The Nation

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Root Insurance, an insurance company that discounts insurance rates for drivers who avoid using their phones behind the wheel, has launched the results of its second annual distracted driving study, conducted online by Wakefield Research. The study reveals that nearly half of drivers surveyed (47%) cite distracted driving on the road as their top concern when driving, presenting a national issue for road safety. “Using a mobile device while driving has become second nature. As Root’s study confirms, too many drivers don’t think twice about this behavior, even when they should,” said Root Insurance’s Director of Data Science for Telematics Joe Plattenburg. “The number of distractions are increasing, and so is the need for companies and drivers to find new ways to encourage focused driving.” Drivers know using their phone while driving is wrong but still do it anyway, the survey revealed. Drivers admit to spending an average of 13 minutes a day — or 91 minutes a week — using their devices while driving. Additionally, nearly 2 in 5 drivers (38%) who check their mobile devices while driving do not even put their phones down when they see law enforcement. Almost all drivers (99%) point to phones as being among the top three distractions while driving. Distractions that are most likely to turn their attention away from the road and to their phone include: Group chats, such as a text or an email chain with multiple people (52%) Social media, such as memes or newsfeed (33%) Streaming video, such as a show or movie trailer (18%) Despite their own behavior, those surveyed remain intolerant of distracted driving by others. An overwhelming majority of drivers (89%) would give an Uber/Lyft driver a bad rating for texting while driving, while 39% admit they’ve done that themselves. Meanwhile, nearly all drivers (90%) believe they are better behind the wheel than Uber/Lyft drivers. Unrelated to mobile phone use, the study also found other unsafe activities are taking place on U.S. roads and highways. Nearly three in 10 drivers (29%) don’t even keep their hands on the wheel, admitting they have steered with a different body part, such as a knee or chin. Additional activities include: Grooming while driving, doing their hair/makeup or shaving (18%) Playing with a pet (13%) Changing clothes (12%) This study follows Root’s 2019 Focused Driving Report, released earlier this month to better understand the severity of distracted driving. Based on real behavioral data, the report found that Gen Z drivers (18-24-year-olds) used their mobile devices while driving 20 times per 100 miles driven. Additionally, the report reveals the most and least focused drivers by state, city, and car make. “Root’s mission is to help drivers make better decisions on the road, and the industry standard fear tactics are clearly not working,” said Root Co-Founder and CEO Alex Timm. “We’ve heard from policyholders that when we incentivize our drivers with a lower insurance rate, they are more motivated to stay focused on the roads and not their mobile devices.” Last year Root launched its Focused Driving Discount, a new pricing incentive to curb distracted driving. With their model, drivers who avoid mobile phone use while driving can save up to an additional 10 percent on their insurance quote.    

WASHINGTON — The General Accounting Office has recommended that the Department of Transportation take steps to provide a standardized definition of underride crashes and data fields, share information with police departments on identifying underride crashes, establish annual inspection requirements for rear guards and conduct additional research on side underride guards. The DOT concurred with GAO’s recommendations, which were first issued in March and made public April 15. Truck underride crashes are collisions in which a car slides under the body of a truck — such as a tractor-trailer or single-unit truck — because of the height difference between the vehicles. During these crashes, the trailer or truck may intrude into the passenger compartment, leading to severe injuries or fatalities. Current federal regulations require trailers to have rear guards that can withstand the force of a crash, whereas the rear guards required for single-unit trucks do not have to be designed to withstand a crash. There are no federal side or front underride guard requirements. The GAO said the recommendations were the result of a study after it was asked to review data on truck underride crashes and information on underride guards. The GAO studied the data DOT reports on underride crashes and the development and use of underride guard technologies in the United States. GAO said it had analyzed DOT’s underride crash data for 2008 through 2017, reviewed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s proposed regulations and research on new guard technologies and interviewed stakeholders, including DOT officials, industry and safety groups, and state officials selected based on reported underride crash fatalities and other factors. According to crash data collected by police and reported by NHTSA, fatalities from “underride” crashes represent a small percentage of all traffic fatalities. From 2008 through 2017,  an average of about 219 fatalities from underride crashes involving large trucks were reported annually, representing less than 1% of total traffic fatalities over that time frame. However, the GAO report said, these fatalities are likely underreported because of variability in  state and local data collection. For example, police officers responding to a crash do not use a standard definition of an underride crash and states’ crash report forms vary, with some not including a field for collecting underride data. Further, police officers receive limited information on how to identify and record underride crashes. As a result, NHTSA may not have accurate data to support efforts to reduce traffic fatalities, the GAO said. The GAO noted that underride guards are in varying stages of development, and gaps exist in inspection of rear guards in current use and in research efforts for side guards. NHTSA has proposed strengthening rear guard requirements for trailers (the rear unit of a tractor-trailer) and estimates about 95 percent of all newly-manufactured trailers already meet the stronger requirements. Although tractor-trailers are inspected, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration annual inspection regulations do not require the rear guard to be inspected, so damaged guards that could fail in a crash may be on the roadways Side underride guards are being developed, but the GAO said stakeholders it interviewed identified challenges to their use, such as the stress on trailer frames due to the additional weight. NHTSA has not determined the effectiveness and cost of these guards, but manufacturers told GAO they are unlikely to move forward with development without such research Based on a 2009 crash investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended that NHTSA require front guards on tractors. NHTSA officials stated that the agency plans to complete research to respond to this recommendation in 2019. However, stakeholders generally stated that the bumper and lower frame of tractors typically used in the U.S.may mitigate the need for front guards for underride purposes.  

WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit delved into ways to improve roadway safety during a recent hearing and roadway design changes were targeted by members of Congress as well as witnesses as one of several ways to achieve that goal. Yet the need to increase transportation funding loomed over that discussion, according to an article prepared by the Journal, a publication of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. “We need to look at safety from all angles – not just promoting more responsible behavior by road users, but by ensuring that roadway design takes into account all users through smart policies, such as complete streets,” said Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., chair of the House T&I Committee, in his written remarks. “Addressing the unique elements of each community, such as pedestrian accessibility, street crossings, and bus and bike lanes, rather than a cookie-cutter approach can have a profound impact on reducing traffic accidents and fatalities,” he said. But DeFazio also stressed that “while we invest billions of dollars in research for cancer and other diseases and allocate new resources to combatting the opioid crisis, we have failed to seriously invest in lowering deaths on our nation’s roadways.” “I am anxious to learn from today’s witnesses … what we can do about reducing roadway fatalities,” said Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D, the at-large-representative for Washington D.C. and chair of the highways and transit subcommittee. “I would very much like this re-authorization [of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation or FAST Act] to transform our approach to roadway safety,” she said. “To get anywhere close to zero deaths, we need to improve how we design our transportation networks, educate the users of those transportation networks, and improve how as how to enforce the proven strategies that aim to save lives but are not doing so.” Rep. Ross Spano, R-Fla., provided additional opening remarks, noting in his written testimony that many of those “proven strategies” are safety programs administered by the Federal Highway Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. “These programs require states to have a data-driven, performance-based approach to address their unique highway safety challenges,” he said. “The FAST Act expires on September 30, 2020, and as we continue with our re-authorization process, it is important that we gather feedback on how well these programs are working and what other policy and programmatic changes the committee should consider.” Jennifer Homendy, a member of the National Transportation Safety Board, noted in her written remarks that changing the speed limit guidance within the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices or MUTCD is one potential performance-based safety tactic. “Speed limits are a critical component of speed management [and the MUTCD] emphasizes that states and localities set speed limits within 5 miles per hour of which 85 percent of vehicles are traveling,” she said. “The focus on the 85th percentile has led to increasing speed limits across the United States. For example, in 2012, 35 states had maximum speed limits at or above 70 mph; that increased to 41 states by 2016, with seven of those states at or above 80 mph.” She said the NTSB recommends de-emphasizing the 85th percentile approach and instead require consideration of factors which are currently only optional, such as crash history, roadway characteristics, and roadway conditions. The agency also recommends incorporating a “safe systems approach” for urban roads by evaluating pedestrian and bicycle traffic alongside motor vehicle needs. Jay Bruemmer, vice president of Missouri-based roadway contractor K & G Striping Inc. and chairman of the government relations committee for the American Traffic Safety Services Association, noted in his testimony that while “mitigating driver behavior is a perennial challenge for transportation leaders,” several “cost-effective” roadway infrastructure countermeasures – such as wrong-way driver detection systems, high friction surface treatments, new work zone management tools, and highway cable barriers – are being successfully deployed by state departments of transportation and others in order to combat “negative driver behavior.” In written testimony submitted for the hearing record, the AASHTO emphasized that the design guides they produce provide planners, engineers, and designers with significant flexibility in how they ultimately design a transportation project while taking into account the overall safety and operations of the facility. Further, AASHTO stated in its remarks that those guides “do not establish mandatory requirements for how a project should be designed; rather, they emphasize flexibility and encourage planners, engineers, and designers to take into account the unique aspects of each individual project.” AASHTO’s testimony also addressed three safety priorities identified by its Transportation Policy Forum for upcoming federal surface transportation bill re-authorization efforts. Those priorities include: A continued focus on implementation of performance management regulations; The need to add flexibility for the use of Highway Safety Improvement Program funding to include activities that address behavioral issues; and The need to add eligibility and increased federal share for railway-highway grade crossing projects. However, ATSSA’s Bruemmer stressed in his remarks that “none of these safety priorities can be achieved without a solvent, robustly funded Highway Trust Fund.” AASHTO agreed with that position, emphasizing in its written testimony that “an important aspect to programming funding is flexibility both in how funds can be used among engineering, education, enforcement and emergency services efforts as well as within the engineering domain where state DOTs have the most control to identify which engineering solution may be most appropriate to improve safety.” ATSSA’s Bruemmer further added during the hearing that continuing to spend more from the Highway Trust Fund than is collected through taxes and fees “is not a long-term solution. We need to address these deficiencies. In that regard, we strongly support an increase to user fees to address the long-term viability of the Highway Trust Fund, which include increasing and indexing the motor fuels user fees, an eventual move towards a vehicle miles traveled user fee system, and where it makes sense, the use of public private partnerships.”

