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SAVANNAH, Ga. —  Veteran Carriers, a Savannah trucking company owned by retired U.S. Air Force Tactical Air Control Party’s veterans (TACP) Cliff White and Rob Cooch, recently donated $20,000 worth of VISA gift cards, food and checks to Bryan County Family Connections and God’s Pit Crew to help victims from an early April tornado that struck the Pembroke/Bryan County, Georgia area. “On April 5, at approximately 5:10 p.m., an EF-3-plus tornado that was roughly half-a-mile wide hit the north end of Bryan County. Twenty-two homes were completely destroyed, 23 homes were majorly affected and 59 homes have minor damages. The countryside is ravaged. With the help of Richmond Hill Police Department, Georgia State Patrol, the City of Pembroke and surrounding communities and local businesses, we are in the process of clearing land and aiding our residents,” said Bryan County Public Relations Officer Deputy Jennifer Fleming. White described those hit by the tornado as his neighbors. “Seeing the devastation caused to residents that may not have insurance prompted us to act,” he said. “They need immediate help. Whether it’s gas for tractors, moving all the trees, feeding volunteers, buying food and handing out VISA gift cards — we wanted to help our neighbors. It’s a blessing to give back to my community, that’s what life is all about, utilizing your network for good. Everyone has their struggles – their ups and downs, being able to make it a little easier for our Bryan County neighbors is the least we can do.” On April 14, Veterans Carriers set up a food station at the Homestead, Georgia, community to feed first responders and volunteers. They also delivered fresh, hot meals to surrounding households and went door to door to hand out VISA gift cards to anyone in need. A $3,000 check was presented to the God’s Pit Crew, a non-profit disaster relief organization that cuts trees, rebuilds homes and delivers relief aid all over the world.  Meanwhile, a $7000 check was given to Bryan County Family Connections, a community collaborative dedicated to improving the quality of life in Bryan County. Founded three years ago and now with more than 30 of their 105 employees being military veterans, Veteran Carriers’ White and Cooch host two annual fundraisers for the TCAP: a car show and a golf tournament. TACP is a small group in the Air Force with 1,500 members that align with the Army echelon, from a conventional echelon to the Rangers to Special Forces. Veteran Carriers is a veteran-owned and operated company based in Savannah, Georgia, adjacent to the largest container terminal in North America. Operating with over 100 trucks, Veterans Carriers specializes in intermodal/drayage shipping and storage. Established in 2017, Veterans Carriers can transport containers to and from port, rail ramps or shipping docks and deliver the goods with the capacity to serve all the lower 48 states. The company is proud of the veterans they employ, their annual car show, Trucking for a Cause fundraiser to benefit TACP families and Feed a Trucker Campaign. Visit www.veterancarriers.com for more information.

WASHINGTON – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has answered several comments filed as part of the public comment period for the new Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot (SDAP). The comment period ends on June 17. Click here to participate. The SDAP will allow individuals between the ages of 18 and 20 to drive large trucks from state to state in what has become one of the most hotly debated issues in the trucking industry today. According to current law, truck drivers must be at least 21 to cross state lines, but the new apprenticeship program will let 18- to 20-year-old truck drivers deliver goods outside their home states. The apprenticeship pilot program was required by Congress as part of the infrastructure bill signed into law November 15, 2021. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) offered full details of the pilot program in late January. The program is regulated through the FMCSA, which will screen the teens to make sure they don’t have any driving-while-impaired violations or traffic tickets. Under the apprenticeship program, younger drivers can cross state lines during 120-hour and 280-hour probationary periods — as long as an experienced CDL driver is in the passenger seat. Trucks used in the program must have an electronic braking crash-mitigation system and a forward-facing video camera, and their speeds must be limited to 65 mph. Once these young drivers successfully complete the probationary periods, they will be allowed to cross state lines on their own — but their carriers must monitor their performance until they are 21. No more than 3,000 apprentices can take part in the training at any given time. The FMCSA should reach out only to carriers with excellent safety records to take part in the program, according to the DOT. The program will run for up to three years, and each participating motor carrier must turn in a report to Congress analyzing the safety record of the teen drivers and making a recommendation noting whether the younger drivers are as safe as those 21 or older. In the future, Congress could expand the program with new laws. Of the 144 comments received, 134 comments were from individuals while 10 comments were from organizations, associations, or motor carriers. A total of 31 comments supported the SDAP, which consisted of 25 individuals and 6 organizations, associations, or motor carriers. A total of 102 comments were opposed to the SDAP, which consisted of 98 individuals and 4 organizations, associations, or motor carriers. The majority of these comments cited previous studies showing age as a factor in safe driving performance, concerns that drivers would not be compensated properly, or that the industry would “take advantage” of younger drivers. A total of 11 comments, all from individuals, were neutral towards the SDAP. A sampling of comments is listed below. RECOMMENDATION Extend the probationary period to 6 months. RESPONSE While there is no prohibition toward individual carriers, or even individual drivers on a case-by-case basis having the probationary period extended, FMCSA has decided this would fundamentally alter the intention behind section 23022 of the IIJA and therefore has not included this recommendation as part of the pilot program design. RECOMMENDATION Require additional performance benchmarks, such as mountainous driving. RESPONSE FMCSA does not consider mountainous driving to be broad enough to be required by all apprentices, as some may never require mountainous driving. These additional performance requirements should be considered at the discretion of each carrier and experienced driver to impart the knowledge required for apprentices operating in each unique circumstance. RECOMMENDATION Require that apprentices continue utilizing required technology throughout the entire pilot program. RESPONSE Apprentices will be required to continue operating a vehicle equipped with onboard monitoring systems (OBMS) until they turn 21 years old and no longer require an exemption to operate in interstate commerce. Regarding other technology, such as active braking collision mitigation systems and governed speed limiters, FMCSA has determined it is best to follow the requirements as laid out in the IIJA to enable naturalistic data collection of how these drivers would operate in a real-world setting. Furthermore, by requiring these technologies only during the apprenticeship period, data may be gathered to allow additional insights into the benefits of these technologies for this age group. RECOMMENDATION Increase the requirements for experienced drivers to have 5 consecutive years with no violations, crashes, etc. RESPONSE FMCSA does not find benefit or reason to increase the requirement on experienced drivers from that which is described in the IIJA. RECOMMENDATION Ensure experienced drivers are logged as on duty, not driving when monitoring apprentices. RESPONSE FMCSA agrees that experienced drivers must be logged as on duty, not driving when they are in the passenger seat observing apprentice drivers. This will be made clear to program participants. RECOMMENDATION Visibly identify drivers with high visibility markings, such as stickers. RESPONSE FMCSA