The Trucker News Staff

COLUMBIA FALLS, Maine — Wreaths Across America (WAA) will begin a national tour in February 2022, with trips to South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. WAA is the non-profit organization that’s known for placing wreaths on veterans’ headstones at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. However, in 2020 alone, the organization placed more than 1.7 million sponsored veterans’ wreaths at 2,557 participating locations nationwide, according to a news release. “(WAA) is overwhelmed with the outpouring of support from communities throughout the country for its Mobile Education Exhibit (MEE),” the news release stated. “The MEE is a rolling interactive exhibit that remembers the nation’s fallen veterans, honors those who serve and teaches the next generation about the value of freedom. In February 2021, the MEE left Maine and began its national tour in Alabama and will be finish this year’s tour as a member of “the escort to Arlington” — the week-long outreach event which will culminate at Arlington National Cemetery for Wreaths Across America Day on Dec. 18.” In March 2022, WAA will return to Alabama and will also visit Mississippi for the first time. In April 2022, Louisiana and Arkansas will be the tour’s focus. In May 2022, the MEE will turn north and visit Ohio, Michigan and parts of Wisconsin, according to the news release. The exhibit will continue in Wisconsin in June 2022, then travel to Minnesota. From there, it will make its way out west, welcoming home Vietnam veterans in all new areas of the country, including Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. Starting in September 2022, the MEE will make its way back east with stops in Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri before joining next year’s escort to Arlington. “The goal of the Wreaths Across America Mobile Education Exhibit is to bring communities together and teach about the organization’s mission while remembering the service and sacrifice of our nation’s heroes,” said Don Queeney, director of transportation. “The exhibit serves as a mobile museum, educating visitors about the service and sacrifice of our nation’s heroes as well as to serve as an official ‘welcome home’ station for our nation’s Vietnam veterans.” The public tour stops for the MEE are free and open to the public, with local COVID-19 safety procedures in place to protect the health of all visitors in accordance with the CDC’s recommendation. To sponsor a wreath or for more information, click here. Each sponsorship goes toward a live, balsam wreath that will be placed on the headstone of an American veteran on Dec. 18, as part of National Wreaths Across America Day.

SACRAMENTO – The State of California and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) have announced a multi-billion-dollar infrastructure improvement partnership. According to a news release from California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, the agreement “allows California to expedite work on a network of related projects – rather than using a piecemeal approach – that collectively will help grow the economy, protect the environment, facilitate the movement of imports and exports and bring supply chain processes into the 21st century to create resilience throughout the critical trade corridors of California and the U.S., including around San Pedro Bay and the Inland Empire.” Newsom said that his state’s ports and infrastructure system are key to the country’s supply chain. “Thanks to our collaboration with the Biden-Harris Administration, this innovative federal-state partnership will help us fast-track those projects that will make our ports and infrastructure even more efficient,” Newsom said. “This partnership will help us jumpstart and support multiple infrastructure projects to improve our supply chain, making sure goods get to where they need to go faster, cheaper, and in a more environmentally-friendly manner.” Projects that could receive support through this agreement include: Port-specific upgrades Expanding capacity for freight rail Developing inland port facilities for increased warehouse storage Railyard and truck electrification Highway upgrades to improve truck travel times Grade-separated crossings to reduce the number of rail-street intersections and improve safety and efficiency Land ports of entry to expand trade capacity and cross-border commerce Other eligible projects of critical importance identified by the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA). Under the Emerging Projects Agreement, the Build America Bureau at USDOT will support CalSTA in developing California infrastructure projects designed to improve the capacity and resiliency of the goods movement chain, according to the news release. The partnership will also assist project sponsors in exploring financing opportunities for billions in infrastructure investment, in part through the USDOT credit assistance programs Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) and Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF), the news release stated. “Our supply chains are being put to the test, with unprecedented consumer demand and pandemic-driven disruptions combining with the results of decades-long underinvestment in our infrastructure,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “That’s why this administration is working around the clock to address both near-term and long-term challenges to our supply chains, including investments such as those in the bipartisan infrastructure deal.” Buttigieg added: “(This) announcement marks an innovative partnership with California that will help modernize our infrastructure, confront climate change, speed the movement of goods and grow our economy.” In tandem with these longer-term solutions, the State of California and the Biden-Harris Administration are working on short-term solutions to address bottlenecks, the news release stated. Earlier in October, Newsom issued an executive order that directs state agencies to help identify additional ways to alleviate congestion at California ports, building on earlier efforts this year by CalSTA and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) to ease supply chain issues by engaging with supply chain stakeholders on key challenges and identifying short-term and long-term solutions. The Biden-Harris Task Force is working with private companies from across the supply chain to expand supply chain operations to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and helping them to make faster handoffs to each other. So far, both the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the ILWU, Union Pacific Railroad and retailers, including Walmart, Target, FedEx, UPS, and The Home Depot, have committed to expanding hours. Further, USDOT is working with local and state DMVs to cut bureaucratic red tape and make it easier for truck drivers to obtain commercial driver’s licenses (CDL) – this has already proven successful as DMVs are issuing 60 percent more CDLs this year compared to last. “The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on California’s ports and the importance of our state’s infrastructure in moving goods throughout the U.S. and around the world,” CalSTA Secretary David S. Kim said. “Today’s agreement will go a long way toward quickly upgrading infrastructure to support a more efficient and resilient supply chain that will flex California’s power in global trade. I am proud to work with the Biden-Harris Administration on long-term solutions to enhance California’s infrastructure and strengthen resilience throughout the supply chain.” The Newsom Administration’s Port Envoy, John D. Porcari, said: “The Emerging Projects Agreement today provides the State of California with a foundation to build a comprehensive program of public and public-private projects that will help build a stronger, more resilient goods movement chain that grows the economy by exporting and importing more goods.” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said: “Having our federal and state transportation agencies working in unison to help fund infrastructure is exactly what we need. We have projects in need of funding that will reduce cargo delays, improve efficiency, reduce emissions and improve safety for waterfront workers and motorists throughout the region.” Port of Long Beach Executive Director Mario Cordero said: “This federal-state partnership will ensure the creation of local infrastructure projects aimed at improving freight movement between the San Pedro Bay ports complex and distribution centers in the Inland Empire. “This plan builds on our ongoing efforts to identify immediate and long-term solutions that will expedite cargo shipments and address an historic cargo surge and forecasted cargo growth.” Both the State of California and USDOT have made clear that infrastructure projects must be considered based on their potential for strengthening supply chain resilience and in a manner that addresses equity and environmental justice. California’s recently-enacted budget includes $250 million for ports, $280 million for infrastructure projects at and around the Port of Oakland, and $1.3 billion over three years for zero-emission trucks, transit buses and school buses, including the deployment of more than 1,000 zero-emission port drayage trucks.

