The Nation Archives

Moving memorial: TCA continues partnership with The Wall That Heals to bring a mobile monument to cities across the country

Cody Graves - July 1, 2021

In the shadow of the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C., the Vietnam Veterans Memorial lies carved into the earth to display the names of the fallen American troops during the Vietnam War. The monument gives survivors, friends, families, and anyone else who visits the opportunity to grieve, reflect, and grow. However, not everyone can make the journey to pay their respects. That’s where The Wall That Heals, a moving monument, comes in. The three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial tours the U.S. each summer. This moving exhibit gives people around the country the opportunity to have an experience similar to the one they would have if they visited the actual memorial — but in their hometowns. “Not everyone’s able to make the trip either emotionally or physically,” said Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s (VVMF) Director of Outreach Tim Tetz. “Maybe they’re not ready to come all the way to Washington, D.C., to see a buddy’s name or a relative’s name. Maybe they’re not able to [travel] financially or physically.” The Wall That Heals has been touring the country each summer since 1996, said Tetz. Currently, the exhibit is carried in a 53-foot trailer that stores the 140 panels that make up the 375-foot wall. The trailer also serves as a mobile education center with three six-foot video screens, a display of items left at the actual memorial, and other information panels. One of the monitors displays photos of service members listed on the wall who were from the area. The second shows photos of Vietnam veterans from the area who returned home and died later. The third screen offers a variety of educational videos. “There are very few times that you have an entire family of 10, 11, or 12 people with [multiple] generations able to experience the healing nature of the wall. Bringing it into their backyard allows just that to happen,” added Tetz. When the exhibit first started, the VVMF partnered with a trucking company that essentially gave them a truck and had permanent staff who were the drivers. Unfortunately, the company went out of business, so the VVMF turned to the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) to help keep the wall moving. “Their leadership said, ‘You guys are great at the wall, and we are great at trucking. Why don’t we create this partnership where our trucking companies haul the wall and you guys show up and do what you’re best at? And that is setting up and taking down the wall and educating people,’” added Tetz. Now, a local TCA-affiliated trucking company will pull the trailer from one city to another. Tetz said that this allows these companies to highlight their involvement, reward their drivers, and bring the exhibit to their own home states and towns. “Thousands of veterans are employed by trucking companies across the nation,” said TCA President John Lyboldt. “This partnership is an opportunity for us to honor and give back to those brave men and women who have served our country and sacrificed for our freedoms.” VVMF CEO Jim Knotts agreed that the combined efforts of the two organizations provide an excellent service to the people of the United States. “Partnering with TCA enables us to continue our mission to honor and preserve the legacy of The Wall That Heals and educate all generations about the impact of the Vietnam War,” said Knotts. Tetz added that each stop on the tour is a five-day event, and it takes about 100 to 150 volunteers to set the wall up and break it down. The exhibit is open 24 hours a day, and nearly 8,000 people visit at each stop. He said having the exhibition open at all times is essential as it allows everyone who wants to visit the chance. The nighttime experience of the wall is unique, he noted. Like the memorial in D.C., the highly polished synthetic granite of The Wall That Heals shows the reflection of visitors and the surroundings. “It’s mind-blowing how awesome it is,” said Tetz. Names on the wall are listed by date of casualty. They begin at the center and start on the East wall working their way to the end of the wing. They pick up again at the far end of the West wall and work back to the apex, which joins the beginning and end of the conflict. Other than the size, the only difference between the actual memorial and the replica is the shape. As visitors enter the actual memorial, they descend along a walkway while the top remains at ground level. The names begin at ground level on the replica, and the wall rises to 7.5 feet at the apex. “It’s just magical to me how close it resembles the wall in Washington, D.C., and it makes me just as proud as can be that, because of the partnerships that we have with the trucking industry and the hosts that bring us into these communities, we’re able to let those people experience that same feeling,” added Tetz. Visit truckload.org/vvmf or vvmf.org for more information about The Wall That Heals.

Love’s Travel Stops opens new location in Alamo, Michigan

The Trucker News Staff - June 30, 2021

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Love’s Travel Stops is serving customers with 59 truck parking spaces at its new travel stop that opened in Alamo, Michigan on June 24. The store, located off of U.S. Highway 131 at 7900 Adobe Road, also has 68 car parking spaces. “We’re excited to add another clean and well-maintained stop to the Midwest and add our ninth location in Michigan,” said Greg Love, co-CEO of Love’s. “Our team members are great people who care and are ready to get professional drivers and four-wheel customers back on the road quickly and safely in time for the thick of summer travel and one of the busiest times for hauling.” This location is open 24/7 and offers many amenities, including: More than 12,000 square feet; McDonald’s; 59 truck parking spaces; 68 car parking spaces; Three RV parking spaces; Six diesel bays; Five showers; Laundry facilities; Bean-to-cup gourmet coffee; Brand-name snacks; Fresh Kitchen concept; Mobile to Go Zone; CAT scale; and Dog park. In honor of the grand opening, Love’s will donate $2,000 to Plainwell High School.