By this time next month, trucking will have just lost a good friend. No, no, Mr. Deejay, hold up on the somber string quartet. That’s not the mood we want. Quite the contrary. This is about somebody who has decided to step on life’s gas pedal. Dorothy Cox, whose thoughts and talents have been gracing the pages of The Trucker for the past 20 years, took a little time off around this past Thanksgiving. Her birthday is in that neighborhood, too, so it made for a nice personal festival for her. You know that feeling we all get when a vacation is ending, that, “No! I’m never going back to that rat race!” feeling? Well, Dorothy got that feeling during that personal pit stop, only this time she took it seriously. She’d been a journalist long before she came to The Trucker, and she’d been toying with the idea of retiring for a while. During this extended time away from it all, she came to the conclusion, “You know what? Life’s too short, what am I waiting for?” and announced it was time call it a career as of April 1. As the day got near, and we found ourselves approaching a Spaghetti Junction of overlapping deadlines, Dorothy agreed to give us one more month and help see us through it. Even with the delay, her departure will leave a sizable hole here. Whenever an organization loses someone with 20 years of accumulated knowledge and memories and insights, it’s hard to quantify how much of an asset is walking out the door. It’s way more than, “Oh, we’re one short.” It’s incalculable on a personal level, too. Dorothy’s down-to-earth sensibilities have been an important element of this newsroom. If this were an episode of “Seinfeld,” Jerry and George would label her an “easy laugher.” She looks for the humor in things, and nine times out of 10 she finds it, and enjoys it for all it’s worth. Next to all that truck industry knowledge, there’s a designated little corner of her brain that is like a candy jar filled with sourballs, only these sourballs are a collection of some of the corniest puns the English language has ever produced. Just like sourballs they make you wince, but you can’t wait for another. And there isn’t an off-color joke in the batch, I should add. She’s the kind of person who’s been around the block but hasn’t become jaded by it. There are no sharp edges in her personality. It’s very easy to feel comfortable around Dorothy. That’s a valuable talent in today’s high-strung world, and she’s one of the best at it. I’ve watched her approach truckers at the truck stop and I’ve heard her with them on the phone. They don’t just let down their defenses with her, it’s like they don’t even have any. They instantly, instinctively recognize, “Hmm, she may not have a CDL, but she’s one of us.” When I go to trucking events, I lose count how many people want to know, “How’s Dorothy?” and want me to tell her they said hi, even if they haven’t seen her in years. That affection is both for Dorothy the person and Dorothy the journalist. Through her writing and reporting she’s proven time and again that she has drivers’ best interests at heart. Like an old friend, she isn’t shy about acknowledging drivers’ shortcomings, especially when they are self-defeating. But she’s also always been a champion for drivers. In the two years I’ve been going to the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas, several people have confided that it was her prodding on drivers’ behalf that sparked the momentum that has made the health and wellness pavilion such a prominent feature of that show. In recent years, she has been a stalwart supporter of making the industry more welcoming to women. And she’s been deeply passionate in her coverage of the human trafficking problem in this country, and in setting the record straight that truckers are among the front-line heroes in that fight. And while it isn’t as heavy a subject, she’s always been keen on promoting drivers’ creative endeavors. She especially seems to have a soft spot for musicians, probably because she is one herself. Her Arkansas twang puts her somewhere (geographically and vocally) between Loretta Lynn and Reba McEntire. I’ve heard her, and she’s good, and she’s retiring so I don’t even have to say that. She has some friends who’s she played with for years, with whom she does a gig every now and then. In the couple months since she announced her plan to retire, whenever anyone’s asked what she plans to do with all the free time she’s going to have, the only specific thing she comes up with is maybe she’ll get more into her music. As I try to think of a lyric that would make a fitting sendoff, I have to admit I’m not much into country music, but I grew up on all that baby boomer oldies stuff. So as a formal adieu to my friend and colleague Dorothy Cox – Mr. Deejay, if you would, cue up a little Supertramp: Goodbye, stranger. It’s been nice. Hope you find your paradise.

Here we go again. News came late last month that Indiana Republican Sen. Todd Young has been part of bipartisan group of members of Congress who had introduced (oops, reintroduced) a bill that they said would address the driver shortage and enhance safety training and job opportunities for young truck drivers. Of course, the first order of business last August was to come up with a flashy name that could be boiled down to a fancy acronym — Developing Responsible Individuals for a Vibrant Economy (DRIVE-Safe) Act. Next was coming up with a constituent-satisfying quote to promote the bill. “Indiana is the crossroads of America and the truck driver shortage has a significant impact on our state,” Young said in a news release issued last August. “As I’ve traveled throughout Indiana, I have heard from Hoosiers that a pathway is needed to qualify more drivers to move goods safely and efficiently. The DRIVE-Safe Act will help address the driver shortage, enhance safety, and create new career opportunities for young Hoosiers.” Hey, what worked well once, might work again. “Indiana is the Crossroads of America and the truck driver shortage has a significant impact on our state,” the quote in the February 2019 news release read. “As I’ve traveled throughout Indiana, I have heard from Hoosiers that a pathway is needed to qualify more drivers to move goods safely and efficiently. The DRIVE-Safe Act will help address the driver shortage, enhance safety, and create new career opportunities for young Hoosiers.” But it didn’t work last time. Nothing did. The DRIVE-Safe Act never got out of committee. So many pieces of legislation wind up on the cutting room floor. Prediction: Don’t expect this session’s DRIVE-Safe to fare any better. The DRIVE-Safe Act would establish an apprenticeship program that would allow for the legal operation of a commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce by CDL holders under the age of 21. The apprenticeship program would require young drivers to complete at least 400 hours of on-duty time and 240 hours of driving time with an experienced driver in the cab with them. All trucks used for training in the program must be equipped with safety technology including active braking collision mitigation systems, a video event capture system and a speed governor set at 65 miles per hour or below. The truck must have an automatic manual or automatic transmission. As for helping with the driver shortage, the industry can’t agree on whether there is even a driver shortage. The American Trucking Associations says yes to the tune of 50,000. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association says no and what’s really needed is better pay and benefits. One thing’s for sure. There are plenty of trucks sitting empty. Our office is located in Little Rock, Arkansas. Two large truckload carriers call this area home — Maverick USA and CalArk International. Drive by their location any time of the day and there will be numerous empty tractors on the lot. Those tractors are not there just for show; they cost money and they aren’t making any money for Maverick and CalArk. (I wonder if our transportation system could handle 50,000 more trucks on the road every day, but that’s another story.) The final quirky piece of this puzzle is intrastate versus interstate. My wife and I grew up in Fort Smith, Arkansas, which borders Oklahoma (there’s one street, half of which is in Arkansas, the other half in Oklahoma). Fort Smith provides goods and services to a goodly portion of extreme eastern Oklahoma. Somehow, it’s never made sense that an 18- 20-year-old CDL holder could drive back and forth between Little Rock and Fort Smith (160 miles), but not between Fort Smith and Sallisaw, Oklahoma (25 miles). Bottom line is don’t expect to see 18- 20-year-old truckers driving interstate commerce any time soon.

