The Nation

BERKELEY TOWNSHIP, N.J. — New Jersey state police say a crash involving a car and a tanker truck on the Garden State Parkway has left four people dead. The accident happened about 2:50 a.m. Wednesday in the southbound lanes near Exit 81 in Berkeley Township. State police say the car slammed into the back of the tanker. The four people killed were all traveling in the car and were pronounced dead at the scene. It wasn’t immediately clear if the tanker was moving at the time. The tanker driver wasn’t injured. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. Authorities shut down some lanes of the highway as they investigated the crash, causing travel delays in the area.

WASHINGTON – The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Friday said it is granting petitions to preempt the State of California’s meal and rest break rules, which differ from current Federal hours-of-service regulations. FMCSA’s granting of these petitions is in response to widespread concern from drivers, concerned citizens, and industry stakeholders.  In 1996, Congress preempted states from enacting or enforcing policies “related to a price, route, or service of any motor carrier.”  California’s law is incompatible with Federal regulations and causes a disruption in interstate commerce.  In addition, the confusing and conflicting requirements are overly burdensome for drivers and reduce productivity, increasing costs for consumers. Additionally, safety issues have likely resulted from the lack of adequate parking solutions for trucks in the State. “Safety is FMCSA’s top priority and having uniform rules is a key component to increasing safety for our truck drivers,” said FMCSA Administrator Raymond P. Martinez.  “During the public comment period, FMCSA heard directly from drivers, small business owners, and industry stakeholders that California’s meal and rest rules not only pose a safety risk, but also lead to a loss in productivity and ultimately hurt American consumers.” The American Trucking Associations, the Truckload Carriers Association and the American Moving and Storage Association all applauded the decision. . “This is a victory for highway safety, not trial lawyers,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “The trucking industry supports our nation’s economic growth by safely and efficiently moving goods across state lines, and this decision by the Department of Transportation will save jobs, unburden businesses throughout the supply chain and keep the prices Americans pay for food, clothing and countless other essential items affordable and accessible.” In late September, ATA petitioned DOT to preempt meal-and-rest break rules imposed by California, but primarily enforced via private lawsuits against motor carriers, on the grounds that a patchwork of rules related to driver hours of service harms safety, is in conflict with federal rules and causes “an unreasonable burden on interstate commerce.” “We were forced to ask DOT and the Secretary for this important, common sense solution because congressional dysfunction and gridlock prevented Congress from reasserting itself – as it had in 1994 – as the primary arbiter of interstate commerce, despite bipartisan, bicameral support,” Spear said. “We hope today’s ruling will once and for all underscore the importance of a single, national standard for work and safety rules for professional drivers.” “For fleets like mine, knowing the rules will be the same for my drivers regardless of what state they’re delivering to is important,” said ATA Chairman Barry Pottle, president and CEO of Pottle’s Transportation. “I’d like to thank Secretary Chao for taking this step to make our highways safer by simplifying the lives and schedules of America’s truck drivers, but also recognize the efforts and persistence of the ATA staff who successfully built bipartisan consensus around solving this issue for carriers across the country.” “We applaud FMCSA for recognizing the valid concerns of our industry,” TCA said in a prepared statement. “TCA has been fighting for years on behalf of our members against California’s onerous meal and rest break laws. Ultimately, this action by FMCSA is an important step toward creating a more reliable and consistent regulatory environment for truck drivers. A consistent set of rules directly benefits drivers, consumers, small businesses, and the American economy.” “As a driver, being safe and well-rested is my primary concern,” said Derrick Whittle, a professional driver with Cargo Transporters Inc., “and having a single set of rules to follow whether I’m in California or Colorado makes it easier for me to do my job.” “We thank the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for agreeing with us that the California meal and rest break rules were incompatible with federal law, which holds that state regulations that have no safety benefits or cause an unreasonable burden on interstate commerce are unenforceable,” said American Moving and Storage Association Vice President of Government Affairs Paul Milotte. “These regulations would have made it tougher for moving companies to operate in the state of California while providing little to no safety benefit for consumers. We appreciate the FMCSA upholding the federal statute over this unnecessary and burdensome state law.” In all, over 700 public comments were submitted to the Federal Register docket regarding the petitions.  

