The Trucker News Staff

QUEENS, N.Y. — A former New York truck driver has been sentenced to up to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty in September to holding more than $2.5 million in stolen Gucci and Chanel designer merchandise. According to Queens, New York, District Attorney Melinda Katz, David Lacarriere, 34, was part of a larger plot to steal more than $4 million in luxury items from the John F. Kennedy International Airport. The criminal enterprise began in May 2020, Katz said. Lacarriere and another defendant, who was previously sentenced, were caught with jewelry, handbags, ready-to-wear clothes, sneakers and other accessories. “Millions of dollars’ worth of designer merchandise was illegally hauled off airport property by a crew of bandits who used forged cargo shipment receipts to gain access to an importer/exporter warehouse,” Katz said. “Keeping our airports in Queens safe and secure is a top priority of my office. Two of the defendants have now been sentenced by the court for their roles in this brazen heist.” Lacarriere, of Columbus Avenue in Manhattan, pleaded guilty in September to criminal possession of stolen property in the first degree, a B felony, before Queens Supreme Court Justice Gene Lopez. He was sentenced on Nov. 8. Co-defendant Oscar Asencio, 33, of 88th Street in Elmhurst, Queens, pleaded guilty in August to criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree, also before Justice Lopez, who sentenced Asencio on Aug. 16 to 3.5 to six years in prison. According to court documents, on May 17, 2020, forged documents were used to gain access to a cargo importer facility at the Kennedy airport, where the theft crew made away with a large shipment of high-end, designer merchandise in an 18-wheeler. Port Authority Police recovered the abandoned semi trailer used in the heist on May 29, 2020, on 56th Road in Maspeth, New York. Inside, police found only shipping pallets, shipping tags, wrapping material and display cases. In an effort to erase evidence, the trailer was doused with bleach, police said. Katz said the investigative team utilized physical investigative techniques, surveillance, as well as GPS and an extensive video canvassing to track Lacarriere and his co-conspirators to a non-operational beauty salon believed to be used as a stash house for the stolen goods. Port Authority Police and the JFK FBI Task Force put the location – Candi World Beauty Bar at Guy R. Brewer and 147th Avenue in Jamaica – under physical surveillance. Defendant Asencio, according to court records, helped protect the stolen merchandise in the stash location. Asencio was seen on surveillance video carrying bags filled with the stolen property in and out of the building. Katz said that while observing what appeared to be a sale of some of the stolen property on June 3, 2020, the investigative team froze the Candi World location. Spotting the authorities, Lacarriere ran from police and hid inside the building. The investigative team executed a court-authorized search warrant for the location, searched the site, and found Lacarriere hiding in a closet. Additionally, police discovered mountains of boxes stuffed with the stolen designer goods – still in the manufacturers’ packaging, according to court documents. In all, police recovered more than 3,000 authentic Gucci items – clothes, handbags and other accoutrements. They also recovered just over 1,000 authentic Chanel products – purses, jewelry, sunglasses, shoes and other accessories. The value of the recovered merchandise totaled more than $2.5 million. Katz said the investigation and prosecution uncovered a weakness in the security of the region’s air cargo industry. Working with the Port Authority and the Transportation Security Administration, improved safety and security measures have been implemented, she said.