TULSA, Okla. — Driver iQ, a provider of background screening and driver monitoring services to the trucking industry, said carriers taking part in its first quarter 2019 Recruitment & Retention Survey say their biggest challenge is finding “qualified” applicants. “Even though 60% of the recruiters expect the total number of applications will be up next quarter, 80% of the recruiters say that finding ‘qualified’ applicants is their biggest challenge,” said Lana Batts, co-president of Driver iQ. “In other words, recruiters have to expand their recruiting department to wade through more applications and spend more money on background screening to find the qualified applicant.” Batts said that recruiting executives have mixed reviews on what they think turnover will do next quarter, with 38% percent thinking it will increase, 35% thinking it will remain the same, and 27% thinking it will decrease. Batts believes this lack of consensus is primarily because of individual carrier’s uncertainty over the economy, plus their own individual efforts to control their fleet size and to provide higher compensation. Recruiters believe total compensation (52%) and time away from home (55%) remain the biggest causes of driver turnover. As with last quarter, 60% expect that future driver compensation will continue to increase. Batts further noted that “in order to attract new applicants, the carriers are turning to the use of internet-based generic job boards like Monster.com and Craigslist, with the usage of Monster up 46% over what it was five years ago and Craigslist up 30%.” Among the details in the survey are the following: Carriers reported that 33% of their leads self-select out of the applicant process (or “ghost” the recruiter) without the carrier knowing why. This is about the same as it was five years ago. Self-selecting out was also the biggest reason drivers leave orientation – higher than failed medical exams, drug tests or background screens. The Q1 2019 Trends in Truckload Recruitment and Retention Survey from Driver iQ is the latest in a planned series of quarterly surveys designed to better understand and measure recruiting and retention experiences and expectations in the truckload sector. The results of the survey are coupled with observations of Driver iQ personnel engaged in the background screening industry. The survey represents the views of recruiting managers who operate over 75,000 trucks and the majority of the responses came from dry van carriers with over $100 million in gross operating revenues. For more information, visit www.DriveriQ.com.

ST. PAUL, Minn.  — All Minnesota residents would be allowed to obtain driver’s licenses regardless of their immigration status under a bill that passed the state House on Friday but the measure faces long odds in the Republican-controlled Senate. The 75-52 vote fell largely along party lines, with the exception of a couple Republicans who crossed over to join the Democratic majority. Hundreds of noisy immigration activists gathered outside the chamber for the 4 ½-hour debate, and a loud cheer went up when the result was announced. House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler said offering driver’s licenses to Minnesota residents in the country illegally gives them new incentive to learn the rules of the road and carry insurance, though it won’t fix a federal immigration system that both sides in the debate agreed is badly broken. “But offering a driver’s license will help the immigrants living and working in Minnesota, and all Minnesotans, by making our roads safer, our economy stronger, and our moral dignity greater,” Winkler said. Several Democratic lawmakers who were refugees or descendants of immigrants delivered emotional stories about their families’ struggles. They appealed to their colleagues to send a message to Minnesota residents who aren’t in the U.S. legally that they matter. “This is about human dignity. It’s common sense. This will allow people to simply open a bank account. To drive safely on the road to their jobs, to their school,” said Rep. Samantha Vang, of Brooklyn Center, the daughter of Hmong refugees. “Immigrant rights are human rights, and it time we started seeing them as members of our community, as our Minnesotans.” GOP House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt acknowledged that lawmakers heard a lot of heartfelt stories, and that major employer groups including the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, were allied with Democrats on the bill. So were several top law enforcement officials. But he wasn’t swayed. “At the end of this day this bill is a choice,” Daudt said. “A choice to grant privileges to those who are choosing to break the laws of this country, and a choice to allow employers to look the other way on federal labor laws. It’s against the law in this country to enter the country without authorization. It’s against the law in this country to remain in this country if you don’t have authorization.” Rep. Steve Drazowski, R-Mazeppa, was even more vehement. “This bill is not going to become law,” he said. “It’s simply a platform for Minnesota Democrats to exercise their radical ideology by making Minnesota a de-facto sanctuary state.” The bill faces strong opposition from the Senate’s GOP majority. So Winkler said House Democrats have also put similar language into a big transportation budget bill to try to force them to negotiate over the issue before the legislative session ends in late May.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.  — Missouri senators on Thursday gave initial approval to a compromise plan by spending $50 million upfront and potentially borrowing another $300 million to fix 250 bridges across the state The $300 million bonding would only come if the Missouri Department of Transportation receives enough federal matching grant money to rebuild the Interstate 70 bridge in the mid-Missouri city of Rocheport. The deal comes after senators debated overnight Tuesday and into Wednesday over whether to borrow money for transportation work. Some Republicans complained about taking on debt and interest through bonding. The new proposal reduces borrowing and commits to paying it off in a shorter period of time. Lake Saint Louis Sen. Bob Onder said he wanted a pay-as-you-go approach, adding that “bonding debt is not my preferred way of dealing with this.” “But I think we’re perhaps coming to a reasonable compromise on this,” he told colleagues on the Senate flood. Lawmakers have been split over how to pay to repair roads and bridges after voters in November defeated a proposed 10-cent gas tax hike for transportation. Republican Gov. Mike Parson in January proposed borrowing about $350 million for bridges that would be paid off over 15 years. That plan drew bipartisan pushback, both from fiscal conservatives and a bipartisan group of Kansas City and St. Louis lawmakers who argued that not enough bridges from their areas would be repaired with the money. Others pitched asking voters again for a gas-tax increase. Republican House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith instead proposed putting $100 million in un-earmarked general revenue toward roads and bridges each year for the next several years, which drew praise from members of the Senate’s Conservative Caucus. But Republican Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz argued that doing so could put the federal matching grant for transportation in jeopardy. He said the state Transportation Department applied for about $172 million. Even if the state only gets between $60 million and $70 million, Schatz said that would be enough to jumpstart plans to replace the Rocheport bridge. The bridge is roughly in the middle of the state between St. Louis and Kansas City. Schatz said the bridge is vital to transportation and commerce in the state and was key to the compromise. “If that’s not in play, I think it might be difficult to get any of those members to say, ‘Hey we want to take on more debt at this time,’” Schatz told reporters Thursday. Parson in a Thursday statement thanked lawmakers for reaching the deal. “While our preference would be for an approach that does not put the fate of long overdue bridge repairs in the hands of Washington D.C., we certainly understand that any proposed plan requires compromise to reach a workable solution,” he said. The measure is expected to come up for a final Senate vote Monday. Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden said he worked with House leaders on the compromise and said he feels “comfortable that we will get to where we need to be to get this thing across the finish line.” “I’m not sure anybody loves it, from all sides of the spectrum,” Rowden said. “Some folks didn’t want to bond. Some people don’t want to use general revenue. Everybody knows there’s a problem. But it’s one of those things where it is progress.”

