The Nation

The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on Sept. 15 advanced transportation and climate legislation that would invest nearly $60 billion in America’s infrastructure. As of this writing, a date had not been set for the full House to vote on the measure. Meanwhile, Democratic leaders are praising the bill as a means for reducing carbon emissions, rebuilding America and creating new jobs. The transportation bill will be included as part of the Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill, which President Joe Biden has said is one of his top priorities and key to his Build Back Better plan. Biden has said the United States must rebuild its infrastructure to withstand the nation’s new era of ever-strengthening natural disasters. Building back as it was before won’t be good enough, the president has said. But what’s in it for America’s truckers? Not nearly enough, according to several trucking industry groups. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) said in a statement that the bill doesn’t address what it calls America’s truck-parking crisis. “Despite the long history of broad, bipartisan support, numerous government studies and repeated pleas from truck drivers, Democrats on the (House Transportation and Infrastructure) Committee opposed efforts to address trucking’s No. 1 safety concern, the lack of safe parking,” OOIDA President and CEO Todd Spencer wrote. “Truckers likely face another five years of a worsening crisis that jeopardizes their safety on a daily basis.” David Heller, vice president of government affairs for the Truckload Carriers Association, said TCA isn’t pleased with the bill, either. “Trucker parking is priority No. 1 for most truckers out there,” Heller said, adding that passing a bill that would make parking easier for big rigs “would go a long way toward making the life of a trucker better. We will continue talking about this issue. Our day will come.” Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.) introduced an amended piece of legislation to the House that would have addressed trucker parking, but it failed. In a statement to The Trucker, Bost blamed Democrats. “Growing up in a family trucking business, I am all too familiar with the shortage of safe truck parking options along our nation’s highways,” Bost wrote. “This is not only a safety concern for truckers, but also for the commuters who share the road with them. I have offered commonsense amendments three times in the House to provide funding to address this problem, and the Democrat majority has blocked them each time,” he continued. “They have paid lip service to America’s trucking community and claimed to understand their concerns, yet this $3.5 trillion bill includes zero funding for truck parking. Not a penny. It just goes to show that they don’t care about this problem at all.” The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s chair, Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) praised the infrastructure bill, saying in a statement that it tackles climate change, racial and environmental injustices and will work to “build back better after the COVID-19 pandemic.” “With this legislation, we can reduce carbon pollution from the transportation sector that’s driving the climate crisis and make communities more resilient to extreme weather events,” DeFazio added. “(We can) connect people with good-paying jobs and affordable housing; address the planning mistakes of the past by reconnecting communities; make meaningful investments to plan for and develop high-speed rail projects; provide more people access to clean water; and make our aviation and maritime sectors greener. I look forward to seeing Congress pass this once-in-a-generation legislation because we can’t afford to squander this opportunity.” The reconciliation bill proposes: $10 billion to support access to affordable housing and enhance mobility for low-income individuals and residents of disadvantaged or persistent poverty communities. $4 billion for reduction of carbon pollution in the surface transportation sector—addressing the largest source of transportation greenhouse gas emissions. $4 billion to support neighborhood equity, safety, and affordable transportation access, including reconnecting communities divided by existing infrastructure barriers. $6 billion to advance local surface transportation projects. $1 billion to the Department of Transportation to support projects that develop, demonstrate, or apply low-emission technologies or produce, transport, blend, or store sustainable aviation fuels. $500 million to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) hazard mitigation revolving loan fund program. $425 million for grants for the construction, retrofit, technological enhancement, and updated planning requirements of state, local, Tribal, and territorial emergency operation centers. $9.5 billion to the Economic Development Administration to provide investments in persistently distressed communities, provide assistance to energy and industrial transition communities, invest in public works projects, and create regional hubs. $1 billion to the General Services Administration to invest in high-performance green buildings. $1 billion for climate resilient Coast Guard infrastructure. $2.5 billion to the Maritime Administration to support more sustainable port infrastructure and supply chain resilience. $2 billion to invest in sewer overflow and stormwater reuse projects, as well as a greater federal coast share for projects that serve financially distressed communities. $500 million in grant assistance to invest in the backlog of wastewater projects on Tribal lands. Biden, during a stop in Arvada, Colo., on Sept. 14, said the infrastructure bill is vital toward helping to reduce global warming. He used the wildfires in California and Hurricane Ida as examples of changing weather patterns affecting the United States. Biden said that reducing carbon emissions is key, adding that he is working with America’s car manufacturers to build more electric vehicles. Nothing specific to 18-wheelers was mentioned during Biden’s Sept. 14 remarks, however. Back at OOIDA, Spencer, in his statement about trucker parking, wrote that “addressing the parking shortage would also have supported efforts to reduce carbon emission from the transportation sector. Truck drivers waste approximately 56 minutes per day looking for parking, all the while needlessly burning fuel, emitting carbon and contributing to congestion. “It’s tough to swallow the fact that in a year when Congress is authorizing hundreds-of-billions of dollars for infrastructure projects and highway safety programs, not a single penny was set aside for truck parking.”          

