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WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) on Sept. 13 announced more than $80 million in grant awards from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Much of the funding is earmarked for projects designed to expand truck parking facilities and help drivers quickly find available spaces. According to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), this historic funding will help reduce the frequency and severity of commercial motor vehicle crashes on U.S. roadways. The funds will support truck drivers by expanding access to truck parking, investing in critical technology, improving safety in work zones, rural areas and high crash corridors, and more. Grant recipients include states, local governments, non-profit organizations and academic institutions across the country. “We depend on truck drivers every day, and we have a national responsibility to support their safety and job quality,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Today, we are proud to deliver new funding that will improve safety on our nation’s roads.” The high-priority grants include a 65% increase in funding for truck parking projects over last year and enhance critical efforts to support truck drivers and improve safety such as: Expand access to truck parking by helping truck drivers locate available rest area truck parking spaces in real time via dynamic message signs along highways in Kentucky, Delaware and Indiana. Research to support automated, location-based driver alerts via electronic logging devices (ELDs) that inform drivers of upcoming work zones, improving safety for both the drivers and the workers. Enhancement of electronic screening technologies to detect vehicle violations (such as automated license plate readers, USDOT number readers, tire-monitoring systems and hazardous materials placard readers). Outreach and education to combat human trafficking, an effort in which truck drivers can play a key role because of their time and attention on the road. “President Biden’s historic investment through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law helps improve commercial motor vehicle safety on our roadways both at the national and local levels,” said FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson. “Our grantees will dedicate these investments to innovative technology, research, and other projects that will positively impact CMV safety and move us towards the National Roadway Safety Strategy’s goal of zero deaths on our nation’s roadways.” This funding includes over $80 million invested in new truck parking spaces across the country: Caldwell County, Texas:A $22.9 million RAISE grant will be used to design and construct a truck parking plaza that improves safety and convenience for truck drivers. The plaza will include short- and long-term spaces with lighting, fencing, restroom and shower facilities, and 24-hour monitored security. Caldwell Parish, Louisiana:A $10.5 million RAISE grant will be used to buy land and build a truck parking facility near the port and a highway for 50 commercial trucks, 100 cars and EV charging stations that are designed to provide auxiliary power units to power a truck cab’s heating and cooling, without having to run the engine while also recharging trucks. There will also be a system to find parking spaces in real time. On Interstate 4 Between Tampa and Orlando, Florida:A $15 million INFRA grant is earmarked for a new truck parking facility that will include approximately 120 spaces, electric charging stations and pedestrian infrastructure to access nearby commercial amenities. Near Memphis, Tennessee:A $22 million INFRA grant will be used to add 125 truck parking spaces at a spot along Interstate 40, which is a critical freight corridor. The project will also upgrade adjacent bridge structures. All high-priority grant applications undergo a series of reviews before award selection. Click here for additional information about the discretionary application announcement, review and approval process.

ATLANTA — Georgia’s governor is again suspending state taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, declaring a legal emergency over higher prices. Gov. Brian Kemp signed the executive order Sept. 12. The suspension of the taxes, at 31.2 cents per gallon of gasoline and 35 cents per gallon of diesel fuel, began Sept. 13 and will continue through Oct. 12. Georgia’s government gave up an estimated $1.7 billion in revenue during an earlier suspension over 10 months from March 2022 to January 2023, about $170 million a month. Georgia can easily afford to forgo the cash, which is used mostly for roadbuilding. Not only is its rainy-day account full, but it has roughly $10 billion in additional surplus cash in state accounts. The state is also likely to run another multibillion-dollar surplus in the budget year that began July 1, unless revenues fall sharply. The move also lets Kemp shift the state’s political conversation, which has been consumed by a Fulton County grand jury’s indictment of former President Donald Trump and 18 others for attempting to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. Kemp has refused attempts to retaliate against the prosecutor in that case despite an outcry from the most pro-Trump elements of the Republican Party, underlining the divide between Kemp and those forces. The gas tax rebate lets Kemp instead pivot to talking about his tax cut efforts. He says they are an attempt to help Georgia residents fight inflation, even though most economists say putting more money into consumers’ pockets actually feeds higher prices. Overall, inflation has been easing in the United States in recent months. Inflation data in August showed that overall consumer prices rose 3.2% from a year earlier. That was up from a 3% annual rise in June, but far below last year’s peak of 9.1%. Kemp successfully campaigned on cuts to gas, income and property taxes in his 2022 reelection victory, contrasting himself with Democratic president Joe Biden. “From runaway federal spending to policies that hamstring domestic energy production, all Bidenomics has done is take more money out of the pockets of the middle class,” Kemp said in a Tuesday statement that accompanied the executive order declaring a state of emergency. “While high prices continue to hit family budgets, hardworking Georgians deserve real relief.” Kemp told state agencies they could propose more spending using