Photo by didbygraham

Smart Freight Centre (SFC) is looking for an energetic and efficient individual with initiative to manage the implementation of the Green Trucks China project, and be part of our global team to advance green freight and logistics worldwide.

The Green Trucks China project is the first project of SFC to catalyze the sector-wide adoption of proven technologies. SFC has selected China as the first market and will operate under the umbrella of the China Green Freight Initiative (CGFI) that is managed by the China Road Transport Association. SFC has selected a ”green tires package” consisting of high quality tires supplemented with tire maintenance and telematics as the first technology package, which could reduce 20 million tons of carbon dioxide from trucks in China annually.

The full job ad is available on www.smartfreightcentre.org

Image Courtesy: ITSA.org – Click image to learn more.

Nearly 50% of the country’s containerized cargo passes through the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, making Southern California the epicenter of America’s freight network. From infrastructure investments that support reliable and efficient freight movement, to an emerging suite of advanced safety technologies on-board commercial vehicles, the nation’s freight network continues to deploy innovative solutions to address challenges and improve performance.

Make plans today to join ITS America, Caltrans, Contra Costa Transportation Authority, the Port of Long Beach andITS California for a two-day event, March 26-27, as we explore the smarter movement of goods in the 21st century by advancing an intelligent freight transportation network.

The symposium will take place in our most unique location yet — on board the historic Queen Mary. Special registration rates are available for ITS America members, public sector attendees and students and start as low as $40.00. Learn how you and your organization can get involved, check out the preliminary program and register today at www.itsa.org/freightsymposium.

via USDOT/ITS JPO

The USDOT’s connected vehicle program has identified many safety applications and here is an important one – curve speed warning. This application warns a truck driver if the truck is traveling too fast for an approaching curve and potentially avoid a rollover. To learn more about connected vehicles click here.

via CityLab & synapticdigital.com

Los Angeles is preparing to trial a two-way, one-mile e-highway road design project along the diesel truck-dominated Alameda Corridor in an effort to reduce pollution and health-related costs. Officials say the system relies on emission-free electric power delivered through overhead wires to fuel the trucks. The city is partnering with Siemens and the South Coast Air Quality Management District to run the $13 million project set to begin operations in July. The one-mile test of the e-highway system may just be the start. Apparently the various funders are hoping to expand the system along the remaining three miles from the ports to the major railhead, and there are discussions underway about a 20-mile northwest corridor that could connect the ports with inland warehouse complexes. If this first mile test works out, it could help provide a healthier future for high-traffic corridors around the world.

More about the project here.

This is how it works: The catenary infrastructure will be installed on the North and South-bound sections of Alameda Street where it intersects with Sepulveda Boulevard in Carson,California. Up to four trucks will be running in the demonstration, making multiple drives per day. Thanks to an innovative current collector the trucks can connect and disconnect from the catenary system at any speed for dynamic power supply directly to the electric engine and for on-board storage. To further ensure the same flexibility as conventional trucks, the eHighway vehicles use an electric drive system, which can be powered either by diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), battery or other on-board energy source, when driving outside of the catenary lines.  One big question that bogs me is this: assuming the demonstration is successful, who will pay for the cost of turning over the existing fleet to this hybrid-mode?

Related articles

• Siemens To Conduct eHighway Trials With Electric Volvo Trucks In California
• eHighway Project In Los Angeles
• Siemens eHighway Expected to Cut Ports’ CO2 Emissions

via ITN on YouTube

Police in China have tried to catch thousands of chickens after they escaped from an overturned truck on a highway. More than 3,000 of the birds got loose following the accident in south-west Guizhou Province, when the vehicle swerved after a sharp turn. Police managed to recapture around 900 of the animals from the road and nearby bushes and helped put them back into their cages.

via Bloomberg

Here are a few interesting facts about this massive cargo freighter:

• The Danish company Maersk is building a total of 20 of these biggest ships, Triple-E, on a dry-dock in South Korea. Apparently the first one, named McKinney Moller, has hit the high seas already. Watch the big beauty float its way through the Suez canal on its way to Europe.
• Cost of each ship is $185 million and expected to ply the route between Northern Europe and China.
• Stood on its stern, its bow would stretch 19 meters above the roof of the Empire State Building.
• In one trip, a Triple-E could transport more 182 million iPads, or 111 million pairs of shoes, from Shanghai to Rotterdam.

via Journal of Commerce

Did you know?

• Truck driving is the eighth most dangerous occupation in the U.S., based on fatality rates per 100,000 workers.
• For all workers, transportation was dangerous. Transportation incidents accounted for two out of five workplace deaths in 2012.
• Truck drivers had a 22.1 fatality rate in 2012, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Image courtesy: Journal of Commerce

via Huffingtonpost

Apparently this is how the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (covers U.S. Customs and Border Patrol) takes care of imported vehicles with falsified documentation.. As Huffingtonpost notes,  this Land Rover Defender reached the Port of Baltimore with falsified identification numbers, claiming to be an older model.  But when the USCBP folks found out that this model is in fact newer and tinkered with to look “vintage”, they decided to junk it because it does not comply with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency regulations.  The seized vehicle — estimated to be worth $25,000 overseas but as much as $150,000 in the U.S. — was considered “illegal and unsafe,” officials said. Such a non-compliant vehicle cannot be imported unless it is at least 25 years old, officials said.   It seems that dozens of similar Defender vehicles have been seized in recent months at ports around the country and one can only imagine the rivers of tears shed by the owners when they learned the fate.

via YPTransportation

The Freight Analysis and Research Team within FHWA’s Office of Freight Management and Operations has a job opening for a Transportation Specialist to manage the development and application of the FHWA Freight Analysis Framework (FAF) Program.  This position provides technical guidance and support on the appropriate use of the FAF data and analytical tools for program and network development and evaluation, answers policy and analysis questions related to trends in domestic freight transportation and international trade, and implements special studies necessary for assessing improvements needed in freight models and analytical tools.

Application deadline is March 26, 2013.