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island transportation officials say they’ve received federal approval to build the state’s next 10 truck tolling structures. The Department of Transportation said Thursday the Federal Highway Administration reviewed an environmental assessment and found no significant impact from the gantries, which clears the path for construction. Rhode Island began tolling trucks in June as part of an infrastructure plan to repair bridges and roads. The first two tolls are on Interstate 95 in Exeter and Hopkinton. The program has collected $3.7 million so far, tolling 1.1 million trucks. Fourteen gantries are planned. Current law only allows for tolling trucks. A trucking industry group is suing, saying commercial trucks are unfairly targeted. The DOT says the next toll will come online by the spring, with the remaining nine activated over the following year.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has quietly scrapped the so-called split sleeper berth study in deference to the agency Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on changes to Hours of Service regulations. The study, which was posted for comments in a Federal Register notice June 6, 2017, never got out of the starting gate. The pilot program would have involved a limited number of commercial drivers who have a valid commercial driver’s license and who regularly use a sleeper berth to accumulate their required 10 hours of non-duty work status. During the pilot program, participating drivers would have the option to split their sleeper berth time in configurations within parameters specified by FMCSA, those being any combination of split sleeper periods, totaling 10 hours, with neither period being less than three hours, allowing for the driver to use splits of three and seven hours, four and six hours, or two- five-hour periods. This pilot program would have sought to produce statistically reliable evidence on the question whether split sleeper berth time affects driver safety performance and fatigue levels. Currently, drivers must spend at least one eight consecutive hour period in the sleeper berth. The agency made it known during the American Trucking Associations Management Conference and Exhibition that it would not conduct the study. “There was simply no need for this study because of the ANPRM,” said David Heller, vice president of government affairs at the Truckload Carriers Association. “It would have taken a year to gather the data, then it would have to be analyzed and put out for comments.” Meanwhile, Heller said, the FMCSA is under mandate to fast track the Hours of Service study. The FMCSA website designed to publicly communicate aspects of the study has been taken down.  

WASHINGTON — None of the 1,156 employees of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will be furloughed if the federal government shuts down at midnight Friday, according to a document provided by the Department of Transportation. All staff positions at the agency are funded by multi-year appropriations, indefinite appropriations and offsetting collections, which would include the Highway Trust Fund. All operations, including scheduled and other roadside inspections, would continue as normal. The document said 20,442 DOT staff would be furloughed if the government closes. That includes 17,791 of the 27,138 employees at the Federal Aviation Administration where flight control operations would continue as normal. The office of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao would furlough 406 employees and the Office of Inspector General would furlough 309 employees. President Donald J. Trump has threatened a shutdown if a continuing resolution keeping the government open through February 8 does not contain sufficient funding for the president’s promised border wall. Trump rejected a Senate-passed continuing resolution Thursday. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan is hoping the House can pass a continuing resolution that the president will accept, although any continuing resolution passed by the House would have to be approved by the Senate before it is sent to Trump for his signature.

WASHINGTON — The Bureau of Labor Statistics said Tuesday that there were 5,147 fatal work injuries in the United States in 2017, down slightly from the 5,190 fatal work injuries reported in 2016. The fatal work injury rate decreased to 3.5 per 100,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) workers from 3.6 in 2016. Transportation incidents accounted for 2,077 fatal work injuries or 40 percent the total. There were 2,083 transportation incidents involving fatalities in 2016. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ CAPTION FOR PHOTO Associated Press: MEL HOLTZ/ Frenchtown Rural Fire District This photo provided by the Frenchtown Rural Fire District shows where five tractor-trailers crashed on icy Interstate 90 near the town of Superior in western Montana early Wednesday, leading to the deaths of two drivers and injuries to two other people, including a rural firefighter who slipped and fell on an icy bridge deck. One driver jumped out of his rig to avoid oncoming traffic and went over a guardrail, falling to his death. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Transportation incidents include aircraft incidents, railway incidents, pedestrians struck and killed in a work zone, water vehicle incidents, roadway incidents and non roadway incidents involving a motorized land vehicles. The transportation and material moving occupational group and the construction and extraction occupational group accounted for 47 percent of worker deaths in 2017. Within the occupational subgroup driver/sales workers and truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers had the largest number of fatal occupational injuries with 840. This represented the highest value for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers since the occupational series began in 2003. Other notable data from the report included: Grounds maintenance workers (including first-line supervisors) incurred 244 fatalities in 2017. This was a small decrease from the 2016 figure (247) but was still the second-highest total since 2003. A total of 36 deaths were because of falls from trees, and another 35 were because of being struck by a falling tree or branch. There were 258 fatalities among farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers in 2017. Approximately 63 percent of these farmers were age 65 and over (162) with 48 being age 80 or over. Of the 258 deaths, 103 involved a farm tractor. Police and sheriff’s patrol officers incurred 95 fatal occupational injuries in 2017, fewer than the 108 fatalities in 2016. The BLS said other key findings of the 2017 data included: Fifteen percent of the fatally-injured workers in 2017 were age 65 or over – a series high. In 1992, the first year Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) published national data, that figure was 8 percent. These workers also had a higher fatality rate than other age groups in 2017. Fatalities incurred by non-Hispanic Black or African American workers and non-Hispanic Asian workers each decreased 10 percent from 2016 to 2017. Fatal occupational injuries in the private manufacturing industry and wholesale trade industry were the lowest since this series began in 2003. Workplace fatalities in the private mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industry increased 26 percent to 112 in 2017 from a series low of 89 in 2016. Over 70 percent of these fatalities were incurred by workers in the oil and gas extraction industries. A total of 27 states had fewer fatal workplace injuries in 2017 than 2016, while 21 states and the District of Columbia had more; California and Maine had the same number as 2016. A total of 192 metropolitan statistical areas had 5 or more fatal work injuries in 2017.