Georgia’s surplus funds, but his actions of Sept. 12 show further tax cuts may be Kemp’s favored way to soak up the extra cash. It also shows the continuing political power of gas prices, even as Kemp plows effort and state incentives into recruiting electric vehicle makers to Georgia. President Joe Biden is delivering lower inflation, low unemployment and rising wages, said Ellie Schwartz, a spokesperson for the state Democratic Party. “While Kemp sits on a $5 billion budget surplus that he refuses to invest in our state, President Biden and Democrats are investing in Georgia by creating jobs, lowering costs, and building an economy that works for working families,” Schwartz said in a statement. Under state law, Kemp can keep suspending taxes as long as state lawmakers ratify the action when they next meet. The earlier suspension was originally passed by lawmakers, with Kemp extending it seven times as he campaigned against Democrat Stacey Abrams. State House Speaker Jon Burns supported the move, meaning Kemp is likely to have the legislative support he needs to affirm the tax break. Lawmakers are next scheduled to convene in January. “I applaud Gov. Kemp’s suspension of motor fuel taxes to keep our people and our economy moving despite Washington’s inaction on rising fuel prices,” Burns, a Republican from Newington, said in a Sept. 12 statement. The order suspends taxes on wholesalers and is likely to take a few days to trickle through to pump prices. On Sept. 12, Georgia drivers were paying an average $3.57 per gallon of unleaded gasoline, according to motorist group AAA. That was the 11th lowest among the states, and below the national average of $3.84. The average diesel price in Georgia was $4.35 a gallon. Gasoline prices in Georgia are higher than the $3.24 drivers were paying a year ago. Prices peaked at $4.50 a gallon in June 2022. Pump prices also include a federal tax of 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon on diesel. Nationally, AAA said last week that gasoline prices were falling despite Saudi Arabia and Russia extending oil production cuts through the end of the year in a move that pushed up prices. By Jeff Amy, The Associated Press

SALEM, S.D. — The American Trucking Association’s (ATA) President and CEO Chris Spear and Chairman Dan Van Alstine, along with U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Pete Buttigieg, visited South Dakota on Sept. 12 to celebrate a new federal investment to expand truck parking capacity within the state. The new truck parking spaces, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will be built along Interstate 90 in Salem, South Dakota, and will help to meet the critical need to improve truck driver safety and increase the efficiency of the nation’s supply chain. “We have stepped up our work on the truck parking coalition, and our efforts to encourage states and other decision-makers to make better use of infrastructure dollars to expand parking,” Buttigieg said, noting a USDOT partnership with stakeholders. “Know that you will continue to have a partner in the U.S. Department of Transportation. And I’m really glad that we’re able to be here to celebrate projects like this one, expanding truck parking nationwide.” The timing of the event, during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, was particularly appropriate, according to Spear. “There are countless ways to thank America’s hardworking truck drivers during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, and today we are doing so by addressing a serious issue that consistently ranks as one of their highest concerns,” Spear said. “The funding being announced today will help to alleviate a shortage of truck driving spaces that too often puts drivers in a no-win situation,” he continued. “These projects being funded by the IIJA are an important step in the right direction, and we look forward to continuing to work with USDOT Secretary Buttigieg and FMCSA Administrator Robin Hutcheson to solve this challenge together.” There is currently only one parking spot for every 11 truck drivers on the road today. Consequently: A U.S. Department of Transportation report found that 98% of drivers regularly experience problems finding safe parking. A staggering 70% of drivers have been forced to violate federal hours-of-service rules because of this common scenario. Truck drivers spend 56 minutes of available drive time per day looking for parking early rather than risking being unable to find parking down the road. With this challenge, the wasted time costs a truck driver, on average, about $5,500 in direct lost compensation, which equals a 12% cut in annual pay. “The shortage of truck parking capacity is, first and foremost, a critical safety issue for drivers, the motoring public, and law enforcement,” said Van Alstine, who is also COO of Ruan Transportation Management Systems. “The time that is wasted, and frustration and anxiety created, searching for safe parking, also leads to supply chain disruptions, reduces drivers’ compensation, and adds unnecessary congestion and emissions,” he added. “Secretary Buttigieg is the first USDOT Secretary to award grants for projects that add parking spots. We appreciate his focus on this issue, and we will continue to support bipartisan efforts in Congress to secure additional dedicated funding for truck parking.” Dean Kay, a driver for Ruan Transportation and captain of America’s Road Team, was also on hand at the event. “The severe lack of truck parking has an enormous impact on drivers nationwide,” Kay said. “It touches almost every aspect of our profession, from quality of life to compensation, but more than that, the lack of truck parking is fundamentally a safety issue. We appreciate Secretary Buttigieg’s commitment to improving the lives of professional drivers by making truck parking a priority.” The ATA strongly advocated for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which has provided funding for hundreds of new truck parking spaces since its enactment in 2021. The USDOT provided guidance for states on eligibility requirements for funding truck parking projects under the law. ATA also endorsed the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act, which was introduced by Sens. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), as well as Reps. Mike Bost (R-IL) and Angie Craig (D-MM), which would authorize $755 million in competitive grant funding to expand commercial truck parking capacity across the U.S.

