Trucking News and Briefs for Wednesday, 26 June 2024:
FMCSA names new acting chief
U.S. Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg announced on Tuesday that Vinn White would serve as Deputy Administrator and Acting Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
FMCSA Deputy Administrative Vinn White
Sue Lawless will be replaced by White, who will take on the role of Acting Deputy Director and Acting Administrator.
Since the departure of former FMCSA administrator Robin Hutcheson, in January
. Lawless will continue to serve in her previous roles as Executive Director and Chief Security Officer of the FMCSA.
Hutcheson, the first full-time administrator for three years, had been serving as administrator since September 2022. She was appointed deputy Administrator in January 2022, and then became acting Administrator when the previous acting administrator Meera Joshi left to take a job in the administration for New York City Mayor Eric Adams. FMCSA’s top job has seen a lot of turnover since 2019. Ray Martinez left the FMCSA in October of that year, and the top position was filled by a succession of acting administrators: Jim Mullen (who took over from Martinez), Wiley Deck (who took over from Martinez) and Joshi.
White, a member of the Biden and Harris Administration since 2021 and the U.S. DOT’s Acting Chief AI Officer, oversees the implementation of White House executive order 14110, which aims to advance and govern AI development and use in accordance with Administration’s guiding priorities and principles.
White said, “It’s an honor to be in this position and I thank Secretary Buttigieg and his confidence in me to lead the important FMCSA work.” “Our agency’s focus is on enhancing the safety of all road users. I am committed to working closely with safety partners in the commercial motor vehicle sector to achieve this goal.”
White was responsible for U.S. Prior to joining FMCSA he coordinated U.S. DOT initiatives on emerging transportation technologies, including coordinating cross-departmental policies related to automated driving systems, drone and advanced air mobility systems, surface vehicle-to-everything connectivity, 5G integration with the nation’s critical aviation infrastructure and other sector-facing, innovation-related policy areas.
White’s appointment to the DOT in 2021 marks a return after previously serving as the Acting Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Policy in 2016 and Deputy Assistant Secretary in 2016, where he served as the chief architect for USDOT’s 30-Year Transportation Plan, Beyond Traffic.
FMCSA stated that White’s knowledge and experience in transportation spans more than 15 years. This includes his tenure as senior advisor to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. Phil Murphy. White was involved in transportation and mobility policies and worked closely with the NJ Department of Transportation and Motor Vehicle Commission as well as NJ TRANSIT and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.
[ Related to: FMCSA administrator Hutcheson steps down after 16 months on job]
Salem Carriers partners with Daimler to create an electric trucking hub
The new partnership provides an all-in-one Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS) offering with a fixed and predictable monthly rate, DTNA said.
DTNA
Daimler Truck North America Inc. and Salem Carriers Inc. On Tuesday, 226 announced a partnership to electrify DTNA’s inbound logistics at the Salem Carriers Hub near Charlotte, North Carolina.
Daimler Truck Financial Services is also involved with the project. They are partnering up with fleet electrification firm Electrada. Together, they provide an all-in-one Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS) offering with a fixed and predictable monthly rate. This service includes the development, operation, and maintenance of the charging network, as well the energy contract.
Salem Carriers is DTNA’s inbound logistic network in the Carolinas. It plays a vital role in connecting manufacturing facilities, supply chain hubs and supplier locations. They used Freightliner eCascadia trucks from DTNA for their daily inbound routes. These operations were made possible by a strategic partnership between Electrada and DTFS, which provided a full-scale electrification effort for depots. This was aligned with DTNA’s goal to implement electrical mobility solutions throughout their operations.
The CaaS Solution for Salem includes deployment of, ownership, operation and energy management for the fleet charging infrastructure in Salem’s Statesville North Carolina depot. This is complemented by en route top-off charging on the unique Duke Energy/Electrada Mobility Microgrid in Mt. Holly, North Carolina.
DTFS is the catalyst for Salem by reducing entry barrier with the new CaaS Solution, integrating vehicle lease, electric services program, insurance and other key components to a unified and predictable cost structure.
Dennis Giff, the General Manager of Salem Carriers, said that introducing battery electric vehicles into our operations was a brand new initiative. “The DTFS/Electrada strategy was unified and aligned with our operational needs. It set the stage for future electric vehicle integration in our services.”
New funding application for EV charging infrastructure opening soon
In July, a new funding opportunity will be available for California fleets that are interested in installing charging infrastructure for electric vehicles for Class 2b-8 or off-road equipment.
The Energy Infrastructure Incentives for Zero-Emissions Commercial Vehicles (EnergIIZE Project) is funded by the California Energy Commission, and administered by Calstart. It will open its EV Jump Start financing lane on Saturday, July 16 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific and run until Friday, September 10 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific.
The EV Jumpstart funding lane is one out of four standard funding lanes that EnergIIZE offers. It focuses on equity qualified projects on public, private, or shared-use sites. It covers up 75% of eligible costs for infrastructure equipment and software for projects up $750,000. The eligible costs include, but are not restricted to: Level 2 chargers and direct current fast chargers.
The application process is competitive and applications are scored based on criteria that demonstrate operations and maintenance planning as well as cost effectiveness and community benefit.
Those eligible include: Tribes or Tribal-serving entities; small businesses, as recognized by California State Legislative Code, minority-owned or woman-owned businesses, veteran-owned or LGBT-owned business; infrastructure installed in a designated disadvantaged community or low-income area (DAC or LIC); transit systems with atleast 50% of routes within a DAC/LIC; public schools districts serving economically disadvantaged children; and nonprofit organizations.
Calstart has noted that the eligibility requirements for EV Jump Start have changed since last round of funding. EnergIIZE previously only accepted one application for each tax identification number (TIN). The new policy allows a single entity, identified by TIN to apply for multiple unique projects sites. However, they cannot receive more than 25% of total funding for this lane.
Alyssa Haerle is the Director of Infrastructure Incentive Administration for Calstart. She said, “We are excited to open EV Jump Start again to help advance deployment of EV charger infrastructure across California. We have a special focus on equity and communities.” “We hope that these incentives will allow more fleets to make a transition to zero-emission vehicles and clean air in areas where it is most needed.”
Applications will be accepted online through the Incentive Process Center on the day funding lanes open. The EnergIIZE site has a wealth of information. Potential applicants should also schedule a time with the project team to ask any questions they may have about EV Jump Start.