While it’s still far-fetched, the idea of ordering something online and having it delivered to your doorstep within an hour is closer to reality than it ever has been before. E-commerce giant Amazon and parcel shipping company UPS are both working on drove delivery services, with both companies testing out the airborne delivery bots this year. What’s happening behind the scenes to make this ultra-convenient small parcel delivery service a reality? That’s the focus of this next installment of our “Shaping the Future” blog series.

Drone Delivery: Convenience for Customers and Drivers

Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos first let the public know about the idea of using drones for delivery in December 2013 on “60 Minutes.” Since then, the company has faced roadblock after roadblock from the Federal Aviation Administration but continues to push forward with hopes of deploying small packages to the homes of its customers not only the same day but within the hour, if possible.

Where would these drones “hang out” until go time? According to Digital Trends, Amazon revealed its plan for an airborne fulfillment center; essentially a warehouse suspended from a blimp that would double as a takeoff and landing zone for its Prime Air drones.

According to USA Today, UPS tested its truck-launched drone delivery system in Lithia, Fla. in February 2017. Their system is a little different than Amazon’s and is aimed to help make rural deliveries more efficient for its drivers. Essentially, the drone travels along with the UPS truck and works in a “triangle pattern” of deliveries. While the delivery driver makes one delivery in the bottom left of the triangle, the autonomous drone can fly ahead to a location at the top of the “triangle.” The delivery driver then travels to the next destination, the bottom right of the “triangle,” and the autonomous drone meets back up, landing safely on the top of the truck.

In early February of this year, another package delivery giant, FedEx, announced a different route in their foreseeable future. According to MIT Technology Review, FedEx Chief Information Officer Rob Carter said autonomous vehicles make more sense than Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) when it comes to automated deliveries.

Testing for all Situations

In a perfect world, drone delivery would be simple. A controlled environment where a customer places an order, the package leaves the fulfillment center, goes for a nice smooth trip, and then lands on the customer’s front porch in pretty packaging.

Obviously, it’s not a perfect world, and there are unforeseen circumstances that can get in the way. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a lot of drone delivery testing in the United States because of Federal Aviation Administration rules. While Amazon and UPS are testing their new delivery methods, some of the locations remain unknown.

This week, Amazon took their testing a bit further, according to Business Insider, testing to see how a drone would respond to a potential “protective pup” at a delivery destination. According to IBTimes, the tests do not involve real dogs, but simulate how a drone would react to a “canine trying to protect its territory.”

Drones in Logistics

There’s a lot of talk on the topic of drones, especially in last-mile logistics, some saying its far-fetched and others standing behind the use of drones in order fulfillment. No matter how you spin it, the reality of the unmanned craft delivering goods to customers becomes more and more within reach.

In recent news, a start-up company called Natilus wants to use the drone delivery approach as an alternative to air or ocean shipping. Currently ocean freight can involve weeks of transit time, and the air alternative option can be fairly costly. According to Supply Chain Digest, Nautilis plans to test a concept drone this summer, making a trip between Los Angeles and Hawaii in about 30 hours this summer.

Still, the major roadblock for drones in logistics continues to be regulations set in place by the FAA. There are also some questions up in the air about the safety of packages being delivered via drone, and if the packages themselves would be brought right to the customer’s front door, or if they would be dropped via parachute, in parcel delivery. Nautilis believes government regulations would require its drones to take off and land on the water.

To read the latest drone regulations, visit the FAA’s website here.

Timeline

At this time, Amazon and UPS are not giving specific timelines for when their drones would be making actual customer deliveries. Nautilis says it plans to have a 200-foot drone that would undergo testing and certification by the year 2020.

As a third-party logistics (3PL) company, we welcome and embrace change in technology. We will continue to use our relationships with our carrier network to provide the best shipping arrangement services. We hope you’re enjoying our “Shaping the Future” blog series. Thank you for reading!

If you’re employed by a freight carrier, either as a truck driver or in a “desk job” role, you’ve probably heard about Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) compliance reviews. Regardless of whether or not a trucking company is actually in compliance with FMCSA regulations, these audits tend to instill fear in the hearts of even the bravest men.