WASHINGTON – Santa has his elves to keep his North Pole operation running at full tilt. But everywhere else it takes volunteers to uphold the Christmas spirit. Across America, the trucking industry has done its part to make the season merry, according to Trucking Moves America Forward (TMAF), the organization devoted to promoting trucking’s image. TMAF recently put out an industrywide call for submissions through email and social media to get a sampling of the holiday-season charitable work going on within the trucking industry. The resulting list shows that trucking professionals may not wear curly-toed green boots or hats with bells (although the survey didn’t ask what they do off the clock), but their holiday spirit is indistinguishable from the little guys at Santa’s workshop in their efforts to make everyone’s holiday season bright. “From participating in efforts to feed the hungry and support our veterans, to collecting and delivering toys, shoes and other donations for those in need, the trucking industry has always taken great pride in giving back to the communities we serve,” said Kevin Burch, co-chairman of TMAF and president of Jet Express Inc. “Our trucking companies, drivers and employees united to donate their time, money and supplies to help others.” On Thursday, TMAF released a list of those submissions. “TMAF is proud to share a collection of efforts of the organizations and companies who supported those in need this year this holiday season,” Burch said. TMAF acknowledges the following companies and organizations, “that are making a difference in American communities”: American Trucking Associations’ America’s Road Team, which helped transport items from Dallas to Orlando, Florida, for the Snowball Express event hosted by the Gary Sinise Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps America’s veterans, first responders and their families. American Trucking Associations’ Share the Road program, which participated in the Wreaths Across America convoy from Maine to Arlington National Cemetery. The convoy made stops in communities along the trip to Arlington, met with Gold Star Families and showcased the important role trucking plays in honoring America’s fallen service members. ATA staff joined Share the Road truck drivers Nate McCarty and Ralph Garcia of ABF Freight to help disperse wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery. Albany, New York-based Bestpass collected items for “Goodnight Bags,” for The Equinox Domestic Violence Shelter. The bags included items such as small blankets, flashlights, sketch pads, color pencils, crayons and stuffed animals to help make a child’s stay at shelter as homey as possible. Bestpass also provided support and donated services for other causes through its #BestpassGives community outreach program. CFI, out of Joplin, Missouri, donated to several charities, including Salvation Army, Bethany House, and Wilmer’s Initiative to Spread Hope. CFI also donated 51 Christmas trees to local schools, senior centers and Children’s Haven, and donated to Wreaths Across America. Goodyear, Arizona-based Contracted Driver Services donated blankets to The Honey Foundation, which provides blankets, jackets and socks to local homeless shelters during the holiday season. Employees of DriverFacts, based out of Anaheim, California, give back through a variety of ways, including serving annually in the Appalachian Mountains of Kentucky at Big Creek Missions; making visits to veteran centers, adult day care centers and convalescent homes. They also work in schools, deliver food boxes, help weatherize homes and raise funds for Wreaths Across America at an annual banquet in Washington D.C. This year they participated in their local wreath laying ceremony and raised money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society and Gold Rush Cure Foundation. Garner Trucking, based out of Findlay, Ohio, participated in the 13th Annual Helping Hands Food Drive, coordinated with The University of Findlay, providing two trucks, trailers and drivers to haul over 97,400 pounds of food. They also delivered a truckload of wreaths to Arlington National Cemetery for Wreaths Across America, and employees donated coats to a local Coats for Christmas campaign and adopted a veteran and his family for the holiday season through the Salute a Veteran for the Holidays program. Defiance, Ohio-based Keller Logistics Group serves as a donation processing center for Soles4Souls, a global nonprofit dedicated to fighting poverty through the distribution of shoes and clothing. To date, Keller Logistics Group has collected and processed 16,867 pairs of shoes. Keller Logistics Group also supports veterans through the Keller Assists Veterans in Crisis program, which has raised $181,173 in donations, and by helping deliver wreaths to cemeteries across Ohio for Wreaths Across America Day. Kenan Advantage Group (KAG), based out of North Canton, Ohio, participated in Project North Pole through the Domestic Violence Project Inc. and helped support families at one of the local shelters. KAG also hosted a holiday party for their cleaning crew. Additionally, Jackie Casassa, a KAG Dispatcher in