Trucking news and briefs for Friday, Jan. 31, 2025:
Canada Cartage acquires Walmart's Canadian fleet
Canada Cartage has agreed to acquire agreement to acquire Walmart Fleet ULC. Headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, Walmart Fleet transports local goods to support communities across Canada and services Walmart’s more than 400 stores from coast-to-coast with roughly 450 tractors and 4,500 trailers.
Canada Cartage will operate the fleet as a dedicated operation. This acquisition allows Canada Cartage, the country’s largest provider of dedicated fleet services, to strengthen its dedicated fleet capabilities and accelerate its growth in Canada.
"This move positions us for long-term growth while providing the talented employees joining us from Walmart Fleet with more opportunities to develop long-term careers and thrive in a fleet-focused environment," said Scott Lane, president of Canada Cartage.
J.B. Hunt launches solar farm to power corporate offices
J.B. Hunt said the facility will generate enough electricity to offset up to 80% of the power used by its three main corporate campus buildings in Lowell.J.B. Hunt
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. (CCJ Top 250, No. 3) has announced the launch of its solar facility in Gentry, Arkansas, that will generate enough electricity to offset up to 80% of the power used by its three main corporate campus buildings in Lowell.
The 40-acre solar facility includes nearly 18,000 solar panels and 10,000-plus bi-facial solar modules to capture sunlight, which is then converted to electricity and transmitted to a nearby electric grid for Carroll County Electric. The facility will produce approximately 9.3M kWh annually and utilize net metering, which helps transfer surplus power onto the power grid.
“By commissioning this solar facility, J.B. Hunt is demonstrating our commitment to enhancing the communities we serve and to investing in economically viable practices aimed at creating a more sustainable supply chain,” said Greer Woodruff, executive vice president of safety, sustainability and maintenance at J.B. Hunt. “The annual amount of clean energy generated by the J.B. Hunt Solar Facility will be equivalent to that used by nearly 1,200 homes. And, by drawing power from the sun and not a carbon-based source, the carbon dioxide kept from entering the atmosphere will be equivalent to eliminating 1,400 passenger vehicles from the road each year.”
Construction of the facility began in 2024. The project was managed by NextEra Energy and completed by Verogy. Both Trio (formerly Edison Energy) and Carroll Electric Cooperative Corporation provided ongoing consultation throughout planning and development.
Senate intros bill to streamline CDL testing
Following its introduction in the U.S. House earlier this month, members of the U.S. Senate have introduced the Licensing Individual Commercial Exam-takers Now Safely and Efficiently (LICENSE) Act, which builds on waivers the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bipartisan legislation was introduced by Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming).
The bill would allow state and third-party CDL examiners who have maintained a valid CDL test examiner certification, and have previously completed a CDL skills test examiner training course, to administer the CDL knowledge test without completing a CDL knowledge test training course.
To make the testing process more efficient and streamlined, the bill would also allow a state to administer a driving skills test to any out of state CDL applicant, regardless of where the applicant received driver training.
“When the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) provided flexibility on several regulatory requirements during the COVID-19 public health emergency, drivers and motor carriers gained new operational efficiencies without compromising safety,” said American Trucking Associations Senior Vice President of Regulatory & Safety Policy Dan Horvath. “The LICENSE Act leverages the lessons learned during the pandemic and makes permanent two commonsense waivers that were reissued numerous times since 2020 to reduce administrative burdens for Americans pursuing rewarding careers in the trucking industry. The incorporation of these waivers into law by enactment of the LICENSE Act will provide certainty to the trucking industry and strengthen our supply chain by permanently removing these unnecessary bureaucratic barriers.”
[Related: Bill to streamline CDL testing reintroduced]
