Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024:
New Year’s Day projected as potential I-40 reopening in NC/TN
Traffic may be flowing in both directions on I-40 through the Pigeon River Gorge -- albeit slower than normal -- by New Year’s Day, the North Carolina Department of Transportation announced this week.
NCDOT officials anticipate a contractor completing a stabilization project securing still existing westbound lanes of I-40 in the gorge. The Pigeon River washed away the interstate’s eastbound lanes in four long swaths during the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
The completion of the stabilization project will provide enough space for vehicles to travel at 40 mph on one lane in each direction over a 9-mile stretch of the gorge in Tennessee and North Carolina.
NCDOT said the configuration will also provide another contractor enough room to safely complete long-term repairs over the coming years.
“We are optimistic that our contract partners can complete the work, establish one narrow lane in each direction and create a safe work zone for the long-term restoration,” NCDOT’s Division 14 Engineer Wanda Payne said. “We are working to open I-40 when it is safe, and it will be tight conditions for everybody. But if everybody is patient, everybody can get through.”
[Related: I-26 reopens in Tennessee after Helene flooding]
Payne added that reopening a lane in each direction “reestablishes critical connectivity for the transport of good[s] and services to and through mountains. Like many things in our area, it will not be like it was for a long time, but it will be better than we’ve had in recent weeks.”
The temporary repair includes stabilizing several thousand feet of the interstate by installing soil-nail walls on swaths cut by the flooded Pigeon River. The operation includes inserting long rods into bedrock below the road, filling those with grout adhering the rods to the rock, and spraying concrete on the cut face to hold the rods in place and create a solid wall.
As that operation concludes, crews will install a concrete safety barrier on 5 miles of the remaining westbound lanes in North Carolina. The wall will separate EB and WB traffic from the double-tunnel to the Tennessee state line. For 4 miles of I-40 in Tennessee, there is a two-lane pattern for local traffic only.
Long-term reconstruction plans are still in early development.
The announcement comes just days after flooded and severely damaged I-26 reopened in Tennessee with one lane in each direction.
[Related: I-40 reopening could take 'months or years': DOT Secretary Buttigieg]
CARB amends Advanced Clean Trucks rule
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently amended its Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule and its Zero-Emission Powertrain Certification test procedure to allow for more flexibility in getting new trucks on the road.
The ACT rule was written to force manufacturers to sell an increasing number of ZEVs into the marketplace beginning with model year (MY) 2024.
As reported earlier this year by Overdrive sister publication Trucks, Parts, Service (TPS) and here in Overdrive, truck dealers in California have been struggling to meet the requirements of the ACT and other emissions-related regulations in the state. TPS reported that several dealers have been shut out of the Class 8 market this year, unable to sell internal combustion engines (ICE) due to lagging ZEV deliveries and a lack of available credits from their OEM partners.
As a result of ongoing challenges, CARB recently approved amendments to the ACT rule. The biggest change comes in the delivery of credits during the sale of a ZEV. Under the amended rule, OEMs will now receive a credit for a ZEV sale once a unit is delivered to a dealer or truck upfitter. This is a change from the original rule, which did not provide the credit until the unit arrived at the "ultimate purchaser."
The amendments also will now give secondary vehicle manufacturers the option to trade, sell or transfer credits with manufacturers.
"Being able to participate in the credit banking and trading system the ACT provides for will give secondary manufacturers greater ability to procure internal combustion engine vehicles where a manufacturer is restricting sales and choosing not to purchase credit," CARB wrote.
The changes also will now provide OEMs a three-year makeup window if they fall short of their ZEV sales requirements in a given year, and will enable near zero-emission vehicles (NZEV) to count as a fraction toward a year's deficit.
A full list of the amendments can be found on the CARB website.
[Related: California dealers struggle to withstand CARB sales regulations]
Love’s cofounder Judy Love passes
Alongside her late husband, Tom Love, Judy was instrumental in building their family-owned business, Love's Travel Stops, which they founded in 1964 with a $5,000 loan. Judy's financial acumen and dedication to the company's growth saw her serve as secretary and treasurer as it expanded into 42 states. Her warm spirit, generosity, and commitment to community service earned her widespread admiration.
Judy's legacy of philanthropy will endure through her children, Greg, Laura, Jenny, and Frank, as well as her nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
"Our mother, Judy Love, was the heart and soul of our family," said the Love Family. "She cared deeply for us and those who worked alongside her and Dad. Her tenacity, strength, and focus will guide us forever. She taught us the importance of hard work, honesty, and the joy of giving back. While we will miss her dearly, her spirit will live on through the countless lives she touched."
Born in 1937 in Chicago, Judy was the daughter of Ed and Ruth McCarthy. Her family relocated to Oklahoma City in 1942, where her father worked as a district manager in outdoor advertising. Judy graduated from Bishop McGuiness High School and Central Catholic High School.
While attending Oklahoma State University in 1956, she met Tom Love and they married on December 26, 1960. Together, they leased an abandoned service station in Watonga in 1964, which grew to 40 stores in eight years. From these beginnings, the Love’s Family of Companies was started.
Skilled in finance, Judy managed the company's accounts and worked from their home. After stepping back from part-time work at Love's in 1975, she pursued her deep interest in interior design. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Central Oklahoma in 1981, followed by a master's, and later established her design firm.
Her passion for philanthropy led to the establishment of the Love Family Affiliated Fund at the Oklahoma City Community Foundation in 1999 and the Tom and Judy Love Foundation in 2013. In 2020, Judy was honored as Oklahoma Mother of the Year by American Mothers and received the Outstanding Philanthropist Award from the Oklahoma City chapter of the National Fundraising Professionals in 1999.
Judy served on many nonprofit boards in Oklahoma City and also co-chaired the capital campaign for Positive Tomorrows, Oklahoma’s only school for children experiencing homelessness.
Judy was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2010. Among her many honors, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award and a Distinguished Woman Award from Oklahoma City University. The Girl Scouts named her a Woman of Distinction, and the Notre Dame Club named her the Woman of the Year for Oklahoma.
TA opens new West Virginia location
TravelCenters of America recently announced the opening of its newest travel center in Mineral Wells, West Virginia. TA Mineral Wells is a franchised site located at 470 Frontage Road, Mineral Wells, WV 26150 -- off I-77 at milemarker 170.
The new TA location features 104 truck parking spaces, a 24-hour IHOP restaurant, a Par Mar Kitchen open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., five diesel lanes, five private showers and more.
