What You Missed in the Biz Brief This Week: February 19, 2014

In today’s information-overloaded business world, we often find ourselves deluged with literally hundreds of news items from dozens of sources. While it is likely impossible to read every article and remain productive, by not doing so we risk missing the one article that could change a key business practice or thought process. And that is where the NATSO Foundation’s newest publication, Biz Brief, provides assistance! The NATSO Foundation's Biz Brief is a daily collection of the most relevant business intelligence for truckstop and travel plaza operators. 

While we think the Biz Brief is a must-read every day, if you only read ten news articles this week, these ten most-clicked Biz Brief articles are the ten to read. 

1. Bees Attack Drivers at Travel Center 
   Bees attacked several drivers at the Liberty Fuel and Truck Stop on Interstate 10 outside of Phoenix, Ariz. The bees escaped from a truck hauling hives. The facility was temporarily closed by the local fire department. Click here to read more >

2. Love's Offers Goodyear Tires 
   Love’s Truck Tire Care Centers is now offering Goodyear Truck Tires at 178 locations nationwide. Vice President of Goodyear Commercial Tire Systems, Phillip Kane, said, “We are excited to provide fleets and owner-operators with expanded access to premium Goodyear brand tires through our new agreement with Love’s, which is something that our fleet customers have requested. With the addition of these Love’s locations, Goodyear truck tires are now available at more than 560 on-highway locations from coast to coast.” Click here to read more >

3. Truck Dash Cams Gain Popularity in Canada 
   Faced with rising insurance costs, Canadian truckers are installing dashboard video cameras to record potential insurance related incidents. Dash cams could be a reasonable merchandise opportunity for travel center businesses. Click here to read more >

4. Iowa Campaign Urges Gas Tax Increase 
   The Iowa Good Roads Association launched a $100,000 public relations campaign urging legislators to vote for an increase in the motor fuels tax. The coalition is placing 18 billboards across the state highlighting the troubled status of Iowa's roads and bridges. Residents strongly oppose a fuels tax increase despite that it hasn't been raised in 25 years. The coalition is seeking a 10-cent increase in Iowa's tax. Click here to read more >

5. Clean Energy CEO Discusses Trucking's Natural Gas Usage 
   Clean Energy Fuels Corp. President and Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Littlefair, provided an update on the use of natural gas by the trucking industry during an industry conference call Feb. 10. Littlefair said 1,444 12-liter engines were delivered in 2013. Fifty-eight percent were powered by CNG, while 42 percent used LNG. Littlefair said Clean Energy operates 317 CNG filling stations and 154 LNG stations. Many fleets are testing compressed natural gas because the refilling process is quicker and easier, he said. Click here to read more >

6. CR England Inks LNG Agreement With Shell 
   CR England announced that it will replace its existing fleet of diesel-powered trucks running in Southern California with 12-liter liquid natural gas engines. Additionally, CR England has signed a multi-year agreement with Shell Oil for the supply of LNG bulk fuel at the fleet's terminals. England has selected the 12-liter spark-ignited ISX engine as the power plant for the new vehicles. Click here to read more >

7. Love's Breaks Ground In Alabama 
   Ozark, Ala., city officials joined Love's Travel Stops' representatives for a ceremonial ground-breaking at the company's newest site on Highway 231. Construction on the property, located close to the Fort Rucker Military Base, will begin in March with an expected opening by September 2014. The new travel stop facility will be Love's eighth in the state. Click here to read more >

8. Garmin Offers Dash Cam With GPS 
   Garmin International is now offering a high-definition camera that can be installed on a truck's windshield to record unusual incidents. The wide-angle camera is fully automated and turns on and off with the vehicle's ignition. The unit detects unusual motions such as braking or collisions and records the related video. The Garmin Dash Cam also can be equipped with GPS to record incident time and location. The device equipped with GPS retails for $249. Click here to read more >

9. January Truck Freight Declines 
   The Cass Freight Index for January reflects a continued decline in freight shipments within the U.S. The number of shipments in January dropped 3.6 percent from December. January's post-holiday freight movements historically drop, and this January's harsh weather likely slowed shipments more than normal. Many analysts think the economy will improve in 2014, but slow volume growth could prove a difficult obstacle to overcome. Click here to read more >

10. Is Your Workplace Stuck in 1989? 
    Is Your Workplace Stuck in 1989? In exploring what the workplace of the future will look like, Professor Peter Gahan of the Centre for Workplace Leadership at the University of Melbourne takes a look at how the workplace evolved in the past 25 years. More than two decades ago, the concept of teamwork was new, jobs were compartmentalized and management operated in a top-down manner. What's in store for the next quarter century? Click here to read more >

     

I might be biased, but I think if you aren't receiving Biz Brief, you are missing out! Not a subscriber? Be sure to submit a request to be added to the email list. Already receive it and have feedback for me? Be sure to email me at editor@natso.com.

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