It’s definitely intimidating to have the FMCSA come to your facility in person, specifically looking for the tiniest of things that may be out of order. The good news is that if you’re prepared and doing everything by the book, you shouldn’t have any reason to worry. Read further to learn a little more about how these compliance reviews work, how you can prepare, and some recent changes to the process.

What is the purpose of a compliance review?

During their compliance review, the FMCSA is looking at two main areas: regulatory compliance and safety performance. While they are, of course, looking for all of your policies, procedures, and paperwork to be in order, they also want to see that your drivers and employees are all on board with these policies and actually put them into practice. (Basically, they want your company to be walking the walk, not just talking the talk.)

If you are found to not be in compliance in regards to hours of service, safety, or other regulatory matters, it could impact your safety fitness rating, penalty fines could be assessed, or worse – you could be placed out of service.

How to prepare and what to expect

If you are going to be audited on-site by the FMCSA, you will receive at least 48 hours advance notice. According to Cottingham & Butler, these are the documents you should have prepared for the visit:

• Proof of financial responsibility
• Driver Qualification Files
• Drug and alcohol testing records
• Records of duty status and supporting documents
• Driver vehicle inspection reports and maintenance records
• FMCSA accident register
• Hazardous materials records (if you haul hazmat freight)

Obviously, if you are out of compliance or not following FMCSA regulations in some way, 48 hours is not going to be enough time to fix that. You should ensure that your business is always 100 percent up to compliance with the FMCSA at all times so that if you do get a visit from them, everything will go smoothly and you won’t be scrambling. (Also, you are required by law to follow these regulations…  so the potential of an audit shouldn’t be your only motivation to keep everything in order!)

The FMCSA will spend 1-2 days at your facility, speaking to your employees and reviewing all your documentation and paperwork to ensure everything is up to standard.

Recent trends in compliance reviews

Recently, the FMCSA announced a change in their compliance review process. Previously, while on site, they would focus on speaking to the few employees most heavily involved in the regulatory and safety procedures (like safety directors). Now, according to CCJ Digital, they have expanded this to include discussions with nearly everyone on-site, including people you may not expect – like accounting and sales. The FMCSA wants to see that safety and regulatory compliance is truly a part of your company culture.

Another recent trend, according to Trucking Info, is the occurrence of reviews due to complaints rather than CSA scores. Previously, CSA scores were the #1 trigger for a review, with complaints taking a lower priority. However, due to the new driver coercion legislation that went into effect in 2016, complaints are being taken far more seriously and triggering reviews much more frequently. The FMCSA has also made it easier to file complaints (previously, they had to be mailed in – now, they can be submitted through the website).

Also from Trucking Info, here are a few hot items to pay attention to that have been causing problems for some carriers:

• Hours of Service (HOS) violations. These are by far the most common violations discovered during the compliance reviews, and it’s important to make sure your logs are in order.
• Driver Vehicle Inspection Reports (DVIRs). As of 2016, the FMCSA is referencing these during the audit and cross-checking with maintenance and repair logs to ensure you are in compliance.
• Medical card verification. Your process needs to be up-to-date when verifying the physician and medical results for your drivers.
• Expired or suspended CDLs. Carriers should have an automated system in place to make sure their drivers have valid CDLs; the drivers should not be relied on to report this information themselves.

In conclusion

We can’t provide you with legal advice or guarantee that any of these tips will actually save you from a penalty or fine, but we like to keep our carrier network in the loop, so we hope this information helps keep you up-to-date on what’s going on in the world of compliance reviews. If you have unanswered questions, we recommend you contact the FMCSA directly. Thanks for reading!

For asset-based companies and brokers alike, capacity and the spot market can have major impacts on rates and rate predictions for freight. As we’re nearing the end of Q1, it only seems fitting to take a look at predictions for 2017 and how they’ve played out so far in terms of the market. There were quite a few expectations for change, including promises of increased demand from President Donald Trump’s plans to boost business in the states, but initial reports suggest shippers can back down slightly from their concerns about big price hikes for the time being.

While the price hikes aren’t immediate, there is still a noticeable boost in freight demand for the United States this quarter. Market predictions by industry analyst Stifel suggests truckload demand will continue to rebound while supply will stay down between two to three percent; in part from efforts to protect utilization and driver compensation, but also due to some of the looming federal regulations  (e.g. FSMA, ELD Mandate). With supply decreasing and demand continuing to rise, Stifel believes the “prospect for positive pricing momentum is building” in the truckload sector.