Roads, bridges, jobs: Biden selling big infrastructure deal

The Associated Press - June 30, 2021

LA CROSSE, Wis. — President Joe Biden declared America urgently needs a “generational investment” in its infrastructure, as he looks to sell voters on the economic benefits of the $973 billion bipartisan package that still faces an uncertain future in Congress. On Tuesday, June 29, Biden traveled to La Crosse, Wisconsin, population 52,000, and toured its public transit center, highlighting projects — including hybrid buses and road repair equipment — that would receive additional funding from the infrastructure bill. He argued that the package, which is held together in large part by the promise of millions of new jobs, is a way for the United States to assert both the principles of democracy and the economic might that can come from dramatic investments in the country’s future. “This deal isn’t just the sum of its parts. It’s a signal to ourselves, and to the world, that American democracy can come through and deliver for all our people,” said Biden. “America has always been propelled into the future by landmark investments.” He said there is a critical need to improve crumbling infrastructure — from overwhelmed power grids to lead-filled water pipes to traffic-clogged roads — and stressed that the effort needs to be ambitious to not only improve Americans’ daily lives now but also to combat the growing challenges of climate change. “We’re not just tinkering around the edges,” Biden said. He also made his pitch in personal terms, reminiscing about driving a bus during law school and noting the 1972 traffic accident that killed his first wife and daughter, as he called for improvements to make the nation’s roads safer. The visit to Wisconsin was the beginning of what the White House has declared will be a series of presidential trips to sell the bipartisan bill — and to reassure the nervous Republicans who helped craft it. “I’m going to be out there making the case for the American people until this job is done, until we bring this bipartisan bill home,” said the president, though he allowed that “there will be more disagreements to be resolved, more compromises” to be made. The process briefly fell into disarray late last week as Biden suggested the deal would be held up until he received a much larger, separate package for infrastructure, jobs and education that would be determined solely by Democrats through Congress’ “budget reconciliation” process. Biden said Saturday, June 26, that this was not a veto threat, and by Sunday the package appeared to be back on track. But there were still anxieties on both sides of the aisle. Some Republicans have questioned the wisdom of signing onto a bipartisan bill if it is linked to a party-line reconciliation bill that will contain a host of additional Democratic priorities. And GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, who has often declared his steadfast opposition to the Biden agenda, has questioned the process. Meanwhile, a balancing act awaited among Democrats as well: Some more liberal members of the party have urged Biden to push for a Democrats-only bill at least as large as his previously stated $4 trillion goal, while some more moderate members have signaled they’d want a much smaller number. With the Senate deadlocked 50-50, with ties broken by Vice President Kamala Harris, the White House can’t afford to lose a single vote. As Biden trumpeted the bipartisan first version in public, the White House furiously worked behind the scenes to keep it on track. Senior West Wing aides, including top adviser Steve Ricchetti, met with House Democrats at the Capitol on Tuesday. Others have had calls this week with more than 60 Democratic and Republican members and chiefs of staff and other aides, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Wisconsin. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said she and other leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus were assured that the strategy remains moving the bipartisan infrastructure and Democrat-only reconciliation bills together. “They seem to be very firm on that strategy, that the bills move simultaneously together and a realization that that’s the only way that we are able to pass” them, said Omar. Psaki said the White House was going along with the timeline outlined by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has said he wants to have both packages on the floor for debate next month. An internal White House memo highlights how the administration contends the largest investment in transportation, water systems and services in nearly a century would boost growth. The memo notes that the total package is four times the size of the infrastructure investment made a dozen years ago in response to the Great Recession and the biggest since Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal in the 1930s. It also emphasizes an analysis suggesting that 90% of the jobs generated by the spending could go to workers without college degrees, a key shift as a majority of net job gains before the pandemic went to college graduates. “This is a blue-collar blueprint to rebuild America,” the memo says. The visit to La Crosse was indeed a blue-collar political play, with faux traffic construction signs that said “American Jobs Plan” dotted across the venue. The president has long connected with working-class voters, while Wisconsin is one of the trio of Great Lakes states — along with Michigan and Pennsylvania — that Biden narrowly reclaimed for the Democrats after they were captured by Donald Trump in 2016. Biden, making an impromptu stop for ice cream after his speech, received a suggestion to order the rocky road flavor as a nod to the infrastructure bill. He quipped, “It’s been a rocky road, but we’re going to get it done” and instead ordered cookies and cream and strawberry. Potential economic gains were a shared incentive for the group of Democratic and Republican senators who agreed to the deal last week. McConnell said he has not yet decided whether he will support the bipartisan package, but he wants Biden to pressure House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Schumer to say they will allow the bipartisan arrangement to pass without mandating that the much larger and broader follow-up bill be in place. “I appreciate the president saying that he’s willing to deal with infrastructure separately, but he doesn’t control the Congress,” McConnell said this week. The two bills had always been expected to move in tandem, and that is likely to continue as Biden drops his veto threat but reaches across the aisle for the nearly $1 trillion bipartisan package as well as his own broader package. The Democratic leaders are pressing ahead on the broader bill, which includes Biden’s families and climate change proposals, as well as their own investments in Medicare, swelling to some $6 trillion. One of the Democratic moderates, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, reiterated Tuesday that he would be amenable to a party-line budget bill but did not address its size. He told MSNBC, “I have agreed that that can be done.” By Josh Boak and Jonathan Lemire, The Associated Press. Lemire reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Kevin Freking in Washington and Bruce Schreiner in Louisville, Kentucky, contributed to this report.

Caltrans awards $34 million to fund transportation projects in local communities

The Trucker News Staff - June 30, 2021

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has awarded $34 million in state and federal funds to California’s cities, counties, tribes and transit agencies to improve the state’s transportation network. The grant money — which includes $25 million funded by Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 — will be used to plan sustainable transportation projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve the state highway system, enhance access to safe walkways and bikeways, and increase natural disaster preparedness. In addition, several of the projects are designed to facilitate the movement of freight within the state. “Investing in transportation planning is essential to our goal of providing a safe, sustainable system that advances equity and livability throughout the state,” said Toks Omishakin, Caltrans director. “These grants will help our communities create more connected routes for all residents, regardless of whether they travel by car, bike, foot or mass transit.” In total, Caltrans allocated $17.4 million in Sustainable Communities Competitive and Technical Grants to 50 local, regional, tribal and transit agencies for climate change adaptation, complete streets, transportation and land use planning, and natural disaster preparedness. This includes more than $4 million to fund planning for 13 projects that improve safety and access for people who walk and bike. $12.5 million went to Sustainable Communities Formula Grants, entirely funded by SB 1, to metropolitan planning organizations to further regional transportation plans and sustainable communities’ strategies. Nine projects were federally funded Strategic Partnership Grants that will plan for next-generation freeways, improve transit options between communities, research alternative funding for road repairs, and advance the timely and efficient movement of goods throughout the state. Caltrans awards transportation planning grants each year through a competitive process to encourage local and regional projects. Applications are evaluated on how they further state transportation goals by identifying and addressing statewide, interregional or regional transportation deficiencies on the highway system. For a complete list of projects that will be funded with these grants, click here.

TRIP report: Nation’s 65-year-old interstate highway system needs complete overhaul

