The Nation

PORTLAND, Ore. — Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is discontinuing the Western Star 5700 XE at the end of the year. DTNA spokesman Fred Ligouri wrote in an e-mailed statement to The Trucker that “an official announcement and additional details regarding an all-new, state-of-the-art successor product for the 5700 XE will be shared in the near future.” The 5700 XE has been in production since 2015, “successfully answering the market need for the previously unaddressed premium on-highway segment … Western Star will continue to serve that segment and our valued customers well into the future,” Ligouri’s statement read. Ligouri didn’t say why the company will no longer manufacture the model. The discontinuation of the 5700 XE has hit hard for at least one would-be customer. In a report by Freight Waves, owner-operator Alex Kholb said his order for a Western Star 5700 XE was abruptly cancelled, with no options for a replacement given. Kholb, whose family owns AKA Trucking in Southampton, Pennsylvania, told Freight Waves that he was refunded his $1,500 deposit on the $165,000 tractor. He, like many owner-operators, is having difficulties finding tractors due to supply chain and chip shortages. There is often a year-long wait or more for new rigs to be delivered. Ligouri did not respond to questions about the remaining orders for the 5700 XE model. A search of Daimler’s Western Star web page shows that four of those models are available for sale at separate dealers across the country.  

DETROIT — The number of U.S. traffic deaths in the first six months of 2021 hit 20,160, the highest first-half total since 2006, the government reported Thursday, a sign of growing reckless driving during the coronavirus pandemic. The estimated number was 18.4% higher than the first half of last year, prompting Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to call the increase an unacceptable crisis. That percentage increase was the biggest six-month increase since the department began recording fatal crash data since 1975. The department, which includes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, announced that it will develop a national strategy for steps to save lives on the roads. “We cannot and should not accept these fatalities as simply a part of everyday life in America,” Buttigieg said in a statement Thursday. “No one will accomplish this alone. It will take all levels of government, industries, advocates, engineers and communities across the country working together toward the day when family members no longer have to say good-bye to loved ones because of a traffic crash.” NHTSA also said that behavioral research from March through June showed that speeding and traveling without a seat belt remain higher than before the coronavirus pandemic. The agency has pointed to increasing road deaths, a trend for the last two years, on more reckless behavior on the roads. Consumer groups have been urging the agency to move more quickly to boost road safety, pointing to increasing accidents and a yearslong backlog in implementing safety rules. An Associated Press review earlier this month of rule-making by NHTSA found at least 13 auto-safety rules past due, including a rear seat belt reminder requirement passed by Congress in 2012 that was to be implemented by 2015. “This public safety crisis requires decisive action by the U.S. Department of Transportation, where progress on requirements and performance standards for lifesaving vehicle safety technology has been overdue for far too long,” said Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, in a statement Thursday. “Motorists and road users are being killed needlessly while proven solutions are deferred, delayed or dormant.” The latest spike in fatalities came as people drove more as pandemic shutdowns eased. Preliminary data from the Federal Highway Administration show that vehicle miles traveled in the first six months of the year rose by 173.1 billion miles, around a 13% increase from last year. The death rate for the first half of this year rose to 1.34 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. It’s up from 1.28 deaths per 100 million miles in the first half of 2020, the agency said. NHTSA Deputy Administrator Steven Cliff, urged drivers to slow down, wear seat belts, drive sober and avoid distractions. President Joe Biden last week nominated Cliff, a former California environmental regulator, to run the agency full-time. “All of us must work together to stop aggressive, dangerous driving,” Cliff said. The Transportation Department said its strategy would follow a “safe system approach” to road safety that identifies safety action for drivers, roads, vehicles, speeds and post-crash medical care. The strategy will be released in January, the department said. It also has pointed to plans to start moving on some of the proposed safety regulations, although the agency has often missed past deadlines, even those promised in federal court.