KATHLEEN, Ga. – Marine veteran James C. Rose is no stranger to leadership. After a 30-plus year career in the military, commitments to working hard, staying disciplined and maintaining a positive attitude have always been at the forefront of his life. Now, the veteran-turned-trucker is one of three finalists in the “Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence” program, which honors America’s top rookie military driver and recognizes veterans who have made a successful transition from active duty to driving for a commercial fleet. Following more than 10 years of enlistment, Rose served as an officer for 20 years and retired as a lieutenant colonel. Shortly after, he earned his CDL through Prime’s CDL training program and signed on with the company. In December, Rose will celebrate his one-year anniversary driving for Prime. “This past year truly has been a blessing,” Rose said. “I wake up every day with a positive attitude, excited to hit the road. I enjoy talking to other drivers and learning about the industry. I’m committed to being the best driver I can be.” Rose said his goal is to become a fleet owner within the next five years, adding that the trucking industry is a good option for other veterans transitioning to civilian life. “I think many of the skills you learn in the military apply as a driver, plus you get to see parts of the country you would never get to see otherwise,” Rose said. “One day I hope to create jobs through ownership of my own trucks. I would love to have the ability to hire former service members and provide them with a good place to work. I’ll continue to be an advocate for veterans entering in this industry.” For the sixth consecutive year, Kenworth has teamed with the FASTPORT Trucking Track Mentoring Program and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring our Heroes Program to support Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence. Kenworth will provide The Driver’s Truck™ – a Kenworth T680 with a 76-inch sleeper – to serve as the program’s award to this year’s overall winner. The T680 features the complete PACCAR Powertrain with PACCAR MX-13 engine, PACCAR TX-12 automated transmission and PACCAR DX-40 tandem rear axles. “To have the opportunity to win a (Kenworth) T680 and share this experience with fellow veterans is incredible,” Rose said. “If I do win the truck, I’ll have a head start in obtaining my goals.” Prior to training Marine recruits, Rose spent several years as a Marine aviation ordnance technician and aviation ordnance officer where he spent time on board aircraft carriers during deployments to the Gulf War and throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom Campaigns. It was in those years that Rose grew an interest in the supply chain and logistics, which led him to join the transportation industry upon retiring honorably from the Marines. “As an aviation ordnance officer, part of my role was managing the logistics of aviation munitions, associated equipment, and parts both stateside and overseas,” Rose said. “I learned a lot and grew a deep appreciation for all the processes involved in keeping the supply chain moving. Each day truck drivers work hard to deliver their loads safely and on time. There is a need for drivers and, by becoming one, I’m able to continue to serve my country by transporting essentials goods.” Looking back on his military career, Rose said: “To be a leader of young men and women and watch their growth from entering as recruits to becoming Marines was so rewarding. It was an honor to teach and develop the next generation of Marines. I have three sons, Xavier, Kyri, and Jalen, who currently serve in the Navy and I’m so proud of them for their service.” The Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence award winner will be announced on Dec. 17 at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. More information is available by visiting www.transitiontrucking.org www.fastport.com and www.hiringourheroes.org

WASHINGTON — The proposed Interstate 14 corridor between west Texas and Mississippi will receive funding as part of the Build Back Better Plan’s infrastructure bill recently approved by Congress. When finished, the interstate will run from Midland, Texas, to Gulf Port, Mississippi. The legislation doesn’t note how much funding the project will receive, however. The I-14 Central Texas Corridor, authorized in 2015, currently runs from West Texas to the Texas-Louisiana border generally following US 190, according to the Gulf Coast Strategic Highway Coalition. The first 25-mile section of I-14 from Killeen and Fort Hood to I-35 at Belton was added to the Interstate Highway System in 2017. The proposed legislation would create the Central Louisiana Corridor extending the I-14 corridor eastward following highways LA 8, LA 28 and US 84 in Louisiana through Leesville, Fort Polk, Alexandria, Pineville and Vidalia where it would cross the Mississippi River. In Mississippi it would create the Central Mississippi Corridor following US 84 eastward from Natchez to Brookhaven and then to Laurel where it would terminate at Interstate 59. It includes a north-south interstate spur reaching south from Laurel to Gulfport generally following US 49 and passing near the gate at the Army’s Camp Shelby. The Mississippi Transportation Commission has approved a resolution supporting the Future I-14 designation pointing to the potential for economic growth in south Mississippi. In Texas the corridor would be expanded to the west so that it will serve San Angelo, Goodfellow Air Force Base, Midland-Odessa and the Permian Basin. At Midland-Odessa the corridor will connect to Interstate 20 which runs westward to join with I-10 and leads to El Paso and Fort Bliss, completing the linkage between six military facilities across three states. Spur routes in Texas would extend southward to provide better access to the strategic military seaports at Beaumont, Port Arthur and Corpus Christi. This will enhance military readiness and efficiency as envisioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower when he first commissioned America’s interstate highway system in 1956. The Permian Basin Spur would follow US 385 from I-20 at Odessa south to I-10. A second spur would follow US 83 and connect I-14 to I-10 at Junction. Two more spurs would connect I-14 to I-10 at Beaumont, one on US 69 south from Woodville and the second on US 96 south from Jasper.