The Trucker News Staff - June 30, 2021

WASHINGTON — The nation’s Interstate highway system, originally funded in 1956, is now 65 years old — and there’s no question that it needs a lot of work. According to a report released in June by TRIP, the interstate highway system is congested, carries significant levels of travel, particularly by large trucks, and lacks adequate funding to make needed repairs and improvements. The findings of the report — America’s Interstate Highway System at 65: Meeting America’s Transportation Needs with a Reliable, Safe & Well-Maintained National Highway Network — show that this critical transportation link will need to be rebuilt and expanded to meet the nation’s growing transportation needs, TRIP said in a June 22 news release. The report looks at the interstate system’s use, condition and benefits, along with the findings of a 2019 report prepared by the Transportation Research Board (TRB), at the request of Congress as part of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, on the condition and use of the interstate system and actions required to restore and upgrade the Interstate system. The chart below ranks 20 states whose interstate systems are the most congested, have experienced the greatest increase in vehicle miles of travel (VMT) since 2000, are busiest (based on daily travel per lane mile), have the largest share of pavement in poor condition, and have the greatest share of bridges in poor/structurally deficient condition. Data for all states can be found here. According to the 2019 TRB report, the interstate system has a persistent and growing backlog of physical and operational deficiencies as a result of age, heavy use and deferred reinvestment, and is in need of major reconstruction and modernization. The TRB report concludes that annual investment in the interstate highway system should be increased approximately two-and-a-half times, from $23 billion in 2018 to $57 billion annually over the next 20 years. “The report released by TRIP confirms what American businesses experience every day — our interstate highway system, which was once the envy of the world, is in serious need of modernization,” said Ed Mortimer, vice president of transportation infrastructure at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “Commitment to modernization must be shared by federal, state and local leaders as well as the private sector. The interstate system plays a key national role in economic success and quality of life for every American, and we urge bipartisan solutions this year to address this critical issue.” The TRIP report found that travel on the interstate system from 2000 to 2019 increased by 26%, a rate nearly triple the rate at which new lane capacity was added. As a result, 47% of urban interstate highways are considered to be congested during peak hours. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, vehicle travel on U.S. highways dropped by as much as 45% in April 2020 but rebounded to only 6% below April 2019 levels by April 2021. The report also found that travel by combination trucks on the interstate increased at a rate more than double that of overall vehicle travel between 2000 and 2019. Combination truck travel on the interstate system increased 43% from 2000 to 2019, while overall vehicle travel increased 19%. “Our rapidly deteriorating infrastructure is a clear and present danger to our nation’s supply chain,” said Chris Spear, president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations. “Breakdowns in the interstate highway system add an annual $75 billion to the cost of freight transportation, and 67 million tons of excess carbon dioxide emissions are released into the atmosphere every year from trucks stuck in traffic congestion. This report quantifies how severe this crisis has become, and it underscores the urgent need for Congress to make real infrastructure investments that are backed by a fair and equitable user-based revenue source.” The design of the interstate system — which includes a separation from other roads and rail lines, a minimum of four lanes, paved shoulders and median barriers — makes it more than twice as safe to travel on as all other roadways. The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles of travel on the interstate in 2019 was 0.55, compared to 1.3 on non-interstate routes. TRIP estimates that additional safety features on the interstate highway system saved 6,555 lives in 2019. “AAA supports increased federal investment for the Interstate Highway System,” said Jill Ingrassia, AAA’s executive director of advocacy and communications. “Significant funding is needed to ensure safe, efficient and reliable mobility across the United States. AAA urges Congress and the administration to come together to get this important work done.” TRIP’s report finds that while pavement smoothness on most segments of the interstate system is acceptable, the crumbling foundations of most highway segments need to be reconstructed, and that continued resurfacing — rather than addressing underlying foundational issues — is resulting in diminishing returns and results in shorter periods of pavement smoothness. As the aging system’s foundations continue to deteriorate, most interstate highways, bridges and interchanges will need to be rebuilt or replaced, according to the TRB report. Statistics from the TRIP report reveal that pavement on 11% of interstate highways are in poor or mediocre condition. Three percent of interstate bridges are rated in poor and structurally deficient condition, and 57% are rated in fair condition. According to TRB, restoring and upgrading the interstate highway system to meet the nation’s transportation needs will require a significant boost in funding, strong federal leadership and a robust federal-state partnership. The current FAST Act, the primary source of interstate highway funding, was extended by one year by Congress, and now expires Sept. 30, 2021. Reauthorization of a new, adequately and reliably funded long-term federal program is needed to ensure that a strong federal program supports the restoration of the interstate system. Based on the findings of the TRB Interstate report, TRIP has provided a set of recommendations for the restoration of the interstate highway system, which includes the foundational reconstruction of interstate highways, bridges and interchanges; improvement to roadway safety features; system right-sizing, including upgrading of some roadway corridors to Interstate standards; adding needed additional highway capacity on existing routes; adding additional corridors; and modifying some urban segments to maintain connectivity while remediating economic and social disruption. “The long-term vision that helped establish the current Interstate Highway System 65 years ago is needed again today,” said Dave Kearby, executive director of TRIP. “A modernized interstate system will be critical to the nation’s ability to fully recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and will require adequate investment in a federal surface transportation program that provides states and local government the funding and flexibility they will need to restore the nation’s most critical transportation link.”

Part of I-94 in Detroit and Dearborn to reopen after flood

The Associated Press - June 29, 2021

DETROIT — Most water from a weekend storm finally disappeared Tuesday, June 29, on Interstate 94 in Detroit, a critical step to reopening a 4-mile stretch of the major urban highway. Street sweepers and trucks with plow-style blades were moved in to get the pavement ready for east-west traffic again in the city. The highway closure was the result of a fast, intense storm that dumped more than 6 inches of rain Friday and Saturday. A section of westbound I-94 in Detroit and Dearborn was scheduled to reopen Tuesday afternoon, but extensive repairs are needed in spots on eastbound lanes and that work could take more than a week, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). One westbound lane near West Grand Boulevard in Detroit also will remain closed for repairs, as will a ramp from eastbound Interstate 96 to westbound I-94 due to the work. Crews had “clean up to do, then inspection to see what areas were damaged by four days of water,” said Diane Cross, spokeswoman at MDOT. Pumps couldn’t keep up with the water due to power failures and other challenges with an interstate that is below ground level. Meanwhile, basements in Detroit and border suburbs were flooded when a pump station shut down. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and others blamed the storm on the consequences of climate change. She said the state’s aging infrastructure also needs an overhaul.

NHTSA orders makers, operators of automated vehicles to report crashes

The Associated Press - June 29, 2021

DETROIT — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has ordered automakers to report any crashes involving fully autonomous vehicles or partially automated driver-assist systems. The move Tuesday, June 29, by the U.S. government’s highway safety agency indicates the agency is taking a tougher stance on automated vehicle safety than in the past. It’s been reluctant to issue any regulations of the new technology for fear of hampering adoption of the potentially life-saving technology. The order requires vehicle and equipment manufacturers and operators to report crashes on public roads involving fully autonomous vehicles, or those in which driver-assist systems were operating immediately before or during a crash. “By mandating crash reporting, the agency will have access to critical data that will help quickly identify safety issues that could emerge in these automated systems,” NHTSA Acting Administrator Steven Cliff said in a statement. The agency says it will look for potential safety defects, and the information could cause it to send out a crash investigation team or open a defect investigation. The order comes after NHTSA has dispatched crash investigation teams to 31 crashes involving partially automated driver-assist systems since June of 2016. Such systems can keep a vehicle centered in its lane and a safe distance from vehicles in front of it. Of those crashes, 25 involved Tesla’s Autopilot system in which 10 deaths were reported, according to data released by the agency. Tesla and other manufacturers warn that drivers using the systems must be ready to intervene at all times. Tesla cars using the system have crashed into semis crossing in front of them, stopped emergency vehicles and a roadway barrier. The agency is also investigating non-fatal crashes involving partially automated systems in a Lexus RX450H, a Volvo XC-90 and two Cadillac CT6s. In addition, teams investigated crashes involving an automated Navya Arma low-speed shuttle, and another Volvo XC90 operated by Uber in which a pedestrian was killed in Arizona. The National Transportation Safety Board, which has also investigated some of the Tesla crashes, has recommended that NHTSA and Tesla limit Autopilot’s use to areas where it can safely operate. The NTSB also recommended that NHTSA require Tesla to have a better system to make sure drivers are paying attention. NHTSA has not taken action on any of the recommendations. Jason Levine, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, an advocacy group, said the crash reporting is a welcome first step by NHTSA. The center has been asking the agency to oversee automated vehicles for several years. “Collecting crash data, and hopefully data from crashes which were avoided, can help serve a variety of purposes from enforcing current laws, to ensuring the safety of consumers, as well as paving the way for reasonable regulations to encourage the deployment of safe advanced vehicle technology,” Levine said in an email. Companies have to report crashes involving fully autonomous or partially automated vehicles within one day of learning about them if those crashes involve a hospital-treated injury, a death, air-bag deployment, pedestrians or bicyclists, or were serious enough for a vehicle to be towed away. Other crashes involving vehicles equipped with the systems that result in injury or property damage must be reported once a month. NHTSA said in a statement that the data can show if there are common patterns in crashes involving the systems. In the order, NHTSA said it is critical for the agency to “exercise its robust oversight” over potential safety defects in automated vehicles. “Misuse of an ADAS (advanced driver-assist system) may create a foreseeable risk and potential safety defect.” That’s a departure from the past, when NHTSA relied on voluntary guidelines and took little action to regulate the vehicles. The order says the Justice Department may pursue civil action against companies if they don’t file the reports. They also can face fines from NHTSA of up $22,992 per violation per day, to a maximum of nearly $115 million. The order was sent to 108 automakers, autonomous vehicle companies and companies that make automated vehicle components. By Tom Krisher, The Associated Press