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Republican Gov. Mike DeWine has signed a transportation budget that increases Ohio’s tax on gas by 10.5 cents a gallon and the tax on diesel fuel by 19 cents to maintain deteriorating roads and bridges. The new tax rates start July 1. The increases mean Ohioans will pay a state tax rate of 38.5 cents per gallon on gas and 47 cents a gallon on diesel fuel. DeWine declined to veto other provisions of the bill, including one that allows for the removal of front license plates starting July 1, 2020. Some law enforcement groups oppose that change. The measure also sets fees at $200 for alternative vehicles and $100 for hybrid vehicles. The increases, contained in the state transportation budget, would mean more than $850 million more per year for road and bridge projects. The final deal also sends 45% of the revenue from the tax increase to local governments, up from the 40% they get on the current gas tax. DeWine initially sought an increase of 18 cents a gallon for gas and diesel fuel and urged lawmakers not to reduce it. He called his proposal a “minimalist approach” that was necessary to fix the most serious problems as soon as possible. “This was a job that no one relished,” DeWine said Tuesday at a press conference with legislative leaders. “This was something that, frankly, had to be done if this state is going to move forward.” The House then passed an increase of 10.7 cents for gas and 20 cents for diesel fuel, while the Senate pushed for an increase of only 6 cents a gallon on both. DeWine and Republican House Speaker Larry Householder then announced they had reached a deal under which the gas tax would rise by 11 cents a gallon and diesel fuel by 20 cents. But Senate lawmakers had not agreed to it. Sen. Matt Dolan, a Chagrin Falls Republican, said senators held firm out of respect for Ohio drivers. He said every penny of gas tax raises $67 million. Householder called it “a good compromise.” “I think this is a reasonable approach. I think (for) the average Ohio driver, the effect is going to be less than $55 a year,” he said, adding, “The increase will go a long way to bring us forward as far as our infrastructure needs, and so it was necessary.” Not everyone was pleased, however. Republican state Rep. Niraj Antani, of Miamisburg, said the state had more than enough money between its rainy-day fund and budget surplus to fund infrastructure improvements. “Raising taxes is the least creative solution ever used in government. The citizens of Ohio demand of us to do what is hard,” he said. Antani said separating of the gas and diesel taxes would hit the trucking industry hard and “haunt our community for decades.” Fix Our Roads Ohio, a coalition representing local governments, transportation businesses and other stakeholders in the state’s road system, praised the compromise. Spokesman Curt Steiner said it “will help ODOT avoid a crippling financial shortfall, fund needed maintenance and provide funding for priority highway improvement projects.” Ohioans currently pay state tax of 28 cents on gas and the same for diesel fuel. Ohio hasn’t raised its state gas tax since 2005. The compromise transportation bill also allows Ohio drivers to remove front license plates starting July 1, 2020. It also would set fees for alternative vehicles at $200 and $100 for hybrid vehicles.