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina’s Department of Transportation (DOT) spent less than predicted in the second half of 2020, a state performance audit showed. But the report’s authors said the agency hadn’t carried out key recommendations from an audit last year that found several hundred million dollars in overspending. The audit, announced Sept. 14 by State Auditor Beth Wood, showed that DOT spent $2.52 billion for the six months ending last Dec. 31, or $325 million less than its baseline spending forecast. But the improved financial result didn’t happen due to efforts by DOT management to spend for roads and other projects based on realistic expectations, the report contends. “Consequently, the fact that the department had not yet exceeded its spending plan was largely due to chance,” the auditors wrote. The agency remains at risk for spending overages because it hadn’t carried out 2020 recommendations by Wood’s office, the audit said. They include basing the spending plan on specific projects and operations, and monitoring activities at DOT’s 14 regional highway construction and maintenance offices. In an attached response, DOT Secretary Eric Boyette wrote that the agency agrees with the findings and is now working to carry out the 2020 recommendations. For example, DOT said, regional highway office engineers receive biweekly maintenance spending reports, and regional staff meet with higher-ups when spending goes outside recommended ranges. And purchases above $500 are reviewed for approval by the regional engineer or chief engineer, depending on the amount. “While full implementation is not complete, progress has been made and is continuing,” Boyette wrote. A state law, approved following the 2020 audit and as COVID-19-related revenues for road-building declined, gave legislative leaders the authority to pick six Board of Transportation members. DOT performance audits are now required annually. And a new position was created within Gov. Roy Cooper’s budget office to scrutinize DOT, which is one of the governor’s Cabinet departments. DOT finances are in significantly better shape compared to three years ago, when widespread storm repairs required outsized spending that led to a 2019 cash bailout of the agency. 2020 revenue declines related to COVID-19 delayed construction and led to department-wide furloughs. The department’s unreserved cash balance was $1.1 billion at the end of 2020, compared to just $214 million six months earlier, according to DOT data. The balance has now soared to just over $2 billion. By Gary D. Robertson, The Associated Press

NORTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. — Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) is the first inductee to the Howes Hall of Fame’s class of 2021, Howes announced Sept. 15. TAT, a 501c3 organization, is working to build a mobile army of transportation professionals, who are uniquely positioned to spot the signs of human trafficking on the road, to fight against the practice. “We are truly honored and inspired by our induction into the Howes Hall of Fame,” said Kendis Paris, executive director of TAT. “With more and more truckers getting involved each day, we genuinely appreciate the recognition by Howes as it shines a light that will serve to draw in even more drivers, growing our network of eyes and ears even further, in pursuit of our goal to eradicate human trafficking.” According to TAT’s website, human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which people are bought and sold for forced labor or commercial sex. Human trafficking has been reported in all 50 United States, with the total number of victims in the country estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. Globally, more than 40 million people are believed to be victims of human trafficking. While illegal, human trafficking has become a booming business. Traffickers recruit out of schools, online and in shopping malls, as well as on the streets and other locations. Many of the people being trafficked are women and children, and many are used in the sex industry. According to TAT, these victims are “the prostituted people on the street and in private homes, and in legitimate businesses such as restaurants, truck stops and motels. They need to be identified and recovered.” “We are in awe of the incredible work being done by Truckers Against Trafficking and are truly honored to induct them into our Howes Hall of Fame,” commented Erika Howes, VP of Business Development at Howes Products. “With around 3,000 hotline calls having been made and over 1,300 victims having been identified so far, it is easy to see the real impact Truckers Against Trafficking is making. We invite everyone in the trucking and related industries to take action, get certified, and become an everyday hero.” TAT believes truck drivers are the “eyes and ears” of the nation’s highways, and has developed a certification program to provide drivers with the tools to recognize the signs of trafficking and how to safely report it via an anonymous hotline. The hotline, operated by the nonprofit Polaris, is accessible 24/7, allowing witnesses to report crimes quickly, often right as they’re happening. This training can and has changed the fate of victims desperately in need. Having educated over 1.2 million truckers, TAT also works to build coalitions between managers of truck stops/travel plazas and the law enforcement that investigate trafficking cases on their lots. “While TAT has received numerous awards over the years, the recognition and honors that come from within the industry itself are truly the ones that mean the most,” said Kylla Lanier, deputy director of TAT. “We’ve been partners with Howes for a number of years, and the passion that they have to combat human trafficking by raising awareness within their sphere of influence has been exciting to see,” she continued. “We hope, alongside Howes’ leadership, that with our induction into the Howes Hall of Fame, more drivers and industry members may become aware of the problem of human trafficking and also their critical role in combating it.” To find out more about TAT’s mission and training, click here.