Idaho DOT to add passing lane to US 95 North near Potlatch

The Trucker News Staff - June 29, 2021

POTLATCH, Idaho — Construction on a new northbound passing lane along U.S. 95 south of Potlatch, Idaho, began June 22, according to the Idaho Department of Transportation (IDOT). In addition, the existing passing lane for southbound drivers at Cove Road will be extended to provide safer opportunities to pass; construction on this portion of the project will begin in August. Through most of the construction period, U.S. 95 will be reduced to one lane of travel in each direction. During initial operations, the highway will be reduced to one lane as crews place barriers around work zones for safety. Work on the mile-long project will be completed in September. IDOT plans to add northbound and southbound passing lanes along U.S. 95 north of Potlatch, near Freeze Road and Beplate Lane, in 2026.

I-70 reopens in western Colorado after mudslide cleanup

The Associated Press - June 29, 2021

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. — A portion of Interstate 70 in western Colorado closed by a series of mudslides near where a wildfire burned last year re-opened Monday afternoon, June 28. Eastbound lanes of I-70 through Glenwood Canyon opened at 3 p.m. and westbound lanes opened about three hours later. The largest of the mudslides that happened on Sunday along Colorado’s main east-west highway flowed down the same drainage as the one that happened Saturday along the Grizzly Creek Fire burn scar, the Glenwood Springs Post Independent reported. The fire, which started in August, burned about 51 square miles. Sunday’s main mudslide reached 80 feet wide and 5 feet deep in areas. On Saturday, the mud spread 70 feet wide and was 5 feet deep in places. Saturday’s highway closure lasted several hours. Travelers may have to expect on-and-off closures of I-70 in Glenwood Canyon when rainfall is expected in the area this summer, said Kane Schneider, a CDOT transportation maintenance employee.

Arkansas Trucking Association: Daily cost of I-40 Memphis bridge closure to trucking industry decreases sharply

The Trucker News Staff - June 28, 2021

LITTLE ROCK, Ark., AND MEMPHIS, Tenn. — While the Interstate 40 Hernando de Soto bridge remains closed to traffic, work by the Arkansas and Tennessee Departments of Transportation (ARDOT, TDOT) to improve traffic flow along the detour route on I-55 has helped alleviate at least some of the closure’s impact on the trucking industry, according to the Arkansas Trucking Association. The I-40 bridge was abruptly closed to traffic May 11 after a significant fracture was discovered in one of two 900-foot horizontal steel beams that are critical to the structure’s integrity. While the I-40 bridge is closed, all interstate traffic in the Memphis area is being rerouted to I-55, which crosses the Mississippi River a few miles south of I-40. ARDOT and TDOT share financial responsibility for the structure. While ARDOT is responsible for routine and special inspections of the structure, TDOT is responsible for physical maintenance and repairs. TDOT has enlisted Kiewit Infrastructure Groups to handle the repair of the bridge. In addition, TDOT has taken steps to facilitate traffic flow across the I-55 river bridge while coordinating repair efforts to the I-40 bridge. Since the bridge’s closure, the trucking industry has absorbed more than $70 million in unanticipated costs, the Arkansas Trucking Association said June 24. However, the latest data on traffic congestion along the detour route suggests that the average cost to the trucking industry has reduced from an estimated $2.4 million to $936,000 a day. “We commend the Arkansas and Tennessee Departments of Transportation for acting in response to the concerns of the trucking industry and implementing measures to improve traffic flow on this major east-west shipping corridor,” said Shannon Newton, the association’s president. “When the bridge first closed, delays were regularly exceeding an hour. Now, thanks to ARDOT’s traffic engineering, implementing strategic lane shifts, that delay is down to only 15 minutes,” she said. Operational cost data provided by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) shows that the average cost of operating a truck is $71.78 an hour, or $1.20 a minute. On June 9, ARDOT enacted a series of lane changes in West Memphis, Arkansas, in an effort to reduce merging points to reduce conflicts and improve traffic flow. “In just the two weeks since ARDOT reconfigured traffic in West Memphis, we have saved roughly $21.9 million in expenses as the estimated cost per day decreased from $2.4 million to $936,000,” Newton continued. “Trucking is still losing nearly a million dollars a day, but these improvements are proving significant to an industry that is already struggling to meet demand.” Truck traffic over the Mississippi River has decreased only slightly from 26,500 trucks per day down to 23,500 trucks, the Arkansas Trucking Association noted. “Using the latest ATRI data, we estimate those 3,000 trucks that are re-routing 60 miles or more from the I-55 bridge are losing $513,000 per day in lost time and increased mileage while the cost of the 15-minute delay for the 23,500 trucks using the I-55 bridge is an estimated $423,000,” Newton said. “We are confident the ARDOT and TDOT are working with the utmost expediency to re-open the bridge so that is it safe for all traffic.” According to a June 25 statement from TDOT, “significant progress” is being made on the repairs, and an in-depth inspection of the structure continues. As of June 25, TDOT said, the following steps have been implemented in the repair of the bridge: 108,000 pounds of structural steel plating has been added to the tie girder; More than 4,400 permanent bolts have been used to connect the steel plates; 1,202 feet of 472 welds have been inspected and tested; Eight 3-inch-diameter high-strength post-tensioning rods have been used; and More than 1.2 million pounds of tension has been removed from the fractured section of the bridge and transferred to a composite section. Both ARDOT and TDOT have created websites devoted to the status of repairs to the I-40 bridge. Click here to access the ARDOT site and here for the TDOT site.

