The Nation

PIERRE, S.D. – The South Dakota Department of Transportation (DOT), in collaboration with the South Dakota Department of Public Safety (DPS) and South Dakota Department of Revenue (DOR), have officially launched a major update to the SDTruckInfo website. The website is a central location for South Dakota trucking information, including Commercial Driver Licensing (CDL); special load permits; emergency notices for the trucking industry; legal weights and sizes for loads; and rules and regulations for interstate, intrastate, and agricultural carriers. “This launch represents a major upgrade to the current system,” said Dave Huft, intelligent transportation systems program manager for the DOT. “The website is a true expression of the state’s commitment to safety, efficiency, convenience for the trucking industry, the traveling public, and the state economy.” Highway Patrol Capt. John Broers, who leads the Patrol’s Motor Carriers Division, said the update is partially funded by a grant from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. “The website provides a one-stop portal to access vital information for motor carriers to operate lawfully within the state of South Dakota,” Broers said. “The newly designed website is better organized, has more content, and provides easier navigation for our users.” Users can also access contact information for South Dakota agencies and click on direct links to South Dakota’s Automated Permitting System, SD511 travel information, other states’ motor carrier agencies, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. “One of the newest features is a searchable electronic copy of the completely updated 2022 South Dakota Commercial and Agricultural Vehicle Handbook,” Huft said. “We are excited to offer the electronic version of the new handbook in addition to the published hard copy, which will be available from SDDOT, SD Highway Patrol, SDDOR, and county treasurers in January 2022.” To visit the new site, click here.

MARTINSVILLE, Ind. — A new section of the Interstate 69 extension project in central Indiana has fully opened for traffic. Crews opened up the highway’s southbound lanes through Martinsville on Thursday, three days after traffic was allowed on the northbound lanes, the Indiana Department of Transportation said. Drivers can now take the main route between Bloomington and Indianapolis that had been cut off since January as a 5-mile stretch of what was Indiana 37 through Martinsville was shut down to upgrade the roadway and build interchanges. Some construction work such as final paving, installation of signs and completion of drainage fixtures will continue into the new year, highway officials said. The I-69 project’s focus now turns to upgrading the Indiana 37 corridor between Martinsville and I-465 on the southwest side of Indianapolis. No full closures are planned on that section as construction is expected to continue into 2024. The I-69 extension has been under construction through southwestern Indiana since 2008 and currently runs from Evansville to Martinsville.

CHARLOTTE, Vt. — The state of Vermont is helping ensure the town of Charlotte can keep its roads clear this winter after a fire destroyed most of the community’s snowplows. The Vermont Agency of Transportation is loaning the community three plows until the plows that were destroyed by the fire can be replaced. Charlotte, which has 60 miles of town roads, leases its plows through Lewis Excavating, the business operated by Charlotte’s elected road commissioner, Junior Lewis. Fire destroyed Lewis’ 70-year-old wooden storage facility on Church Hill Road on Wednesday, leaving four plow trucks along with other vehicles and gear unusable. Only one plow was saved. “This is the time you need that equipment,” said Charlotte Select Board Chair Jim Faulkner. The cause of the fire is undetermined but not thought to be suspicious. There were no injuries. Gov. Phil Scott heard about the fire through news reports and asked the Agency of Transportation to help, said Transportation Secretary Joe Flynn said. “At the end of the day, we are all in this together, so helping each other out in a time of need is really important,” Flynn told  NECN. “I mean, it’s going to snow Christmas Day. What could be more meaningful than to help out of town after such a tragic event as they had last night?” Flynn said there is no specified length of time the state trucks will be loaned to Charlotte. The agency understands that given supply chain challenges it may take Lewis and the town some time to come up with a permanent plan for a new fleet of trucks.