CASTAIC, Calif. — Firefighters were making progress on a wildfire that jumped across a Southern California freeway and spread across dry hillsides while a new blaze forced residents of a Northern California community to evacuate. The fire broke out Saturday afternoon, Sept. 11, near Castaic in northern Los Angeles County. Pushed by 10-15 mph winds, the blaze chewed through tinder-dry brush and jumped across the busy freeway, spread across more than a half of a square mile. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) closed a stretch of Interstate 5 for several hours as air tankers dropped bright-orange retardant on the flames. A large flareup sent heavy smoke drifting toward freeway lanes Sunday afternoon, the CHP reported. Two firefighters were taken to the hospital to treat burn injuries, said Andrew Mitchell, a spokesman for the Angeles National Forest. Officials said the fire was about 63% contained Sunday, adding that firefighters made progress overnight with the help of water-dropping aircraft and an aggressive ground attack, Mitchell said. He said crews would take advantage of the beginning of a cooling trend Sunday to build containment lines. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Meanwhile, a fire that erupted Sunday afternoon prompted Mendocino County authorities to evacuate parts of Calpella, a community on the Russian River about 6 miles north of Ukiah. Video footage posted on Twitter shows the fire pushing in the direction of Lake Mendocino. Further north, residents of a mountain town devastated by the huge Caldor Fire south of Lake Tahoe will be allowed back Sunday to inspect the damage. Most of Grizzly Flat’s homes, as well as the school, post office, church and fire station were destroyed in the first days of the month-old fire. Evacuation orders were also lifted for homes along State Route 50 as containment of the 342-square-mile wildfire increased to 65%. President Joe Biden issued a disaster declaration late Sunday for El Dorado County in an effort to provide federal funding to state, tribal and eligible local governments, plus certain private nonprofit organizations, who have been affected by damage from the Caldor Fire. Firefighters were diverted from battling the blaze to fight multiple overnight lightning fires when thunderstorms swept across the state Thursday night into Friday. The thunderstorms dropped light rain to slightly dampen the drought-stricken north, fire officials said. Up to a half-inch of rain fell on portions of the Dixie Fire, which began in mid-July and has burned through huge swaths of the northern Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades. However, fire officials said the rain is drying fast and vegetation is becoming more flammable. The second-largest fire in California history has burned 1,500 square miles of land and more than 1,300 homes and other buildings. It was 65% contained.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA) has awarded more than $76 million in grants to states and educational institutions to increase commercial motor vehicle safety. In a Sept. 8 statement, FMCSA announced that all 50 states, along with the District of Columbia and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands are slated to receive federal funds. The FMCSA grants include: $45.2 million in high priority (HP) grants to enhance states’ commercial motor vehicle safety efforts and advance technological capabilities within states.  The HP grant program consists of HP-Commercial Motor Vehicle (HP-CMV) grants and HP-Innovative Technology Deployment (HP-ITD) grants. HP-CMV grants are designed to provide financial assistance for states’ commercial vehicle safety efforts, while HP-ITD grants provide financial assistance to advance the technological capability and promote the deployment of intelligent transportation system applications for CMV operations. To review a full list of this year’s HP grant recipients, click here. $29 million in commercial driver’s license program implementation (CDLPI) grants to enhance efforts by states to improve the national commercial driver’s license (CDL) program. The CDLPI grant program provides financial assistance to states to help them achieve compliance with FMCSA regulations concerning driver’s license standards and programs. In addition, the program provides financial assistance to other entities that are capable of executing national projects to aid states in their compliance efforts, which will improve the national CDL program. A full listing of this year’s CDLPI grant recipients can be seen here. $2 million in commercial motor vehicle operator safety training (CMV-OST) grants to 21 educational institutions to help train U.S. military veterans for jobs as commercial drivers. The CMV-OST grant program awards grants to a variety of educational institutions that provide commercial truck- and bus-driving training, including accredited public or private