Midland, Michigan, (See the photo above) collects toys and donates them to the Midland County Probate & Juvenile Court Foster Care Program and Midland County Foster Closet. Load One, LLC, based out of Taylor, Missouri, donated winter jackets to students at a local elementary school. Load One transported the jackets from Chicago and used their warehouse to sort the jackets before delivering them to the school. San Diego, California-based Lytx partnered with the Boys & Girls Club of San Diego. Lytx employees participated by providing gifts for 10 families that they “adopted”. Lytx employees also served lunches at Father Joe’s Village, San Diego’s largest homeless services provider, which provides care to nearly 1,800 individuals daily. The Minnesota Trucking Association (MTA) raised $35,000 for its Trucks and Toys program, which helps connect children at local charities with holiday gifts provided by trucking industry professionals. MTA members were able to donate over 3,000 toys to charities throughout the state of Minnesota. MTA members also raised $11,000 to donate to a local state senator’s Annual Stock the Shelves event, which collects funds for Hunger Solutions Minnesota. The National Automobile Dealers Association Foundation’s Emergency Relief Fund, which includes the American Truck Dealers, provided financial assistance to employees from three commercial truck dealerships in North Carolina and South Carolina who sustained personal property damage from Hurricane Florence. Omnitracs, based out of Dallas, partnered with a variety of charities, including Wreaths Across America Foundation; Omnitracs pledged $25,000 to purchase 2,500 wreaths for wreath-laying ceremonies across the nation. Omnitracs’ individual offices also supported local charities. The team in Minnetonka, Minnesota, held a food drive and donated 499 pounds of food and made a monetary donation to its local food shelf. The Omnitracs’ team in Oakville, Ontario, partnered with The Mississauga Food Bank and raised $1,032.78 through an online giving page, and donated 187 pounds of food. Pilot Flying J, based out of Knoxville, Tennessee, donated $2 million to more than 20 nonprofit organizations that support veterans and those in need throughout the communities they serve, including Hire Heroes USA, Boys and Girls Club of America and Feeding America. Commercial Vehicle Driving instructors from Florida’s Pinellas Technical College delivered a trailer full of wreaths to Bay Pines National Cemetery in St. Petersburg during the Wreaths Across America Day. Prime Inc., based out of Springfield, Missouri, hosted a dodgeball tournament to raise money and toy donations for Toys for Tots. R&M Freight, based out of South Hampton, New Hampshire, a member of the New Hampshire Motor Transport Association, donated their trailer at the Newington Mall for the Marine Toys for Tots Program, which was filled with donations. SH 130 Concession Co., which operates and maintains Segments 5 & 6 of SH 130 from Mustang Ridge to Seguin, Texas, partnered with the Caldwell County Sheriff’s Department’s Brown Santa program, which distributes hundreds of toys across the county in Central Texas. SH 130 Concession Co. provided over 70 toys, books and games for local families. Knoxville, Tennessee-based Skyline Transportation Inc. donated a tractor, trailer and drivers in support of the Mission of Hope Christmas Campaign, which delivers food, hygiene products, new clothing and new toys to families in Appalachia. Skyline also participated in Wreaths Across America transporting nearly 2,000 wreaths from Maine to the Knoxville National Cemetery. TransLand, based out of Springfield, Missouri, transported toys and helped package eggs and food for distribution for a local nonprofit, Crosslines, which distributes holiday food and brand-new toys to thousands. TransLand also participated in Wreaths Across America, delivering a truckload of wreaths from Maine to national cemeteries in Illinois. Employees at TransLand also adopted a family of five to ensure they have a Merry Christmas. The Texas Trucking Association’s Emerging Leaders Council coordinates an annual donation event for Toys for Tots. The council arranged the pickup and storage of toys from locations across the state. Participating member companies included: Canal Cartage, Gulf Intermodal Services, Point 2 Point, Scopelitis, Apex Capital, Central Freight, Walport, Volvo, Refrigerated Transport Inc., The Fuentes Firm, CKJ Transport, Premier Refrigerated Warehouse, Great West, Mondics Insurance Group, Utility Trailer of Dallas, Bruckner Truck Sales of Dallas, Craddock Moving and Storage and Edward Jones of Plano. Tri State Truck Center, Inc., based out of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, hosted their annual Haulin’ 4 Hunger program, which provides fresh meals to almost 13,000 community residents. The Truckload Carriers Association and its member companies were instrumental in the delivery of the 2018 U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s The Wall That Heals, as well as Wreaths Across America remembrance wreaths this holiday season. To learn more about TMAF, visit http://www.truckingmovesamerica.com.

