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Industry Task Force to Tackle Electric Vehicle Charging System Standard

ATLANTA — A task force comprising trucking and transportation industry stakeholders is set to vote on adoption of recommended standards for power cables, connections and other equipment for high-powered electric charging stations for commercial vehicles.

The nonprofit Charging Interface Initiative — a 72-member group based in Germany that includes government agencies, power companies, original equipment manufacturers, service providers and others — is developing what it is calling a global Combined Charging System standard with voltage sufficient to recharge a Class 8 truck in 20 to 30 minutes.

The group is reviewing data for the types of connections, power cables and other equipment that would be required for the system, which is being developed with an eye toward more electric vehicles taking to the road. The group is slated to vote on proposals on May 16 and will release its recommendations thereafter.

The announcement was made March 21 during a session at the annual meeting of the Technology & Maintenance Council of American Trucking Associations, which was held here March 18-21.

TMC has been participating in the development of the guidelines for the system’s needs, said Jack Legler, TMC technical director, in an e-mail to Transport Topics

Gov. Ralph Northam’s I-81 Funding Fixes Eye Trucking Industry

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam’s proposed fundraising tools for Interstate 81 improvements include the trucking industry shouldering a significant portion of the financial burden.

Northam proposed an increase in truck registration fees, a hike to the road and diesel tax rates and a regional fuel tax as means of generating funds for Virginia’s interstates, including $150 million for I-81. He made the announcement during remarks in Salem on March 28. Salem lies between Roanoke and I-81. A major freight corridor, I-81 runs through Virginia for 325 miles and usually is congested.

Northam presented these funding mechanisms as amendments to legislation that was revised Jan. 31 to omit plans for tolls along I-81. The legislation, adapted from Senate Bill 1716 and House Bill 2718, created the I-81 Corridor Improvement Fund, but did not propose a funding source.

Shell to Leave Oil Lobby Group Over Climate Policy Concerns

Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s position on climate change is misaligned with about half of the trade associations it’s a part of, and the company says its disagreement with one is so severe that it will let its membership lapse next year.

The findings were issued in a first-of-its-kind report on whether the company’s association with lobbying groups is undermining its work on climate change. The report is likely to reverberate across the industry, with most of Shell’s peers also members of the same groups and already facing enormous pressure from shareholders to line up their business models with the Paris climate accord.

Shell will leave the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers association next year because of its climate-change policy stance. It also named nine other groups that it disagrees with, including the powerful American Petroleum Institute and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, but said it will “engage further” with them.

Diesel Dips 0.2¢ to $3.078 a Gallon as Oil Surges

The U.S. retail diesel average price dipped 0.2 cent to $3.078 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported, as the price of crude oil surged past $61 a barrel amid tighter supplies.

The average price was 3.6 cents higher than a year earlier, when diesel was $3.042 a gallon.

Diesel prices climbed in three regions and fell in seven, DOE said after its April 1 survey of fueling stations.

Also last week, the national average price for regular gasoline climbed 6.8 cents to $2.691 a gallon, DOE’s Energy Information Administration said.

Gas prices jumped in all regions, but the average remained 0.9 cent cheaper than a year ago, EIA said.

It was the eighth consecutive weekly increase in the average gasoline price, which has risen 43.7 cents in the period.

Meanwhile, oil extended its best-in-a-decade rally as Chinese manufacturing data and fresh evidence of OPEC supply cuts fed into the bullish outlook for prices, Bloomberg News reported.

Midwest Floods Deliver Another Economic Blow to Farmers

Chad Korth’s Nebraska farm mostly was unscathed from the catastrophic floods that inundated nearby fields thanks to being positioned atop a hill. But as the waters recede, he’s not expecting to be spared the financial blow that’s hitting the region.

After bulging waters from the Elkhorn River took out bridges and roads, Korth — a third-generation farmer who raises corn, soybeans and cattle with his father in Meadow Grove — said he’ll have to chart out new courses to go buy equipment. Meanwhile, local corn prices have declined because the flooding forced Valero Energy Corp. to idle its 135 million-gallons-a-year ethanol plant in Albion. Annual demand from the mill is usually about 47 million bushels of corn.

Already suffering from low crop prices and the U.S.-China trade war, nature has delivered yet another blow to the beleaguered American farmer. Growers in the heartland this year have seen arctic cold blasts, been blanketed by snow and just in the last week were ravaged by floods. Archer-Daniels-Midland Co., one of the world’s biggest agribusinesses, said March 25 that it expects weather disruptions to have a negative pretax operating profit impact of $50 million to $60 million for the first quarter.