disagrees with this recommendation as it has the potential to bias the data collection by creating a potential for behavior changes in surrounding drivers that decreases the integrity of naturalistic data collection. Furthermore, this could impact the ability to properly compare safety performance of these drivers with other drivers. RECOMMENDATION Revoke a driver’s CDL and expel carriers for any crashes resulting in death, injury, or property damage. Substantial violations of program rules should have penalties including suspension of an experienced driver’s CDL, suspension of apprentices from the program, and/or fines for motor carriers. RESPONSE FMCSA does not have the authority to revoke CDLs, as these are issued by State driver’s licensing agencies. FMCSA retains the right to remove an exemption from a participating driver, carrier, or both if they are determined to present a safety concern. FMCSA cannot impose fines on a motor carrier for failing to meet the requirements of a voluntary pilot program; however, FMCSA retains the right to revoke a motor carrier’s participation in the study if they fail to meet the requirements of the program. RECOMMENDATION Add a requirement for becoming a registered apprentice with U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). RESPONSE FMCSA agrees that participating carriers must have a registered apprenticeship with the DOL. RECOMMENDATION Increase minimum rate of liability insurance to $10 million for participating carriers. RESPONSE Minimum financial liability requirements are set by regulatory statute. FMCSA does not have the authority to increase this rate for participating carriers. RECOMMENDATION Reduce monthly burden by clarifying what safety event data is required. RESPONSE FMCSA has clarified that the safety event data provided will be the summary of safety events (including participating driver identification, time, date, and type of safety event for each event) as opposed to all recorded video data. It is intended that this data will be the reduced data from a carrier’s OBMS provider which can be used for coaching or training purposes. RECOMMENDATION Have a hotline number to report violations of program rules. RESPONSE Participating drivers will be provided with information on how to report coercion or potential violations of the program through the research team. RECOMMENDATION Conduct regular, anonymized surveys of trainers and apprentices to assess compliance. RESPONSE FMCSA is confident the monthly data provided as a requirement of participation in the study will illuminate any areas of non-compliance with the program. RECOMMENDATION Carriers must submit electronic logs from electronic logging devices on a quarterly basis. RESPONSE Carriers are required to submit monthly exposure data that will cover the same information contained in electronic logs as well as additional information, such as days away from home duty station. RECOMMENDATION FMCSA should produce guidance literature to orient all trainers and apprentices. RESPONSE FMCSA will develop materials for electronic distribution to participating carriers who can then provide this information to their participating drivers that contains information on participation requirements and contact information for the research team in case there are questions from the driver. Additionally, FMCSA will maintain the website (fmcsa.dot.gov/safedriver) with frequently asked questions and resources for participating carriers and drivers. RECOMMENDATIOM FMCSA should establish an independent oversight board for the program composed of experienced drivers, industry stakeholders, and safety and training experts to meet quarterly and produce regular assessments of program safety. RESPONSE FMCSA will be reviewing safety data on a monthly basis to determine if there are any immediate safety concerns. As authorized by 49 CFR part 381, FMCSA may remove a driver, carrier, or terminate the program at any time if safety concerns are identified. RECOMMENDATION FMCSA should require carriers, as a condition of their participation in the program, to report driver and trainer compensation during the time they are working in the program. RESPONSE Carriers will have to report compensation information on apprentice drivers to comply with the DOL RA requirements. RECOMMENDATION Compensable working time should follow the definition recognized by the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division. RESPONSE FMCSA does not have authority to regulate compensation or wages. Additionally, some commenters felt that becoming a registered apprentice with DOL would be too burdensome and is an additional requirement that was not in the IIJA. While this requirement was not specifically part of the IIJA, FMCSA maintains that a registered apprenticeship with DOL is an important step in the safety and monitoring oversight of the SDAP to minimize the risk of apprentice drivers experiencing coercion, unfair wages, or other practices that could lead to unsafe behaviors from apprentice drivers.  

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) says there are signs of progress in the nation’s supply chain after months of backup that was mostly related to the COVID-19 pandemic. America’s ports — including the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach collectively — imported more containers than any previous January, according to a USDOT news release. The total number of container ships waiting for berths at U.S. ports has dropped by 35% since peaking in early February and freight railroads’ weekly intermodal movements in March approached their highest levels of 2022. “Goods are successfully being delivered to shelves and real retail inventories excluding autos are at their highest levels in history and 6% above pre-pandemic levels,” the news release stated. “This progress builds on continued action by USDOT and the Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force to move ports toward 24/7 operations, improve recruitment and retention in the trucking workforce and speed the movement of goods by rail and other modes.” Earlier this month, USDOT announced a data sharing effort called Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW). FLOW has initial participants including Target, FedEx, UPS, True Value, ocean shippers and ports that represent diverse perspectives across the supply chain. “This effort will foster an information exchange to ease supply chain congestion, speed up the movement of goods, and ultimately cut costs for American consumers,” the news release stated. In February, USDOT announced the availability of a historic $450 million in funds for American ports and published a comprehensive report with recommendations for the future of American supply chains. One key bottleneck in the transportation supply chain has been trucking capacity — an industry where employment was declining before the pandemic and has been stretched by historic demand for goods. Last week, the USDOT and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced progress on the Biden-Harris Trucking Action Plan to focus on retaining drivers by making truck driving a better job and to recruit more drivers into the profession. Key achievements include more than 90 employers launching Registered Apprenticeship programs in 90 days, a 112 percent increase in commercial driver’s licenses issued in January and February 2022 compared to 2021, a new Women of Trucking Advisory Board, and a new Veterans Trucking Task Force to help bring more veterans into the trucking industry. Trucking employment is now around 30,000 higher than the start of the pandemic. “While this is important progress, we still see challenges on the horizon and USDOT continues to monitor potential disruptions,” the USDOT news release stated. “COVID-19 outbreaks across Asia and Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked war of aggression could impact our supply chains here in the United States. USDOT continues to work with partner agencies and stakeholders from industry and labor to help speed up the movement of goods, and ultimately make goods more affordable for the American people. And this is why the State Department has set up an ‘early warning’ system where embassies send updates to agencies and the White House on potential supply chain disruptions in key transportation and manufacturing hubs.”    