Washington — This week, Sept. 10-16, the American Trucking Associations (ATA) — and the entire trucking industry — give special recognition to the truck drivers who safely and professionally deliver America’s critical goods to communities from coast to coast. The theme for this year’s National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is “Miles of Gratitude.” “Truck drivers are the ones who move our country forward, and they deserve to be celebrated by their companies, customers, neighbors, families and friends,” said Chris Spear, president and CEO of ATA. “America’s 3.5 million truckers drive hundreds of billions of miles each year,” he continued. “Every one of those miles represents a stocked store shelf, a package placed on a household doorstep, raw materials delivered to a manufacturer, and equipment conveyed to a construction site. Truck drivers have a vital role, and they fulfill that responsibility with professionalism and a commitment to safety. We invite all Americans to join us in thanking these hardworking men and women who supply our communities.” Now in its 35th year, National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is an opportunity for the trucking industry, the business community and the public to renew efforts to recognize professional truck drivers. Thousands of trucking companies, manufacturers, producers and industry suppliers will acknowledge the contributions of truck drivers this week by hosting cook outs, doing giveaways, honoring safety achievements, announcing new incentive programs, and inviting friends and family to participate in the festivities. Truck drivers deliver almost 11.5 billion tons of freight each year — about 70% of all the freight moved in the U.S. More than 80% of U.S. communities rely exclusively on truck drivers to deliver their goods and commodities, including the most remote towns and territories that are unreachable by other modes of transportation. “Whether it is helping communities recover after a disaster, delivering essential supplies during the pandemic, or keeping store shelves stocked day-in and day-out, sacrifice and service is what our industry is all about,” said Dan Van Alstine, ATA chairman and president and COO of Ruan Transportation Management Systems. “Truckers are the unsung heroes of the supply chain, and they are committed to safety and professionalism,” he continued. “Food, clothing, furniture, medicine, gasoline — nearly everything that we use on a daily basis was transported at some point by a truck driver. Please join us in expressing ‘Miles of Gratitude’ to the millions of professionals who are always delivering for us.” Other ATA-led activities during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week include a tribute video that will play at more than a dozen sports stadiums, and a Hill Day for Members of Congress to tour Interstate One and learn about public policies that will support drivers. In addition, ATA and Trucking Moves America Forward (TMAF) are placing print, radio, TV and billboard ads nationwide that will reach tens of millions of drivers who share the road with truckers. ATA staff members will also out gift baskets at truck stops.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — It’s becoming a broken record. Diesel prices are up once again. But for drivers like Darryl Sims, even a few cents a gallon matters. “It can mean the difference in a good day and a bad day financially,” he said. Sims hauls logs all across Arkansas and said his bank account doesn’t have “any wiggle room.” According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the average price for a gallon of diesel fuel sits at $4.492 as of Sept. 4. That’s up from $4.475 on Aug. 28 and $4.389 on Aug. 21. Prices did see declines in three areas of the country, however. Along the East Coast, prices dropped from $4.475 on Aug. 28 to $4.474 on Sept. 4. In the Lower Atlantic region, prices dropped from $4.429 on Aug. 28 to $4.419 on Sept. 4. And in the Midwest, prices sank from $4.385 on Aug. 28 to $4.383 on Sept. 4. Average diesel prices in Arkansas have seen a steady rise over the past month — from $3.91 to $4.11 currently, according to AAA. “It’s just up, up, up,” Sims said. “Somebody’s making money off of it but is sure ain’t me.”  

ST. LOUIS — An eight-person jury in Omaha, Nebraska, returned a verdict of $36,075,000 in favor of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on disability discrimination claims against Drivers Management LLC and Werner Enterprises Inc., the federal agency announced on Friday, Sept. 1. The jury awarded Victor Robinson $75,000 in compensatory damage and $36 million in punitive damages after deliberating for less than two hours following a four-day trial, finding that Drivers Management and Werner’s conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), according to a news release. “Victor Robinson had the courage to step forward and say what happened to him was wrong,” said EEOC Chair Charlotte A. Burrows. “The jury agreed, and their substantial verdict sends a clear message to employers everywhere that our nation will not tolerate disability discrimination,” The jury found that the truckload carriers failed to hire and failed to accommodate Robinson, who is deaf, for a truck driving job in 2016. The EEOC presented evidence that Robinson applied to work at Werner after completing training at Roadmaster, a Werner-owned truck driving school, and obtaining his commercial driver’s license, the news release noted. Robinson also obtained from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) an exemption from the hearing regulation for the operation of a commercial motor vehicle. After he applied, Werner’s vice president of safety told Robinson that the company would not hire him because he could not hear. The vice president of safety testified at trial that Werner continues to deny employment opportunities to new deaf drivers, according to the news release. “The jury heard the evidence and called Werner’s conduct what it was — unacceptable,” said Andrea G. Baran, regional attorney for EEOC’s St. Louis District.  “Like everyone else, Deaf people deserve a fair chance to make a living and to support themselves and their families,” added St. Louis District Director David Davis. According to its website, Werner maintains offices in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China and Australia and is among the five largest truckload carriers in the United States. Its wholly-owned subsidiary company, Drivers Management, employs, trains and manages drivers. “Werner’s refusal to acknowledge Mr. Robinson’s abilities hurt not only him, but the entire deaf community,” said EEOC’s trial team, supervisory trial attorney Joshua M. Pierson and trial attorneys Meredith S. Berwick and Lauren Wilson. “As this verdict demonstrates, companies like Werner that deny reasonable accommodations to drivers with disabilities do so at their peril.” The EEOC filed its lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska (EEOC v. Drivers Management, LLC and Werner Enterprises, Inc., Case No. 8:18-cv-00462) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The EEOC’s St. Louis District Office oversees Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and a portion of southern Illinois.

JERSEY CITY, N.J. —  CargoNet officials say theft reports have reached the second-highest levels of the year and that all supply chain professionals should be concerned with theft risk. “The unprecedented crime wave affecting over-the-road freight transportation in the continental U.S. shows no signs of slowing down,” a CargoNet news release stated. CargoNet noted that attacks target a wide variety of goods from every state in the continental U.S., but attackers have shown a preference for stealing truckload shipments of solar panels, energy drinks, alcoholic beverages, motor oil and consumer electronics. According to the news release, attacks can be mitigated with enhanced security protocols. Shippers should consider recording information about the motor carrier, driver and vehicles used to pick up a shipment for investigative follow-up in case a shipment is stolen. Logistics brokers should build sophisticated compliance programs to detect motor carrier identity theft, especially if a commodity has been frequently targeted. To help members of the supply chain mitigate risk, CargoNet examined theft trends around the past five Labor Day holidays, from 2018 to 2022. In total, CargoNet recorded 156 theft events, with an average cargo value of $151,726 per event. Theft was highest in 2022, with 44 events, according to CargoNet. Cargo thieves generally prefer to steal valuable shipments of televisions, computers and major appliances. Thefts are most common near major supply chain hubs in Southern California; the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, area; Chicago; Memphis, Tennessee; and Atlanta. There were no fictitious pickups reported in five-year analysis period CargoNet says — but even so, these kinds of thefts are the main threat professionals should look out for this year. CargoNet warns of increased targeting of shipments of building materials such as shingles, lumber and power tools in response to extreme weather events in the Southeast. Shipment misdirection schemes, a kind of fictitious pickup, remain the most pervasive threat to domestic OTR freight transportation during the Labor Day weekend period. CargoNet has recorded more than 600 shipment misdirection attacks or attempts since November 2022. In these schemes, attackers impersonate a motor carrier to gain authorization to transport a shipment. They then hire a motor carrier to deliver the shipment to a location to which the attackers have access so they can steal the shipment. Attackers often impersonate two or three different companies to disguise their identities and deceive victims. Noteworthy thefts from previous Labor Day holidays include: $1,088,983 in seafood stolen from Sioux City, Iowa. $800,000 in footwear stolen from Memphis, Tennessee. $713,000 in apparel and accessories stolen from Eastvale, California. $417,206 in computer electronics stolen from Ontario, California. $400,000 in vodka stolen from Jacksonville, Florida. The Labor Day holiday analysis period consists of the Thursday before Labor Day to the Wednesday after Labor Day, this year, Aug. 31-Sept. 6.  

PERRY, Fla. — Tropical Storm Idalia descended on the Carolinas on its way out to the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday, Aug. 31, leaving a trail of flooding and destruction throughout the Southeast that stretched back to its landfall as a hurricane in Florida. Multiple states have issued waivers for commercial motor vehicles’ hours of service and other regulations, including Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina, if those vehicles and their drivers are directly helping with storm relief efforts. Entities such as Feeding South Florida are also mobilizing, with convoys of 18-wheelers full of food heading into the worst-hit areas. Additionally, the American Logistics Aid Network has mobilized its Supply Chain Intelligence Center, which helps advise those who want to help how to. Rescue and repair efforts continued in the areas the storm passed Wednesday and there was no immediate word on the toll from the ferocious winds and inundating waters, but authorities counted at least one death. The storm left as many as a half-million customers without power in Florida and other states at one point as it ripped down power poles and lines. Still, it was far less destructive than feared, providing only glancing blows to Tampa Bay and other more populated areas as it came ashore with 125 mph winds in rural Florida. The weakening storm still packed winds of up to 60 mph as it reached coastal North Carolina on Thursday morning. Tropical storm-force winds were extending outward up to 185 miles. Idalia was expected to travel just off the North Carolina coast Thursday without losing much of its strength and gradually weaken as it rolls off into the ocean through the weekend. Swells were expected to affect the southeastern coast, likely causing life-threatening surf and rip current conditions into the Labor Day weekend. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who declared a statewide emergency earlier this week as Idalia approached, had warned residents in coastal and eastern inland counties to prepare for heavy rainfall and localized flooding and urged them to stay off roads covered by water. In South Carolina, the storm coupled with king tides to send seawater flowing over sand dunes and spilling onto beachfront streets. In Charleston, a surge from Idalia topped the seawall that protects the downtown, sending ankle-deep ocean water into the streets and neighborhoods where horse-drawn carriages pass million-dollar homes and the famous open-air market. Preliminary data showed the Wednesday evening high tide reached just over 9.2 feet (2.8 meters), more than 3 feet (0.9 meters) above normal and the fifth-highest reading in Charleston Harbor since records were first kept in 1899. Bands from Idalia also brought short-lived tornadoes. One flipped a car in suburban Goose Creek, South Carolina, causing minor injuries, authorities said. No major damage was reported. After traveling across the Gulf of Mexico, Idalia came ashore Wednesday morning near Keaton Beach, pummeling Florida’s remote and lightly populated Big Bend region with powerful winds. The area, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula, saw streets turned into rivers that submerged cars and homes, while the howling winds tore off roofs, snapped tall trees, sent sheet metal flying and shredded homes. “All hell broke loose,” said Belond Thomas of Perry, a mill town located just inland from the Big Bend region. Thomas fled with her family and some friends to a motel, thinking it would be safer than riding out the storm at home but the roof was torn away and debris showered onto her pregnant daughter, who fortunately wasn’t injured, Thomas said. No hurricane-related deaths were officially confirmed in Florida, but the state’s highway patrol reported two people killed in separate weather-related crashes just hours before Idalia made landfall. Even so, Idalia appeared