THIBODAUX, La. — Construction will begin early next year on a $463 million project that will add 8.3 miles of elevated highway in Louisiana’s Lafourche Parish. State highway chief Shawn Wilson executed the contract with James Construction last month and the agency is expected to issue formal notice to proceed with construction from Golden Meadow to Leeville by Jan. 31, according to the La. 1 Coalition. The local group has been a key advocate for the years-long La. 1 project, which includes four phases to upgrade the two-lane highway from U.S. 90 to Port Fourchon, The Courier reported. The latest section, Phase 2, is expected to open in 2027. It will elevate one of the highway’s most flood-prone sections, where water during storms or high tides has sometimes prevented road access to the port and Grand Isle. “The execution of a contract for construction of Phase 2 is a milestone achievement for the coalition, Greater Lafourche Port Commission, Lafourche Parish, the state of Louisiana and all of the industry stakeholders who depend on a safe and reliable La. 1 to fuel and feed our nation,” La. 1 Coalition Chairman Chett Chiasson said Monday in a newsletter to group members and supporters. The state received word in June 2020 that a federal grant, secured with the help of U.S. Reps. Steve Scalise and Garret Graves, will pay $135 million toward the work. About $150 million will come from the state’s share of fines levied against BP after the 2010 Gulf oil spill. The rest will come from a combination of state construction money, the Lafourche Port Commission, the Parish Council and businesses and oil companies that use or rely on the port. “Elevating LA 1 is not only essential for the protection of Louisiana families, but absolutely vital for achieving American energy dominance and safeguarding access to our nation’s oil and natural gas supply,” Scalise has said. An estimated 1,200 trucks travel La. 1 each day to and from the port, a service hub for almost all of the Gulf of Mexico oilfield.

SAN ANTONIO — The driver of an Amazon tractor-trailer was uninjured Thursday morning after reportedly being cut off by another vehicle and driving off of an Interstate 35 bridge in San Antonio. Authorities said the trailer was empty at the time of the crash. A photo of the tractor shows that the wreck displaced the cab from the chassis.  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee officials are halting nearly all construction-related lane closures on interstates and state highways for Christmas and New Year’s holiday travelers. The Tennessee Department of Transportation says the closures will be paused from midnight Thursday until the morning of Jan. 3. The department says workers may still be on-site in some construction zones, and long-term lane closures will remain on some construction projects. Drivers convicted of speeding in work zones with workers present face up to a $500 fine, plus court fees and possible increases to insurance premiums. The department says AAA is projecting more than 2.6 million travelers in Tennessee for Christmas and New Year’s this year.

FREDERICK, Md. –  A Maryland brewery is celebrating the men and women who deliver sudsy delight to thirsty people day in and day out. Flying Dog Brewery recently launched the “Haul of Fame” program as a “holiday thank you to the many drivers who frequent Flying Dog’s loading docks,” according to a news release. Drivers who pick up and deliver to the brewery during the week of Dec. 20-23 will be greeted with festive signage and balloons before they are treated to a meal and gifted a Flying Dog-branded jacket, the news release stated. “Without the drivers who get products from point A to point B, there would be no delicious beer on store shelves – we couldn’t do our job without them,” said Ben Savage, chief marketing officer at Flying Dog. “So, this holiday season we wanted to let our drivers know how much we appreciate them with a bite to eat and a gift from our team to say thank you for all of their hard work throughout the year.”

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Construction crews on road projects across South Carolina are getting a Christmas break too as officials promise they won’t close lanes for work over the long holiday season. Crews can’t close lanes on interstates or other major holidays unless there is an emergency from Thursday through Jan. 3, according to the South Carolina Department of Transportation. The time around Christmas is some of the busiest for the state’s roadways. Drivers will see more police on the roads. State troopers are leading their “Sober or Slammer” campaign to fight driving under the influence along with local police through New Year’s Day. Along with more officers on highways looking for dangerous drivers, there will be radio, television and social media pushes to remind people of the consequences of driving while drunk or high and ask them to seek out a designated driver or a ride home if they are intoxicated.