PLOVER, Wis. — The Women In Trucking Association has named Judy R. McReynolds, chairman, president and chief executive officer of ArcBest, as the winner of the fifth annual Women In Trucking Association’s Distinguished Woman in Logistics Award. The announcement was made during the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) 2019 “Capital Ideas” Conference & Exhibition in Orlando, Florida. McReynolds was chosen among five finalists for the award. Other finalists were Lindsey Graves, chief operating officer, Sunset Transportation; Michelle Halkerston, president, CEO and owner, Hassett Express; Sarah Ruffcorn, chief operations officer, Trinity Logistics; and Erin Van Zeeland, group senior vice president and general manager of Logistics Services, Schneider. McReynolds has been in the logistics and transportation industry for 28 years, including 21 at ArcBest. In 2010, she was named to the position of president and CEO during a time when the industry and economy were recovering from the Great Recession. She took the company from a net loss of $127.5 million in 2009 to reporting an adjusted net income of $103 million as of year-end 2018. During her tenure, ArcBest revenue has increased more than 110% and employment has increased 26%. In 2016, McReynolds was elected as chairman of the board of ArcBest Corp. “Early on in my career, I decided I wasn’t going to make gender an issue or allow other people to do so. When I was named president and CEO in 2010, I was one of very few women in that role in the logistics industry. Our industry traditionally has a lot of male representation, although there is clearly a recent trend toward more female representation,” McReynolds said. “At ArcBest, we believe in promoting the best person for every role. As long as companies are focused on putting the best people in leadership, more of our industry’s leaders will be women.” McReynolds serves on numerous outside boards including OG&E Energy Corp., First Bank Corp., First National Bank of Fort Smith, and the Transportation Industry Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. She also serves on the dean’s executive advisory board of the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, the Brandon Burlsworth Foundation Board, as well as the University of Arkansas Fort Smith Foundation Board, of which she is former chair. She is the current chair of the American Transportation Research Institute board, and a member of the American Trucking Association’s board of directors and executive committee. “Judy McReynolds has been a visible advocate for women in the trucking industry and we are so proud to honor her with this year’s ‘Distinguished Woman in Logistics Award.’  She has embraced diversity and her company’s performance is evidence of the results,” said Ellen Voie, president and CEO of WIT. “We’ve been tracking ArcBest’s success through our annual WIT index of publicly traded companies and Judy and her team have been the leader in promoting women in both leadership roles and board seats and we applaud her accomplishments.” The Distinguished Woman in Logistics Award was established to promote the achievements of women employed in the North American transportation industry. It highlights the vital roles of women in the dynamic and influential field of commercial transportation and logistics. The award is sponsored by Truckstop.com and TIA. Members of the judging panel were: Dr. Stephanie S. Ivey, director of intermodal Freight Transportation Institute, Southeast Transportation Workforce Center, and associate professor, Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Memphis; Nancy O’Liddy, chief of staff, TIA; Brent Hutto, chief relationship officer, Truckstop.com; and Voie.

KIRKLAND Wash. —  Kenworth, Fastport and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Hiring Our Heroes initiative are joining together for the fourth consecutive year to promote the trucking industry and discover America’s top rookie military veteran driver, who has made the transition from military service in the U.S. Armed Forces to driving for a commercial fleet. Under the “Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence” recognition program, Kenworth will again provide the top award – a Kenworth T680 fully loaded with a 76-inch sleeper, and the Paccar Powertrain, which includes the Paccar MX-13 engine, Paccar 12-speed automated transmission, and Paccar 40K tandem rear axles. “We understand the vital importance of supporting our veterans in honor of their service to America. One way to express our appreciation is by donating our on-highway flagship Kenworth T680 – the Driver’s Truck – as the ‘Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence’ award for 2019,” said Kurt Swihart, Kenworth marketing director. “We urge fleets in America to nominate their best drivers who have served to protect our country, and we encourage those transitioning from military service to consider the trucking industry as their future career.” “About 200,000 veterans transition from the military into the private sector annually. Our mission at Fastport is to inform and educate veterans about the real career opportunities in the nation’s trucking industry,” said Brad Bentley, president of Fastport. “Part of our effort is to showcase the best available equipment. As ‘The Driver’s Truck,’ the Kenworth T680 is a truck that certainly attracts attention. Again this year, a well-deserving veteran will receive the keys to Kenworth’s T680 – courtesy of Kenworth, as America’s top rookie military veteran in the industry.” “Hiring Our Heroes helped more than 150,000 transitioning military service members and veterans connect with career opportunities in trucking and other high-demand career fields through its events and programs,” said Eric Eversole, vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and president of Hiring Our Heroes. “The 2019 ‘Transition Trucking’ award campaign provides a much-needed platform to highlight the positive impact veterans are making in the transportation industry and introduces a new generation of veterans to the excellent economic opportunities offered by a career in trucking.” The top driver will be determined by an expert panel of judges. To qualify, drivers must meet four eligibility requirements: Must have been active military or member of the National Guard or Reserve. Must have graduated from PTDI-certified, NAPFTDS or CVTA member driver training school, with a valid CDL. Must be employed by a trucking company that has made a hiring commitment and pledge to hire veterans on the Trucking Track Mentoring Program website. Must have been first hired in a trucking position between January 1, 2018 and June 30, 2019. The nomination period began March 19. Nominations will be accepted until June 30, 2019. Full criteria and online nomination forms can be found on the “Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence” website (www.transitiontrucking.org). Hiring Our Heroes hosts nearly 100 hiring events for service members, veterans, and military spouses throughout the year, with veteran hiring fairs slated to take place this year on military bases and at professional sports venues in cities with a high population of veterans. The Kenworth T680 Advantage will be on display at selected events to inform and inspire those considering a possible career in trucking. For more information, visit the websites of Fastport (www.fastport.com) and Hiring Our Heroes (http://www.HiringOurHeroes.org).  