to be far less destructive than first feared. It avoided large urban regions, striking only glancing blows to Tampa Bay and other more populated areas while focusing its fury on the rural Big Bend section. However, damage there was likely to be extensive. At Horseshoe Beach in central Big Bend, Jewell Baggett picked through the wreckage and debris of her mother’s destroyed home, finding a few pictures and her mother’s pots and pans. Her grandfather built the home decades ago and it had survived four previous storms, she said. “And now it’s gone,” she said. “Nothing left. A few little trinkets here and there.” Baggett, whose mother had left before the storm hit, said at least five or six other homes also were destroyed. In Tallahassee, the power went out well before the center of the storm arrived, but the city avoided a direct hit. A giant oak tree next to the governor’s mansion split in half, covering the yard with debris. State officials, 5,500 National Guardsman and rescue crews went into search-and-recovery mode, inspecting bridges, clearing toppled trees and looking for anyone in distress. More than 30,000 utility workers gathered to repair downed power lines and poles. Idalia had weakened to a tropical storm by late Wednesday afternoon but it still packed a punch as it advanced into Georgia, where a man in Valdosta died when a tree fell on him as he tried to clear another tree out of the road, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk said. Two others, including a sheriff’s deputy, were hurt, he said. Officials in Bermuda warned that Idalia could hit the island early next week as a tropical storm. Bermuda on Wednesday was being lashed by the outer bands of Hurricane Franklin, a Category 2 storm that was on track to pass near the island in the north Atlantic Ocean. President Joe Biden called the governors of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina on Wednesday and told them their states had his administration’s full support, the White House said. The Trucker Staff contributed to this report.

CEDAR KEY, Fla. — Hurricane Idalia made landfall on Florida’s west coast as a dangerous Category 3 storm on Wednesday and was unleashing life-threatening storm surges and rainfall in an area not accustomed to such pummeling. Idalia came ashore in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula. It made landfall near Keaton Beach at 7:45 a.m. as a high-end Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph . And the storm brought flooding to the streets of Tampa and other communities. Florida residents living in vulnerable coastal areas were ordered to pack up and leave as Idalia gained strength in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. And those who didn’t were warned to find a safe place while the storm moves through. “Don’t put your life at risk by doing anything dumb at this point,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference Wednesday morning. “This thing’s powerful. If you’re inside, just hunker down until it gets past you.” Storm surge could rise as high as 15 feet  in some places. Hours of service waivers Multiple states have issued waivers for commercial motor vehicles’ hours of service and other regulations, including Georgia, Florida and South Carolina, if those vehicles and their drivers are directly helping with storm relief efforts. Major storm The National Weather Service in Tallahassee called Idalia “an unprecedented event” since no major hurricanes on record have ever passed through the bay abutting the Big Bend. The state, still dealing with lingering damage from last year’s Hurricane Ian, feared disastrous results. But not everyone was heeding the warning to leave. Andy Bair, owner of the Island Hotel on Cedar Key, said he intended to “babysit” his bed-and-breakfast, which predates the Civil War. The building has not flooded in the almost 20 years he has owned it, not even when Hurricane Hermine flooded the city in 2016. “Being a caretaker of the oldest building in Cedar Key, I just feel kind of like I need to be here,” Bair said. “We’ve proven time and again that we’re not going to wash away. We may be a little uncomfortable for a couple of days, but we’ll be OK eventually.” Idalia had grown into a Category 2 system on Tuesday afternoon and became a Category 3 just hours earlier Wednesday before strengthening to a Category 4 and then weakening slightly to a high-end Category 3. The National Weather Service in Tallahassee called Idalia “an unprecedented event” since no major hurricanes on record have ever passed through the bay abutting the Big Bend. Hurricanes are measured on a five category scale, with a Category 5 being the strongest. A Category 3 storm is the first on the scale considered a major hurricane and the National Hurricane Center says a Category 4 storm brings “catastrophic damage.” Tolls were waived on highways out of the danger area, shelters were open and hotels prepared to take in evacuees. More than 30,000 utility workers were gathering to make repairs as quickly as possible in the hurricane’s wake. About 5,500 National Guard troops were activated. In Tarpon Springs, a coastal community northwest of Tampa, 60 patients were evacuated from a hospital out of concern that the system could bring a 7-foot storm surge. Idalia was expected to weaken as it moved inland but it was still expected to be a hurricane while moving across southern Georgia later Wednesday, the hurricane center said. It would then reach the Carolinas. Both Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced states of emergency, freeing up state resources and personnel, including hundreds of National Guard troops. “We’ll be prepared to the best of our abilities,” said Russell Guess, who was topping off the gas tank on his truck in Valdosta, Georgia. His co-workers at Cunningham Tree Service were doing the same. “There will be trees on people’s house, trees across power lines.” Idalia pummeled Cuba with heavy rains on Monday and Tuesday, leaving the tobacco-growing province of Pinar del Rio underwater and many of its residents without power. “The priority is to reestablish power and communications and keep an eye on the agriculture: Harvest whatever can be harvested and prepare for more rainfall,” President Miguel Díaz-Canel said in a meeting with government officials Tuesday. State media did not report any deaths or major damage. Asked about the hurricane Tuesday, President Joe Biden said he had spoken to DeSantis and “provided him with everything that he possibly needs.” Ian was responsible last year for almost 150 deaths. The Category 5 hurricane damaged 52,000 structures, nearly 20,000 of which were destroyed or severely damaged. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently said the 2023 hurricane season would be far busier than initially forecast, partly because of extremely warm ocean temperatures. The season runs through Nov. 30, with August and September typically the peak. The Trucker Staff contributed to this report.