Oil Falls From Four-Month High on Concerns of Economic Slowdown

Oil fell from its highest closing level in four months in New York as signs of a slowing global economy stirred concerns about fuel demand.

West Texas Intermediate futures retreated 1.3%. European equities dropped after data showed Germany’s contracting manufacturing sector held back euro-zone growth. The yield on the nation’s 10-year bonds — Europe’s benchmark — dropped below zero for the first time in two years, underscoring fears about the region. A stronger U.S. dollar also dimmed the appeal of commodities.

“There’s enough to worry about,” said Eugen Weinberg, head of commodities research at Commerzbank AG in Frankfurt. “The U.S. dollar, weaker sentiment, recession fears.”

Crude is nonetheless set for a third weekly increase, having climbed above $60 a barrel in New York on March 20 for the first time this year, as OPEC and its allies reaffirmed their commitment to supply cutbacks. While disruptions in Venezuela and Iran also have squeezed supplies, uncertainty surrounding ongoing trade talks between the United States and China is keeping investors wary.

Average Price of Diesel Rises 1¢ to $3.08 a Gallon

The U.S. retail diesel average rose 1 cent to $3.08 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported, as the price of crude oil slipped just below $59 per barrel amid concern over a possible slowdown in the U.S. economy.

The average diesel price is 7 cents higher than it was a year earlier.

Diesel prices climbed in all regions except the Central Atlantic, where it fell by three-tenths of a cent to $3.310, DOE said after its March 25 survey of fueling stations.

Also last week, the national average price for regular gasoline climbed 7.5 cents to $2.623 a gallon, DOE’s Energy Information Administration said.

Gas prices jumped in all regions, but the average remained 2.5 cents cheaper compared with a year ago, EIA said.

Crude oil futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange closed March 25 at $58.82, down from $59.09 on March 18.

UPS, Startup Begin First Regular Drone Deliveries in US

UPS Inc. and a startup drone partner began the first continuing commercial drone deliveries in the United States, making a short flight carrying a medical sample between North Carolina hospitals March 26.

The deliveries, using a drone made by Matternet, take less time than the vehicles used by the WakeMed Health & Hospitals network in Raleigh. UPS plans to make multiple flights daily for the hospital system, augmenting the ground service that is performed by another company. UPS expects to use the experience gained with WakeMed to offer similar services to other U.S. hospitals.

The drone deliveries further CEO David Abney’s push into managing and delivering health care products. The business has helped offset the squeeze on profit as online retailing boosts residential deliveries, which have tighter margins than shipments to businesses. UPS also has worked with Zipline, a drone maker and operator that is delivering medical supplies to remote areas in Rwanda.

Menlo Park, Calif.-based Matternet, which raised funds from Boeing Co. last year, is operating the drone at WakeMed as part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Integration Pilot Program. The small unmanned quadcopter, which carries a 5-pound payload and travels about 12 miles, is flown by a remote pilot. UPS handles logistics and customer management for the deliveries.

Senators Introduce Diesel Emissions Bill

WASHINGTON — Sen. Tom Carper led his colleagues in introducing bipartisan legislation that would reauthorize the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act through fiscal 2024.

The program, administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, relies on federal grants and rebates. The funding is used to help finance the voluntary replacement or installation of retrofits on existing heavy-duty diesel vehicles and engines.

“DERA effectively uses American-made technology to reduce air pollution that harms our lungs and our climate — creating American jobs and a healthier environment. The program is so successful, every dollar invested in DERA generates a 13-fold return in health and economic benefits,” said Carper (D-Del.), ranking member on the Environment and Public Works Committee.

Average Diesel Price Drops 0.9¢ to $3.070 a Gallon

The U.S. average retail price of diesel dropped 0.9 cent to $3.070 a gallon, according to the Department of Energy, even as crude oil prices advanced near the $60 mark for a barrel.

The national average price of diesel is still 9.8 cents more than it was a year ago, when the price was $2.972, DOE said after its March 18 survey of fueling stations.

The decrease was the first drop in price after four weeks of consecutive increases in the average weekly diesel price, totaling 11.3 cents.

But average prices for diesel, trucking’s main fuel, did not decline in every region. Prices rose the most in New England, up 1.7 cents to $3.200 per gallon.

Diesel prices dropped the most in the Midwest region, falling 1.9 cents to $2.992 per gallon.

The price of gasoline went up 7.7 cents, to $2.548 per gallon. Still, gasoline is 5 cents cheaper than it was a year ago.