By Sean Kilcarr, AASHTO Senior Editor WASHINGTON — In the shadow of the Frederick Douglas Memorial Bridge – Washington, D.C.’s largest transportation infrastructure project to date – federal, state and local officials gathered with other transportation industry representatives to re-emphasize the importance of roadway work zone safety, especially since 799 motor vehicle drivers, passengers, bicyclists, and pedestrians were killed in work zone crashes in 2017, which includes 132 highway workers. From a trucking industry perspective, there’s certainly cause for alarm. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said in 2017, 30.4% of fatal work zone crashes involved at least one large truck. The percentage of all fatal crashes that involved at least one truck was 12.4%. The plan is to replace the nearly 70-year-old functionally obsolete bridge and the nearby I-295 and Suitland Parkway interchange with a more modern, wider, and safer roadway, according to the District Department of Transportation. The bridge project – expected to open for use in 2021 – will feature the kind of work zones that can prove challenging to drivers and others during the spring and summer road construction season. That’s the underlying reason for National Work Zone Awareness Week, being held April 8-12; to reduce fatalities and serious injuries in work zones by encouraging everyone to slow down and pay attention. The event – held in the nation’s capital on April 9 and hosted by DDOT – served as the national “kickoff event” for the 2019 safety campaign; a campaign put together through a partnership of the Federal Highway Administration, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, the American Traffic Safety Services Association, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and other groups including the American Road & Transportation Builders Association and Associated General Contractors of America, plus individual state departments of transportation. “Safety is everyone’s responsibility,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao in a statement. “So please focus 100 percent on driving, be sober, be considerate of road workers and other road users and, please, obey the posted speed limits.” The kickoff ceremony featured a number of speakers, as well as the ATSSA’s “Memorial Wall,” created to honor highway workers, motorists, and others who lost their lives in work zone crashes over the last two decades. “As the weather gets warmer, highway workers are heading outdoors to improve our roads and keep us moving,” said Brandye Hendrickson, FHWA’s deputy administrator, during a speech at the event. “We all need to do our part and drive carefully, so that we can help keep everyone safe wherever construction is under way.” She told the AASHTO Journal that the annual National Work Zone Awareness campaign is a “good reminder” to everyone using the roads – motorists, commercial truck and bus operators, bicyclists, and even pedestrians – to “take ownership” of the work zone safety issue. “We can get a little lax over a long winter,” she said. “But we can’t afford to do that when work zones start popping up very frequently at this time year to fix and improve the roads.” Hendrickson also noted that, since 2005, FHWA has awarded more than $50 million in grants to develop work zone safety guidance and training and support the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse – a database dedicated to providing the transportation construction industry and the general public with comprehensive information on ways to improve motorist, worker, and pedestrian safety in roadway work zones. Jeff Marootian, DDOT’s director, told the AASHTO Journal that not only are projects like the Frederick Douglas Memorial Bridge aimed at making the roads safe “for everyone that uses them” regardless of mode of travel but “they need to be safe for the men and women working on them as well.” Guillermo Rivera, commander-special operations for the Metropolitan Police Department, pointed out that as work zones alter traffic patterns, motorists in particular need to use extra caution when navigating them in order to ensure the safety of workers, bicyclists and pedestrians in and around those areas. Lyndsay Sutton – whose father, Steven Morgan, died in a November 2011 accident while working on I-75 in Florida – emphasized that same point. “Fixing potholes and lane markings make roadway travel safe,” she said. “Construction may be a nuisance, but remember, highway workers are out here for us.” “Every day, in highway work zones from coast to coast, state DOT employees put their lives on the line making communities safer, stronger, and more efficient,” added Jim Tymon, AASHTO’s executive director, in a statement. “Motorists owe it to those workers, their families, and the rest of the traveling public, to stay alert in work zones so that everyone gets home safely at the end of the day.”

WASHINGTON — May Trucking Company, headquartered in Brooks, Oregon, has accepted an invitation to join the Alliance for Driver Safety & Security, also known as The Trucking Alliance, an industry-based safety advocate for reducing large truck crashes. May Trucking Company delivers dry and temperature-controlled products throughout the United States. In business for 75 years, May is a consistent leader in safety and technology improvements, according to Steve Williams, Trucking Alliance president and chairman and CEO of Maverick USA in Little Rock, Arkansas. The carrier has received numerous safety awards, most recently in 2018, when the Truckload Carriers Association named May Trucking Company as one of its three largest motor carriers with the lowest accident frequency ratio per million miles annually; a recognition May Trucking Company has received consistently over the past two decades. “The management and professional drivers at May Trucking Company are symbolic of a safety culture the trucking industry must adopt to improve the lifestyle of the American truck driver,” Williams said. “We’re honored that May Trucking Company accepted the Trucking Alliance invitation to affiliate and will join us in achieving policies to reach zero large truck fatalities.” “At May Trucking Company, we strive each day to create a safe work environment for our drivers while offering continuously improving efficiencies for our customers,” said David Daniels, May Trucking Company’s president. “We support the Trucking Alliance’s push for safety reforms,” Daniels added. “We look forward to helping the Trucking Alliance advance these reforms into policies that can reduce fatalities and improve highway safety for our employees and the motoring public.” Daniels will serve on the Trucking Alliance Board of Directors, chaired by Williams and that also includes Reggie Dupre´ of Dupre´ Logistics, Eric Fuller of US Xpress, Kevin Knight of Knight-Swift Transportation, Craig Harper of JB Hunt Transport, John Pope of Cargo Transporters, and Jim Richards of KLLM Transport Services. Daniels will appoint experts from May Trucking Company management to serve on the Trucking Alliance Advisory Group, a committee that provides analysis and recommendations to the Alliance directors on proposed safety regulations, legislation and proposals. Greer Woodruff, senior vice president of safety, security & driver personnel at J.B. Hunt Transport, serves as chairman of the Advisory Group. May Trucking Company was founded as a small regional carrier in 1945, and has grown and adapted to serve the needs of premier customers throughout the United States. May Trucking Company cultivates a culture of safety and development in every aspect of business, and is a recognized trailblazer in accident-free miles and developing partnerships to foster innovation. With locations spanning the country, May Trucking Company is strategically placed to continue to be a leader in the transportation industry, Daniels said. More information can be found at https://www.maytrucking.com/        

COLUMBIA FALLS, Maine — National nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) is in search of at least three sets of professional team drivers — retired, or nearing retirement — to volunteer to transport the organization’s Mobile Education Exhibit to various events across the country. The goal of the Wreaths Across America Mobile Education Exhibit is to bring local communities and our military together with education, stories and interactive connections. These volunteer positions would require one trip per month, a general knowledge and understanding of the WAA mission, and a willingness to work with the general public. All fuel and travel accommodations will be covered, including a daily stipend for food. Interested parties would need to travel to Maine in early July for a hands-on training. The 48-foot exhibit is equipped with a 24-person screening room that showcases the different aspects of the WAA mission through video. To the front of the exhibit there are three interactive computers to showcase locations, trucking supporters, and general wreath sponsorship questions. Also, in the front is an education wall of information on the different areas of WAA and where the mission will be going in years to come. The purpose of the Mobile Education Exhibit is to not only teach the next generation about service and sacrifice, but to share stories of patriotism and love of country to communities around the United States. Contact Renee Worcester at [email protected] for more information or to apply. Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s mission — Remember, Honor, Teach —  is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as at more than 1,600 veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and overseas. For more information, visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.  

