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2016 TMHA Annual Meeting Recap
The 2016 annual meeting of The Machinery Haulers Association was held in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 13 and 14, 2016.
The meeting began with a board of director's meeting on Wednesday. In this meeting the board reviewed annual membership and financial records, as well as established a strategy for reaching out to prospective new members.
That evening attendees enjoyed a very nice meal at 801 Chop House, with plenty of opportunities for networking and catching up on the latest news from other members.
The second day of the meeting included a business meeting; a presentation on Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry, presented by Rebecca Brewster of American Transportation Research Institute; an update on the Presidential Election and the Current Political Climate, presented by Professor Dennis Goldford of Drake University; and a Regulatory Update, which was presented by Jeremy Dugger of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Special thank you to the sponsors of the 2016 TMHA Annual Meeting: Comdata, Great West Casualty Company & Lockton Companies.
Our next meeting will be held on July 27 and 28, 2016, at the Abbey Resort on Lake Geneva, in Fontana, WI. Be sure to start reserving your hotel rooms today before the block expires on June 26, 2016. Information can be found via the informational flyer link below.
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of Directors
President
Mike Connell
Bennett Motor Express
First Vice President
Dave Gallano
Gallano Trucking
Second Vice President
Tom Witt
Roehl Transport
Past President
Jon Coca
Diamond Transportation System, Inc.
Clayton Fisk
Warren Transport
Jeremy Ihle
Ihle Transport, Inc.
Heather Johnson
Landstar
Transportation Logistics
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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Van, Flatbed Rates Climb In March, Reefer Continues Downslide
Per-mile spot markets the three major truckload segments remained mostly stagnant in March, according to monthly rate data from Truckstop.com, continuing a now years-long streak of lackluster rate showings on the spot market.
Following big drops in February, per-mile rate averages paid to carriers saw little in the way of a rebound in March, with van and flatbed posting small gains and reefer rates declining further from February's dip.
Industry analysts point to an overall slowdown in freight growth coupled with cheap diesel as the reasons for the steadily cheaper rate averages.
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The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has announced its annual International Roadcheck, which will take place June 7-9, will have a special emphasis on tire safety this year.
Inspectors will be measuring tire tread depth, checking tire pressure, checking to make sure no items are lodged between dual tires and examining the overall condition of the tires to ensure no deep cuts or bulges exist in the sidewalls. Checking tires is part of a normal inspection, but CVSA is highlighting tire safety during the blitz as a reminder to drivers and carriers, the organization said.
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Heavy Truck Sales Bill Signed Into Law in Wisconsin
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker recently signed Assembly Bill 629 into law. Late last year, the trucking industry in Wisconsin became aware of an issue negatively affecting some carriers as it relates to the Federal Excise Tax (FET) and its application to the sales of commercial heavy duty trucks and trailers.
When Wisconsin adopted Streamlined Sales Tax, the tax was changed from a tax on gross receipts to a tax on the sales price of items sold. While this might not seem to be a significant change, one implication was that if another tax was included in sales price, that tax could be subject to the sales tax.
The Wisconsin Motor Carriers Association, and other interested groups, met with DOR officials and determined the best course of action would be to initiate legislation to restore the status of the portion of these truck sales of being exempt from the sales tax. Assembly 629 does just that and makes the change retroactive to when the sales tax was first applied to heavy truck sales on September 1, 2014.
We caution our members that if this was the process in Wisconsin, they may want to see how it's handled in their individual states.
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State Of New York Reduces Hut Fees
The State of New York has announced that they have reduced their highway use tax certificate of registration and decal fees for both in-state and out-of-state carriers.
The fees for HUT and AFC registration or renewals were previously set at $19 per truck. The new fees became effective on April 13, 2016, and are now $1.50 per vehicle, which includes Certificate or Registration and decal. A replacement fee for a duplicate certificate of registration or decal is also $1.50 per vehicle.
The State of New York imposes a highway use tax (HUT) on motor carriers operating certain motor vehicles on New York State public highways (excluding toll-paid portions of the New York State Thruway). The tax rate is based on the weight of the motor vehicle and the method that you choose to report the tax.
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Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) is maintaining her opposition to a key trucking provision.
In a recent letter to the leaders of the Senate funding committee, she shoots down the provisions intention and criticizes any effort to advance it. The provision would prevent states from enacting laws requiring companies to schedule meal and rest breaks for drivers or to pay drivers by the hour. Senate appropriators intend to take up a fiscal 2017 transportation funding bill, and Boxer is worried lawmakers will stick the trucking provision in the legislation.
Earlier this year, House Republicans sought to advance an aviation reform bill with the trucking provision. American Trucking Associations has backed the provision.
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DOT: Study Too Limited to Impact Truck Size/Weight Policy
Much Ado About Nothing might also serve as the subtitle of the long-awaited Comprehensive Truck Size and Weight Limits Study that the Department of Transportation has finally released to Congress, almost four years after it was mandated to do so by the MAP-21 highway bill.
DOT said on April 14 that the report, intended to study issues around trucks operating "within and in excess of" current size and weight limits, "concludes that additional data analysis is necessary to fully understand the impacts of heavier and larger trucks on the transportation system."
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The number of large trucks involved in fatal crashes decreased in 2014 by 5%, to 3,744 from 3,921 in 2013, according to a report released April 15 by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The total number of fatalities involving large trucks and buses declined 2.7%, to 4,161 in 2014 from 4,278 in 2013.
The declines in the number of truck-involved fatal crashes and fatalities occurred despite an increase of 4 million miles traveled by trucks over the same period, from 275 million to 279 million, the report said.
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