Mudslides near burn area closes portion of I-70 in Colorado

The Associated Press - June 28, 2021

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. — A portion of Interstate 70 in western Colorado was closed Monday, June 28, following series of mudslides triggered by rainfall over the weekend near where a wildfire burned last year. While eastbound lanes of I-70 through Glenwood Canyon were expected to open later in the day, thanks to clean-up work overnight, there is no estimate for when westbound lanes of the highway will reopen, the Colorado Department of Transportation said. The largest of the mudslides that happened on Sunday along Colorado’s main east-west highway flowed down the same drainage as the one that happened Saturday along the Grizzly Creek Fire burn scar, the Glenwood Post Independent reported. The fire, which started in August 2020, burned about 51 square miles. Sunday’s main mudslide reached 80 feet wide and 5 feet deep in areas. On Saturday, the mud spread 70 feet wide and was 5 feet deep in places. Saturday’s highway closure lasted several hours. Travelers may need to expect on-and-off closures of I-70 in Glenwood Canyon when rainfall is expected in the area this summer, Kane Schneider, a CDOT transportation maintenance employee, said.

Fuel truck crash shuts down Interstate 95 in South Florida

The Associated Press - June 28, 2021

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. — Authorities shut down all lanes of Interstate 95 in South Florida following a fuel truck crash Monday morning, June 28, snarling rush hour traffic. The tanker truck flipped over onto its side, causing fuel to leak onto the roadway, the South Florida SunSentinel reported. The crash occurred near Copans Road, according to a social-media post by the Florida Highway Patrol. There was no immediate word on the condition of the truck driver. Officials expected the fuel cleanup to take a while, meaning that traffic will be affected throughout Monday morning. Drivers were being asked to seek alternative routes. Pompano Beach is north of Fort Lauderdale.

Bipartisan infrastructure deal back on track after walk-back

The Associated Press - June 28, 2021

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan deal to invest nearly $1 trillion in the nation’s infrastructure appeared to be back on track Sunday, June 27, after a stark walk-back by President Joe Biden to his earlier insistence that the bill be coupled with an even larger Democrat-backed measure in order to earn his signature. Republican senators who brokered the agreement with the White House and Democrats to fund badly needed investments in roads, bridges, water and broadband internet indicated they were satisfied with Biden’s comments that he was dropping the both-or-nothing approach. In a statement issued Saturday after 48 hours of behind-the-scenes maneuvering by the White House to salvage the deal, Biden said it was not his “intent” to suggest he was issuing a veto threat on the bill. That proved to be enough for some wavering Republicans, who have privately and not-so-privately registered their displeasure at the linkage. “Over the weeks and weeks in negotiations with Democrats and with the White House on an infrastructure bill, the president’s other agenda was never linked to the infrastructure effort,” Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. He said that if Biden had not put out the statement, “I think it would have been very, very hard for Republicans to say, yes, we support this.” “We’re not going to sign up for a multitrillion-dollar spending spree,” he added, referencing the larger Democratic bill. Romney said he believed there was now sufficient GOP support in the Senate to reach the 60-vote threshold to overcome a potential filibuster and pass the bipartisan package. Another GOP negotiator, Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, even predicted that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has staked out a path back to the majority relying in large part on stiff opposition to the Biden agenda, would even support the final bill. “If we can pull this off, I think Mitch will favor it,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I think Leader McConnell will be for it, if it continues to come together as it is.” Montana Sen. Jon Tester, a Democrat, predicted the measure would draw more than the minimum 10 Republican senators needed to pass the bipartisan accord in the 50-50 Senate, where 60 votes are required to advance most bills, but he said there would likely be “bumps in the road” along the way. “We’ll work those problems,” he said on CBS News’ “Face The Nation.” “I think we’ll get far more than 60 votes.” The bipartisan accord has been a key priority for Biden as he tries to deliver on a campaign promise to restore bipartisan cooperation to Washington and to show centrist Democrats and others that the White House was working with Republicans before Biden tries to push the broader package through Congress. The two measures were always expected to move together through Congress: the bipartisan plan and a second bill that would advance under special rules allowing for passage solely with majority Democrats’ votes and is now swelling to as much as $6 trillion. Biden reiterated that was his plan on Saturday but said he was not conditioning one on the other. “So to be clear,” his statement said, “our bipartisan agreement does not preclude Republicans from attempting to defeat my Families Plan; likewise, they should have no objections to my devoted efforts to pass that Families Plan and other proposals in tandem.” Still, it remained to be seen what impact Biden’s comments would have on progressive lawmakers in the House and Senate, who have pushed Biden not to moderate his agenda in pursuit of bipartisanship. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has said her chamber would not take up the bipartisan proposal until the Senate first acted on the larger Democrat-backed bill. “I think it’s very important for the president to know that House progressives, and I believe, you know, the Democratic Caucus, is here to ensure that he doesn’t fail,” New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on “Meet the Press.” “And we’re here to make sure that he is successful in making sure that we do have a larger infrastructure plan.” “It’s very important that we pass a reconciliation bill and a Families Plan that expands child care, that lowers the cost of Medicare, that supports families in the economy,” she added. Pressed on whether Biden was serious about signing the bipartisan bill without the Democratic one, White House senior adviser Cedric Richmond said Biden’s words “speak for themselves.” “I don’t think it’s a yes-or-no question,” he said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “We expect to have both bills in front of us to sign. And I expect that President Biden will sign the infrastructure bill, he will sign the Families Plan.” Biden was set to travel to Wisconsin on Tuesday for the first stop on a nationwide tour to promote the infrastructure package, the White House said. By Zeke Miller, The Associated Press