TAMPA, Fla. — Idalia became a hurricane on Tuesday, Aug. 29, threatening to bring deadly storm surge and dangerous winds to Florida’s Gulf Coast after lashing Cuba with heavy rain. Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has waived certain guidelines governing commercial vehicles, including hours-of-service and licensing and registration requirements under the International Fuel Tax Agreement and the International Registration Plan. Additionally, registration has been waived for commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) entering the state to provide emergency services or supplies or to transport emergency equipment, supplies or personnel. Drivers operating for a motor carrier operating under this order must have a copy of it in their possession. This regulatory relief is only granted to those who are in direct assistance and terminated when a driver or CMV is used in commerce to transport cargo or provide services not directly related to emergency relief. Around the nation, other states have pledged their help ahead of the storm. In Kentucky, Transportation Secretary Jim Gray has signed an official order to temporarily suspend certain regulatory restrictions on CMVs involved in restoring power and clearing debris in Florida and other states damaged by Tropical Storm Idalia. “This order is to help avoid any delay for utility crews and other responders coming to the aid of storm victims,” Gray said. The order is effective through 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Sept. 30. It temporarily relieves commercial drivers from maximum driving times and weigh station stops while engaged in the emergency response. Other states in the southeastern United States are also preparing for the storm as well as pledging help to clean up afterward. Truck driver Steven Bloom of Indiana, who has a regular route to the Florida Gulf Coast, said he plans to shut down until the storm is over, advising others to do the same. “If you have to go to that area, it’s best to wait this one out,” he said. “It’s just gonna be too dangerous.” Florida residents loaded up on sandbags and evacuated from homes in low-lying areas along the Gulf Coast to prepare for a storm that the National Hurricane Center projected could have sustained winds of up to 120 mph. That would make it a Category 3 hurricane — a potentially big blow to a state still dealing with lingering damage from last year’s Hurricane Ian. At 8 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time Tuesday, Hurricane Idalia was about 320 miles south-southwest of Tampa, with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, the hurricane center said. Idalia was moving north at 14 mph. The center of Idalia is forecast to reach the Gulf Coast of Florida as “an extremely dangerous major hurricane before landfall on Wednesday,” and then move over the peninsula blow through Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina on Thursday. “Right now, the biggest hazards are storm surge,” Robbie Berg, a senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, said Tuesday morning. “We’re expecting a surge as much as 8 to 12 feet above normal tide levels in portions of the Big Bend area of Florida.” Idalia thrashed Cuba with heavy rain, especially in the westernmost part of the island, where the tobacco-producing province of Pinar del Rio is still recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian. Authorities in the province issued a state of alert, and residents were evacuated to friends’ and relatives’ homes. As much as 4 inches of rain fell in Cuba on Sunday, meteorological stations reported. Idalia was expected to start affecting Florida with hurricane-force winds as soon as late Tuesday. It is the first storm to hit Florida this hurricane season and authorities urged residents to wrap up storm preparation by Tuesday morning at the latest. Idalia is also the latest in a summer of natural disasters, including wildfires in Hawaii, Canada and Greece; the first tropical storm to hit California in 84 years, and devastating flooding in Vermont. “Just got to prepare for these things, hope for the best, and prepare for the worst and, you know, hunker down, as they say,” said Derek Hughes as he waited to load up his car with sandbags at a city park in Tampa. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 46 counties, a broad swath that stretches across the northern half of the state from the Gulf Coast to the Atlantic Coast. The state has mobilized 1,100 National Guard members, who have 2,400 high-water vehicles and 12 aircraft at their disposal for rescue and recovery efforts. Tampa International Airport and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport said they would close on Tuesday, and the Sunrail commuter rail service in Orlando was being suspended. “The property — we can rebuild someone’s home,” DeSantis said during a news conference Monday. “You can’t unring the bell, though, if somebody stays in harm’s way and does battle with Mother Nature.” DeSantis said the Florida Department of Transportation would waive tolls on highways in the Tampa area and the Big Bend starting at 4 a.m. Tuesday to help ease any burden on people in the path of the storm. Large parts of the western coast of Florida are at risk for storm surges and floods. Evacuation notices have been issued in 21 counties with mandatory orders for some people in eight of those counties. Many of the notices were for people in low-lying and coastal areas, for those living in structures such as mobile and manufactured homes, recreational vehicles and boats, and for people who would be vulnerable in a power outage. Pasco and Levy counties, located north of Tampa, both ordered mandatory evacuations for some residents. In Levy County, officials said residents of Cedar Key must be off the island by Tuesday evening because storm surges would make bridges impassable. “Once the storm surge comes in, help may not be available to reach you,” the county said in a public advisory. Many school districts along the Gulf Coast said they would be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Several colleges and universities said they would close their campuses on Tuesday, including the University of Florida in Gainesville. “They told us that our dorm building, especially, is prone to flooding,” said Erin Amiss, a student at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg. MacDill Air Force Base, located on Tampa Bay, is preparing to evacuate several aircraft and began a mandatory evacuation Monday morning for personnel who live in local counties, the Air Force said in a statement. Tampa resident Grace Cruz, who has lived in the state for more than 40 years, put away patio furniture, filled her car up with gas and loaded up on sandbags. She worried about the tens of thousands of new residents to Florida who had never before experienced a hurricane, and she had some advice for them. “If you’re planning to get away, you start ahead of time because of the traffic,” Cruz said. “No kidding. It’s horrible.” As Gulf Coast residents packed up their cars or hauled out generators in case of power outages, state officials warned about potential fuel contamination at dozens of gas stations. President Joe Biden told the Florida governor that he had approved an emergency declaration for the state, the White House said in a news release. DeSantis is running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. Southwest Florida is still recovering from Hurricane Ian, which was responsible last year for almost 150 deaths. The Category 5 hurricane damaged 52,000 structures, nearly 20,000 of which were destroyed or severely damaged. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently said the 2023 hurricane season would be far busier than initially forecast, partly because of extremely warm ocean temperatures. The season runs through Nov. 30, with August and September typically the peak. The Trucker Staff contributed to this report.

