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WASHINGTON — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), in collaboration with Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), announced recently that will adjust hours of operation for 38 ports of entry (POEs) along the U.S. northern border, beginning at midnight, Jan. 6, 2025. CBP says this will allow CBP to increase border security while facilitating legitimate cross-border trade and travel. CBP officers will be deployed to busier ports of entry, enabling the agency to use its resources most effectively for its critical national security and border security missions. These adjustments formalize current operating hours that have been in effect for more than four years at 13 ports of entry across the northern border, with eight ports of entry expanding hours. A small number of ports will see reduced hours in an effort to continually align resources to operational realities. Travelers who use these affected crossing locations will have other options within a reasonable driving distance. Importantly, these adjustments have been made in close coordination with CBSA to ensure aligned operational hours that further enhance the security of both countries. CBP continually monitors operations, traffic patterns, and volume, and analyzes the best use of resources to better serve the traveling public. CBP will remain engaged with local and regional stakeholders, as well as communities to ensure consistent communication and to address concerns. The vast majority of the 118 northern border ports of entry will continue to operate at existing hours, including many with 24/7 operations. Locate ports of entry and access border wait times here. The following are the new permanent POE hours of operation by state: Washington: Metaline Falls will expand its operating hours to 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Laurier will permanently maintain current hours of 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Montana: Scobey will expand its operating hours: 8 a.m.-9 p.m., June 1 to Sept. 15 and 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Sept. 16 to May 31 Opheim will expand its operating hours and days to 9 a.m.-5 p.m. seven days a week. Del Bonita will permanently maintain current hours of 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Morgan will permanently maintain current hours of 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday North Dakota: Fortuna will expand its operating hours to 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Neche will expand its operating hours to 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Noonan will expand its operating hours to 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Walhalla will expand its operating hours to 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Carbury will permanently maintain current hours of 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Maida will permanently maintain current hours of 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Northgate will permanently maintain current hours of 9 a.m.-5 p.m. St. John will permanently maintain current hours of 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Sherwood will permanently maintain current hours of 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Westhope will permanently maintain current hours of 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Minnesota: Lancaster will permanently maintain current hours of 8 a.m.-6 p.m. New York: Chateauguay will reduce its operating hours from 24 hours to 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Overton Corners will reduce its operating hours from 24 hours to 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Rouses Point will reduce its operating hours from 24 hours to 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Trout River will reduce its operating hours from 24 hours to 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Vermont: Alburg (joint port) will reduce its operating hours to 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Canaan will reduce its operating hours to 8 a.m.-8 p.m. North Troy will reduce its operating hours to 8 a.m.-8 p.m. West Berkshire will reduce its operating hours 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Alburg Springs will permanently maintain current hours of 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Derby Line (Route 5) will permanently maintain current hours of 8 a.m.-8 p.m. New Hampshire: Pittsburg will permanently maintain current hours of 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Maine: Monticello will maintain current operating hours, but will close on U.S. and Canadian holidays. CBP will temporarily expand its hours at the following location: North Dakota: Antler will expand its operating hours temporarily for 120 days to 9 a.m.-10 p.m. CBP and CBSA will align hours at the following locations: North Dakota: Hannah will continue to operate from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Hansboro will continue to operate from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Sarles will continue to operate from 9 a.m-5 p.m. Minnesota: Pinecreek will continue to operate from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Roseau will continue to operate from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Maine: Limestone will continue to operate from 6 a.m.