"Augmented reality" technology that blends the actual and the virtual is finding real-world uses beyond gaming, and the supply chain could benefit.

One writer says that to truly add value, AR will have to eliminate wasted time for truck drivers and improve the flow of freight and data for shippers, carriers, and third-party logistics providers. And it will have to be easy to use. (JOC.com)

Logistics provider TransPlace's carrier survey of preparedness for the 2017 electronic logging device mandate has found a sharp divide between larger and smaller fleets, with 38 percent of smaller fleets having no immediate plans to install ELDs in their vehicles. (Transport Topics)

While presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump dominate the election coverage, from Baldwin County, Alabama, to Los Angeles County, California, at least 57 transportation-related initiatives will appear on state and local ballots Nov. 8. In the 2012 presidential election, 31 measures went before the voters, 21 of which were approved.

Indicators point to public support to spend money on transportation and infrastructure: 98 percent of the 671 legislators in eight states that passed fuel tax hikes in 2015 who voted in favor of fuel tax hikes won their primary races this year.

Transport Topics highlights major transportation initiatives facing voters in California, Nevada, Alabama, Illinois and New Jersey. (Transport Topics)

The St. Lawrence Seaway has opened two weeks early because of the lack of ice this past winter. The seaway gives the Port of Cleveland — the closest major U.S. port of call — international access for freighters exporting steel and machinery and for imports coming to the region. The season's first ship is scheduled to arrive at the Port of Cleveland on March 30. Last year's first freighter was scheduled to arrive April 7 but was delayed because of too much ice (wksu). 

New research indicates the rate of preventable crashes for truckers with untreated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was five times higher than those without the condition. The study comes on the heels of FMCSA issuing a pre-rule for regulating drivers with sleep apnea.

The new study examined data provided by Schneider National. In 2006, the carrier instituted an OSA program. Researchers compared a control group of 2,016 drivers unlikely to have the ailment with 1,613 drivers with OSA. They then compared rates of preventable serious truck crashes per 100,000 miles driven across the study groups.

Truckers with OSA who had not adhered to treatment had a preventable crash rate five times greater than those unlikely to have OSA with similar driving experience. Truckers who fully complied with OSA treatment had a crash rate no different from those who did not have the condition (Overdrive).