Capacity Challenges

There are many factors that could affect capacity, with different factors impacting different modes of transportation. According to Stifel, due to weak 2015 and 2016 demand, intermodal and truckload carriers are reducing capacity to boost returns on investment, while less-than-truckload (LTL) and air carriers are also staying on the conservative side, not adding much capacity ahead of upcoming safety-focused regulations. Probably the most notable upcoming regulations are the FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), set to go into effect for non-exempt carriers on April 6, and the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Mandate set to take effect in December. There are concerns that some carriers may choose to leave the business or remove some trucks from circulation due to the impacts from these requirements. Carriers are being encouraged to take the necessary compliance steps as it seems less likely that these rules will be set aside or postponed as they have already survived a number of legal hurdles.

How Trinity Combats Capacity Challenges

With tightening capacity challenges, we continue to rely on the relationships we build with our network of 32,000 carriers. We have an entire Carrier Relations team dedicated to helping carriers join Trinity’s network, answering questions, and studying the latest industry changes and regulations to educate carriers and Trinity’s team members. With our network of vetted carriers potentially growing every day, we can combat challenges with tightening capacity. We also work with a network of intermodal carriers, and can arrange the movement of freight that isn’t necessarily time-sensitive via rail.

Strengthening relationships with our carriers and encouraging those who are non-exempt to become compliant with these regulations is something that we plan to continue through the implementation of upcoming regulations and industry challenges.

Other Potential Impacts

There’s a lot of talk now about some e-commerce and ride-sharing companies venturing into the world of last-mile delivery and order fulfillment, and autonomous trucks are hitting more headlines as companies test out beer runs and other highway convoy trips. Stifel predicts that the so-called “uberization” of truck brokerage will not happen anytime in the near future as there are still some hurdles, and it may be a few years still until autonomous trucks are technically ready to operate.

As a full logistics solutions provider, we are committed to helping our customers and potential customers understand the impacts of these industry changes. Look for an update on the Food Safety Modernization Act ahead of its implementation on April 6.

Our rates are directly impacted by any changes in these regulations and the market. We will continue to stay competitive and work with on our carrier relationships to get you the best rate for your freight, and to get it delivered safely and on time.

The phrase “looking a little green around the edges” used to have a negative connotation, but for years “going green” has been something not only desirable for consumers and companies, but also something backed strongly by governmental regulations.

During President Obama’s time in office, the Environmental Protection Agency enacted standards for strict fuel economy and reducing greenhouse gases. Environmental groups feel better fuel economy would not only save consumers billions of dollars, but would also push vehicles to be more efficient, slashing pollution.

Watchful eyes are on the Trump administration, as the EPA plans to take a different route, reviewing the 2022-2025 standards set in place at the end of the Obama administration. The EPA plans to open the door for comments from the auto industry and other affected persons, paving the way for potential changes or relaxations to the current measures.

With so much uncertainty, you can rest assured that your Trinity Logistics team is staying on top of the latest changes in the industry, encouraging our carrier network to participate, and finding the answers for you.

Going green is something that is important to our company. That’s why we take measures to stay in check!

EPA SmartWay

The Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay program helps companies advance supply chain sustainability by measuring, benchmarking, and improving freight transportation efficiency. Since 2008, Trinity has proudly participated in this federal initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution created by freight transportation.

The SmartWay partnership is a way for shippers, carriers, logistics companies, railyways, and other transportation stakeholders to measure, benchmark, and improve logistics operations to reduce their carbon footprint.

More than 3,000 companies and organizations are now a part of SmartWay. Since 2004, it has helped its partners save 170.3 million barrels of oil, which is equivalent to eliminating the annual energy use in over six million homes.

To maintain our SmartWay partnership, we report our annual freight and emissions activity to the EPA, and demonstrate commitment to constantly improve our efficiency.

Responsible Care

Trinity Logistics became part of the Responsible Care Partnership in 2009, furthering our commitment to the hazmat chemical industry we’ve served since 2002. We’ve strategically developed operating procedures in line with the key principles of Responsible Care, to ensure the safe arrangement of chemical shipments. Through Responsible Care, we commit to improve company performance through community awareness and emergency response, security, distribution, employee health and safety, pollution prevention, and process and product safety.

Intermodal (rail) Shipping

If freight isn’t extremely time sensitive, intermodal shipping is an excellent, eco-friendly alternative to truckload shipping. We have an entire team dedicated to arranging rail shipments, and encouraging our many loyal customers to consider sending some of their freight via this mode.

According to the Association of American Railroads, trains are on average four times more fuel efficient than trucks, reducing highway gridlock, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing pollution. In 1980, railroads in the United States moved a ton of freight an average of 235 miles per gallon. That same ton of freight per gallon will go an average of 273 miles today, up 101 percent. Read their full report here.

Top Green Provider for 2016

In 2016, we were named to Food Logistics Top Green Provider list, which recognizes companies whose products, services, or exemplary leadership is enhancing sustainability within the food and beverage industry. We have entered again for 2017 and hope to continue boosting our green initiatives, so we can reduce our carbon footprint.

What happens when more than 200 people pack Delmarva Christian High School in Georgetown to support and play an unusual volleyball match on a Saturday? There’s a lot of fun, a lot of teamwork, some sore muscles, and a record amount of money collected to support a local cancer center.

This was the fourth year Trinity Logistics and the Trinity Foundation organized “Big Pink Volleyball” to benefit the Nanticoke Cancer Care Center in Seaford, and the first year that the event was completely sold out. Twenty-four teams, consisting of 186 people from Trinity’s Team Members, community members, and local organizations, including seven teams from Nanticoke Health Services, participated in the marathon day of volleyball on Saturday, March 4. Between registration, door prizes, and money raised during Trinity’s “Week of Pink” silent auction, Trinity Logistics and the Trinity Foundation were able to donate $8500 to the Nanticoke Cancer Care Center, nearly doubling the $4300 raised last year.

“The employees at Trinity Logistics have developed a unique and fun way to bring awareness to breast cancer. The Nanticoke Health Foundation is very grateful for the partnership and the investment that Trinity makes for the cancer patients in our community,” says Renee’ S. Morris, Executive Director of Nanticoke Health Foundation.

The 24 teams that participated this year made creative team names, showed their sportsmanship with team shirts, and donated their time to the cause. The “Dave’s Floor Covering” team took home the grand prize of bragging rights after beating out “Nanticoke Rehab All-Stars” in the final match.

“The Trinity Foundation loves seeing Big Pink Volleyball grow year after year because it brings awareness to people in our community that excellent cancer care is available right here in Seaford,” said Amy Proctor, Director of the Trinity Foundation. “We are thankful for the community’s involvement in bringing awareness and raising money for such a worthy cause.”

This year’s tournament was made possible by Preston Motor, the full court sponsor; Eastern Shore Poultry, who donated a YETI ® cooler for the raffle; and Trinity’s Advanced Services Team who sponsored the Wall of Wishes to be signed by Big Pink players.

Trinity Logistics would also like to thank Delmarva Christian High School for providing the facility and concessions for Big Pink players, volunteers, and attendees.

Mark your calendars for next year!

When Trinity Logistics first opened its doors in 1979 as Trinity Transport, the small family-owned company specialized in the arrangement of truckload freight. In the last decade, Trinity has expanded its focus into the arrangement of more specialty services, designing solutions that don’t necessarily fit within the cookie cutter of ordinary freight arrangement. One of those services is dray service, or drayage, which is typically needed with shipments where freight is coming into a port or being transported via intermodal, or rail.

What is Drayage?

Drayage is most commonly known as the act of pulling containers out of a rail yard or ocean port and either loading them or unloading them before returning the container to the port or rail yard, typically over short distances. With dray service, an empty or full container can be mounted on chassis, or a flatbed, to be delivered either from your door to the port or rail yard or from the port or rail yard to your front door. Drayage is an important part of the shipment and transportation of products to and from different modes of transportation.

The term “drayage” comes from “dray,” meaning a horse-drawn cart with low sides, used to transport goods a short distance. Eventually, the horse-drawn carts were replaced by trucks, but even today drayage refers to short distances between multiple modes. Drayage moves continue to prove highly valuable in keeping freight moving without interruptions. The upward trend in globalized trade has increased imports and exports that are shipped via ocean, drawing attention to the need for dray services.