ARLINGTON, Va. – The American Trucking Associations, along with the Louisiana Motor Truck Association, the Mississippi Trucking Association and the Texas Trucking Association, is suing the Biden Administration over its employer-based COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The suit was filed late Tuesday in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. “To be very clear, ATA and its member companies support efforts to encourage all Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19 – our trucks and drivers have been on the front line in fighting this pandemic since the beginning, moving personal protective equipment, test kits, the vaccine itself and much more as the country locked down, but we believe that the Biden Administration has overstepped its statutory authority in issuing this Emergency Temporary Standard,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “This standard arbitrarily picks winners and losers, and puts employers in an untenable position of forcing workers to choose between working and their private medical decisions, which is something that cannot be allowed. “We told the administration that this mandate, given the nature of our industry and makeup of our workforce, could have devastating impacts on the supply chain and the economy and they have, unfortunately, chosen to move forward despite those warnings,” he said. “So we are now, regrettably, forced to seek to have this mandate overturned in court.” Joining ATA in the lawsuit are the Food Marketing Institute, the International Warehouse Logistics Association, the National Association of Convenience Stores, the National Retail Federation, the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors and the National Federation of Independent Business. “We are asking the court to stay implementation of the mandate because we believe the Occupational Safety and Health Administration did not satisfy the statutory requirements for issuing this Emergency Temporary Standard instead of going through the proper rulemaking process,” said Nicholas Geale, ATA vice president of workforce policy. “A stay pending full review is essential to ensure our members can continue to keep the supply chain moving without the enormous disruptions this unlawful ETS will cause the trucking industry and our nation’s consumers – including the 80% percent of American communities that depend exclusively on trucks for their needs.” A federal appeals court on Saturday temporarily halted the Biden administration’s vaccine requirement for businesses with 100 or more workers. On Wednesday morning, the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) offered its support of the lawsuit. In a news release, TCA officials said the organization “will continue to work closely with, and fully supports the work being done by the ATA and our industry partners on behalf of the industry.” “We are asking the court to stay implementation of the mandate because we believe the Occupational Safety and Health Administration did not satisfy the statutory requirements for issuing this Emergency Temporary Standard instead of going through the proper rulemaking process,” said ATA Vice President of Workforce Policy Nicholas Geale. “A stay pending full review is essential to ensure our members can continue to keep the supply chain moving without the enormous disruptions this unlawful ETS will cause the trucking industry and our nation’s consumers – including the 80% percent of American communities that depend exclusively on trucks for their needs.”

ITASCA, Ill. — The National Safety Council (NSC) and the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) said that Friday’s passage of the nation’s infrastructure bill is taking a much-needed step forward in improving highway safety. As deaths on the road continue to rise, the NSC said there has been a need for “a united, national response to this public health crisis in order to save lives.” “NSC data show traffic fatalities are climbing, with more than 42,000 people estimated to have died on the roads in 2020 and another 21,000 in the first six months of 2021,” said Mark Chung, NSC vice president, roadway practice. “One life lost in a roadway crash is devastating enough, much less thousands, and the provisions included in this bill are vital to saving lives. NSC is committed to working with Congress and the Department of Transportation to do that and ultimately bring that number to zero.” GHSA said it is urging the U.S. Department of Transportation to quickly implement the safety provisions included in the infrastructure plan, including initiating new rulemakings on federal grant programs, passive alcohol detection technology and other vehicle safety measures. Many provisions included in the legislation are a reflection of the NSC’s Road to Zero report issued in 2018. In it, the NSC called on policymakers and others to follow its three pillars for roadway safety: double down on what works, advance technology and prioritize safety with a safe system approach. Some of these provisions include: Implementation of the safe system approach in roadway design, acknowledging that people make mistakes and the cost of those mistakes should not be death Requiring passive, advanced impaired driving prevention technology to prevent impaired driving within three years Prioritizing safe mobility for all roadway users, including vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists A Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program that will provide funding to states and localities to develop or implement Vision Zero and Toward Zero Deaths plans Increased funding for states to improve traffic safety laws Supporting automated enforcement in roadway work zones Improving crash data collection overall, including support for near real-time crash reporting and incorporating the National EMS Information System more fully into crash reporting Adding policy-substance impaired driving and the presences of advanced driver assistance systems to crash reporting documentation Requiring within two years rear seat alerting technology in vehicles to alert for children remaining in the backseat after a vehicle is turned off Supporting flexibility in safety funding Improving data collection on impaired driving crashes for alcohol, drugs and multi-substance impaired crashes and improving toxicology testing from those crashes Establishing minimum performance standards for life-saving ADAS technology Updating the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) to include more safety features Studying rural roads and strategies to improve safety for all users Funding training of child passenger safety technicians in underserved communities Replacing the word “accidents” with “crashes” in the U.S. Code “With the number of traffic fatalities going up, not down, this legislation gives states access to substantially more federal grant funds to stop dangerous driving and improve safety infrastructure,” the GHSA’s statement said. “Congress has eased requirements to allow more states to qualify for federal safety grants and authorized the use of federal funds for a wider array of safety activities. The Act also cuts federal red tape and removes bureaucratic hurdles that continue to hinder safety initiatives.” The NSC added: “(Eliminating) the leading causes of preventable death and injury, focusing our efforts on the workplace, roadway and impairment … (will) create a culture of safety to not only keep people safer at work, but also beyond the workplace so they can live their fullest lives.”