-6 p.m. Orient- will continue to operate: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Memorial Day to Labor Day, and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for the remainder of the year. Vanceboro will continue to operate 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is calling on all drivers, not just its members, to sound off on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) broker transparency regulation currently under consideration. “To the shady freight brokers, you’ve skirted federal regulations to take advantage of the hardworking men and women behind the wheel for too long and it’s far past time this era of screwing over truckers comes to an end,” said Todd Spencer, OOIDA president. “To the American trucker, now is your chance to hold bad brokers accountable. Jump into the arena and demand action from FMCSA. No more sitting on the sidelines complaining. If you speak up, we’ll win this fight.” The proposal was published in the Federal Register on Nov. 20. FMCSA is proposing amendments to its property broker rules in response to petitions for rulemaking from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) and the Small Business in Transportation Coalition (SBTC). Under current regulations, the parties to a brokered freight transaction have a right to review the broker’s record of the transaction, which stakeholders often refer to as “broker transparency.” Contracts between brokers and motor carriers frequently contain waivers of this right. OOIDA requested that FMCSA promulgate a requirement that property brokers provide an electronic copy of each transaction record automatically within 48 hours after the contractual service has been completed, and explicitly prohibit brokers from including any provision in their contracts that requires a motor carrier to waive its rights to access the transaction records. SBTC requested that FMCSA prohibit brokers of property from coercing or requiring parties to brokers’ transactions to waive their right to review the record of the transaction as a condition for doing business and prohibit the use of clause(s) exempting the broker from having to comply with this transparency requirement. Though the proposed rule is responsive to the petitions in reinforcing the broker transparency requirement, the proposed provisions differ from those requested by OOIDA and SBTC. The proposed rule would revise the regulatory text to make clear that brokers have a regulatory obligation to provide transaction records to the transacting parties on request. The proposal would also make changes to the format and content of the records. There are currently over 1k comments on the proposal. “I’m a owner operator,” Jose O. said in the comment section. “Brokers are stealing from us everyday loads are paying less everyday, its time that there is some regulation on the brokers, please keep in mind who does 90% of the work in a load. Thank you.” Valerie McDonald also spoke to the rule in the comment section. “How can we be competitive when we don’t know what the rate is in the first place we’re just going off of what is offered in the offers are very low,” McDonald said. “They are low as they were 10 years ago everybody else is raising their prices. So to me that’s profiteering nothing changes over the years. They’re putting us out of business by doing this. They’ve definitely made a business out of it big business everybody wants to be a broker now. I want to know what the rules are going to be so I can decide whether to stay in business or not. I can’t afford the repairs on my vehicle because the price has increased not to mention everything else you know what it is gas diesel cost of living so that’s why we need transparency only need it ASAP.” Joseph Ma believes that the freight industry is ripe for those wishing to steal. “Where can bank robbers work nowadays,” Ma said. “Normal jobs? Nope. Background checks. Robbing banks? Nope. Much more difficult nowadays. Answer: the freight industry. Carriers are regulated and monitored to some extent (via highway patrol, scale houses, FMCSA, shippers, brokers). But that’s very minimal. Brokers are even less regulated. These ‘brokers’ are stealing from shippers, carriers and stealing customers from ‘good’ brokers. I do not believe the originators of ‘deregulating the freight industry’ foresaw how big of a problem these bad actors and fraud would become in the industry.” Russell Caudell is against the proposal and believes fraud prevention efforts should be focused elsewhere. “I am writing to oppose the recently proposed rulemaking for Transparency in Property Broker Transactions,” Caudell said. “Our efforts should be focused on fraud prevention in transportation instead of needless rules that no longer have application in the marketplace. In addition to being particularly burdensome from an administrative perspective, this rulemaking would also put a broker in the position of being in violation of the terms of many, if not most, shipper / broker transportation agreements. Putting this rule in place would provide fodder for attorneys to bring actions that at the end of the day, would make no difference and would not level the playing field in any shape form or fashion.” Tiro Freight Solutions LLC is also against the proposal and issued this letter in the comment section: “Dear FMCSA Rulemaking Team, I am writing to express my strong opposition to the proposed rulemaking titled “Transparency in Property Broker Transactions” (Docket No. FMCSA-2023-0257-0001). This proposal represents excessive government overreach and fails to address the actual challenges faced by the transportation industry today. Key Issues with the Proposed Rule 1. Outdated and Misaligned Framework The proposed expansion of C.F.R. 371.3 is based on a regulatory framework created when brokers acted as commissioned sales agents for motor carriers. Today’s marketplace is vastly different, with brokers managing two independent transactions—one with the shipper and another with the carrier. The original intent of these regulations, primarily to prevent freight rebating, is irrelevant in the context of modern industry practices. 2. Burdensome and Unnecessary Requirements The transportation industry is already highly transparent, with load boards and technology platforms offering real-time pricing visibility to carriers and shippers. Requiring electronic submissions through methods like EDI or API integration would impose significant financial burdens on brokers and carriers, with costs ranging from $2,500 to $10,000 per integration—expenses that smaller businesses can ill afford. 