Why is Dray Service Needed?

Most people in Logistics think of drayage as it relates to intermodal or containers on a ship, but here are two other dray services you may not have considered: shipment to shopping malls and trade shows. For many shopping malls, there may be a centralized loading dock or drayage area where receivers pick up from in order to limit congestion at the mall itself. If you exhibit at trade shows, you are probably familiar with paying bills for trade show drayage. Whether you ship directly to the show site or to a show warehouse, every company’s exhibit needs to get from the loading dock to its respective spot on the show floor. Imagine the traffic jam if that were left entirely up to the individual companies to retrieve their crates from the loading docks! Many trade shows employ outside services who provide drayage, delivering crates to each company’s designated exhibit space, and back to the loading dock after the show is complete.

We can arrange pickup and/or delivery in advance, on a tight turnaround for port cut, or to get your freight out before the Last Free Day. Our Logistics Team is trained in drayage and can help you avoid any necessary fees to keep your freight moving.

Think you could benefit from the arrangement of drayage services? Give us a call today!

Whether you’re a large corporation coordinating dozens to hundreds of shipments a day, or a small family-owned business shopping for the best way to ship your product monthly, a third-party logistics (3PL) company like Trinity Logistics can help. While our most popular service is coordinating truckload shipping, there are options to suit businesses with shipments of all shapes, sizes, methods, and budgets.

What Services Does Trinity Offer?

As a 3PL, we have a network of more than 30,000 authorized carriers to coordinate freight services for our customers. Here’s what we can arrange:
– Truckload
-Less-than-truckload (LTL)
-Intermodal (rail)
-International
-Drayage
-Expedited
-Hazmat
-Warehousing
-Other non-standard freight: airport recovery, liftgate services, oversized and over-dimensional, specialty transportation equipment, white glove, etc.

Truckload

Since 1979, Trinity has been a trusted truckload shipping coordinator for thousands of businesses. We can coordinate shipments via dry van, reefer, or flatbed. We’ll take over the tracking, tracing, and worrying about your shipments while offering competitive rates for truckload and flatbed shipments across North America.

Less-than-truckload (LTL)

Don’t have a full truckload of freight? No problem! Whether you have dozens of LTL shipments going out each day or you only ship a few pallets occasionally, we can help. LTL is one of the most complicated modes of transportation. Since you have to take into account freight class, weight, routing, rates, packing, documentation, and seemingly endless details, LTL can quickly become overwhelming to manage. We’ll even set you up with our free web-based LTL freight management software to help you have more visibility on your shipments and pricing. Get an LTL quote here.

Intermodal

Intermodal shipping (via rail) is a modern, budget-friendly, and environmentally-friendly alternative to truckload shipping, especially for shipments of 750 miles or more. Technology advances in the intermodal world have made rail shipping nearly as fast as truckload. If your shipments aren’t incredibly time-sensitive, and you are looking for a budget-friendly alternative, we can help coordinate your intermodal shipments. Get an intermodal quote here.

International

We can help arrange shipment of your imports and exports, by ground, air, or ocean. Some of the services we offer include customs clearing, review of commercial invoices for accuracy, regulatory compliance and assistance with product classification, access to US customs-bonded storage, and International Banking Services.

Drayage

If you are frequently shipping via ocean or via rail, we can help coordinate the shipment of your freight from the port or the rail yard to your door or vice versa! We can help you by scheduling pickup and/or delivery on a tight turnaround, for port cut or to get your freight out before the Last Free Day. We can also arrange the transfer of your freight from the shipping container to an over-the-road truck for long-distance shipments.

Warehousing

Whether you’re securing seasonal warehousing, overflow storage, or planning an entire distribution network, we can help. We’ll select the best warehouse space for your needs and negotiate the most competitive pricing for your project. We can also find warehouse space or cross-dock space in an emergency situation, in any state or city.

Hazmat

We became part of the Responsible Care Partnership in 2009. We have the best operating procedures in place to ensure the safe arrangement of chemical shipments, allowing us to serve some of the top automotive, industrial, and specialty chemical manufacturers with everything from full tanker truckloads to less-than-truckload totes.