‘Blindsided’ GOP senators put bipartisan infrastructure deal in doubt

The Associated Press - June 25, 2021

WASHINGTON — Livid and “blindsided” over President Joe Biden’s refusal to sign a bipartisan infrastructure deal without passage of his broader priorities, Republican senators Friday, June 25, were frantically considering options as the future of the sweeping compromise appeared in doubt. The rare accord faced new uncertainty barely 24 hours after Biden strode to the White House driveway and was flanked by 10 senators from a bipartisan group, with all sides beaming over the nearly $1 trillion compromise. Senators were described as “stunned,” “floored” and “frustrated” after Biden later put the conditions on accepting their deal, according to people familiar with the private conversations and granted anonymity to discuss them. “No deal by extortion!” tweeted Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Friday. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, who was asked at her briefing about the GOP dismay, said senators should not have been surprised by the two-track strategy that Biden has publicly discussed. “That hasn’t been a secret, he hasn’t said it quietly, he hasn’t even whispered it,” she said. Psaki said the president stands by the agreement and expects the same from the senators. The path ahead is now uncertain. Senators launched into calls Friday seeking answers from the White House after a tumultuous past month of on-again, off-again negotiations over Biden’s $4 trillion infrastructure proposals, his top legislative priority. Voting on the compromise package was always expected to be delayed until the end of the Senate’s July work period. The Democrats’ two-track strategy has been to consider both the bipartisan deal and their own more sweeping priorities side by side. But Biden’s vow to essentially veto or refuse to sign the bipartisan accord without the companion package being negotiated by Democrats and now expected to near $6 trillion alone throws the process into doubt. Senators who were part of the bipartisan group were never told of such an explicit linking of the two packages, the two people familiar with the discussions said. It never came up in their talks with the White House advisers or with Biden himself during the June 24 meeting of the group of 10 key negotiators, they said. Only after senators tuned in later to Biden’s second news conference, where he outlined the path ahead, did frustrations mount and frantic phone calls begin. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky signaled the sudden turn of events when he declared that Biden’s messaging from his two news conferences Thursday “makes your head spin.” Ten Republican senators would be needed to pass the bipartisan accord in the 50-50 Senate, where 60 votes are required to advance most bills. It appears that McConnell’s criticisms of the way Biden is handling the process could peel away their support. Democrats plan to push the broader package through using a special budget process that would allow passage of their own priorities on a simple majority vote of 51 senators, with Vice President Kamala Harris a tie breaker. Linking the two packages has always been part of the strategy. It’s a way for Biden to assure liberal lawmakers he will deliver on their shared priorities and not stop at the smaller, bipartisan package. By Lisa Mascaro, The Associated Press. Associated Press writers Darlene Superville and Josh Boak contributed to this report.

Biden extols bipartisan infrastructure deal as a good start

The Associated Press - June 25, 2021

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden has announced a hard-earned bipartisan agreement on a pared-down infrastructure plan that would make a start on his top legislative priority and validate his efforts to reach across the political aisle. But he openly acknowledged Thursday, June 24, that Democrats will likely have to tackle much of the rest on their own. The bill’s price tag at $973 billion over five years, or $1.2 trillion over eight years, is a scaled-back but still significant piece of Biden’s broader proposals. It includes more than a half-trillion dollars in new spending and could open the door to the president’s more sweeping $4 trillion proposals for child care and what the White House calls human infrastructure later on. “When we can find common ground, working across party lines, that is what I will seek to do,” said Biden, who deemed the agreement “a true bipartisan effort, breaking the ice that too often has kept us frozen in place.” The president stressed that “neither side got everything they wanted in this deal; that’s what it means to compromise,” and said that other White House priorities would be taken on separately in a congressional budget process known as reconciliation, which allows for majority passage without the need for Republican votes. He insisted that the two items would be done “in tandem” and that he would not sign the bipartisan deal without the other, bigger piece. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and progressive members of Congress declared they would hold to the same approach. “There ain’t going to be a bipartisan bill without a reconciliation bill,” Pelosi said. Claiming a major victory five months into his presidency, Biden said, “This reminds me of the days when we used to get an awful lot done up in the United States Congress.” Biden, a former Delaware senator, said that as he put his hand on the shoulder of a stoic-looking Republican Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio as the president made a surprise appearance with a bipartisan group of senators to announce the deal outside the White House. But the next steps are not likely to be nearly so smooth. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell complained that Biden was “caving” to Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s plan to “hold the bipartisan agreement hostage” for the president’s bigger package of what he called “wasteful” spending. “That’s not the way to show you’re serious about getting a bipartisan outcome,” McConnell said. And there is plenty of skepticism on Biden’s own left flank. Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said the bipartisan agreement is “way too small — paltry, pathetic. I need a clear, ironclad assurance that there will be a really adequate robust package” that will follow. Thursday’s deal was struck by the bipartisan group led by Portman and Democrat Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, including some of the more independent lawmakers in the Senate, some known for bucking their parties. “You know there are many who say bipartisanship is dead in Washington,” Sinema said. “We can use bipartisanship to solve these challenges.” And Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said, “It sends an important message to the world as well that America can function, can get things done.” The proposal includes both new and existing spending on long-running programs and highlights the struggle lawmakers faced in coming up with ways to pay for what have typically been popular ideas. The investments include $109 billion on roads and highways and $15 billion on electric vehicle infrastructure and transit systems as part of $312 billion in transportation spending. There’s $65 billion toward broadband and expenditures on drinking water systems and $47 billion in resiliency efforts to tackle climate change. Rather than Biden’s proposed corporate tax hike that Republicans oppose or the gas tax increase that the president rejected, funds will be tapped from a range of sources — without a full tally yet, according to a White House document. Money will come from $125 billion in COVID-19 relief funds approved in 2020 but not yet spent, as well as untapped unemployment insurance funds that Democrats have been hesitant to poach. Other revenue is expected by going harder after tax cheats by beefing up Internal Revenue Service enforcement that Portman said could yield $100 billion. The rest is a hodgepodge of asset sales and accounting tools, including funds coming from 5G telecommunication spectrum lease sales, strategic petroleum reserve and an expectation that the sweeping investment will generate economic growth — what the White House calls the “macroeconomic impact of infrastructure investment.” The senators from both parties stressed that the deal will create jobs for the economy and rebuild the nation’s standing on the global stage, a belief that clearly transcended the partisan interests and created a framework for the deal. “We’re going to keep working together — we’re not finished,” Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah said. “But America works, the Senate works.” Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana said it will show the world “we’re not just, you know, a hot mess here.” For Biden, the deal was a welcome result. Though for far less than he originally sought, Biden had bet his political capital that he could work with Republicans toward major legislation. Moreover, Biden and his aides believed that they needed a bipartisan deal on infrastructure to create a permission structure for more moderate Democrats — including Sinema and Joe Manchin of West Virginia — to then be willing to go for a party-line vote for the rest of the president’s agenda. The announcement leaves unclear the fate of Biden’s promises of massive investment to slow climate change, which Biden this spring called “the existential crisis of our times.” Biden’s presidential campaign had helped win progressive backing with pledges of major spending on electric vehicles, charging stations, and research and funding for overhauling the U.S. economy to run on less oil, gas and coal. The administration is expected to push for some of that in future legislation. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) stressed that there are billions of dollars for resiliency against extreme weather and the impact of climate change and deemed Thursday’s deal a “beginning investment.” Biden has sought $1.7 trillion in his American Jobs Plan and the $1.8 trillion American Families Plan for child care centers, family tax breaks and other investments that Republicans reject as far outside the scope of “infrastructure.” The broad reconciliation bill would likely include tax increases on the wealthy, those earning more than $400,000 a year, and hike the corporate rate from 21% to 28%, so a tension still exists over funding for some Republicans and business groups. It’s still a long haul to a bill signing at the White House. The Senate expects to consider the bipartisan package in July, but Biden’s bigger proposal is not expected to see final votes until fall. By Jonathan Lemire, Josh Boak and Lisa Mascaro, The Associated Press. Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Mary Clare Jalonick, Alan Fram, Matthew Daly and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

Bipartisan infrastructure agreement calls for $109 billion boost for roads, bridges