TAMPA, Fla.  — Florida residents loaded up on sandbags and evacuated from homes in low-lying areas along the Gulf Coast as Tropical Storm Idalia intensified Monday and forecasters predicted it would hit within days as a major hurricane with potentially life-threatening storm surges. Idalia is expected to start affecting Florida with hurricane-force winds as soon as late Tuesday, Aug. 29, and arrive on the coast by Wednesday. It is the first storm to hit Florida this hurricane season and a potentially big blow to the state, which is also still recovering from Ian. “Just got to prepare for these things, hope for the best, and prepare for the worst and, you know, hunker down, as they say,” said Derek Hughes as he waited to load up his car with sandbags at a city park in Tampa. “Worst case is flooding right now. Hopefully not too much wind damage.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 46 counties, a broad swath that stretches across the northern half of the state from the Gulf Coast to the Atlantic Coast. The state has mobilized 1,100 National Guard members, who have 2,400 high-water vehicles and 12 aircraft at their disposal for rescue and recovery efforts. Tampa International Airport and St.Pete-Clearwater International Airport said they would close on Tuesday. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, certain guidelines governing commercial vehicles have been temporarily waived, including hours-of-service and licensing and registration requirements under the International Fuel Tax Agreement and the International Registration Plan. Additionally, registration has been waived for CMVs entering the state to provide emergency services or supplies or to transport emergency equipment, supplies or personnel. Drivers operating for a motor carrier operating under this order must have a copy of it in their possession. This regulatory relief is only granted to those who are in direct assistance and terminated when a driver or CMV is used in commerce to transport cargo or provide services not directly related to emergency relief. Meanwhile, DeSantis warned of a “major impact” to the state, noting that what was originally forecast to be nothing stronger than a tropical storm was now predicted to become a Category 3 hurricane. “The property — we can rebuild someone’s home,” DeSantis said during a news conference Monday. “You can’t unring the bell, though, if somebody stays in harm’s way and does battle with Mother Nature. This is not something that you want to do battle with.” Large parts of the western coast of Florida are at risk of storm surges and floods anytime a storm of this magnitude approaches. Pasco and Levy counties, located north of Tampa, both ordered mandatory evacuations for some residents deemed to be at risk. In Levy County, officials said residents of Cedar Key must be off the island by Tuesday evening because storm surges would make bridges impassable. “Once the storm surge comes in, help may not be available to reach you,” the county said in a notice. The National Hurricane Center in Miami issued a hurricane warning Monday from Longboat Key in the Sarasota area to the Holocene River, up past Tampa Bay. Many school districts along the Gulf Coast said they would be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Eckerd College in St. Petersburg told students they needed to leave campus by Monday night. “They told us that our dorm building, especially, is prone to flooding,” said student Erin Amiss. Tampa resident Grace Cruz, who has lived in the state for more than 40 years, put away patio furniture, filled her car up with gas and loaded up on sandbags. She worried about the tens of thousands of new residents to Florida who had never before experienced a hurricane, and she had some advice for them. “If you’re planning to get away, you start ahead of time because of the traffic,” Cruz said. “No kidding. It’s horrible.” President Joe Biden spoke to DeSantis on Monday morning, telling the Florida governor that he had approved an emergency declaration for the state, the White House said in a news release. The declaration frees up federal funds to help with cleanup and repairs. DeSantis is running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. At 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time Monday, the storm was about 50 miles off the western tip of Cuba with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, the hurricane center said. Idalia was moving north at 8 mph. On Tuesday, it was expected to turn northeast at a faster pace, reaching Florida’s western coast as a dangerous major hurricane on Wednesday. So far this year, the U.S. East Coast has been spared from cyclones. But in the West, Tropical Storm Hilary caused widespread flooding, mudslides and road closures earlier this month in Mexico, California, Nevada and points to the north. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently said the 2023 hurricane season would be far busier than initially forecast, partly because of extremely warm ocean temperatures. The season runs through Nov. 30, with August and September typically the peak. The Trucker Staff contributed to this report.

