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Final Presentation Confirmed for
TMHA Summer Safety Meeting
It's only two weeks away. The Machinery Haulers Association Summer Safety Meeting is going to be another can't miss event for executives and safety personnel alike.
Being held, Wednesday, July 30, and Thursday, July 31, at The Abbey Resort in Lake Geneva, Wis., this meeting is filled with great content and plenty of networking opportunities.
The schedule, which is linked below, has been finalize with a presentation on sleep apnea recently getting confirmed. It will involve an opening update from Bob Terneus, of Comdata, with the latest regarding the DOT guidance and how it is being interpretted by medical professionals. Terneus will then move into a roundtable discussion by moderating an open floor discussion amongst members.
The two other featured presentations will be given by David Heller, of Truckload Carriers Association, and Cindy Davis, of J.J. Keller & Associates. Heller will focus on the overall regulatory climate of the industry while Davies will dive into Electronic Logging Devices now that we're through the comment period that followed the Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for ELDs.
If you have not already registered to attend this free member meeting, please use the link below to indicate your attendance. In addition to the educational presentations, you certainly won't want to miss the inaugural TMHA Fleet Safety Awards and the socially entertaining boat cruise on Lake Geneva with dinner to follow back in The Abbey Resort's Porto Room.
For more information, contact the TMHA office at (515) 244-5193 or [email protected].
TMHA Summer Safety Meeting Flyer
TMHA's room block at The Abbey Resort has expired.
However, pending availability at hotel, reservations can still
be made by calling (800) 709-1323. Special room rate will
likely not be available due to the passing of the deadline.
TMHA Summer Safety Meeting Sponsors
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TMHA Board
of Directors
President
Jon Coca
Diamond Transportation System, Inc.
First Vice President
Mike Connell
Bennett Motor Express
Past President
Jim Towery
Steelman Transportation
Clayton Fisk
Warren Transport
Dave Gallano
Gallano Trucking, Inc.
Jeremy Ihle
Ihle Transport, Inc.
Aaron Tennant
Tennant Truck Lines
TMHA Mission Statement
To provide an ongoing forum for education, networking and advocacy for flatbed, step-deck and lowboy (RGN) carriers that specialize in the transportation of machinery and machinery-related commodities throughout the United States and Canada.
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ATA, Trucking Alliance Support ELD Mandate in Formal Comments
Trucking trade groups held their formal public comments on the proposed federal electronic logging device mandate until the waning hours of the 90-day comment period, and each of the major ones fell as expected in terms of support or opposition: The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association were against the mandate while the American Trucking Associations and Trucking Alliance are in favor.
The comment period ended June 26.
ATA said in its 18-page comment it supports the mandate, but it wants to see a few changes made before the final rule is published, chief among them being boosting early and voluntary adoption by carriers and not including any language in the bill that could potentially "penalize" early adopters.
One of the changes ATA seeks is to extend the grandfather period of fleets that run either older forms of electronic logging devices (like EOBRs) or adopt ELDs well before the required deadline (two years after the final rule is published).
The FMCSA's proposed mandate said fleets already running devices qualified for the grandfather period, getting an additional two years to begin using devices mandated by the rule.
ATA says that two-year period is too short, though, and the competitive disadvantage early adopters face in the marketplace works against a fleet's intended goal of safety and compliance with hours-of-service regulations when switching.
Read more about this article at www.ccjdigital.com.
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FMCSA Enhances CSA site to Help Drivers, Carriers Get Road Smart
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration unveiled enhancements to its Compliance, Safety, Accountability Web site to help drivers and motor carriers Get Road Smart about CSA, the FMCSA's safety compliance and enforcement program. The updates include:
- Consolidated, user-friendly FMCSA safety information tailored for specific user groups, including a new Motor Carrier Resource Center and an updated Driver Safety Education Center
- Easier access to Get Road Smart materials, featuring an updated CSA Feedback Form, where anyone can order posters and a brochure, with more materials to come
- New, easy-to-read fact sheets, based on the most frequently asked questions from drivers and motor carriers
The new fact sheets answer questions including: What is CSA and how does it affect me?; I got a warning letter, what do I do?; and What happens if I don't improve my safety performance and compliance
These enhancements to the CSA Web site help to advance the FMCSA's safety mission by making it easier for drivers and motor carriers to access and understand important safety information.
Visit the site to check out these enhancements www.csa.fmcsa.dot.gov.
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TCA President Suddenly Quits
Truckload Carriers Association announced President Chris Burruss resigned his post June 26 without any advance notification, citing personal reasons. Michael Nellenbach, a spokesperson for the organization, said there were no additional details available at the time of Burruss' departure.
Until a new president is found, the organization's day-to-day operations will be run by two of TCA existing executives, Executive Vice President Bill Giroux and Vice President Debbie Sparks. Nellenbach told reporters that the Board of Directors had formed a search committee for a new president.
A Missouri native, Burruss had been president of the group for more than 10 years.
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Annual HVUT Form 2290 Filing Period Opened July 1
The 2014-15 Heavy Vehicle Use Tax Form 2290 filing period opened July 1. Any company that operates one or more commercial motor vehicles weighing over 55,000 pounds is required to file this annual return with the Internal Revenue Service.
All returns must be electronically filed or postmarked by August 31 to be considered timely. Late fees and/or penalties will be assessed for missing the deadline. Companies with 25 or more trucks must file the Form 2290 electronically online through an IRS authorized e-file provider.
Organizations that have less than 25 trucks can still file using a paper return, but they must download it from the IRS Web site,
New vehicles obtained during the tax period -- July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2015 -- need to be filed no later than the last day of month following when it was first used.
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More than 30,000 Medical Professionals Now on Medical Examiner Registry
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced at the end of June that 8,000 more health professionals have been added to the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners since the new system for U.S. Department of Transportation medical examinations launched last month with 22,000 providers.
Another 22,500 medical professionals have also initiated the process for gaining their certification.
All interstate commercial truck and bus drivers must pass a U.S. DOT medical examination at least once every two years in order to obtain a valid medical certificate and maintain their commercial driver's license.
As required by federal regulation, effective May 21, 2014, all new U.S. DOT medical examinations for interstate truck and bus drivers (both CDL and non-CDL drivers) are required to be performed by a medical examiner who has completed the required training and passed a certification test.
There are certified examiners in every state that can be located by visiting www.nrcme.fmcsa.dot.gov.
Source: TheTrucker.com
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Toll Plans Heat Up As Washington Funding Dries Up
As more plans for shoring up the highway trust fund get floated, from raising fuel taxes to taxing off-shore profits of corporations to boosting fees on trucks to even the crazy idea to cut the U.S. Postal Service budget and use that savings to fund infrastructure, one that remains foremost in most state's views remains tolls.
Analysis released by Fitch Ratings concluded that increasing federal fuel taxes won't be enough to solve U.S. transportation infrastructure funding needs. The report noted that a primary approach many may take is tolls.
As a result, more states are turning to tolls, and some are looking for ways to turn existing toll roads into more efficient operations.
In North Carolina, the state has hired Cintra Infrastructures to add toll lanes along Interstate 77. But, the Charlotte Observer reported online that there is concern that Cintra, which also operates toll roads in Texas and Indiana through public-private partnerships, may not be the right partner for such a project.
Read more about this article at www.fleetowner.com.
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The Machinery Haulers Association
717 E. Court Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa
Phone: (515) 244-5193
Fax: (515) 244-2204
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