DC Velocity - January 2012

newsworthy

Hold your “HOS”es!

THE HAND-WRINGING BY TRANSPORTATION TRADE GROUPS THAT greeted the federal government’s new rule governing commercial truck driver operations is giving way to the notion, at least in some quarters, that the policy may not be the onerous regulatory hammer initially feared.

On Dec. 22, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued its long-awaited final rule governing drivers’ “hours of service” (HOS), The rule cuts the maximum driver workweek to 70 hours from 82, and requires that drivers take a minimum 30-minute break during an eight-hour work period.

The new rule’s most controversial provision is one requiring that drivers working the maximum number of weekly hours take at least two consecutive rest periods—between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.—during a “restart” period lasting 34 straight hours. Once the 34-hour cycle is over, drivers may effectively restart the clock on their seven-day workweeks, according to the rule. The mandatory rest periods effectively cut 10 to 12 hours off a driver’s current workweek.

The rule had barely been announced when critics opened fire.

The American Trucking Associations (ATA), which represents the nation’s largest trucking companies, said the rule could compromise public safety by forcing trucks off the road during off-peak times for motor vehicle traffic and onto the highways to join millions of commuters on their way to work.

ATA also argues that the timing of the mandatory rest periods will keep drivers off the roads longer than 34 hours. The group said that requiring drivers to take two consecutive overnight rest periods within the 34-hour cycle would have the effect of extending the restart period to closer to 45 or 46 hours.

Trade groups representing the nation’s retailers contend that the rest periods would disrupt the productivity of retail supply chains that have been calibrated to handle cargo transported between midnight and dawn, when goods can get to their destinations in a timely fashion over less-con- p. 18

Datalogic S.p.A., the Bologna, Italy-based provider of automatic data capture (ADC) and industrial automation solutions, announced Nov. 22 that it had entered into an agreement to acquire Accu-Sort Systems Inc. and certain of its affiliates for $135 million. Accu-Sort, based in Telford, Pa., specializes in the design, production, integration, and maintenance of auto ID systems, including dimensioning systems, bar-coding and print/apply solutions, and sortation systems. It reported revenues of approximately $92 million in 2010.

Mauro Sacchetto, CEO of Datalogic, announced the deal, noting that the transaction would double Datalogic Group’s presence in the industrial automation industry by positioning it in the high-end segment of that market. He also said that Accu-Sort is complementary to Datalogic’s existing business in such sectors as retail, express shipping, and automotive.

The transaction is subject to certain conditions, including expiration or termination of the waiting period under the U.S. Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. Subject to satisfaction or waiver of closing conditions, the transaction is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2012.

Datalogic recently announced record revenues and said it would increase its focus on such growth areas as field mobility, point-of-sale data, traceability of processes and goods, and automation solutions for government, healthcare, and retail, particularly in emerging markets. ;