Expedited (Hot Shot)

If you need your shipment moved faster than standard LTL transit times allow, we offer expedited shipping options for shipments between one and twelve pallets that weigh under 10,000 pounds. We can schedule for delivery on a tight turnaround, such as for trade shows or short appointment windows, utilize carriers with right-sized vehicles including cargo vans, sprinters, and straight trucks, and arrange for door-to-door transport of your freight via air, when expedited OTR isn’t fast enough. Need a quote on expedited shipping? Click here.

Non-standard freight

Have other shipping needs that don’t necessarily fall under one of these categories? We are more than happy to help. If you need heavy haul, white glove, liftgate services, specialty transportation equipment, or something else, our dedicated team of logistics professionals is waiting to help find a solution for you.

Transportation Management Systems (TMS)

A TMS brings control and visibility to the supply chain, resulting in reduced costs, improved business performance, and increased efficiencies. Our collaborative TMS solution provides scalable, agile, flexible technology built from the user perspective.

A little less than a year ago, we were talking about why the human touch isn’t dead, especially when it comes to customer service and freight shipping quotes. Technology exists to make our lives easier, safer, and more productive, but many people have ideas of what shouldn’t. Sure, I would trust a robot or artificial intelligence to turn on the lights in my house, make snacks in a factory, start my car, or even build my car…but when I first started hearing about autonomous trucks, I tried to imagine what could be the future of transportation as we know it.

In 2017, we’ll dive a little deeper into some of the emerging technologies, touching on anything from self-driving trucks to drone delivery. The reality we are facing now is that robots could very soon play an integral part in delivering goods to stores and front porches around the world.

What Exactly is an Autonomous Truck?

If you hear “autonomous truck” and your first thought is “Optimus Prime,” don’t worry, you’re not alone. While the technology behind an autonomous truck is highly sophisticated, you won’t see these big rigs turning into out-of-this-world robot leaders. What you can expect is to see a handful of these trucks on major highways, with a driver on board to monitor the trip and to be on standby for potential emergencies. The one main difference you’ll visually notice is the driver of an autonomous truck isn’t touching the steering wheel.

The autonomous truck “Otto” made headlines in October 2016 when the truck made its first beer delivery for Budweiser. The truck drove itself 120 miles from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs, while its driver monitored conditions (and read magazines) away from the cab.

Google was the driving force behind Otto until Uber bought it in August 2016. Right now there are more than 30 big auto manufacturers and ride-sharing companies capitalizing on the development of autonomous vehicles. Tesla has been doing something similar with its Autopilot, equipping all vehicles with full self-driving hardware, which includes eight surround cameras and 12 sensors and radar to see its full surroundings.

How Does it Work?

Depending on the brains behind the operations, driverless trucks may have different types of functionality, but the main premise behind the technology is this: motion sensors, cameras, lidar (laser light), and software all work together to tell the truck to drive, navigate bends and bumps in the road, stay in their lane, and how to react to environmental changes.

It seems very simple. A driver gets the truck started on its journey, and then can essentially switch to “auto-pilot,” and be free to roam the truck while the truck continues to drive itself.  The computer system driving the truck can steer the wheel, adjust its speed, and brake, all while keeping a safe distance between the truck and other vehicles on the road.

Some systems can operate alone, while others are designed to operate together; two or three trucks connected wirelessly in a convoy. In April 2016, small convoys consisting of semi-automated trucks from six of Europe’s largest vehicle manufacturers made a groundbreaking voyage through the Netherlands using wireless “speech.”

Legislation Behind Driverless Trucks

In September 2016, the Obama administration issued its policy for automated driving, giving vehicle manufacturers guidelines to create technology to start the transition of “replacing” human drivers with computerized systems.  The Department of Transportation and the National Highway Safety Administration say these guidelines would reduce the number of roadway deaths as more than 94 percent of crashes in 2015’s data “can be tied to a human choice or error.”