WASHINGTON — With diesel prices still averaging above $5 a gallon and gasoline above $4, some of the nation’s lawmakers are saying that oil companies may be to blame. House Democrats on Wednesday accused oil companies of “ripping off the American people” and putting profits before production as Americans suffer from ever-increasing fuel prices during the war in Ukraine. “At a time of record profits, Big Oil is refusing to increase production to provide the American people some much needed relief at the gas pump,” said Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Some states have taken action on their own, enacting fuel tax holidays. So far, Maryland, Georgia and Connecticut have enacted temporary suspension of taxes, though in Connecticut, the rule doesn’t apply to diesel taxes. In Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan signed legislation suspending collection of fuel taxes for 30 days. The tax relief ends April 16. The gas tax there has been set at 36.1 cents and the diesel rate at 36.85 cents. In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law suspending collection of fuel taxes through May 31. The state collects a 29.1-cent gas tax and a 32.6-cent diesel tax. In Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont signed a bill into law March 22 to give motorists a three-month holiday from paying the state’s 25-cent excise tax on gas, but the law does not affect the 41.1-cent tax on diesel. Arizona, Iowa, Michigan, Massachusetts and West Virginia all have pending legislation related to suspending their respective gas taxes temporarily. In Arkansas, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he prefers the idea of a tax rebate for the state’s residents rather than temporarily suspending the gas tax. “I know that Arkansans are struggling with higher fuel costs,” Hutchinson said in a media briefing Tuesday. “We drive a long ways to work to work in the factory or working on the farm.” When asked if he would consider making changes to the state’s gas tax, he said that was a decision for the legislature but that he did not support it. “I don’t think the solution is to suspend the gas tax because that’s a temporary fix,” he answered. “It also jeopardizes our investment in something that is very important to our citizens, and that is roads that don’t tear up your car every day.” Truckers who pay their fuel tax through the International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) have options as well. IFTA Executive Director Carmen Martorana recently told Land Line Media that drivers wouldn’t have to pay state fuel tax if they are buying and burning the fuel in a state that is not collecting the tax. According to Land Line, Martorana pointed out that drivers who buy fuel in a state with a fuel tax exemption and drive in a state without an exemption, drivers would have to pay that tax out of pocket. She added that if a driver pays taxes on fuel in one state, but then drives in a state that has a tax holiday, they can get reimbursed. Meanwhile, oil executives, testifying before Congress for the second time in six months, responded that oil is a global market and that oil companies don’t dictate prices. “We do not control the market price of crude oil or natural gas, nor of refined products like gasoline and diesel fuel, and we have no tolerance for price gouging,” said Chevron CEO Michael Wirth. Facing sharp questions from Democrats, Wirth, ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods and other executives said their companies have no plans to halt payments of dividends to stockholders or to restrict stock buybacks that have enriched shareholders and company executives. The six companies at the hearing recorded $77 billion in profits last year, they testified. The hearing comes as President Joe Biden has ordered the release of 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve for six months in a bid to control energy prices, which have spiked as the United States and its allies have imposed steep sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The national average gas price was $4.16 a gallon for regular on Wednesday, up from $2.87 a year ago, according to AAA. Biden and other Democrats have blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin and the U.S. oil industry for the increase, citing reports that oil companies have made record profits in recent months as prices have risen following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.       “This is the Biden price hike,” countered Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington state, the committee’s top Republican. Noting that prices were increasing before Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, McMorris Rodgers said Americans “are too smart and have not fallen for this” claim by Biden and other Democrats. She called the hearing “purely political.” Woods said Exxon has halted investments in Russia and is withdrawing from operations there. The company is increasing production in the United States, Woods said, including in the oil-rich Permian Basin in New Mexico and Texas. Exxon also is increasing production outside the U.S., including “a world-class development in Guyana,” he said. Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash., said gas prices are close to $5 per gallon in her Seattle-area district. Her constituents “are mad, and they should be,” she said, citing the record profits oil companies are reaping. “This feels like gouging. It even feels like profiteering,” Schrier said. Prices at the pump have not gone down in recent weeks along with crude oil prices, she and other Democrats noted. At a time of war and high prices, “oil companies should not be sending profits back to shareholders,” she said, urging oil executives to restore production to pre-pandemic levels. Wirth, the Chevron CEO, said his company produced a record amount of oil in 2021, while also making sure to “return value to shareholders” through higher dividends and stock buybacks. “They’re not mutually exclusive. We can do both,” he said. Democrats have introduced bills in the House and Senate to impose a windfall tax on oil profits, although the idea has generated little momentum on Capitol Hill. West Coast senators, including Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell of Washington state, have called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate possible price manipulation on the West Coast, where prices in California top $6 per gallon.   “Americans have the right to know why one of our most important commodities doesn’t have the right amount of transparency and oversight,” Cantwell said at a hearing Tuesday. Targeting what she called the “mysterious middle of the supply chain,” Cantwell said lawmakers and the FTC should ensure that — as in the 2001 energy crisis spurred by Enron — “there aren’t a bunch of ‘smart guys in the room’ hurting consumers because they think we can’t figure out what is happening.” Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., blamed Biden for high gas prices, citing cancellation of the Keystone XL oil pipeline and a moratorium on new drilling leases on federal lands. Walberg said he was disappointed that neither Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm nor any other administration official appeared at the House hearing “to answer for the administration’s failed policies.” Biden has called on Congress to impose financial penalties on companies that lease public lands but don’t produce oil, a request that so far has been ignored. Biden also invoked the Defense Production Act to encourage mining of critical minerals for batteries in electric vehicles, part of a broader push to reduce use of fossil fuels and address climate change. “The bottom line is if we want lower gas prices we need to have more oil supply right now,” Biden said last week in announcing the strategic oil release. Higher prices have hurt Biden’s approval domestically and added billions of oil-export dollars to the Russian government as it wages war on Ukraine. Oil companies have pledged to boost domestic production, but it is growing slowly. Executives point to supply chain and labor constraints as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as investor demands for returns. They have called for more federal permits to allow additional leases. Besides Exxon and Chevron, other companies represented at the hearing were Shell, BP, Pioneer Natural Resources and Devon Energy. The Trucker Staff contributed to this report.

