TRUCKING INDUSTRY * USA - FMCSA: Carriers May Ignore Cargo Insurance Warning Letters

Washington,DC,USA -Transport Topics -14 March 2011: -- The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said motor carriers that received notices of investigation for revocation of authority based on cancellation of their cargo insurance policies on or after March 21 “need not respond to such letters if they have a service date of Feb. 19 or after” ...  Thousands of carriers recently received erroneous warnings from FMCSA about the possible loss of their operating authority due to the cancellation of cargo insurance policies that the agency no longer requires in most cases...  But FMCSA said it will “not revoke the operating authority of non-household goods carriers and non-household goods freight forwarders whose cargo insurance expires on or after March 21,” the agency said in a statement released to Transport Topics on Friday...  FMCSA said it was “taking corrective measures to alert carriers” ...

* Arkansas - ABF expands Dual-System Network

Fort Smith,ARK,USA -Eye for Transport (UK) -Mar 9, 2011: -- ABF is expanding its Dual-System Network to the western one-third of the US, providing coast-to-coast coverage and increased shipment velocity to 95% of the lanes between major markets in the West...  ABF's Dual-System Network provides regional service in tandem with the company's long-haul service...  Called the Regional Performance Model (RPM), parallel regional and national service was first offered by ABF in 2006 along the eastern seaboard. The carrier expanded coverage to the eastern two-thirds of the US in 2007. This latest expansion gives the network coast-to-coast coverage...  The ABF system now stretches throughout North America, with local service centres serving all fifty states, Canada, Mexico, Guam, and Puerto Rico. Globally, the carrier serves 250 ports in more than 130 countries... (Image from hankstruckpictures: Some new ABF Mack CH's being delivered, seen here travelling along I-70 in Illinois)

* Kansas - KDOT raises large load permit fees

Topeka,KS,USA -eTrucker -9 March 2011: -- Permit fees will be increased to fund a new system for routing oversized loads through Kansas, that state's transportation department announced...  In conjunction with the Kansas Highway Patrol and ProMiles software, KDOT is developing more efficient routing options for oversized loads, helping them issue permits more quickly...  The state provides specific routes for trucks hauling large loads, and the current paper-based process will move to a web-based format once the new system is implemented. The ProMiles software will automatically generate routes for large loads...  The system should be operational in about two years, KDOT says...

* USA - States pumping up natural gas use

Washington,DC,USA -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr -Mar 11, 2011: -- As the cost of oil, along with diesel and gasoline prices, is expected to remain high for the foreseeable future, state governments are stepping up legislative efforts to promote alternative fuel use in the U.S. – especially natural gas... Currently, 23 state legislatures are considering bills that support natural gas as a transportation fuel, with Wyoming appropriating $200,000 for its Dept. of Transportation and Dept. of Administration and Information to retrofit or acquire vehicles in their fleets capable of running on natural gas, according to the trade association NGVAmerica... McCourt said that the current upswing in oil prices, which is pushing diesel and gasoline costs higher, is the third such upsurge in the last six years. The first came after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, based largely on fears of reduced refinery capacity along the U.S. Gulf Coast, with the second occurring during the summer in 2008...