Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, July 16, 2024:
Trucking-friendly legislative record shows in Trump VP pick’s short time in the Senate
Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance
Vance, currently in just his second year as Ohio’s junior senator, was a co-sponsor of the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act introduced in 2023, which calls for the allocation of funds to create safe parking spots for trucks and make necessary improvements to existing truck parking areas. Vance also cosponsored the DRIVE Act, which would prohibit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration from mandating speed limiters on heavy trucks.
The provisions of those bills most recently saw legislative action when included in appropriations bills just last week as they came out of committee markup in the House.
Vance was also one of five Senators to co-sign a 2023 letter to DOT Inspector General Eric J. Soskin urging the IG to work with the Department of Justice and FMCSA to explore a permanent task force policing fraud in brokered and other freight markets.
Additionally, he co-sponsored a joint resolution attempting to block the Environmental Protection Agency’s Phase 3 Greenhouse Gas regulations on heavy-duty trucks.
Vance was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022 and sworn into office on Jan. 3, 2023. A veteran of the Marine Corps, Vance served in the Iraq War, then graduated from Ohio State University and Yale Law School. He also wrote a bestselling book, Hillbilly Elegy, which was turned into a Netflix movie.
[Related: EPA wants feedback on CARB diesel ban | Speed limiter block still alive in Congress]
Landstar owner-op wins new truck
John Fuller (right), Landstar All-Star Truck Giveaway Winner and Landstar Two Million Mile Safe Driver and Roadstar honoree, is shown with his wife, Jo, and Landstar President and CEO Frank Lonegro (left).Landstar
John Fuller, a Landstar Two Million Mile Safe Driver, was awarded the keys to a brand-new 2025 Freightliner Cascadia as part of the company’s BCO All-Star Celebration held earlier this month in Orlando, Florida.
The All-Star Truck Giveaway is exclusively reserved for Landstar Million Mile Safe Drivers and Roadstar honorees — the designation awarded to the “best of the best” for high levels of safety, productivity and excellence in customer service. This is the 49th truck Landstar has given away in its history, and the 11th truck awarded specifically to a Landstar Million Mile Safe Driver or Roadstar recipient. This year’s truck was sponsored in part by Comdata, and the prize includes all registration fees and taxes paid by Landstar.
“John certainly deserves to win this new truck after having safely driven, not one, but two million miles, and helped set the industry standard for safety and service excellence as a Landstar Roadstar,” said Landstar President and CEO Frank Lonegro. “Our congratulations to John, and all the men and women who were recognized for their individual achievements as Landstar Million Mile Safe Drivers and Roadstar recipients.”
Fuller leased to Landstar as an owner-operator in 2003. He achieved his first million miles as a safe driver in 2012. Just two years later, he was recognized as a Landstar Roadstar honoree for consistently proving his commitment to safety and excellence.
Fuller accepted his Two Million Mile Safe Driver award at the BCO All-Star Celebration shortly before he was called to the stage again, this time, as one of four finalists randomly drawn from the pool of Landstar owner-operators eligible to win the truck giveaway. Then, the finalists each selected one of four boxes, one of which contained the key to the new truck.
[Related: Big week for Overdrive‘s Trucker of the Year Jay Hosty, now officially a ‘Roadstar’]
Landstar Lifetime Achievement Award winner Duane Vorst (center) is shown with his wife, Beth, and Landstar President and CEO Frank Lonegro.Landstar
In addition to the truck giveaway, Landstar also presented its BCO Lifetime Achievement Award to Landstar Three Million Mile Safe Driver and Landstar Roadstar recipient Duane Vorst.
Vorst, who lives in Columbus Grove, Ohio, joined Landstar in 1982. He was named a Landstar Roadstar in 1993. He reached his first million miles of safe driving with Landstar in 1995, his Two Million Mile Safe Driver award in 2008, and was inducted as a Three Million Mile Safe Driver in 2022.
Vorst continues to add to his impressive career and, to date, has driven more than 3.23 million miles while leased on with a Landstar company without a preventable accident. He has also earned two Landstar Star of Quality awards, and a National Safety Council Driver Honor.
Of the tens of thousands of owner-operators who have been leased to Landstar during the company’s history, only 11 have received this prestigious award. To be considered for the honor, nominees must be an active or retired Landstar owner-operator who has been with the company for at least 20 consecutive years. They must also be at least a Two Million Mile Safe Driver, a Roadstar honoree, and have consistently demonstrated professionalism by developing a positive reputation with regulatory and enforcement personnel, customers, agents and Landstar employees, as well as through industry recognition.
Ryder to acquire Pit Stop Fleet Service
Ryder System has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Pit Stop Fleet Service, enabling the expansion and further strengthening of Ryder’s Torque by Ryder retail mobile maintenance business offering, Ryder said.
Based in Venice, Florida, Pit Stop offers retail mobile commercial fleet maintenance, including battery, tire and transmission repairs, preventative maintenance, and breakdown assistance.
The transaction, which Ryder expects to complete by Aug. 1 subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to add approximately $24 million in gross revenue to Ryder’s Torque by Ryder business in 2025 and provide incremental growth to Ryder’s earnings. Financial terms of the deal are not disclosed.
Ryder expects the transaction to create synergies and to benefit both Ryder and Pit Stop customers. To ensure a seamless experience for customers, Ryder will fully integrate Pit Stop employees, assets and operations. Ron and Connie Perry, who co-founded Pit Stop in 1997, will help support the integration into Ryder.
“With our complementary retail mobile maintenance fleet services across diverse industries and markets, we now have even greater economies of scale and offer unparalleled flexibility for fleets requiring swift maintenance services,” said Tom Havens, president of Fleet Management Solutions at Ryder.
With this latest Ryder acquisition, Ryder’s retail mobile maintenance services will be available in 140 markets in 20 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia; with plans to further expand into additional states later this year.
Since its launch in the summer of 2023 and with this acquisition, Torque by Ryder will have a workforce of about 200 technicians. This includes a wide range of vehicles serviced, including commercial trucks, trailers, delivery vans, refrigerated vehicles, construction and utility vehicles, passenger and shuttle buses, and emergency response vehicles.
[Related: Ryder intros new mobile maintenance service for trucks, trailers, more]