ARLINGTON, Va. — According to new data from the 2023 Women in Trucking Association (WIT) Index, the percentage of female safety professionals in corporations with for-hire or private fleets in the commercial freight transportation industry continues to increase. The WIT Index is an industry barometer to benchmark and measure each year the percentage of women who make up critical roles in transportation. There were 350 respondents authorized to report their organizations’ gender diversity statistics in the 2023 WIT Index survey. Safety professionals typically are responsible for preventing occupational injury and illness among workers in their workforce, with an emphasis on professional drivers and workers within their facilities. In the second year of capturing this data on safety professionals, the 2023 WIT Index shows that 41.6% of safety professionals in transportation companies are women, according to a news release. Additionally, the 2023 WIT Index found that nearly 16% of respondents report having 90% or more of women in safety roles, with more than 25% reporting they have 50% to 89% women in those roles. More than 29% of respondents report having 20% to 49% of women in safety roles, while more than 13% report having 1% to 19% of women in safety roles and more than 16% report they have no women in safety. “Safety professionals possess a comprehensive understanding of procedures and protocol that have a profound impact on risk mitigation, minimizing safety threats or challenges and overall workforce safety and wellness,” said Jennifer Hedrick, president and chief executive officer for WIT. “This is a critical component of our industry and an area of immense opportunity for women to build technical and leadership skills.” Initiated in 2016, the WIT Index is based upon reported statistics by companies in transportation, including for-hire trucking companies, private fleets, transportation intermediaries, railroads, ocean carriers, equipment manufacturers and technology companies. Data involving the 2023 WIT Index was confidentially gathered from January through April of 2023 from 350 participating companies of various sizes operating in the trucking industry. Percentages are reported only as aggregate totals of respondents rather than by individual company. In 2022, WIT expanded its collection of the percentage of women to include not only safety professionals, but also technicians, operations, human resources and talent management and sales and marketing. The WIT Index historically also has identified the percentage of women who are in leadership roles and professional drivers.

WASHINGTON — A new Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration study will focus on truck drivers’ detention time and how it affects their safety. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced on Aug. 23 that it plans to submit an Information Collection Request (ICR) for data on the issue, which will be analyzed “to determine the frequency and severity of detention time, as well as assess the utility of existing intelligent transportation systems (ITS) solutions to measure detention time.” Approximately 80 carriers and 2,500 CMV drivers will provide data in the study, according to the IRC. “The study will provide a better understanding of the impact of driver detention time on driver safety and CMV operations and inform strategies that may be used to mitigate driver detention time,” the IRC states. Detention time refers to the extra time CMV operators wait at shipping and receiving facilities due to delays associated with the loading and unloading of cargo. Drivers are often not paid for this extra time. “Although there is currently no standard definition of detention time, the CMV industry, the U.S. government and academic detention research in the United States have typically used dwell time — the total amount of time spent at a facility — exceeding two hours to define when detention time occurs,” according to the FMCSA. Detention time in the CMV industry is a longstanding issue and consistently ranks as one of the top problems for a large portion of CMV operators on an ongoing basis. Further, detention time often results in lost revenue for many drivers and carriers, according to the FMCSA. Reducing detention time may reduce costs for carriers, increase pay for drivers, and improve CMV drivers’ ability to make deliveries on time or arrive at a destination as planned without violating hours of service (HOS) requirements. Drivers who experience less detention time may be more likely to drive safely to reach their destinations within the HOS limits and less likely to operate beyond HOS limits and improperly log their driving and duty time to make deliveries on time. This isn’t the first time the FMCSA has studied this issue. A study in 2014 provided “valuable initial insights” but “had several limitations, including a small sample of mostly large carriers, a rudimentary estimation of detention time, the inability to identify time spent loading/unloading and data that did not cover an entire 12-month period,” FMCSA officials stated. “Therefore, FMCSA needs additional data from a broader sample of carriers to understand the safety and operational impact of detention time, to better understand why detention time occurs, and to identify potential mitigation strategies the CMV industry may use to reduce detention time while improving operational efficiencies and safety.” FMCSA’s new study will focus on three primary objectives: Assessing the frequency and severity of driver detention time using data that represent the major segments of the motor carrier industry. Assessing the utility of existing ITS solutions to measure detention time. Preparing a final report that summarizes the findings, answers the research questions and offers strategies to reduce detention time. The study includes data collection via electronic logging devices (ELDs), transportation management systems (TMS), vehicle telematic systems, safety records and answers to questions delivered through the carriers’ dispatching systems. The TMS, ELD, telematics and safety data are already collected by carriers. The only additional data that will be collected will be the answers to questions submitted through the carriers’ dispatching systems. “This information will allow FMCSA to identify the severity and frequency of detention time, the factors that contribute to detention time, as well as the administrative, operational and safety outcomes of detention time,” FMCSA officials noted. After agreeing to participate in the study, carriers will collect and provide 12 months of data. When the FMCSA’s notice is published in the Federal Register, the public will have 60 days to comment by visiting the regulations.gov website and entering Docket No. FMCSA-2023-0172.