3. Lack of Supporting Evidence During the COVID-19 pandemic, a period of heightened scrutiny, the FMCSA’s consumer complaint database did not record any complaints relevant to the issues this rule seeks to address. This proposal targets a problem that does not exist. 4. Legal and Confidentiality Concerns Requiring the disclosure of sensitive pricing and business terms risks violating the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016. Recent legal precedents, such as the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse the Chevron case, also cast doubt on the FMCSA’s authority to enforce such a rule. 5. Misplaced Priorities The FMCSA should be addressing urgent challenges facing the transportation sector, such as: Improving highway safety. Tackling the ongoing freight fraud crisis, which costs the industry over $1 billion annually. Developing solutions to support supply chain resilience and efficiency. Conclusion The FMCSA’s proposal is unnecessary, burdensome, and misaligned with the realities of today’s transportation industry. It creates significant costs for brokers and carriers while ignoring the pressing issues affecting the industry. I strongly urge the FMCSA to withdraw this rule and instead focus on initiatives that enhance safety, reduce fraud, and promote the growth and sustainability of the transportation sector. Thank you for considering these comments. I trust the FMCSA will prioritize meaningful policies that align with the needs of the industry and the broader economy. Sincerely, Tiro Freight LLC” Comments on the proposal will be accepted through Jan. 21, 2025. To comment click here.

OHIO — Hundreds of employees from across Northern Ohio have voted in favor of removing Teamsters union control at their workplaces. According to a National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation press release, the elections, both certified this month by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), occurred at Wooster, Ohio, Frito-Lay warehouses and scrap metal firm Omnisource’s Toledo, Ohio, facility, which are under the control of Teamsters Local 452 and Teamsters Local 20, respectively. “Teamsters union officials continue to lose support from the very workers they claim to ‘represent’, and these cases demonstrate yet again why every worker, in Ohio and nationwide, deserves the protection of a Right to Work law so they can decide for themselves whether or not to financially support union officials’ activities,” said Mark Mix, National Right to Work Foundation president. “While we’re glad these workers have succeeded in freeing themselves from unwanted unionization, it should not require months of litigation and overcoming attempts by union lawyers to overturn the workers’ votes. Frito-Lay employee Dusty Hinkle and Omnisource employee Daniel Caughhorn submitted petitions in October 2023 and August 2024 respectively, asking the NLRB to hold union decertification elections among their coworkers at their facilities. Hinkle and Caughhorn both received free legal aid in filing their petitions from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, according to the release. The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing federal labor law, which includes administering elections to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions. Both Hinkle’s and Caughhorn’s petitions contained a sufficient number of signatures to trigger a vote under NLRB rules. Despite workers voting in both elections against Teamsters union control, Teamsters union officials filed objections against Frito-Lay and Omnisource management in an attempt to overturn the election results. However, in both cases regional NLRB officials tossed the union objections and certified the workers’ votes. Barring an attempt by Teamsters Local 20 officials to file a Request for Review to the NLRB in Washington, DC, within the next few days, both the Omnisource and Frito-Lay employees – over 430 in total – will have cut all ties with the Teamsters unions. Because Ohio lacks Right to Work protections for its private sector workers, Teamsters officials enforced contracts that required Hinkle, Caughhorn, and their colleagues to pay union dues or fees as a condition of keeping their jobs. In contrast, in Right to Work states, union membership and all union financial support are strictly voluntary. Now that the Frito-Lay and Omnisource employees have voted out the Teamsters, they are free both of union bosses’ forced-dues demands and their ability to impose one-size-fits-all contracts on the workplace. Workers Across Country Reject Teamsters ‘Representation’ and Coercive Political Positions Foundation attorneys have recently assisted a number of workers from across industries in obtaining votes to eject Teamsters union officials. Within the last two months, truck drivers from Georgia, California, Virginia and New Jersey have successfully booted out Teamsters union officials or initiated removal efforts with Foundation aid. Beyond Teamsters-controlled workplaces, NLRB data indicates an over 50% increase in the number of decertification petitions filed annually over the last four years. Despite that, Biden-Harris NLRB bureaucrats recently repealed key reforms (known collectively as the “Election Protection Rule”) that made it easier for workers to request decertification elections. Now, union officials have substantially more power to stop workers from even obtaining an election to remove a union, and can also stop workers from requesting decertification elections to challenge a union’s ascent to power via “card check,” an unsecure process that bypasses the traditional secret-ballot vote process. “This case shows yet again that despite what local and national Teamsters union bosses claim, they don’t actually speak for the rank-and-file they claim to ‘represent’ and in fact have no qualms about attempting to disenfranchise those workers to trap them in union ranks they oppose,” Mix said.