colleges, universities, vocational-technical schools, post-secondary educational institutions, truck-driver training schools, associations, and state and local governments, including federally recognized Native American tribal governments. For a full listing of this year’s CMV-OST grant recipients, click here. In addition to the grants noted above, in May/April 2021, FMCSA awarded more than $304 million in motor carrier safety assistance program (MCSAP) grants. These funds will help state and local law enforcement agencies to use about 12,000 enforcement personnel to help reduce the number and severity of crashes and hazardous materials incidents involving commercial motor vehicles. For a full list of 2021 MCSAP grants, click here. In total, nearly 60% of FMCSA’s funding is provided to states and local communities through grant funding; all funding is intended to enhance commercial vehicle safety. “At FMCSA and USDOT our mission is to ensure that all road users, from the Pacific to the Atlantic, reach their destination safely,” said FMCSA Deputy Administrator Meera Joshi. “Together these grants represent the administration’s commitment to supporting strong state and local partnerships to reach our national goal of reducing commercial vehicle-involved crashes and saving lives.” The USDOT is also working through the White House Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force to address truck driver retention issues. To learn more about FMCSA grants, click here.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced Wednesday, Sept. 8, that it will give $5 million in “quick release” Emergency Relief (ER) funds to help the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) make repairs to roads and bridges damaged by Hurricane Ida. “The Biden administration is using every lever at our disposal to help the State of Louisiana respond to this tragic disaster, including these emergency relief funds,” said U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg. “We pledge to work closely with our state and local partners to help restore and rebuild the critical transportation infrastructure damaged by Hurricane Ida.” Hurricane Ida made initial landfall in Louisiana Aug. 29 as a Category 4 storm. Following Ida’s landfall, Louisiana continued to experience high winds, storm surge and heavy rain. Significant flooding caused damage to highway and bridge infrastructure in more than 25 parishes throughout the state. The quick release funds will be used to fund emergency repairs to federal-aid highways. The work will consist of stabilizing impacted roadway embankments, repairing and rebuilding damaged roads and bridges — including bridge scour — and replacing destroyed signage. “FHWA will continue to work with Louisiana to provide technical assistance along with the necessary financial resources to make repairs promptly throughout the state and restore vital transportation links,” said acting Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack. FHWA’s ER program provides funding for highways and bridges damaged by natural disasters or catastrophic events. These “quick release” ER funds are an initial installment of funds toward restoring this essential transportation link. Additional funds from the Emergency Relief program may be available later to continue repairs to roads and bridges damaged by Hurricane Ida. This funding follows several other actions taken by USDOT and the entire federal government to address the impacts of Hurricane Ida. Several additional states were impacted by the storm, sustaining heavy damage and deaths because of tornadoes, storms and flooding.  

ARLINGTON, Va. — The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) is seeking input from drivers, motor carriers, equipment/tech suppliers, fuel suppliers, driver trainers, law enforcement and many others involved in the trucking industry. ATRI’s annual Top Industry Issues Survey asks trucking industry stakeholders to rank the top issues of concern for the industry, along with potential ways to address each issue. In addition to ranking the trucking industry’s overall issues, the survey provides details about critical topics that are ranked differently by motor carriers and drivers. The report also allows stakeholders to monitor issues over time to better understand which issues are rising, or falling, in criticality. “Completing this survey only takes a few minutes, but its impact can be immeasurable. The data ATRI provides will chart the course for the industry by providing a clear picture of the landscape we face,” said Sherri Garner Brumbaugh, chair of the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and president and CEO of Garner Transportation Group. The results of the 2021 survey will be released Oct. 24 as part of ATA’s Management Conference & Exhibition to be held in Nashville, Tennessee. To complete the survey, click here. The survey will remain open through Oct. 15.