The Associated Press - June 25, 2021

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and a bipartisan group of senators have reached an agreement to significantly boost infrastructure spending, though considerable hurdles remain before the blueprint unveiled June 24 becomes reality. The White House says the agreement calls for about $579 billion in new spending over the next five years for roads, bridges, public transit and other public works. Add on what the federal government is currently projected to spend on those items, and the total comes to about $973 billion over five years. Here’s a look at where those dollars would go and what changes lawmakers would make to pay for the new spending. THE BIGGEST EXPENSES: The agreement calls for a $109 billion boost for roads and bridges. It’s the biggest line item in the plan, but to put that in perspective, the American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that the country has a $786 billion backlog of road and bridge capital needs. The next largest line items in the transportation arena are $66 billion for freight and passenger rail, $49 billion for public transit systems and $25 billion for airports. Biden regularly rode Amtrak between Washington and his home in Wilmington, Delaware, during his 36 years as a senator and has proposed a big increase in federal money for the rail service. Supporters say increased use of public transit and rail would reduce greenhouse gas emissions. To speed up the use of electric vehicles, the plan also calls for $7.5 billion for electric vehicle charging stations. Along with transportation, the plan also looks to boost funding by about $73 billion for a broader network of transmission lines to deliver electricity from solar and wind power to homes and businesses across the county. There’s also $65 billion to enhance broadband access and $55 billion for improvements to the nation’s drinking water and wastewater systems. THE BIGGEST PAY-FORS: Biden didn’t want to increase the user fees typically used to fund highways and transit — the federal gas and diesel tax. Republicans didn’t want to raise corporate taxes. The result was a scramble for cash. Lawmakers propose paying for the bill by pulling dollars from existing programs, cracking down on tax dodgers, auctioning spectrum for 5G services and at least one reliable stand-by for Congress — selling off some of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Lawmakers, according to a document from Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), are projecting that spending an additional $40 billion on the IRS would generate about $140 billion in additional federal revenue through audits and improved customer service. The agency was hit with budget cuts that began about a decade ago, shrinking the staff and the number of audits it performed. Another big revenue raiser would come from clawing back $80 billion in COVID relief funds, plus recouping $25 billion of the supplemental unemployment insurance provided for in this year’s COVID relief bill. Dozens of states have rejected the $300 weekly benefit the federal government is temporarily providing, claiming that the payment stops people from returning to the workforce. Lawmakers are also estimating they can raise $65 billion in spectrum auctions for 5G services and $72 billion by improving the integrity of the state unemployment insurance systems. Fraud perpetrators, sometimes in China, Nigeria or Russia, have bought stolen personal identifying information on the dark web and have flooded state unemployment systems with bogus claims. By Kevin Freking, The Associated Press

Truck may have struck pedestrian bridge that collapsed in DC Wednesday

The Associated Press - June 25, 2021

WASHINGTON — A pedestrian bridge collapsed over a highway in the nation’s capital on Wednesday, June 23, sending five people to the hospital. Traffic was expected to be snarled for hours. The collapse happened just before noon along Interstate 295 in Northeast Washington. The bridge was found to be in poor condition at an inspection just a few months earlier. Investigators believe a truck struck the bridge, causing it to come loose and collapse, said Chris Geldart, the deputy mayor for public safety and justice. Several other vehicles were also involved in the collapse. He cautioned that the investigation was still in its preliminary stages. The five people taken to the hospital had non-life-threatening injuries, Geldart said. Chunks of concrete and other debris were strewn across the highway, and both directions of traffic were expected to be closed at least until late Friday. The bridge was laying atop the truck, which was leaking diesel fuel along the roadway, officials said. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Wednesday afternoon that there were no recent reports of structural concerns about the bridge. But Geldart said in a statement later Wednesday that the mayor’s statement was incorrect. He said that the bridge was inspected in February and that a subsequent report issued May 25 rated the bridge as being in poor condition. He said the rating — a 4 on a scale of 9 to 0 — marked a threshold prompting a multiyear planning process to replace the bridge. The bridge had previously been rated a 5 — in fair condition — in April 2019. The Metropolitan Police Department is leading the crash investigation, Geldart said.

Arkansas launches state’s first public trucking school, offers four training sites

The Trucker News Staff - June 24, 2021

MALVERN, Ark. — Arkansas is preparing to launch the state’s first public trucking academy, with driver training offered at four locations. The Arkansas Trucking Academy (ArkTA) is a consortium of Arkansas State University (ASU) Three Rivers, University of Arkansas (UA) Cossatot, UA Rich Mountain and UA Hope/Texarkana. On Wednesday, June 23, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson spoke at an unveiling event at the ASU Three Rivers Campus in Malvern. “(ArkTA) is another pace-setting workforce solution that has grown out of conversations between leaders in industry and education. Arkansas’s businesses had a problem, our educators stepped in to fill it, and we are able to support it with an Arkansas Regional Workforce grant,” he noted. It’s a model for partnerships between the private sector and government. Because of that, we soon will be putting more trucks on the road with first-rate drivers at the wheel.” New classes will begin on the campuses located in Nashville, Mena, Malvern and Hope. Through a combination of virtual/simulation instruction, traditional classroom instruction and practical over-the-road experience, students will receive 160 contact hours of noncredit training per course. Students who successfully complete the course will be prepared to test for their CDL. A total of 20 courses will be offered annually, five courses per college, and slots are limited to four students per course. The maximum cost per student is $1,300. With the increased demand in the trucking industry, ArkTA co-chair and UA Rich Mountain Chancellor Phillip Wilson said he is grateful for the partnership across two university systems to bring the program to fruition. “Creating opportunities and growing Arkansas’ workforce is always a top priority in Arkansas community colleges,” said Wilson, who also serves as chair of the Arkansas Community Colleges association. Shannon Newton, President of the Arkansas Trucking Association, expressed strong support for ArkTA and emphasized the challenges the trucking industry in Arkansas is facing. “In Arkansas, the trucking industry supports one in 10 jobs in the private sector in Arkansas. We rank No. 1 in the country per capita employed in the trucking industry,” Newton explained. “So certainly, as an advocate of the industry, it is my job to help people understand the role trucking plays in your everyday life (and) also help solve the challenges the industry is facing,” she said. “The driver shortage is actually the No. 1 challenge in the trucking industry right now.” The first course will begin Aug. 2, 2021. For more information or to apply, visit www.ArkTruckingAcademy.com.

