Life on the Road - Trucking News Blog

It’s been a long time coming, roughly twice as long as the FCC normally takes to perform a merger review, but it looks like a decision is finally on the horizon.

The primary factor in prolonging the review has been the fact that the FCC originally granted licenses to XM and Sirius on the condition the companies never merge; and government regulatory bodies are loathe to make 180 degree reversals. Their thought, back in 1997, was that a merger would stifle competition and result in a condition in which satellite radio consumers weren’t well served.

But the Department of Justice Anti-Trust Division, the folks charged with reviewing proposed mergers, so as to prevent potential monopolies, issued a statement that begins with the following statement:

“Evidence Does Not Establish that Combination of Satellite Radio Providers Would Substantially Reduce Competition”

I’m not entirely sure, with a decision by the DOJ (issued March 28, 2008) indicating a lack of anti-trust issues, why it’s taken so long for the FCC to bring this matter to a head but it may be that they had additional concerns. FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin said, on June 15th,

“As I have indicated before, this is an unusual situation. I am recommending that with the voluntary commitments they (Sirius and XM) have offered, on balance, this transaction would be in the public interest.”

Soooo…just what might those voluntary commitments be?

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Popularity: 25% [?]

Included in this podcast is an interview with the President of The Scuderi Group; Sal Scuderi. Near the end of January, I published a post at Life on the Road regarding the Scuderi Split-Cycle engine; an engine design improvement that, in my opinion, is the most important since Rudolph Diesel improved on the work of Nicolaus Otto.

When The Scuderi Group became aware of a post focusing on their efforts they offered me an opportunity to interview their President; and I accepted. The interview is pretty interesting and, hopefully, I’ll have an opportunity to do a follow up interview in the fall.

Also included in this episode is the conclusion of my commentary regarding Wi-Fi Facts. Give it a listen and, if you’re so inclined, let me know what you think about it.

 

 Trucker Tech Podcast: Episode 7 [00:31:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (609)

It’s been almost two months since I published Episode 6 of the Trucker Tech Podcast. I’m sure nobody lost any sleep wondering whether or not another episode was in the works but, at the same time, I’m hoping you’re all still interested. Episode 6 garnered, by far, the largest number of Trucker Tech Podcast listeners ever and I’m hoping that Episode 7 continues that trend of audience growth.

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Popularity: 42% [?]

Nope, I’m not dispensing any answers in this post; I’m just asking questions. Asking questions, though, as Martha would say, is a good thing. Questions demand answers, answers require thought, thought requires critical analysis and critical analysis can lead to the revelation of both problems and the solutions to those problems.

In Part 1 of this post I asked several general questions but only detailed a few of them. In this final installment I’ll do my best to detail the remaining questions and sum up. Don’t think, by any stretch, I’m asking all the questions though.

I’m not even asking all the questions I’ve thought of let alone all the questions that could, and probably have been, asked by others who are far more informed than I am ever likely to be.

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Popularity: 37% [?]

Over the last couple of years I’ve been following the development of the Scuderi Split-Cycle engine with skeptical interest. The four-stroke internal combustion engine, first perfected by Nicolaus Otto 120 years ago, is a study in simplicity and, because of that, has proven to be a design on which it’s difficult to improve; though many, including Rudolph Diesel, have tried. Whether or not the effort put forth by the Scuderi Group will succeed is yet to be seen but, to say the least, it’s certainly interesting.

According to some recently concluded theoretical testing - all indications are that the Scuderi Split-Cycle engine, which can be configured for either diesel or gas operation, is as much as 30% more efficient than current designs and produces 50% to 80% fewer NOx emissions.

Update: 1/25/08

I’ve been offered an opportunity to interview the President of the Scuderi Group for the next Trucker Tech Podcast. Details are still being worked out so there’s no guarantee it’ll happen but, just in case it does, I thought I’d offer Life on the Road readers, contributors and authors the opportunity to submit questions. If you’re interested, just leave your questions in the “Comments section” along with the way you’d like to be credited if your question is used (i.e., Phil from Life on the Road).

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Popularity: 53% [?]

Over the last few weeks I’ve been reading an awful lot of stuff regarding the method and means by which the future will be fueled and one thing keeps popping up: diesel. And every time diesel is mentioned as a “progressive” fuel you can be sure that biodiesel will be touted somewhere in the article as a prominent player.

I’ve written several biodiesel related posts and, in general, I like the idea of a fuel that, unlike petroleum based fuels, is derived from a renewable source. Additionally, I’m not at all in favor of completely eliminating a power-train component as reliable as the internal-combustion diesel engine from the truck-transport equation. Yeah, hybrids, especially “series hybrids” like those Everitt has written about, are not only promising, they offer possibilities unavailable with current designs. But even the series hybrids often incorporate diesel power.

With diesel and biodiesel being pushed by the media as a so-called “fuel of the future” I’ve really got to wonder what the ultimate impact will be on truck transport. In fact, I’ve got a lot of questions.

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Popularity: 34% [?]

In this episode I discuss three entertainment related gadgets, the Haier Ibiza, the Slingbox Solo and the Wallace Technologies VuQube, along with a GPS device that’s very different from any I’ve seen previously. I also offer a security related tech tip along with a commentary regarding some of the misinformation that seems to be floating around regarding truck stop Wi-Fi. In a couple of days, probably Saturday, I’ll post a transcript of the podcast on the Trucker Tech blog so, if you’re interested, you can check it out.

