Operations

Your Aug. 20 Pre-Trip: Kansas City Port reopens after 7 years

Aug. 20, 2015

Here are five things worth knowing today: 1. The Port of Kansas City has reopened after seven years, KSHB Action News 41 reports. Port president and CEO Michael Collins told KSHB that this could mean major improvements for the economy. According to the report, Collins noted that each barge that comes in is the equivalent to 87 truckloads of cargo. He said the goal is to have eight to 10 barges come into the port ever month. KSHB has more. 2. Earlier this week, the Department of Labor ordered the Alabama-based trucking firm Fitzhugh Contracting to pay $112,735 in back pay and damages for misclassifying workers as independent contractors and failing to pay overtime, the International Business Times reports. Investigators found that Fitzhugh misclassified 46 employees as independent contractors and paid 63 employees “straight time” for all hours worked, instead of mandatory time-and-a-half for more than 40 hours a week, the report said. International Business Times has more.3. Several states, including Texas and Florida, are testing technology to prevent accidents caused by wrong-way drivers, KXAN reports. According to the report, the Texas Department of Transportation is testing technology in San Antonio that takes pictures of vehicles traveling the wrong way and activates flashing lights on wrong-way signs. Florida is using similar signs that light up when radar detects a vehicle going the wrong way. According to the report, cameras in Florida also take pictures of wrong-way drivers and send them to highway patrol dispatchers. “Since last October, a Florida Department of Transportation spokesperson said the flashing lights went off and the cameras took pictures 12 times,” KXAN said. “Nearly all drivers turned around.”4. The Washington State Department of Transportation is launching an interactive map to help drivers navigate the toll lanes coming to I-405, according to MyNorthwest.com. A DOT spokesperson said the main goals of the map are to show drivers what access will look like so they can plan out where they will enter and exit the toll lanes and to give people an idea of what the signs will look like, the report said. The idea of the map is to help drivers plan their route and determine which point of access is best for their commute.5. Kevin P. Knight, chairman of Knight Transportation, sold 170,000 shares of the company’s stock on Monday, according to WKRB. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.93 for a total of $4,748,100, the report said. WKRB has more.

About the Author

Cristina Commendatore

Cristina Commendatore was previously the Editor-in-chief of FleetOwner magazine. She reported on the transportation industry since 2015, covering topics such as business operational challenges, driver and technician shortages, truck safety, and new vehicle technologies. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut.