���ϳԹ���

It is an unfortunate reality that truck drivers tend to be among the more unhealthy folks in today’s workforce. Most of this stems from the physical and mental demands associated with the hazardous mix of climbing and straining, sedentary driving and a heavy reliance on fast food and truck-stop snacks.

One of the letters to the editor of your publication written by a safety manager recently did an excellent job of making our point about “harassment” and electronic onboard recorders, or EOBRs.

Highway safety is one of the trucking industry’s top priorities, and we have long supported the industry’s efforts to employ technology in enhancing the safety of our employees’ workplace and the safety of everyone who shares our nation’s highways.

The Transportation Intermediaries Association has renewed its bid to force the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to display more information in its database for consistency with another federal agency.

Satisfaction with model-year 2011 trucks suffered as a result of technology added to comply with 2010 federal emissions regulations, which resulted in customers’ reporting more problems with the trucks, a recent J.D. Power and Associates’ survey found.

The produce shipping season is in full swing this year and affected by unpredictable weather patterns that have created shipping peaks in parts of the South and Pacific Northwest and weaker-than-usual demand in California, experts said.

Members of Congress have been boasting that the new highway bill they passed will create as many as 3 million jobs, including construction workers, highway engineers, manufacturing and truck drivers.

Navistar International Corp. scheduled a conference call late last week with stock analysts, saying it would provide an “operational update” as rumors swirled about the truck manufacturer’s inability so far to offer a heavy-duty engine that can meet federal emissions standards without using credits built up with the Environmental Protection Agency.

The House approved a bill on June 29 that would block any federal mandate requiring the use of electronic onboard recorders on vehicles, including a regulation included in the highway funding legislation President Obama was expected to sign late last week.