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

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

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said he and Democrats in Congress reached a “historic” framework for his sweeping domestic policy package, including the infrastructure spending bill. But he still needs to lock down votes from key colleagues for what’s now a dramatically scaled-back bill. Eager to have a deal in hand before his departure for global summits, Biden made his case privately on Capitol Hill to House Democrats and publicly Thursday in a speech at the White House. He’s pressing for a still-robust package — $1.75 trillion of social services and climate change programs — that the White House believes can pass the 50-50 Senate. “Let’s get this done,” Biden exhorted. He claimed the package “will fundamentally change the lives of millions of people for the better.” Together with a nearly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, Biden claimed the infusion of federal investments would be a domestic achievement modeled on those of Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson. But battles remain as they press to finish the final draft in the days and weeks ahead. Final votes will not be called for some time. And the revised package lost some top priorities, frustrating many lawmakers as the president’s ambitions make way for the political realities of the narrowly divided Congress. Paid family leave and efforts to lower prescription drug pricing are now gone entirely from the package, drawing outrage from some lawmakers and advocates. Still in the mix, a long list of other priorities: free prekindergarten for all youngsters, expanded health care programs — including the launch of a new $35 billion hearing aid benefit for people with Medicare — and $555 billion to tackle climate change. There’s also a one-year extension of a child care tax credit that was put in place during the COVID-19 rescue and new child care subsidies. An additional $100 billion to bolster the immigration and border processing system could boost the overall package to $1.85 trillion if it clears Senate rules. One pivotal Democratic holdout, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, said, “I look forward to getting this done.” However, another, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, was less committal: “This is all in the hands of the House right now.” The two Democrats have almost single-handedly reduced the size and scope of their party’s big vision and are crucial to sealing the deal. Republicans remain overwhelmingly opposed, forcing Biden to rely on the Democrats’ narrow majority in Congress with no votes to spare in the Senate and few in the House. Biden’s emerging bill would still be among the most sweeping of its kind in a generation. The White House calls it the largest-ever investment in climate change and the biggest improvement to the nation’s health care system in more than a decade. In his meeting with lawmakers at the Capitol, Biden made clear how important it was to show progress as he headed to the summits: “The rest of the world wonders whether we can function.” With U.S. elections on the horizon, he said it’s not “hyperbole to say that the House and Senate majorities and my presidency will be determined by what happens in the next week.” Twice over the course of the hour-long meeting Democratic lawmakers rose to their feet and started yelling: “Vote, vote, vote,” said Rep. Gerald Connolly of Virginia. Biden’s proposal would be paid for by imposing a new 5% surtax on income over $10 million a year, and instituting a new 15% corporate minimum tax, keeping with his plans to have no new taxes on those earning less than $400,000 a year, officials said. A special billionaires’ tax was not included. Revenue to help pay for the package would also come from rolling back some of the Trump administration’s 2017 tax cuts, along with stepped-up enforcement of tax-dodgers by the IRS. Biden has vowed to cover the entire cost of the plan, ensuring it does not pile onto the debt load. With the framework being converted to a 1,600-page legislative text for review, lawmakers and aides cautioned it had not yet been agreed to. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., the progressive leader, said her caucus endorsed the framework, even as progressive lawmakers worked to delay further action. “We want to see the actual text because we don’t want any confusion and misunderstandings,” she said. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Biden asked the House to vote on the related $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which already cleared the Senate but became tangled in deliberations over the broader bill. But Jayapal said she did not hear an urgent request from him, which emboldened progressives to stop the hoped-for Thursday vote. Progressives have been withholding their support for the roads-and-bridges bill as leverage until they have a commitment that Manchin, Sinema and the other senators are ready to vote on Biden’s bigger package. “Hell no,” said Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., about allowing the smaller infrastructure bill to pass. Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., shared her own story of making “pennies” at low-wage work, struggling to afford child care and wanting to ensure constituents have better. “We need both bills to ride together. And we don’t have that right now,” Bush said. “I feel a bit bamboozled because this was not what I thought was coming today.” Instead, Congress approved an extension to Dec. 3 of Sunday’s deadline for routine transportation funds that were at risk of expiring without the infrastructure bill. The two holdout Democratic senators now hold enormous power, essentially deciding whether Biden will be able to deliver on the Democrats’ major campaign promises. Sinema has been pushing her party off a promise to undo the Republicans’ 2017 tax cuts. And Manchin’s resistance forced serious cutbacks to a clean energy plan, the elimination of paid family leave and the imposition of work requirements for parents receiving the new child care subsidies. At the same time, progressives achieved one key priority — Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders’ proposal to provide hearing aid benefits for people on Medicare. However, his ideas to also include dental and vision care were left out. Other expanded health care programs build on the Affordable Care Act by funding subsidies to help people buy insurance policies and coverage in states that declined the Obamacare program. Overall, the new package also sets up political battles in future years. The enhanced child care tax credit expires alongside next year’s midterm elections, while much of the health care funding will expire in 2025, ensuring a campaign issue ahead of the next presidential election.

|UPDATE| PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — A New Hampshire State Police trooper died early Thursday when a tractor trailer collided with his cruiser on Interstate 95. Staff Sgt. Jesse Sherrill was working at the site of an overnight paving project when the crash happened just north of Exit 3 northbound, Col. Nathan Noyes said. The driver of the tractor trailer was treated at a hospital and released; Sherill was pronounced dead at the hospital. “Staff Sgt. Sherill was known as a trooper’s trooper, a consummate, dedicated professional and a true family man,” Noyes said. Sherill started his law enforcement career in Hooksett in 2001 and became a state trooper in 2002. He was promoted to assistant troop commander in August. The crash is being investigated by Maine State Police, Noyes said. The truck driver’s name was not released. Gov. Chris Sununu ordered flags lowered to half staff until Sunday in Sherill’s honor. “He was an individual who noble answered that call to service and who was steadfast and devoted to the safety and wellbeing of all of his fellow Granite Staters,” Sununu said. |PREVIOUS STORY| PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — An Interstate 95 crash involving a state trooper and a tractor-trailer shut down some lanes on the northbound side, New Hampshire authorities said Thursday. The crash happened at about 1 a.m. near Exit 3 in Portsmouth, the New Hampshire Department of Safety said. There was no immediate word on injuries. The department and state police planned to give an update on the crash.

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

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