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, since 2012, at least 34 states and Washington D.C. have considered legislation for autonomous vehicles, while nine: California, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, North Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia, and Washington D.C., have actually passed legislation related to driverless vehicles. In August 2015, Arizona’s Governor Doug Ducey signed an executive order directing state agencies to “undertake any necessary steps to support the testing and operation of self-driving vehicles on public roads” within the state. A similar executive order was signed by Massachusetts’ Governor Charlie Baker in October 2016 to “promote the testing and deployment of highly automated driving technologies.”

While there have been no major announcements yet from President Donald Trump’s administration about this policy, the driverless car industry seems to be pleased with Transportation secretary, Elaine Chao.

When Will Driverless Trucks be the “Norm?”

While many companies are still in the developmental stages for their driverless cars and trucks, others are ramping up testing.

According to Otto’s developers, the truck is being tested on highways primarily, with the driver taking over in heavy traffic and for more difficult to navigate side roads. Uber says its goal is to develop a kit that would transform existing trucks into these self-driving versions, so existing carriers would be able to keep their original fleet.

Will robots replace the nearly 3.5 million professional truck drivers in America? Probably not in the near future. Developers say not even in the next decade, as drivers can monitor for potential issues, and can take over when it comes time to navigate narrow side streets or parking. A driver is still needed for the more personal things a truck just can’t do: filling out paperwork or unloading the vehicle.

So, it seems the human touch is still alive and well in the trucking industry, although the way that looks may shift over the next 20 years.

We work with a network of more than 30,000 authorized carriers on a daily basis. If you have a shipment you would like moved and need a quote, give us a call (866) 603-5679 or fill out our form here to get a quote!

2017 has arrived and that means we are fast approaching the compliance deadlines for several laws, some that have been years in the making and could impact you and your operation. On April 6, 2017, most businesses involved in the transportation of human and animal food will need to be in FSMA compliance with the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, the most sweeping reform of United States food safety laws in 70 years. We’ll go over the basics and go into a little more detail about the FSMA since we last told you about it in June of 2016.

What is the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act?

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) shifts the focus from responding to food contamination, to preventing foodborne illness altogether. The Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama on January 4, 2011. FSMA consists of seven rules that put measures into place for all people and businesses that handle food in order to ensure that food is produced, handled, transported, and stored properly.

Here are the rules and when they were finalized:

Preventive Controls Rules for Human and Animal Food: Sept. 2015
Produce Safety Rule: Nov. 2015
Foreign Supplier Verification Rule: Nov. 2015
Accredited Third-Party Certification: Nov. 2015
Sanitary Transportation Rule: April 2016
Intentional Adulteration Rule: May 2016

Has anything changed in the FSMA Update?

We last updated you about the latest with the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act’s final rule for the sanitary transportation of human and animal food back in June. We discussed what the final rule is, when you need to begin complying with this rule, and what is expected of shippers, loaders, carriers, and receivers. Since the Sanitary Transportation Rule was finalized in April 2016, the Intentional Adulteration (IA) Rule has also been finalized as part of the FSMA. This rule is aimed at preventing intentional adulteration from acts intended to cause wide-scale harm to public health. The IA Rule was finalized May 27, 2016. The TIA has also revised contracts that cover FMSA rules.

What is the goal of the Final Rule on Sanitary Transportation?

The rule’s goal is to prevent transported food from becoming filthy, putrid, decomposed, or otherwise unfit for food, or being rendered injurious to health from any source during transportation operations. These rules apply to shippers, receivers, loaders, and carriers involved in any transportation operations of food. The addition of loaders to these new rules was a fairly recent revision.

What does the Final Rule on Sanitary Transportation mean for brokers?

Under this rule, freight brokers are covered under the “shipper” category since they arrange for the transportation of food by a carrier or multiple carriers. The reason for this is that the broker can be an extra step in keeping shippers accountable to this rule. Brokers will also provide carriers with information such as the specifications for the transportation equipment to maintain sanitary conditions, developing a written procedure about how they are going to comply with the regulations and verify that vehicles are sanitary, retaining records that the shipper provided the required specifications to carriers, in addition to any written agreements allocating responsibility.

What to Watch?

It will be interesting to watch and see if there will be any changes to the FSMA under the Trump Administration. In September of 2016, Donald Trump’s campaign proposed getting rid of the Food and Drug Administration’s “food police,” and said they “dictate how the federal government expects farmers to produce fruit and vegetables and even dictates the nutritional content of dog food.” According to the NY Times, the list of regulations to be eliminated was short lived and was removed from the campaign’s website shortly after it was initially displayed.