SEATTLE —  With the holiday travel season officially here, QuoteWizard, an online insurance comparison marketplace, Thursday released a new proprietary study on the 25 most car accident prone cities in the country. From highest to lowest, here are the 25 cities with the highest rates of car crashes: Columbus, Ohio St. Louis Los Angeles Sacramento, California New Orleans Charlotte, North Carolina Columbia, South Carolina Washington Baltimore Greenville, South Carolina Portland, Oregon Salt Lake City Omaha New York Atlanta San Diego Richmond, Virginia Louisville, Kentucky Bakersfield, California Hartford, Connecticut Boston Durham, North Carolina Virginia Beach, Virginia Riverside, California Birmingham, Alabama “Car crashes are, sadly, all too common across the country. But crash rates vary quite a bit from city to city. Whether it’s distracted driving, lousy roads, bad drivers, or a combination of all three, drivers in some cities seem to crash more often than others,” says Adam Johnson, QuoteWizard content manager. “QuoteWizard analyzed over a million datapoints on drivers in America to find out where people are getting into accidents at the highest rates.” QuoteWizard sampled incident data (with more than one million data points) from drivers who used its services. To quantify overall driver standards for comparison, QuoteWizard then weighted the accident counts for each city with frequency to determine accident rates. The following is the commentary about each of the top five cities as printed in the study report. Columbus, Ohio                                                                                         More and more people are flocking to this Midwestern city, and it’s grown by 10 percent since 2010. Maybe the newcomers haven’t heard the news – Columbus is QuoteWizard’s most car accident-prone city in America. Why? We’re not exactly sure, but the stats paint a clear picture. In 2017 there were a whopping 24,399 car crashes in Columbus. Those accidents damaged some 45,000 cars and caused nearly 9,000 injuries. Interestingly, most car crashes in Columbus were the result of a rear end. That’s not so surprising when you consider how common distracted driving is nowadays. Pro tip: stay off the cellphone and be extra careful driving on Fridays in Columbus – it had more crashes than any other day of the week at 4,168. St. Louis St. Louis rings in as the second most accident-prone city in the U.S. In 2016, car accidents killed 940 people in Missouri, with 62 deaths occurring in St. Louis. High car crash rates can and do impact the entire community. In fact, a chain reaction crash even damaged the mayor’s car in nearby East St. Louis. Is it St. Louis’ erratic weather? We’re not entirely sure what’s got St. Louis drivers crashing into each other so often, but it seems that the infamous Midwest Nice doesn’t extend to the city’s roads. Los Angeles When it comes to driving, the City of Angels isn’t so Angelic. Los Angeles comes in as the third most accident-prone city in the country. Is anyone surprised? From 2016 to 2017, traffic collisions in L.A. increased 5 percent. Considering Los Angeles is the fifth fastest growing city in the country, those collision numbers are poised to continue growing. Along with palm trees and sandy beaches, you’ll also find some of the most heavily congested roads in the world. Maybe the high number of crashes has to do with the fact that L.A. has the worst traffic in the country. Weaving through traffic becomes a lot more dangerous when cars are creeping along at a snail’s pace. Sacramento, California Sacramento residents might not be too surprised to see their beloved city make the top five. After all, Sacramento got third place in QuoteWizard’s 2018 worst drivers study. But what makes this California capital such a hub for bad drivers? One reason: several major freeways run through the heart of the city, and freeways are a pressure cooker for bad drivers. Most of Sacramento’s fatal crashes happen on 99 between Fruitridge and Florin road, at the intersection of I-80 and the Capitol City Freeway in West Sacramento, and the Capitol City Freeway near Ardin. Luckily, the city seems to be cracking down on risky motorists. Sacramento brought back a full-time traffic team in 2015. New Orleans It may come as a shock that this vibrant city known for jazz, beignets, and so much more is also one of the most accident-prone cities in the U.S. Statewide fatalities and serious injuries caused by collisions are on the downward trend in Louisiana. But NOLA is a different story – our study ranks New Orleans as the fifth most car accident-prone in the US. Maybe the area’s crash rate is so high because of the increasing traffic congestion. NOLA residents spend an extra 26 minutes per day traveling. Even that small sliver of extra time in the car allows more room for error on the road. And if it’s not the bad traffic that’s responsible for the city’s high crash rate, it’s probably the proliferation of drive-thru daiquiri stands.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.  — Three more former executives of the largest U.S. fuel retailer have been sentenced to prison in a plot to cheat trucking companies out of millions of dollars. The Knoxville News Sentinel reports former Pilot Flying J executives Arnold Ralenkotter, Jay Stinnett and John Spiewak were sentenced Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Curtis Collier. They received reduced sentences for admitting guilt and working with prosecutors to convict former company president Mark Hazelwood of fraud, and two others, this year. Ralenkotter and Spiewak each received a 21-month sentence. Stinnett was sentenced to 30 months. Collier says it was probably the biggest fraud case in the trucking industry’s history. The Knoxville-based company is controlled by the family of Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam. The Haslams haven’t been charged with wrongdoing.