudi Arabia, we are experience an oversupply of oil, which could lead to even lower prices. Read more…
Manufacturing Grade by State
Ball State University released their 2015 Manufacturing & Logistics Report Card, grading all 50 states on the healthiness of their Manufacturing and Logistics industries, as well as other factors. Texas, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Illinois all received an ‘A’ in Logistics health, while South Carolina, Indiana, Michigan, Iowa, and Kansas scored ‘A’ for Manufacturing. Some of the worst states for both categories were New Mexico, Nevada, and Rhode Island. The report also includes state grade for Human Capital, Tax Climate, Productivity and Innovation, and more. Full report here.