Who is affected?

This rule established requirements for shippers, loaders, carriers by motor vehicle and rail vehicle, and receivers engaged in the transportation of human and animal food. The regulations include practices to make sure that food is properly refrigerated during transport, that vehicles are properly cleaned between loads, and other best practices to make sure that food does not become adulterated. Read the full rule here.

What happens if a truck is found in violation?

The DOT is authorized and trained to conduct transportation safety inspections to identify any food shipments that are in violation of these new regulations. If a truck is found in violation, the FDA can stop the shipment and/or seize the food. Criminal prosecution is also possible as a part of this rule.

FSMA Compliance Dates for the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food Rule

Most businesses are required to be in compliance with the rule April 6, 2017, one year from the rule’s publication date. According to the FDA, there are some exceptions and delayed FSMA compliance dates, depending on the size of your business.

Delayed Onset:

– Small businesses, employing less than 500 people: April 6, 2018
– Motor carriers, having less than $27.5 million in annual receipts: April 6, 2018

Exemptions:

– Transportation activities on a farm
– Shippers, receivers, or carriers that have less than $500,000 in average annual revenue
– Transportation of food that is completely enclosed by a container except for foods that require temperature control for safety
– Transportation of food that is transshipped through the U.S. to another country (i.e., Mexico to Canada)
– Transportation of compressed food gasses and food contact substances
– Transportation of human food by-products transported for use as animal food without other processing
– Transportation of live food animals, except molluscan shellfish

Will I Receive FSMA Training or Assistance?

Part of the requirements for FSMA is mandated carrier training. All transportation operations personnel will need to know the responsibilities of the carrier, have awareness of potential food safety problems that may happen during food transportation, and basic sanitary transportation practices to address those potential problems. Documentation of this training is required. Read the latest on the FDA’s path to working with the public and private partners to provide FSMA training for those who will be required to follow the new FSMA standards here.

FSMA Final Rule Updates

We are watching FSMA closely and will continue to update the blog during the implementation process. We encourage you to go to the FDA’s website and read through the published ruling if you want more detailed information about how this rule will impact your business.

Your trusted Trinity advisor is also being trained on the rules and regulations so you can manage your shipments to follow the FDA’s new standards.

If you’re interested in working with Trinity for your produce, refrigerated, or packaged food shipments, fill out our form to get a quote now.

Members of the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) visited Trinity Logistics’ corporate headquarters in Seaford, Del. as part of a continued benchmarking and information-sharing relationship between the two entities.
Members of the TIA were invited to tour our headquarters and learn about the services offered by a top-twenty third-party logistics company.
“Trinity Logistics has been a partner with the TIA for over 25 years and we applaud the work they do on behalf of the entire transportation industry. We look forward to our continued partnership with the TIA in supporting the extensive work they do,” said Jeff Banning, CEO.
The TIA’s visit was an opportunity for our Executive Leadership Team to get to know some of the newest staff members of the association. A primary topic discussed during the visit was the legislative changes facing the transportation industry today and how 3PLs can provide support through current and future regulatory and economic challenges.
“The one-day visit to Trinity Logistics was not only valuable to the new TIA staff members, but impressive. We were all amazed by the size of Trinity’s operation and the emphasis on employee training, corporate goals and objectives, and their technology. Thank you to Trinity Senior Management for taking time out of their day to show us what a successful 3PL looks like,” said Jeff Mason, TIA Chief of Staff.
Moving forward, we will look to continue to build our relationship, to help build the TIA through marketing and educate its members, as well as to work on issues that impact 3PLs and the Logistics industry in general.
(Photo Caption: From left to right: Doug Potvin, Trinity Logistics Chief Financial Officer; Jeff Mason, TIA Chief of Staff; Leslie Kranz, TIA Director of Marketing/ Communications; Sarah Ruffcorn, Trinity Logistics Senior VP of Strategic Development; Laurie Denham, TIA VP of Education; Chris Burroughs, TIA Senior Director of Government Affairs; Rich Clair, Trinity Logistics Chief Operations Officer)