‘We have a deal’: Biden, bipartisan senators on infrastructure

The Associated Press - June 24, 2021

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced on Thursday, June 24, that “we have a deal,” signaling a bipartisan agreement on a $953 billion infrastructure plan that would achieve his top legislative priority and validate his efforts to reach across the political aisle. Biden made a surprise appearance in front of the cameras with members of the group of senators, Republicans and Democrats, after an agreement was reached Thursday. Details of the deal were scarce to start, but the pared-down plan, with $559 billion in new spending, has rare bipartisan backing and could open the door to the president’s more sweeping $4 trillion proposals later on. The president said not everyone got what they wanted and that other White House priorities would be done separately in a congressional budget process known as reconciliation “We’ve struck a deal,” Biden then tweeted. “A group of senators — five Democrats and five Republicans — has come together and forged an infrastructure agreement that will create millions of American jobs.” The senators have struggled over how to pay for the new spending but left for the White House with a sense of confidence that funding issues had been addressed. Biden’s top aides had met with senators for back-to-back meetings on Capitol Hill and later huddled with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The agreement comes with a complex legislative push. Pelosi on Thursday welcomed the bipartisan package, but she warned that it must be paired with the president’s bigger goals now being prepared by Congress under a separate so-called the budget reconciliation process. “This is important,” Pelosi said. “There ain’t going to be a bipartisan bill without a reconciliation bill.” The Democratic leader vowed the House would not vote on it until the Senate had dealt with both packages. The major hurdle for a bipartisan agreement has been financing. Biden demanded no new taxes on anyone making less than $400,000, while Republican lawmakers were unwilling to raise taxes beyond such steps as indexing the gasoline tax to inflation. But senators departed for the White House Thursday with a sense of confidence that funding issues had been addressed. “We’re still refining the details, but from my perspective, it is paid for,” said Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican and one of 10 lawmakers who met with Biden for roughly 30 minutes. Republican Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said he was confident the agreement had Biden’s backing. “We wouldn’t be going there if he wasn’t supportive of the deal,” said Cassidy, adding that the president “wants to make it flourish. One member of the bipartisan group, Republican Rob Portman of Ohio, met privately ahead of the White House meeting with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell at the Capitol and said afterward that the Kentucky senator “remains open-minded and he’s listening still.” Biden has sought $1.7 trillion in his American Jobs Plan, part of nearly $4 trillion in broad infrastructure spending on roads, bridges and broadband internet but also including the so-called care economy of child care centers, hospitals and elder care. With Republicans opposed to Biden’s proposed corporate tax rate increase, from 21% to 28%, the group has looked at other ways to raise revenue. Biden rejected their idea to allow gas taxes paid at the pump to rise with inflation, viewing it as a financial burden on American drivers. The broad reconciliation bill would likely include tax increases on the wealthy and corporations, so a tension still exists over funding for some Republicans and business groups. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce came out Thursday applauding the bipartisan infrastructure agreement, but Neil Bradley, its executive vice president, warned that “some in Congress are trying to torpedo the deal” unless they get trillions in additional spending. “These are the kind of tactics that have created the mess we are in today, and they must be rejected,” Bradley said. According to a White House readout of the Wednesday, June 23, meeting with Schumer and Pelosi, the leaders talked with acting Budget Director Shalanda Young, National Economic Council Director Brian Deese and Domestic Policy Council Director Susan Rice, and they discussed the two-track approach — the smaller bipartisan deal now emerging and the more sweeping plan of Democratic priorities. Schumer said the leaders “support the concepts” they have heard from the bipartisan negotiations. The Democratic leaders also insisted on the two-part process ahead, starting with initial votes in July to consider the bipartisan deal and to launch the lengthy procedure for the Democrats’ proposal, now drafted at nearly $6 trillion. The Democrats’ bigger proposal would run through the budget reconciliation process, which would allow passage of Biden’s priorities by majority vote, without the need for support from Republicans to overcome the Senate’s 60-vote threshold. It would require multiple rounds of voting that are likely to extend into fall. Like Pelosi, Schumer said, “One can’t be done without the other.” That’s a signal to both parties of the road ahead. Liberal Democrats have been wary of the bipartisan effort because they see it as insufficient and worry it will take the place of Biden’s bigger plan. Republicans are also skeptical of passing a bipartisan bill only to be faced with an even bigger Democratic plan. By Lisa Mascaro, Josh Boak and Jonathan Lemire, The Associated Press. Associated Press writer Kevin Freking contributed reporting.

PETA calls for designated safety corridor along Virginia’s SR 10 near Smithfield Foods

The Trucker News Staff - June 24, 2021

SMITHFIELD, Va. — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is asking the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to designate a portion of State Route 10 in Virginia as a highway safety corridor pursuant to Va. Code 33.2-253. According to statement from PETA, the stretch of State Route 10 between U.S. 58 in Suffolk and State Route 666 in Isle of White County “has seen more crashes of trucks carrying animals raised for their flesh than a similar length of any other road in the country.” PETA has documented at least nine rollovers — within the proposed corridor — of Smithfield Foods-bound trucks hauling live pigs. The most recent rollover was in May 2021. “We urge VDOT to establish a safety corridor because all these crashes leave pigs mangled and bloody, and those who aren’t killed on impact suffer for hours, crying out from overturned trailers,” said Daphna Nachminovitch, senior vice president of PETA. “PETA is calling on officials to make this portion of highway safer for everyone, (and calling on) anyone disturbed by animals suffering in trucks and on the roadside — or in slaughterhouses — to go vegan.” Daniel Paden, vice president of evidence analysis for PETA, on June 21 sent a letter to VDOT Commissioner Stephen Brich asking the agency to designate that portion of the road a highway safety corridor. According to Paden’s letter, a representative for Smithfield Foods “admitted that wrecks of trucks carrying live pigs in this area occur ‘all the time,’ and a former chief of the Smithfield Volunteer Fire Department said that he had responded to more than 100 such crashes.” The letter notes the danger to livestock haulers, pointing to the death of truck driver William Lewis, who was killed in April 1998, and adding that “at least half of the other crashes of this nature that PETA has documented on SR 10 have injured the truck driver, if not others.” In addition, the letter says, the accidents along State Route 10 result in significant demands on first responders. “Ejected animals must be corralled. Others are eventually shot on site, and dead ones must be dumped into trucks. Trailers need to be pulled upright, and utility lines and other damaged property must be addressed. Traffic is often diverted for many hours,” the letter reads, adding that “each crash causes profound suffering for scores of animals.” In a November 2020 wreck, the letter continues, “at least 160 pigs were trapped in an overturned trailer for at least four hours before being removed, according to police records.” After separate crashes in September 2008 and August 2019, “screaming pigs lay on top of one another for hours in a trailer, only for workers to strike and force them onto another trailer,” the letter states, adding that incidents in October 2011 and November 2013 resulted in the death of 127 animals. “After drivers crashed in October 2005 and March 2004, pigs were left for hours with severe injuries and even shot in the head repeatedly,” the letter continues. Paden’s letter also points out a statement attributed to the editorial board of The Virginian-Pilot: “Just because the animals are destined for the dinner plate, that’s no reason to allow needless suffering on the side of our highways.” Following the May 2021 crash, Paden says, owners and employees of businesses along the proposed corridor “expressed frustration” concerning the accidents. The letter concludes, “We respectfully ask that the agency designate this part of SR 10 a highway safety corridor to encourage everyone to exercise extra caution while driving through it. Erecting signs warning of the penalties for speeding and criminal driving violations there, along with an increased police presence, would make this stretch of Virginia’s roads safer for all.”