CALIFORNIA – Two sets of trucking employees have filed petitions seeking elections to remove International Brotherhood of Teamsters (Teamsters) union officials from power in their workplaces. Stockton, Calif. based PepsiCo driver Edward Kilgore and Georgia-based BFI Waste Services driver James Shiflett submitted decertification petitions to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) with free legal aid from National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys. According to an NLRD press release, Kilgore, a truck driver for PepsiCo Beverages North America in Stockton submitted a petition in December, in which the majority of his coworkers asked the NLRB to hold a vote to remove Teamsters Local 439 union bosses. Soon after, a group of Georgia-area BFI Waste Services, LLC truckers led by Shiflett also filed a petition demanding the same kind of NLRB election to oust Teamsters Local 728. The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing federal labor law, which includes administering elections to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions. “My coworkers and I are not just opposed to Teamsters officials so-called ‘representation’ but especially offended that currently the union has the power to enter into a contract that forces us to fund the very union we oppose,” Kilgore said.  “This is about giving workers the power to make their own decisions.” Both Kilgore’s and Shiflett’s decertification petitions contain employee signatures well in excess of the  threshold needed to trigger a decertification vote under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). If a majority of Kilgore’s and Shiflett’s coworkers vote against retaining the Teamsters union officials, they will lose their monopoly bargaining powers in the workplace. For the California workers, their continued effort is especially critical because they are based in a state that lacks Right to Work protections. In such states, union officials can impose union contracts that require workers to pay dues or fees as a condition of getting or keeping a job. In contrast, in Right to Work states like Georgia, union membership and dues payment are strictly voluntary. However, in both Right to Work and non-Right to Work jurisdictions, union bosses can use their monopoly bargaining privileges to subject all workers in a unionized facility to one-size fits-all contracts – even those workers who voted against the union or otherwise oppose it. A successful decertification election ends union officials’ forced-dues and monopoly bargaining powers in a workplace. Pro-Union Boss Shifts in NLRB Policy Disenfranchise Workers According to the release, despite an over 50% increase in the number of decertification petitions filed annually over the last four years, Biden-Harris NLRB bureaucrats recently repealed key reforms (known collectively as the “Election Protection Rule”) that made it easier for workers to request decertification elections. Under the Teamsters-backed change, union officials can manipulate often-unproven allegations against management (also known as “blocking charges”) to stop workers from exercising their right to vote out a union, and can also stop workers from requesting decertification elections to challenge a union’s ascent to power via “card check,” an unsecure process that bypasses the traditional secret-ballot vote process. “Workers across the country are rejecting union officials top-down agendas both inside and outside the workplace,” said Mark Mix, National Right to Work Foundation president. “While Teamsters bosses like Sean O’Brien are advocating for more power over rank-and-file workers, including by advocating for the elimination of Right to Work protections nationwide, America’s working men and women are increasingly seeking to vote out union officials that don’t serve their interests.”