“A lack of truck parking across the country is about more than just inconvenience, it impacts safety and retention as exhausted drivers have nowhere to rest.” — The White House   WASHINGTON — From acknowledging the lack of safe 18-wheeler parking to ensuring female truck drivers are safe from sexual predators, President Joe Biden and members of his administration on Monday, April 4, addressed multiple key issues facing the trucking industry as part of an update on his Trucking Action Plan (TAP). “I want to thank you … (for) keeping America moving, because that’s literally what you’re doing — especially these last two years, helping carry the nation literally on your backs,” Biden said. “All of you here today are people our economy should be built around, because you all, you all are the people who literally make it run,” Biden told truckers in the audience. “That’s not hyperbole. You literally make it run. I have nothing against investment bankers. They could all retire and nothing much would change. Y’all quit? Everything comes to a halt.” The TAP was launched by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) last December to, as the White House frames it, “increase the supply of truck drivers by creating new pathways into the profession, cut red tape to expand high quality training … and lay the foundation for improving job quality to keep people in the profession.” During the White House news conference on Monday, DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg called trucking “a national priority,” adding that “truck drivers bring us the things we need.” “If you enjoyed the food you ate for breakfast, the clothes you are wearing or device you are using to watch this, you can thank a truck driver for getting this to you,” he said. “That is what makes this TAP so important.” According to the White House, when Biden took office, there were 30,000 fewer trucking jobs than in February 2020, and trucking employment had been falling even before that. “But last year’s job growth across the economy resulted in 2021 registering as the best year for trucking job growth since 1994,” according to a White House statement. Trucking employment now exceeds its pre-pandemic level by 35,000 and is higher than it was before it began to decline in 2019, the White House says. Still, organizations such as the American Trucking Associations (ATA) estimate that there is still a shortage of roughly 80,000 truck drivers nationwide. Trucking employment growth over the last year was strongest in California, where it exceeded 10%, as well as in Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio and Washington, where it exceeded 8%, according to the White House. “Long-distance truck driving has been the sector of trucking facing the most challenges, but we are now seeing fresh momentum there: December through February was the best three-month stretch for long-distancing trucking employment growth since the 1990s (data are currently only available through February),” the White House statement read. DOT has worked with states and governors to accelerate commercial driver’s license (CDL) processing, and the DOT just announced that more than $57 million in funding is available to help states expedite CDLs, coordinate waivers and provide all 50 states a toolkit detailing specific actions to expedite licensing, along with working hand-in-hand with states to address challenges. The White House said the result has been a 112% increase in CDL processing in January and February 2022 compared to January and February 2021. States have issued more than 876,000 CDLs since January 2021, according to the White House. As part of the 90 Day Trucking Apprenticeship Challenge, which was designed to help jump start the new trucking jobs, more than 100 employers across trucking, food and grocery, and the oil and gas industries launched Registered Apprenticeship programs in 90 days, the White House said. This includes Domino’s, Frito-Lay, UPS, states and national partners such as FASTPORT and the International Brotherhood of the Teamsters. “This proven earn and learn model of workforce training will help employers and labor develop and retain a skilled workforce,” according to the White House. “Apprentices are already hitting the road with NFI and Total Transportation, each hiring over 50 apprentices after launching new programs under the Apprenticeship Challenge.” The White House said that “with these 100 employers and seven trade associations now offering apprenticeships, we have nearly doubled the number of programs nationwide. This could, in turn, double the number of registered apprenticeships in 2022 and result in more than 10,000 new registered apprenticeships. As a point of comparison, annual trucking employment growth averaged 24,000 in the decade before the pandemic.” The White House said that more than 70 additional employers of all sizes and industry segments, including Sysco and WM (Waste Management Inc.), are in the process of developing and launching apprenticeship programs. At Monday’s White House event, new truck driver Maria Rodriguez, who was aided by the Registered Apprenticeship Program, spoke about her life and how she became a trucker. “My family came to this country when I was 10 years old from Venezuela,” she said. “We came looking for a better life and the American dream.” Rodriguez, who has a background in the food service industry, said her father was a chef; however, she wanted to become an EMT or a firefighter. But she quickly found out that the training hours kept her away from home and her son too often. After the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic was over, she said she began wondering what to do next. Living just a few miles from a truck training school, she decided to go there and make the most of a new career. She said she found a home behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler. “I was intimidated at first but immediately felt better because the company was so helpful,” said Rodriguez, who drives for NFI. “I love my schedule and get home before my son finishes school. I hope I can be an encouragement to other women thinking of joining the trucking industry.” David Pike, director of recruiting for NFI, attended Monday’s event and said that success stories like Rodriguez’s are important to tell because they humanize the trucking industry. “These are reputable and honorable jobs,” Pike said. “And this is the first time we can honestly say that drivers are making good wages. It’s a hard job, but at the end of the day, if you are not afraid to work hard, you can make an honest day’s pay and be compensated well.” Pike said the recognition that the Biden administration is giving the trucking industry through the TAP “means more than anything in the world. (It is) bringing to light the importance of what we do as an industry regardless of the brand on side of our truck. It’s the fact that we keep this country moving.” Pike said that the industry must also use the TAP to help bring back those who left trucking because of bad first experiences. “We need to go back and attract them to the industry again,” he said. “And we hope we can see even more significant wages given back to the driver. The American public must be willing to pay more (for goods) to compensate the hard working men and women who run these roads daily.” The White House said Monday that the Biden administration is also working with Veterans Service Organizations and related associations representing more than 4 million veterans and military family members to create ways for the trucking industry to attract, train, place and retain veterans in trucking jobs. “This builds on the already strong connection between veterans and trucking as at least one in ten truckers are veterans, which is double the rate of workers overall,” according to the White House. As for women in trucking, the White House said that it is expanding opportunities, including by creating safe and inclusive work environments.   “The Biden Trucking Action Plan remains a mixed bag of policies intended to improve jobs and employment opportunities within the industry. — Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association   The Women of Trucking Advisory Board will review and report on challenges facing woman drivers and those interested in joining the profession, such as on-the-job safety risks, mentorship, quality training and opportunities for advancement. DOT has begun soliciting nominations for the board. The Biden administration also announced on Monday a Day of Action in April, coinciding with Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, to raise awareness and advocate for the prevention of sexual assault and sexual harassment in trucking. “We will call on industry to commit to actions to promote safe training and work environments including zero-tolerance policies for sexual assault, improving sexual harassment training and more,” according to the White House. The White House said that the administration is taking steps to ensure drivers entering the trucking industry “have a safe environment.” DOT is now highlighting whistleblower and coercion protections for individuals facing sexual harassment and unsafe training conditions in its Entry Level Driver Training Program FAQ, which will be distributed to the 11,000 training providers, according to the White House. DOL is also identifying employers in the trucking industry that have built supportive and inclusive workplaces for women and developing a “train the trainer” module for new Registered Apprenticeships sponsors who would receive a “seal of approval” upon completion to indicate training programs follow model gender-responsive training standards, the White House said. Additionally, the White House said that the DOT, DOL and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) are setting up a Truck Leasing Task Force to address predatory truck leasing arrangements and identify actions that could make leases more equitable and transparent. The Task Force will review and report on common leasing arrangements, arrangements that result in outsize and unanticipated debt for incoming drivers and more. On the issue of truck parking, the White House stated that “a lack of truck parking across the country is about more than just inconvenience, it impacts safety and retention as exhausted drivers have nowhere to rest.” According to the White House, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) provides funding in at least five programs that states can use to address truck parking while requiring states to include an analysis of truck parking needs in their state freight plans, “laying the foundation to understand local needs.” The Teamsters Union is applauding the TAP, saying that during the past 90 days, the administration has made substantial progress towards addressing critical issues for drivers and those interested in a career behind the wheel. “The Biden administration is doing a good job at addressing our concerns,” said Sean O’Brien, Teamsters general president. “If companies want to fill openings, they need to pay well and provide good benefits, treat their workers with respect and make sure they are well trained.” Just last month, three Teamsters who drive as part of their jobs told Biden officials about the advantages of union membership and the challenges they faced in organizing during an online listening session to discuss strategies for improving trucking job quality, and for retaining and recruiting drivers. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) offered a more reserved statement on the TAP. “The Biden Trucking Action Plan remains a mixed bag of policies intended to improve jobs and employment opportunities within the industry,” the statement read. “We applaud the administration for adding truck parking to the plan and agree that the lack of parking across the country is about more than just inconvenience. OOIDA is also pleased that DOT along with other federal agencies has started gathering information on critical issues like detention time and driver compensation. However, drivers are still waiting on meaningful measures that will help address these problems. Today’s update notes significant progress on establishing apprenticeship programs and plenty of funding to help states expedite CDLs , but we have yet to really see any substantive actions that can help keep new or current drivers in the industry long-term.” American Trucking Associations (ATA) President Chris Spear said that investing in the freight workforce should never stop. “It’s a constant,” he said in a statement. “Our industry needs an additional 80,000 commercial truck drivers if we’re to meet consumer demand. We welcome the support of all elected officials as we recruit and train more talent into this critical industry. Recognizing our dedication to training and safety, the Departments of Labor and Transportation have worked quickly and efficiently in approving ATA as a registered apprenticeship sponsor. This long-sought designation provides our member companies valuable new tools and resources to help recruit and train the next generation of trucking talent. We thank and commend President Biden, Secretary Walsh, and Secretary Buttigieg for their commitment to the men and women of trucking who keep America moving forward.” At the end of the event, Alphonso Lewis, an America’s Road Team Captain and U.S. Army veteran with nearly 30 years of experience as a professional truck driver for the Yellow Corp., gave Biden a tour of the inside of a truck cab while speaking about the opportunities that exist for veterans in trucking. “Our nation’s heroes will find that America’s trucking industry is one big family with arms wide open,” Lewis said. “It was in the Army where I was trained and learned how to drive trucks, and it’s in this industry where I found my professional home after leaving the military. For any vet seeking a stable career path with good pay and benefits, I encourage you to look into the many opportunities that our industry has to offer.”

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced Monday that the emergency repair of the Brent Spence Bridge in northern Kentucky following a truck crash and fire has been selected the 2021 “National Project of the Year under $20 Million” by the American Society of Highway Engineers (ASHE). It is the fourth major award for engineering achievement to be accorded to the project, which involved repairing and reopening the bridge that carries Interstates 71 and 75 over the Ohio River between Covington and Cincinnati. “It is one of the most important commercial corridors in the eastern United States, which heightened the urgency of the project,” according to a news release from Beshear’s office. The project was nominated and co-sponsored by the Derby City and Bluegrass Sections of ASHE. Prior to the national award, it swept sectional awards and the Great Lakes Region ASHE Transportation Improvement Award in the category of Construction Cost $5 Million and Under. The project also has received national awards from the American Council of Engineering Companies, the American Public Works Association and Engineering News-Record. The Brent Spence Bridge, which carries 160,000 vehicles per day, was abruptly closed when two semitrailers collided and burned early on the morning of Nov. 11, 2020. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) quickly assembled a project team that included consulting engineers from Michael Baker International, Stantec, Palmer and Burgess & Niple, and a construction contractor, Kokosing Construction Co. An already aggressive schedule – to reopen the bridge in exactly six weeks, on Dec. 23, 2020 – was beaten by a day and the bridge reopened on Dec. 22. “The project team, knowing the importance of the Brent Spence Bridge, was laser focused on repairing and safely reopening it as quickly as possible. No one was thinking about awards at the time, but this recognition is well-deserved,” Beshear said. “Now, along with our partners in the Ohio Department of Transportation, we’re equally focused on building a companion bridge alongside the Brent Spence without tolls.” KYTC Secretary Jim Gray said the ASHE award was “a great credit to our engineers and a host of partners, all of whom worked day and night to restore one of the most important river crossings in the eastern United States.”

