Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Dec. 5, 2022:
Acting Nebraska Gov. Mike Foley has extended an emergency declaration in the state waiving hours of service provisions for certain fuel haulers. Foley has been serving as acting governor of the state while Gov. Pete Ricketts has been out of the country on a trade mission to Japan. Excavator Radiator
Under the terms of the declaration, the hours of service (Part 395 of the federal regulations) are waived for drivers hauling gasoline or gasoline blends, diesel, fuel oil, ethanol, propane, and biodiesel in the state.
Foley in the waiver noted that multiple states, including Nebraska, “continue to experience fuel shortages due to high demand for petroleum products.”
“By facilitating increased fuel transportation, the order will help reduce delays at petroleum product terminals in order to make fuels more readily available to consumers,” a press release from Ricketts’ office said.
Drivers operating under the waiver are required to carry a copy with them at all times. The waiver is extended through Dec. 31.
Hours of service waivers related to fuel supply issues in South Dakota and Iowa that were issued around the same time as Nebraska's original declaration have since expired.
[Related: Why is diesel getting so much more expensive than gasoline?]
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds in late November signed an extension of a proclamation relating to weight limits and trucking of grain, fertilizer and manure. The proclamation is effective through Dec. 22.
It allows trucks transporting corn, soybeans, hay, straw, silage, stover, fertilizer (dry, liquid and gas), and manure (dry and liquid) to be overweight, up to 90,000 pounds, without a permit.
The waiver applies to loads transported on all highways within Iowa (excluding the interstate system) and those which do not exceed a maximum of 90,000 pounds gross weight, do not exceed the maximum axle weight limit (determined under the non-primary highway maximum gross weight table in Iowa Code) by more than 12.5%, do not exceed the legal maximum axle weight limit of 20,000 pounds, and comply with posted limits on roads and bridges.
Love’s Travel Stops is celebrating truck drivers and the holiday season with its third annual 12 Days of Christmas giveaway.
Customers can enter to win prizes daily on Love’s Facebook page, beginning Monday, Dec. 5. In addition to the daily giveaways, Love’s will donate $30,000 to the St. Christopher Truckers Fund (SCF), a charity that helps professional drivers and their families when an illness or injury has caused them to be out of work.
“We’re excited to kick off our third annual 12 Days of Christmas giveaway as a way to give back to customers and to the St. Christopher Truckers Fund for the life-changing work their foundation does,” said Jenny Love Meyer, chief culture officer and executive vice president of Love’s.
From Dec. 5 to Dec. 16, drivers can enter daily on Love’s Facebook page for chances to win items like a portable monitor for Nintendo Switch, ice maker, Coleman cooler, Mobile to Go Zone bundle and more. On Dec. 16, the grand prize of 100,000 My Love Reward points (equivalent to $1,000) will be given away to one operator.
The Wreaths Across America Escort to Arlington convoy will kick off Saturday, Dec. 10, and head down the East Coast from Maine before arriving at Arlington National Cemetery for Wreaths Across America Day, Dec. 17. Wreaths Across America Twelve trucks from 11 carriers and an industry program will be participating in the week-long Wreaths Across America “Escort to Arlington” convoy, which begins Saturday. Dec. 10.
The convoy will include stops with public events in Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Washington D.C., before arriving at Arlington National Cemetery on the morning of Saturday, Dec. 17 -- National Wreaths Across America Day.
Participants for this year’s Escort to Arlington will include Gold Star Families -- including the National President of American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., Sarah Whitehouse Taylor -- Blue Star Families, volunteers, and veterans representing many eras; and local Veteran Service Organizations such as the VFW, American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, VFW Auxiliary, and the American Legion Auxiliary; and more. Members of the Patriot Guard Riders and Patriot Riders, and law enforcement from departments across Maine and other states along the route will also participate. The Wreaths Across America Mobile Education Exhibit will provide education for all participating stops throughout the week.
Trucking representatives participating in the convoy include Schneider National; Gully Transportation; Witte Bros. Exchange, Inc.; Hartt Transportation Systems, Inc.; Delhaize Transportation LLC (DBA Hannaford Supermarkets); American Trucking Associations -- Workforce Heroes; Pottle’s Transportation; Cargo Transporters, Inc.; Boyd Grain Inc.; Hampton Roads Moving & Storage; Prime Inc.; and Tyson Foods, Inc.
These trucking companies and groups and their drivers will haul a portion of the sponsored veterans’ wreaths heading to Arlington National Cemetery for placement on Saturday, Dec. 17. Additionally, Load One Carriers will once again serve as the ceremonial wreath transporter for the Escort.
Wreaths Across America also recently announced Pilot Company will sponsor Wreaths Across America Radio and its live coverage of the 2022 Escort to Arlington. In addition to the sponsorship of the weeklong live broadcasts on Wreaths Across America Radio, Pilot funds the placement of more than 1,300 veterans’ wreaths at participating cemeteries across Tennessee.
Plate Fin Core The company is also continuing its long-standing tradition of partnering with THE Truckload Carriers Association to support WAA’s celebration of veterans in the trucking industry by sponsoring the annual Appreciation Dinner held in Arlington, Virginia, the night before National Wreaths Across America Day. One of Pilot Company’s own drivers will participate in the hauling of wreaths from Maine to the company’s hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee, in a custom-wrapped Wreaths Across America trailer.