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Expediter Services and Women In Trucking Association said Wednesday that the collaborative initiative between the two organizations to create 150 women-owned businesses in transportation is on the verge of seeing 75 new trucking start-ups generated within the program. In reaching the halfway mark in a little more than a year following the program’s official launch at Women In Trucking’s 2017 Accelerate Conference, the 150 Business Challenge has become a proven platform that offers accessible financing as well as operational and business support for women who have an interest in a career path within the trucking industry. Expediter Services first proposed the 150 Business Challenge to Women In Trucking last fall. The program immediately captured the interest of Forward Air and Panther Premium, a service of ArcBest. These two leading transportation companies became the primary participating carriers for the program, and both carriers have benefited from the addition of non-asset capacity in a driver market that, according to the latest industry estimates, has a shortage in excess of 50,000 people behind the wheel. The 150 Business Challenge follows the proven working model that Expedited Services utilizes in offering truck ownership opportunities and assisting the program participants in establishing profitable small businesses through a variety of support mechanisms found within the Expediter Services community, according to Jason Williams, president of Expediter Services. Community. professional drivers interested in the Expediter Services truck ownership programs, like the 150 Business Challenge, go through a screening and qualification process, including an evaluation period. Williams said in addition to looking at work history, it is during the evaluation period program that participants are given the opportunity by Expediter Services to demonstrate their attitude, their aptitude and their work ethic. “The company’s process for qualifying truck ownership program participants is unique because it places a greater emphasis on a driver’s work history over a traditional credit score. ES offers qualified participants competitive, market-rate financing for professional drivers seeking to own trucks from the leading equipment brands in the industry,” he said. “We believed that the 150 Business Challenge could help to make a difference in our industry, and it’s been amazing to witness what has taken place in the past year. As an organization, we could not be more pleased with the results coming out of this program,” said Ellen Voie, President and CEO of the Women In Trucking Association. “The 150 Business Challenge has become a true source of empowerment and opportunity for women in the trucking industry. One of the obstacles that Women In Trucking is working to address is to get women involved as business owners in the trucking industry, and the 150 Business Challenge offers the ideal launching platform for those women who have the drive and desire to establish or expand their own transportation operations.” “One of the founding principles of our company is to be of service and to provide opportunities to people. As we developed our truck ownership programs, we took note of the hurdles women have faced in trucking from a financial standpoint when looking to start a business. By working with Ellen and her team at Women In Trucking and by partnering with Forward Air and Panther Premium/ArcBest, we believed that we could help open the doors to more women-owned businesses while bringing additional capacity into the industry,” Williams said. “One of the most rewarding parts of the 150 Business Challenge for our team at ES has been the opportunity to work with the amazing people coming into the program. It’s been a thrill for us to see these small businesses get started, achieve success and grow.” The small businesses that have been established through the 150 Business Challenge have established a solid track record of success and growth, according to officials at Expediter Services, who said this group of small businesses started through the 150 Business Challenge are generating a combined revenue total well in excess of $1.5 million per month. Participants have their choice of operating their trucks within expedited, truckload or LTL through Panther Premium and Forward Air. According to Expediter Services officials, while the program will close December with over 70 total start-ups that have utilized the 150 Business Challenge, the number of deals in the pipeline and the ongoing discussions with professional drivers interested in operating their own small trucking businesses have the program on track to surpass 75 start-ups in early January. “As we begin our second year with this program, we’re ready for the continued growth we expect to see,” said Williams, who also serves on the board of the Women In Trucking Association. “For our team at Expediter Services, this a grass-roots effort that we approach one person at a time, one business at a time, one truck at a time.”            