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday ordered the release of 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve for six months, a bid to control energy prices that have spiked after the United States and allies imposed steep sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. The president said it was not known how much gasoline prices could decline as a result of his move, but he suggested it might be “anything from 10 cents to 35 cents a gallon.” Gas is averaging about $4.23 a gallon, compared with $2.87 a year ago, according to AAA. After seeing a brief decline earlier this month, diesel is averaging a high of $5.18 a gallon, up from just more than $4 a gallon in late February, according to Energy Information Administration. “The bottom line is if we want lower gas prices we need to have more oil supply right now,” Biden said. “This is a moment of consequence and peril for the world, and pain at the pump for American families.” The president also wants Congress to impose financial penalties on oil and gas companies that lease public lands but are not producing. He said he will invoke the Defense Production Act to encourage the mining of critical minerals for batteries in electric vehicles, part of a broader push to shift toward cleaner energy sources and reduce the use of fossil fuels. The actions show that oil remains a vulnerability for the U.S. Higher prices have hurt Biden’s approval domestically and added billions of oil-export dollars to the Russian government as it wages war on Ukraine. Tapping the stockpile would create pressures that could reduce oil prices, though Biden has twice ordered releases from the reserves without causing a meaningful shift in oil markets. Biden said Thursday he expects gasoline prices could drop “fairly significantly.” Part of Biden’s concern is that high prices have not so far coaxed a meaningful jump in oil production. The planned release is a way to increase supplies as a bridge until oil companies ramp up their own production, with administration officials estimating that domestic production will grow by 1 million barrels daily this year and an additional 700,000 barrels daily in 2023. The markets reacted quickly with crude oil prices dropping about 6% in Thursday trading to roughly $101 a barrel. Still, oil is up from roughly $60 a year ago, with supplies failing to keep up with demand as the world economy has begun to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic. That inflationary problem was compounded by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, which created new uncertainties about oil and natural gas supplies and led to retaliatory sanctions from the U.S. and its allies. Stewart Glickman, an oil analyst for CFRA Research, said the release would bring short-term relief on prices and would be akin to “taking some Advil for a headache.” But markets would ultimately look to see whether, after the releases stop, the underlying problems that led to Biden’s decisions remain. “The root cause of the headache is probably still going to be there after the medicine wears off,” Glickman said. Biden has been in talks with allies and partners to join in additional releases of oil, such that the world market will get more than the 180 million barrels total being pledged by the U.S. Americans on average use about 21 million barrels of oil daily, with about 40% of that devoted to gasoline, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That total accounts for about one-fifth of total global consumption of oil. Domestic oil production is equal to more than half of U.S. usage, but high prices have not led companies to return to their pre-pandemic levels of output. The U.S. is producing on average 11.7 million barrels daily, down from 13 million barrels in early 2020. Republican lawmakers have said the problem results from the administration being hostile to oil permits and the construction of new pipelines such as the Keystone XL. Democrats say the country needs to move to renewable energy such as wind and solar that could reduce the dependence on fossil fuels and Putin’s leverage. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., blasted Biden’s action to tap the reserve without first taking steps to increase American energy production, calling it “a Band-Aid on a bullet wound.” Daines called Biden’s actions “desperate moves” that avoid what he called the real solution: “investing in American energy production,” and getting “oil and gas leases going again.” The administration says increasing oil output is a gradual process and the release would provide time to ramp up production. It also wants to incentivize greater production by putting fees on unused leases on government lands, something that would require congressional approval. Oil producers have been more focused on meeting the needs of investors than consumers, according to a survey released last week by the Dallas Federal Reserve. About 59% of the executives surveyed said investor pressure to preserve “capital discipline” amid high prices was the reason they weren’t pumping more, while fewer than 10% blamed government regulation. In his remarks Thursday, Biden tried to shame oil companies that he said are focused on profits instead of putting out more barrels, saying that adding to the oil supply was a patriotic obligation. “This is not the time to sit on record profits: It’s time to step up for the good of your country,” the president said. The steady release from the reserves would be a meaningful sum and come near to closing the domestic production gap relative to February 2020, before the coronavirus caused a steep decline in oil output. Still, the politics of oil are complicated with industry advocates and environmentalists both criticizing the planned release. Groups such as the American Petroleum Institute want to make drilling easier, while environmental organizations say energy companies should be forced to pay a special tax on windfall profits instead. The administration in November announced the release of 50 million barrels from the strategic reserve in coordination with other countries. And after the Russia-Ukraine war began, the U.S. and 30 other countries agreed to an additional release of 60 million barrels from reserves, with half of the total coming from the U.S. According to the Department of Energy, which manages it, more than 568 million barrels of oil were held in the reserve as of March 25. After the release, the government would begin to replenish the reserve once prices have sufficiently fallen. The Trucker Staff contributed to this report.  

WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg has announced that $2.9 billion in funding is now available for major infrastructure projects through a combined Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) under President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. According to a DOT news release, “combining three major discretionary grant programs into one Multimodal Projects Discretionary Grant opportunity reduces the burden for state and local applicants and increases the pipeline of ‘shovel-worthy’ projects that are now possible because of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.” The DOT says the investments will create good-paying jobs, grow the economy, reduce emissions, improve safety, make the nation’s transportation more sustainable and resilient and expand transportation options in rural America and other underserved communities. “President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix our outdated infrastructure and invest in major projects for the future of our economy,” Buttigieg said. “Until now, we had limited ability to make awards beyond a certain level, or to support projects with funding from multiple federal grant programs. Under this approach and with a major infusion of new funding, we have the capacity to green-light more transformational projects that will create good-paying union jobs, grow the economy, and make our transportation system safer and more resilient.” The National Infrastructure Project Assistance (MEGA) program was created in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to fund major projects that are too large or complex for traditional funding programs. The program will provide grants on a competitive basis to support multijurisdictional or regional projects of significance that may also cut across multiple modes of transportation. Eligible projects could include highway, bridge, freight, port, passenger rail and public transportation projects of national and regional significance. These could be bridges or tunnels connecting two states; new rail and transit lines that improve equity and reduce emissions; and freight hubs integrating ship, train and truck traffic while improving environmental justice. DOT will award 50 percent of funding to projects greater than $500 million in cost, and 50 percent to projects greater than $100 million but less than $500 million in cost. The program will receive up to $1 billion this year alone and be able to provide multi-year funding to projects. The Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program is an existing competitive program that will see a more than 50 percent increase in this year’s funding due to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Projects will improve safety, generate economic benefits, reduce congestion, enhance resiliency and hold the greatest promise to eliminate supply chain bottlenecks and improve critical freight movements, according to the DOT. Last year, DOT received more than $10 billion of project applications but could only fund around $1 billion of projects. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provides approximately $8 billion for INFRA over 5 years, of which approximately $1.55 billion will be made available through this NOFO. The Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program (RURAL) was created in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will support projects to improve and expand the surface transportation infrastructure in rural areas to increase connectivity, improve the safety and reliability of the movement of people and freight, and generate regional economic growth and improve quality of life. Eligible projects for Rural grants include highway, bridge and tunnel projects that help improve freight, safety, and provide or increase access to an agricultural, commercial, energy or transportation facilities that support the economy of a rural area. This year alone, DOT will award up to $300 million in grants through the rural program — part of the $2 billion included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law over five years. “Putting these three programs under a single NOFO makes it easier for communities to apply to one, two or three major discretionary grant programs with a single application and common set of criteria,” according to the DOT. The DOT will make awards under the three grant programs consistent with each grant program’s statutory language and will focus on supporting projects that improve safety, economic competitiveness, equity, and climate and sustainability. Also, a single solicitation will also help the DOT get a more comprehensive view of projects in development nationwide. The three programs under this combined NOFO will continue to receive support from the DOT, including the rural-focused ROUTES program team as well as the Build America Bureau.

There’s not much on the topic of tornadoes that Emory Mills doesn’t know. As safety director for Oklahoma City-based FTC Transportation, she’s spent nearly two decades plying her trade in the heart of Tornado Alley. This region of the U.S., which includes Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and parts of many adjoining states, sees the highest number of tornadoes in the world. It’s the kind of real-world proving ground that has turned Mills into an expert on surviving twisters — and it shows. Despite the company’s location, FTC has never suffered a loss of life among its employees due to a weather event. Mills says consistent communication is one big reason for this. “We do have an orientation, and we try to cover all of the different safety aspects (in it),” she said. “We do monthly newsletters, so when we move into springtime, we make sure that information is out there — even though tornadoes aren’t just in springtime; they come year-round in this area.” Mills’ description of the frequency of tornados isn’t just anecdotal. There were 1,376 confirmed tornadoes in the U.S. last year according to Statista.com. That’s the third-highest number in any given year over the past decade — despite the fact that the usual “tornado season” months showed lighter than normal activity. April, for instance, had the fewest tornados since 1992; June had the fifth-lowest outbreak on record; and 2021 boasted the first May in history to not have a tornado rating an F3 or higher. However, October and December 2021 had the most twisters on record — 146 and 222, respectively — ranging from the relatively innocuous F0 (65-85 mph winds) to the much more severe F3 (136-165 mph). This odd pattern of occurrences underscores the need for constant reiteration of safety protocols, even among experienced drivers. “We have a pretty seasoned crew, for the most part,” Mills said. “We do ongoing training on different safety practices whether it’s weather-related, equipment-related, traffic — whatever it may be. “Those are just refreshers, but even our most seasoned drivers sometimes tell me, ‘You know what? I learned something I didn’t know,’” she continued. “We all need refreshers and reminders, because everybody gets complacent or forgetful.” Technology has also come to play a major role in keeping drivers safe while out on the road during stormy weather. “Carriers should be sending information to drivers along the way — sending warnings and instructing people to reroute,” said Jane Jazrawy, co-founder and CEO of Ontario-based CarriersEdge. “You should also give the drivers their own access to weather information or tell them how to find it using traditional methods with a browser,” she said. “Even if you don’t have any fancy technology, (that knowledge is) going to help the driver find out for themselves what’s going on around them.” Technology isn’t the “be-all and end-all” when it comes to driver safety, Jazrawy said. Companies need to have a plan that outlines various scenarios and informs their drivers on what the company expects them to do in these situations. “In order for the driver to be prepared for this kind of thing — especially when they’re not used to it — as a carrier you want to have a plan,” Jazrawy said. “There should be a plan that the carrier communicates to the driver on what they’re expected to do and what parameters they are working with, especially if they haven’t been in the situation before.” For example, Jazrawy said, just knowing the difference between a tornado “watch” and a tornado “warning” can help a driver avert a catastrophic situation. Per the National Weather Service, a tornado watch means conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes in and around the “watch” area. A tornado warning, on the other hand, means a developing tornado has been detected by National Weather Service Doppler Radar or has been reported on the ground by reliable sources. The latter bulletin should alert people to take shelter immediately. “Carriers often don’t have plans; they just assume that the driver knows what to do,” Jazrawy said. “Even if it’s something that you think you’ve lived through and you know about, you have to tell people what to expect, what it looks like and what to do.” The same attention should be paid to informing drivers what to do when confronted with these dangerous weather situations. Personal safety should always be stressed over the safety of the equipment, meaning