Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020:
FMCSA codifies sod turfgrass as ag commodity, for now
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said in a Federal Register notice to be published Aug. 5 that it interprets sod turfgrass as an agricultural commodity, thus allowing sod haulers to operate under the same hours of service waivers as other ag haulers.
The agency, in response to an hours waiver request from Turfgrass Producers International in June 2019, said based on definitions from Congress and other government agencies, sod turfgrass is already considered an agricultural commodity.
FMCSA acknowledged its July 2019 advance notice of proposed rulemaking that seeks to further clarify what freight is considered agricultural commodities and to what extent haulers of those commodities should receive exemptions from federal hours of service regulations.
“The agency’s decision today to interpret agricultural commodity as already including sod grass for purposes of resolving TPI’s exemption request is thus interim in nature and does not foreclose a revised or even contrary conclusion as a result of the related rulemaking,” FMCSA said in the notice regarding sod.
Thermo King’s new service delivery program
After piloting a new service model at both dealerships in North America and Europe, Thermo King officially launched what it calls an “elite and standardized service excellence model.” It’s branded as Blue Track by Thermo King, and is a customer-centric service delivery model soon to be integrated into participating dealer locations. By the end of 2020, nearly all regions within North America will have Thermo King Blue Track dealer representation.