The average price for a gallon of diesel nationwide rose 1½ cents for the week ending April 8, to stand at $3.093 per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). With the weekly increase, diesel costs a nickel more than it did a year ago nationwide. Diesel prices rose in every EIA region in the country with the exception of the New England region of the East Coast, which saw a tiny $0.003 drop in diesel, to finish at $3.193. Overall, the East Coast saw a 1 cent increase, with the Central Atlantic region keeping pace with the national average with a gain of 1½ cents, to stand at 3.324, widening its gap as having the highest diesel prices outside California. With a gain of $0.007, the Lower Atlantic region, at $2.998, is one of three regions where the price of diesel is still below $3 per gallon, along with the Midwest, at $2.993 after an increase of $0.009; and the Gulf Coast, which stands a national-low $2.879 after a increase of $0.007. Last week, the price of diesel only went up in western portion of the country. Although the increases were coast-to-coast this week, those same western regions were hit noticeably harder. The price increase was steepest in California, where the price for a gallon of diesel went up 6.1 cents, to $3.910. The rest of the West Coast saw an increase of $0.036, to round out the increase along the entire West Coast to 5 cents and an overall average price of $3.591 per gallon. In the Rocky Mountain region, the price of diesel climbed 2.1 cents, and stands at $3.028. California not only has the highest diesel prices in the country, but it also has the highest increase over a year ago, a 19.3 cents difference. The surrounding West Coast and Rocky Mountain regions are currently the only two regions in which the price of diesel is lower than a year ago/ Crude oil prices rose Monday. Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil, rose by 93 cents, to $65.50 a barrel, while U.S. crude ended Monday’s session up 87 cents, at $55.28. Click here for a complete list of average prices by region for the past three weeks.  

GREENBELT, Md. —  The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s 2019 North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria is now in effect. The 2019 out-of-service criteria replaces and supersedes all previous versions. The North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria is the pass-fail criteria for roadside safety inspections. The purpose of the criteria is to identify critical safety violations. Those violations render the driver, vehicle and/or motor carrier out of service until the condition(s) or violation(s) can be corrected or repaired. In accordance with CVSA bylaws, the changes were proposed to the Class I Members of the Alliance on Oct. 22, 2018, and subsequently ratified on Oct. 31, 2018. Voting members approved 12 changes to the out-of-service criteria which are now effective. Click here to see the changes and the rationale for making those changes. The North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria is updated annually each year, with the release of that year’s edition of the handbook. The “North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria Handbook and Pictorial” identifies critical vehicle inspection items and details the criteria that can prohibit a motor carrier or driver from operating a commercial motor vehicle for a specified period of time or until the condition is corrected. Print and electronic PDF versions of the 2019 edition of the handbook are available for purchase through the CVSA online store. The 2019 out-of-service criteria app will be available this week by searching “CVSA” in the Apple or Google Play stores. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance is a nonprofit association comprised of local, state, provincial, territorial and federal commercial motor vehicle safety officials and industry representatives. The Alliance aims to achieve uniformity, compatibility and reciprocity of commercial motor vehicle inspections and enforcement by certified inspectors dedicated to driver and vehicle safety.

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. —  The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association will appeal a ruling issued Thursday in a class-action lawsuit regarding tolls on users of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The lawsuit was brought last year by OOIDA and the National Motorists Association in the federal court in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The associations made up of truck drivers and other motorists challenged the constitutionality of the excessive tolls imposed upon drivers on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Thursday, Judge Yvette Kane granted the motions to dismiss of the defendants, which included the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, Gov. Tom Wolf, and Leslie Richards, Pennsylvania’s secretary of transportation. OOIDA expressed disappointment over the ruling, but is clearly not discouraged. In the opinion, the judge acknowledged that plaintiffs’ complaint “credibly alleges that Pennsylvania’s policy decisions related to transportation have resulted in a statutory scheme that disproportionately burdens Turnpike travelers with the costs of a state-wide transportation system that is of no direct benefit to them.” “It’s pretty clear she understands the situation,” said Todd Spencer, president of OOIDA. “But she also stated quite clearly that no definitive controlling precedent supports either side.” “It appears to us that she chose to apply a standard from a Supreme Court case from back in 1970 that focused on burdens imposed under a state’s regulations about agricultural products, rather than a standard from more recent in Supreme Court cases that spoke directly to user fees, which is what the tolls are in Pennsylvania,” he said. The association says the case is now poised for review by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. “Our case has been widely reported in the press and incorrectly linked with other reports alerting the public to a looming transportation crisis, driven in part by the same statutory scheme that our lawsuit challenges,” Spencer said. Act 44 and 89, passed in 2008 and 2013 respectively, ordered the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to send $450 million a year to PennDOT.  The Turnpike is in debt approaching $12 billion, and the Auditor General has labeled the state’s transportation funding system “unsustainable.” “This lawsuit is far from over,” Spencer said.  “And win or lose on appeal, the turnpike’s debt crisis and the Commonwealth’s transportation emergency aren’t going away either. This is a crisis created by the legislature’s decisions, not our lawsuit.” The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is the largest national trade association representing the interests of small-business trucking professionals and professional truck drivers. The Association currently has more than 160,000 members nationwide. OOIDA was established in 1973 and is headquartered in the greater Kansas City, Mo. area.