The Texas Department of Transportation is asking for input as part of an Interstate 20 corridor study. The study area spans along I-20 from the I-10 junction in Reeves County to the Texas/Louisiana state line, a distance of 635 miles. Findings and recommendations from the study will be used to help guide the future of the I-20 Corridor. Click here to be routed to the study.

WASHINGTON — Marten Transport Ltd. officials have told the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that they were the victims of a cyber attack in early October  that “accessed and encrypted files on (company) servers.” In a Wednesday filing with the SEC, the company said that the unauthorized access happened on Oct. 3 and included the download of “certain data files.” “Promptly upon discovery of the incident, the Company launched an investigation and engaged legal counsel and industry-leading incident response professionals,” the SEC filing stated. “The Company has notified law enforcement and will provide any notices that may be required by applicable law.” The filing further stated that “while the investigation of the incident is ongoing, the Company has implemented a series of containment and remediation measures to address this situation and reinforce the security of its information technology systems. As a result, the Company was able to restore full functionality to its information technology systems quickly with minimal disruptions to its operations.” Based on its preliminary assessment, Marten officials said they do not believe the incident will have a material impact on its business, operations or financial results. “Nonetheless, the investigation indicates that certain employee data may have been at risk during the event and, out of an abundance of caution, the Company is offering its employees with credit monitoring and identity restoration services at no cost for two years,” according to the SEC filing. Marten, located in Mondovi, Wisconsin, employs more than 3,000 people. This is the latest in a string of recent cyber attacks on companies in the United States. Sinclair Broadcasting, which owns dozens of television stations throughout the U.S., is still recovering from an attack that came several weeks ago. It crippled the stations’ abilities to provide full newscasts for several days. Click here to read the full SEC filing.    

WASHINGTON — Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., has introduced legislation to exempt truckers and other essential workers from COVID-19 vaccine mandates that are soon-to-be-implemented by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at the direction of President Joe Biden. Dubbed the Keeping Our COVID-19 Heroes Employed act, the measure defines essential workers as anyone who a governing body deems essential or who has been exempt from any restrictions during the pandemic response. Todd Spencer, president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, hailed Blackburn for her intervention. “OOIDA thanks Sen. Blackburn for introducing legislation that will ensure vaccination remains a personal decision for truckers,” Spencer said. “Throughout the pandemic, we provided our members with the most up-to-date information on vaccines but have always maintained that vaccination is a personal choice just like any health decision.” OOIDA’s stance has been that truckers already are confronted with an excessive amount of regulations and mandates. “Trucking is one of the most regulated professions in the country, and the ongoing supply chain crisis has exposed the unpaid wait times and other difficult working conditions drivers are often forced to endure,” Spencer said. “These are just a couple of the reasons the industry has long suffered from an excessively high driver turnover problem. Congress must ensure that the industry can better attract and retain drivers who have always been critical in keeping the supply chain moving. This legislation will help accomplish that.” To view the full bill, click here.