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Killer bees hitching a ride into Canada on trucks?

Shrinking demand for new heavy-duty trucks will claim the jobs of an estimated 500 employees who will be idled at Kenworth Truck Co.’s Chillicothe, Ohio, plant in September. It also is forcing Mack Trucks to ordain a “down week” at three plants in early October.

Covenant Transport moved boldly Aug. 22 to increase its revenue, profits and market share by purchasing a substantial portion of what was Con-Way Transportation Services’ truckload division.

Five months ago, when the national average retail price of diesel fuel stood at $1.479 a gallon, Transport Topics, in this space, exhorted the federal government to do something about skyrocketing fuel costs, which were draining the lifeblood out of the trucking industry.

What does it take to survive as truck driver these days?

When I got involved in the safety of hazardous materials transportation more than 40 years ago, the poor quality of training, or lack of it, was made evident to me at an early stage. I started out as a safety inspector in the Interstate Commerce Commission’s Bureau of Motor Carriers. One early assignment was to investigate the shipping practices of a company located in the suburbs of Philadelphia after one of its shipments had leaked and eaten 18 holes in the belly compartment of an Eastern Airlines passenger aircraft that made an emergency landing in Louisville.

A handful of states may have found a way to save hazardous materials transporters time and money, but a lack of federal support is keeping other states from signing on.

Legislation to reissue federal hazardous materials transportation safety regulations remains stalled in Congress, where politics got in the way of last year’s attempt to pass the bill.

John Walters has seen it all when it comes to the worst accidents involving hazardous materials, including his share of rail and truck spills.