WASHINGTON — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has declared Arkansas-licensed truck driver Jeffery Scott Mitchell to be an imminent hazard to public safety and has ordered him not to operate any commercial motor vehicle in interstate commerce. Mitchell was served the federal order on December 14, 2018. During five separate roadside safety inspections within the last nine months, Mitchell, a commercial driver’s license holder, has been cited and taken into custody by law enforcement officers in Arizona, California, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee with either being under the influence of, or in possession of, a Schedule I controlled substance. During these unannounced safety inspections, Mitchell was also cited for multiple violations of operating a CMV without a valid CDL, multiple records-of-duty status violations, and an instance of failing to obey a traffic control device. FMCSA’s imminent hazard out-of-service order to Mitchell states “Your blatant and egregious violations of [federal safety regulations] and drug and alcohol regulations and ongoing and repeated disregard for the safety of the motoring public … substantially increases the likelihood of serious injury or death to you and/or to the motoring public.” Failure to comply with the provisions of a federal imminent hazard out-of-service order may result in action by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for equitable relief and punitive damages.  Civil penalties of up to $1,848 may be assessed for each day a CMV is operated in violation of the order.  Knowing and/or willful violation of the order may also result in criminal penalties. Mitchell also may be subject to a civil penalty enforcement proceeding brought by FMCSA for his violation of the Agency’s safety regulations.  

Every year about this time, news media of every kind put together end-of-the-year roundups. It’s a good way to reflect, to perhaps gain insight and to get a glimpse at how future generations will view anno Domini 2018. Plus, it’s a good way to fill up space during a slow news period when a lot of your staff goes on vacation. One of the traditional newsroom year-end rituals is to do a roll call of all the famous people who died over the past year. Several years ago, when I was heading up an entertainment section, I got the idea, why do the same somber list as everyone else? So instead I started a new tradition of giving a shout-out to famous people you may be pleased, or at least surprised, to know are still around to join us in the new year. The only firm rule to my list is that a celebrity has to be at least 85 years old. And I try not to have too many people who are still consistently in the limelight, unless their age may be surprising, like say, Betty White, 96; Clint Eastwood, 88; or William Shatner, 87. The reigning champs for longevity are Olivia De Havilland, known best for being Scarlett O’Hara’s friend and unwitting rival Melanie Wilkes in “Gone with the Wind,” who is 102; and Kirk Douglas, who was and always will be able to truthfully say, “I am Spartacus,” even at 102. There’s always a risk that the list could be inaccurate by the time it gets released. In fact, the day I started selecting names for this year’s list, it was announced that one of this year’s shoo-ins, Marvel Comics maestro Stan Lee, had died at 95. So, with that disclaimer, here are some of the celebrities that will ring in 2019. The name Ann Taylor Cook may not ring any bells, but her face is etched in almost all our memories. She was the original Gerber baby. A family friend drew the charcoal sketch when Cook was 4 months old and submitted it into a contest a year later. Today, Cook is a healthy 91. Maybe it’s something she ate. Another image most of us can picture is the famous photo of Jack Ruby shooting Lee Harvey Oswald as he was handcuffed to a Texas lawman wearing a light-colored suit and a Stetson. That lawman’s name is Jim Leavelle. He’s 98 today, and you bet he still has that hat. In the world of sports, Marv Levy of the Buffalo Bills and Bud Grant of the Minnesota Vikings share a dubious distinction in NFL history. They both coached their teams to four Super Bowls and lost them all. But in the game of life, they’ve both beat the spread – Levy is 93, Grant is 91. Between Grant’s run in the ’70s and Levy’s run in the ’90s, The San Francisco 49ers were the darlings of the football world, running off four championships. Of course, the city had crooner Tony Bennett’s heart long before that. He’s been singing about it since 1961, and still is at the age of 92. Alfred Hitchcock is remembered for two things: an incredible catalog of movies and an obsession with “cool blonde” actresses. Three of those actresses who starred in Hitchcock films during the director’s most celebrated creative streak (1954-1964) met various on-screen fates, as well as some reputed off-screen drama working with the Master of Suspense: Eva Marie Saint of “North by Northwest,” 94; Kim Novak, from “Vertigo,” 85; and Tippi Hedren, who had two go-arounds in “The Birds” and “Marnie,” 88. None of the Mercury Seven, America’s first astronauts, are still with us. Neither is Neil Armstrong, who will forever hold the distinction of being the first human to set foot on a celestial body other than Earth. But before we started reaching to the heavens, pilot Chuck Yeager pushed the limits of manned flight when he broke the sound barrier in 1947. He’s still going strong at 95. Speaking of going strong, urologists across America credit Bob Dole with saving untold lives when, after an unsuccessful bid for the presidency, he retired from politics and became the spokesman for Viagra. Millions of men got checkups, including prostate exams, as a condition of getting a prescription for the little blue pill. Had Dole, now 95, become president, he would have the record for longevity among former presidents. That distinction, instead, belongs to George H.W. Bush, who died November 30 at the age of 94 years, 171 days. He may not hold the record for long, though. Jimmy Carter, who was born 101 days after Bush, could surpass him on March 12. They say laughter is the best medicine. Could be – TV producer Norman Lear, whose sitcoms dominated the 1970s, is 96. One-time Vegas mainstay comedian Shecky Green is 92. Jerry Stiller, whose been funny in several TV shows, most notably “Seinfeld” and “The King of Queens,” and is the father of another funny guy, Ben Stiller, is 91. TV comedy pioneer Sid Caesar lived to be 91, while two of his writers, Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks, are still with us at 96 and 92, respectively. Caesar also had a kid working for him by the name of Woody Allen, but at 82 he won’t qualify until 2021. May we all be here to welcome him to the list.