SANTA FE, N.M. — New Mexico’s Democratic governor on Monday renewed her call for state legislators in the major oil producing state to approve requirements for fuel producers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement that “New Mexico must pass a clean fuel standard in the upcoming legislative session.” The governor has discretion over which nonbudgetary initiatives are heard during the 30-day legislative session that starts Jan. 18. Earlier this year, a Democrat-sponsored bill to impose low-carbon fuel standards stalled in the state House of Representatives after winning Senate’s endorsement on a party-line vote with Republicans in opposition. The proposal would not have applied to retailers, including gas stations. Similar programs have been implemented in California and Oregon. Low-carbon fuel standards are aimed at reducing greenhouse emission in the transportation sector by going beyond vehicle fuel efficiency requirements and setting benchmarks for fuel producers or importers or both. The regulations typically quantify the environmental impacts fuels or blends — such as oil, ethanol or hydrogen — from their extraction or manufacturing process through its end use. The rules require providers to make gradual improvements in their production processes to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide or other pollutants into the air. In California, oil refineries can be rewarded for incorporating renewable sources of electricity like solar panels or wind turbines to power the refining process — or by sequestering carbon underground instead of releasing it into the air. Lujan Grisham applauded Monday’s move by the administration of President Joe Biden to raise vehicle mileage standards to significantly reduce emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases, reversing a Trump-era rollback that loosened fuel efficiency standards. Republican House minority leader James Townsend of Artesia warned in a statement that the governor’s policies could increase fuel prices in rural areas in an effort to please environmental activists. New Mexico is producing more petroleum than ever before, surpassing North Dakota in recent months as the nation’s No. 2 producer after Texas — boosting greenhouse gas emissions that are created when customers burn the state’s oil or natural gas. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is poised to tighten federal methane regulations for the oil and natural gas industry. The New Mexico Environment Department is crafting its own rules aimed at reducing direct greenhouse gas emissions from oilfield equipment and prevent the release of methane, volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides.

WASHINGTON — Electric and hydrogen-powered truck startup Nikola has agreed to a $125 million settlement over charges that it defrauded investors after misleading them about its products, technical advances, and financial prospects. Nikola Corp. violated the antifraud and disclosure control provisions of the federal securities laws, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Tuesday. In July the founder and one-time chair of Nikola, Trevor Milton, was freed on $100 million bail after pleading not guilty to charges alleging he lied about the company. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan charged Milton, 39, with two counts of securities fraud and wire fraud. He resigned as chairman in September. The SEC said in its order that Milton embarked on a public relations campaign aimed at inflating and maintaining Nikola’s stock price before the company had produced a vehicle. The SEC also found that Milton misled investors about Nikola’s technological advancements, in-house production capabilities, hydrogen production, truck reservations and orders, and financial outlook. In addition, it found that Nikola misled investors by misrepresenting or omitting information about the refueling time of its prototype vehicles, as well as the economic risks and benefits associated of a potential partnership with General Motors. Nikola also went public through something called a special purpose acquisitions company, or SPAC, a vehicle that is getting increased scrutiny from the SEC and other regulators. The SEC issued new accounting guidance for SPACs this year after a flurry of them hit the market. SPACs, essentially a blank-check company, are used as a shortcut to go public, bypassing the lengthy and costly process of a traditional initial public offering. SPACs exploded in popularity last year, reaching a fever pitch early in 2021 when they were raising an average of $6 billion every week. They offer investors a way to get into those exciting, potentially high-growth companies or companies or industries, and few sectors are as hot lately as electric vehicle makers. Companies going the SPAC route often feel more license to highlight projections for big growth they’re expecting in the future, for example. In a traditional IPO, the company is limited to highlighting its past performance, not necessarily the greatest selling point for young startups that have little to show for in sales or profits. Nikola, based in Phoenix, didn’t admit or deny the SEC’s findings. The company did agree to cease and desist from future violations and to the $125 million penalty. Nikola also agreed to continue cooperating with the SEC’s ongoing investigation. The order also establishes a fund to return penalty proceeds to investors that were impacted. “We are pleased to bring this chapter to a close as the company has now resolved all government investigations,” Nikola said in a prepared statement. We will continue to execute on our strategy and vision to deliver on our business plan.”  

ASHLAND/MEDINA COUNTY, Ohio — The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) plans to repurpose two unused weigh stations along interstates 71 and 76 in Ashland and Medina counties into big rig parking lots. According to an ODOT news release, the I-71 southbound location is between SR 301 and U.S. 250 in Ashland County and the I-76 eastbound location is between SR 3 and SR 57 in Medina County. ODOT said there will be no traffic disruptions along these routes during construction, which is expected to begin in early 2024.