By the way, if you like this podcast, or even if you don’t and you want to see if they’re all this bad, you can find Episode 1 here at Life on the Road and Episodes 2 through 5 at Trucker Tech:

• Episode 1
• Episode 2
• Episode 3
• Episode 4
• Episode 5

 

 Trucker Tech Podcast: Episode 6 [00:29:45m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (311)

I’m tremendously interested in your comments; especially those that include topic suggestions, constructive criticisms or corrections. There’s lots of ways to get in contact with me and I list them at the end of this podcast.

Quick Links

Here’s where I list as many of the links relevant to the podcast as I possibly can. If I miss something, just leave a comment and I’ll dig it up.

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Popularity: 51% [?]

Nope, I don’t have a crystal ball and my record of predicting the future is anything but stellar; just a quick look at my buy and sell choices in the stock market, over the last 20 years, would leave you convinced that the title of this post is dripping with audacity. That’s why it’s couched as a question rather than a statement. You’ll do well to consider my assertions, read the source material, and come to your own conclusions.

I just finished reading a very interesting post by Dan Goodwill titled “NASCO (North America’s Super Corridor Coalition)” and it got me to thinking. First, a little background so you know where I’m going with this. Back in October I authored a post in which the issue of some new regulations being proposed for the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach were thoroughly inspected. Well, as thoroughly inspected as possible in a blog post. The entry didn’t seem to generate much interest, maybe very few folks figured it would impact them directly, so I didn’t bother following up with a post when the regulations were adopted in early December or when the new container fees were approved about ten days later. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 49% [?]

Don’t anybody jump to conclusions; but I’ve been informed, by a senior official at Flying J, that we’re one baby step closer to seeing an industry-wide truck stop Wi-Fi network become reality. I’m not even hinting at this early stage that the creation of such a network is imminent, or even likely, but, at least now, the unreturned calls made by Flying J, inviting the truck stop heads to discuss the possibilities, are beginning to be returned. Considering the hurdles that had to be overcome just to get a phone call or three returned, I’m cautiously optimistic. Honestly, though, the Flying J spokesman thinks a successful outcome is “a real long shot given the competitive environment that we exist in.”

It’s my personal opinion that the wide range of Wi-Fi subscriptions a driver might be forced to maintain, along with the potentially unstable companies through which those subscriptions are made, has left a lot of drivers sitting on the sidelines. True, a perfectly viable option, one that virtually eliminates those and one or two other objections, is to use cellular broadband. As a matter of fact, the driving force behind Flying J Communication’s unification entreaties to the other truck stop chains is, at least in part, due to the competition they’re seeing from the cellular services.

I also understand that there are some who may have chosen to go the cellular route, either in part or in whole, because they prefer to avoid enriching the coffers of truck stop chains to any greater degree than absolutely necessary. That’s fine, with them I have no quibble, but there are those of us who would prefer, for any number of reasons, to see truck stop Wi-Fi maintained as a strong cellular competitor. Wi-Fi, whatever its faults and foibles, has its advantages, even in an over-the-road world, and I’d hate to someday write of its demise. So I’m keeping my fingers crossed in hope of productive talks.

Popularity: 42% [?]

With SiriCOMM going the way of Truckstop.net I thought it might be time to get in touch with a certain senior official at Flying J Communications. He prefers I keep his name out of print but over the last couple of years, especially while I was writing “Over the Road Wireless For Dummies”, he’s been especially open, honest and helpful.

When Truckstop.net folded, still holding the funds of many a good trucker, Flying J offered to honor the obligations left unfulfilled by Truckstop.net. So I asked him; “will Flying J be stepping in and coming to the rescue as it did in the previous debacle?” His emailed answer included a surprising revelation along with an invitation to call and discuss the situation further. I accepted that invitation, earlier today, and I now know that Flying J is offering the solution to nearly every trucker’s complaint concerning WiFi services. Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 68% [?]

It seems that Dart Transit is making an attempt at bringing reality into the Hours of Service Debate. Not complete reality, mind you, but more realism than has been considered to date. eTrucker has reported, in an article published yesterday, that

“Dart Transit Co. wants a two-year exemption from two provisions of the hours-of-service regulations so that 200 of its owner-operators can operate under a fatigue risk management system that encourages quality nighttime sleep and uses electronic onboard recorders (EOBRs) to monitor drivers’ rest schedules.”

The two provisions in question are the 14 hour clock and split-rest limitations; all other HOS provisions will apply. The goal here is to place the specified 200 drivers into a scientifically valid test in real world conditions. The on-board recorders will be used to ensure that the truck isn’t moving for at least six straight hours between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. (meaning, presumably, that the driver is sleeping and not playing some silly video game). The idea is to provide night-time sleep while, at the same time, affording drivers a little more flexibility in choosing when and how they manage to get in their full ten hours of rest during any 24 hour period.

They’ll also, according to the article, use

“…software from Circadian Technologies to analyze driver fatigue risk on a daily basis. Exempt drivers and their fleet managers would get these scores, along with instructions on how to improve them, such as temporary reductions in workload.”

Dart applied for the exemption in June and the FMCSA published a notice of the exemption request, seeking comments, on Monday; the comment period closes on December 26. If the exemption is granted, Dart will begin taking applications and providing health screening from and for O/Os seeking the opportunity to participate in the study. The health screening is being done to eliminate anyone from the study who might have an undiagnosed sleep disorder.

On the face of it, this study would seem to go a long way toward bringing scientifically backed, and reality based, evidence into the HOS debate - rather than the unending litany of bias-ridden statistics. But do I think this’ll be groundbreaking or earth-shattering? Nope, but the proposed study, as well as its method and practice, is rife with interesting implications….

Popularity: 94% [?]