drivers have to know the plan when weather conditions around them deteriorate. “The truck is absolutely NOT the first place of shelter,” Mills said. “Neither is parking under an overpass or going to a ditch. People think if they get out of their vehicle and hit the ditch, ‘I’m safe, I’m in a ditch, I’m low-lying,’ only to be injured by flying debris,” she explained. “It’s not a matter of being sucked up by the tornado; it’s a matter of the debris that’s flying about.” Drivers who find themselves impacted by a tornado warning while on the highway often find it hard to find shelter. “Obviously, we would rather drivers be in an underground shelter of some sort or a safe room, but not all truck stops are equipped with that,” Mills said. “At the very least, if they can get to a rest area, a truck stop, something that has some sort of building structure where they can get to the centermost part away from windows. But basically, get away from the truck.” A good company tornado action plan will also educate drivers about what to do after the storm has passed, from checking in to convey their personal status as well as that of their truck to receiving further bulletins on what to do next. Katie Griffin, director of fleet safety with Leonard’s Express in Farmington, New York, says that after the storm passes and the driver’s well-being has been confirmed, the plan should swing into a different mode to help resume service. “First off, our account management team will relay the information to our customers to let them know that there will be delays. Customers, of course, are understanding,” Griffin said. “The account management team works out the next delivery date and time,” she continued. “Then we coordinate to route other drivers to relay and pick up the trailer to get the delivery made or determine if we’re able to get the driver that was originally on the load to deliver at a different time.” This type of detailed preparedness is one reason Griffin’s team was just announced as the winner of the 2021 Trucking Association Safety Council Fleet Safety Award, presented by the Trucking Association of New York. “We continually convey the message, ‘Driver safety comes first,’” Griffin said. “Drivers communicate with our office about where they’re at, and we can often reroute them to avoid bad situations. If that’s not possible and they’re running into bad weather, they know they are to park it.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. employers added a robust 678,000 jobs in February, another gain that underscored the economy’s solid health as the omicron wave fades and more Americans venture out to spend at restaurants, shops and hotels despite surging inflation. The Labor Department’s report Friday also showed that the unemployment rate dropped from 4% to a pandemic low of 3.8%, extending a sharp decline in joblessness as the economy has rebounded from the pandemic recession. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average monthly gain for jobs in the trucking industry has been around 5,400 since the beginning of 2021. The February job total for the trucking industry equals 1,549,100. Since April 2020, the truck transportation sector has added around 119,000 jobs, according to the BLS. Friday’s hiring figures were collected before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has sent oil prices jumping and has heightened risks and uncertainties for economies in Europe and the rest of the world. Yet the February hiring data suggest that two years after COVID-19 sparked a nationwide shutdown and 22 million job losses, the disease is losing its grip on America’s economy. More people are taking jobs or searching for work — a trend that, if it endures, will help ease the labor shortages that have bedeviled employers for the past year. In addition, fewer people are now working remotely because of the disease. A continuing flow of people back to offices could boost employment in urban downtowns. And the number of Americans who are delaying job hunts for fear of the disease fell sharply from January, when omicron was raging, to February. “All signs are that the pandemic is easing its hold on jobs and the economy,” said Jane Oates, president of WorkingNation and a former Labor Department official. “Very strong numbers in very uncertain times.” Recent economic data show that growth has stayed healthy as new COVID infections have plummeted since late January. Consumer spending has risen, spurred by higher wages and savings. Restaurant traffic has regained pre-pandemic levels, hotel reservations are up and far more Americans are flying than at the height of omicron. Still, escalating costs for gasoline, wheat and metals such as aluminum, which are exported by both Ukraine and Russia, will likely accelerate inflation in the coming months. Higher prices and anxieties surrounding the war could slow hiring and growth later this year, though economists expect the consequences to be more severe in Europe than in the United States. Inflation has already reached its highest level since 1982, squeezing America’s households and businesses, with price spikes especially high for such necessities as food, gasoline and rent. In response, the Federal Reserve is set to raise interest rates several times this year beginning later this month. Those increases will eventually mean higher borrowing rates for consumers and businesses, including for homes, autos and credit cards. Chair Jerome Powell said this week he plans to propose that the Fed raise its benchmark short-term rate by a quarter-point when it meets in about two weeks. Powell has acknowledged that high inflation has proved more persistent and has spread more broadly than he and many economists had expected. One figure in Friday’s report could provide reassurance for the Fed’s policymakers as they assess inflation pressures: Average hourly pay barely grew in February. Higher wages, while good for workers, often lead companies to raise prices to cover their higher labor costs and thereby further heighten inflation. The strong hiring in February occurred across most of the economy, with restaurants, bars and hotels adding 79,000 jobs, construction 60,000 and transportation and warehousing 48,000. Though the economy still has 2.1 million fewer jobs than it did before the pandemic erupted two years ago this month, the gap is closely fast. After months of concerns about labor shortages holding back businesses, more Americans started job searches in February for the second straight month. The proportion of Americans either working or looking for a job rose to 62.3%, up from 61.5% a year ago but remains below the pre-pandemic level of 63.4%. The number of people who said they avoided job hunting because they were concerned about COVID fell to 1.2 million in February, down 600,000 from January, when omicron was raging. Gregory Daco, chief economist at tax advisory firm EY-Parthenon, suggested that the increase in the number of Americans looking for a job last month was “the most important number” in the report. “That will reduce wage growth pressures and put us on a more sustainable trajectory for the economy,” Daco said. For now, the rapid fading of the omicron variant has given a boost to the economy. A survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that Americans are now much less worried about COVID than they were in December and January. Mask mandates and other restrictions are ending. Data from the restaurant reservation software provider OpenTable showed that seated diners surpassed pre-pandemic levels late last month. And figures from the Transportation Security Administration reflected a sharp increase in the number of people willing to take airplane flights. During the omicron wave, businesses barely wavered in their demand for workers. Job openings at the end of December reached near-record levels, with an average of 1.7 available positions for every unemployed person. Historically, there are usually more people out of work than there are jobs. The Trucker Staff contributed to this report.

GREENWICH, Conn. – A joint operation of federal and state law enforcement in Connecticut recently utilized a drone in an effort to identify illegal activity at a Greenwich weigh station on Interstate 95. According to a news release from the Connecticut State Police (CSP), the action took place on Feb. 20 in a joint effort with the Transportation Security Administration, Department of Homeland Security, along with other entities. “Members of the CSP (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) Drone Unit participated in the operation, enhancing officer safety and identifying trucks attempting to evade inspection,” the news release stated. “Troopers successfully used the CSP drone to observe trucks evading the weigh station and attempting to divert at the NY-CT state line.” The CSP Traffic Services Unit conducted safety and compliance inspections, while the CSP Mass Transit Security Team provided explosive/radiological detection screening capabilities. “This deployment was conducted on a weekend to reinforce the message that state and federal law enforcement are committed to both protecting travelers on Connecticut roadways and identifying persons engaged in the illegal or nefarious transport of dangerous materials,” according to the news release.