ARLINGTON, Va. — At 1,640 participating locations nationwide, American citizens in every state placed 1.8 million veterans’ wreaths on the headstones of veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country during national Wreaths Across America Day December 15. At Arlington National Cemetery alone, nearly 60,000 rain-soaked volunteers placed 253,000 wreaths. The event is sponsored by Wreaths Across America, a nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. Nearly 600 truckloads of wreaths were transported across the country through a network of hundreds of volunteer drivers, donated trucking and diesel, and countless hours of dedicated volunteers committed to the Wreaths Across America mission to “remember, honor and teach. On Friday evening, Truckload Carriers Association Chairman Dan Doran and TCA Image Committee Co-Chair and Pilot Flying J’s Wendy Hamilton recognized nearly 80 professional truck drivers during the 2018 WAA Appreciation Rally. “Wreaths Across America brings diverse people and communities together across the country to celebrate all that is good and just,” said Karen Worcester, WAA executive director. “It is our obligation as Americans to teach our children – and each other – about the value of our freedom and the character of the men and women who serve to protect it.” Karen Worcester said each live, balsam veteran’s wreath is a gift of respect and appreciation, donated by a private citizen or organization and placed on the graves by volunteers as a small gesture of gratitude for the freedoms Americans enjoy. “For centuries, fresh evergreens have been used as a symbol of honor and have served as a living tribute renewed annually,” she said. “Wreaths Across America believes the tradition represents a living memorial that honors veterans, active duty military and their families. Volunteers are asked to say the name of the veteran out loud when placing a wreath to ensure their memory lives on.” At the Friday evening event, some 800 people — trucking executives, professional truck drivers, military dignitaries, WAA convoy participants, and supporters — attended. During the trucking industry presentation, Doran and Hamilton invited all professional truck drivers who were in the audience to come forward to be recognized; each received a one-of-a-kind, commemorative 2018 Wreaths Across America hat. “Motor carriers have answered the call by not only delivering wreaths safely and on time to military veterans cemeteries, but by donating equipment, fuel, and most importantly their drivers’ time,” Doran said. “Tonight, let’s celebrate this great nation as well as the professional truck drivers who help carry out Wreaths Across America’s mission of remember, honor teach.” “The truckload of wreaths that you delivered earlier today is a truckload of respect,” Hamilton told drivers. “Many of you have served our country as well as our industry and for that we are forever grateful.” To learn more about Wreaths Across America, visit www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.  

SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  — Outgoing Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says the state’s motor-fuel tax should be increased to fund highway and bridge improvements. The Democrat and colleagues from the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus said Tuesday the 19-cents-per-gallon tax should be increased by as much as 30 cents. The caucus represents 275 municipal governments in Chicago and its suburbs. Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn called last week for an increase, too. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s cabinet members says three-fourths of the state’s bridges are in need of repair . The tax has been the same since 1991. Consumers also pay sales tax on gasoline. Emanuel is not seeking re-election next spring. His advocacy provides a boost to Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker. Pritzker has promised a multibillion-dollar construction program but no details on financing it.

SNOQUALMIE PASS, Wash.  — Before descending the Cascade Mountains on its final stretch to Seattle, Interstate 90 cuts through a mountain pass of old growth forests and wetlands. For countless wildlife species, the busy highway is a border, constraining their movements and posing a fatal risk should they dare to cross it. “Everything from an elk down to a small salamander, they need to move to find food, to find mates, to find new places to live as their populations expand or just when conditions change, like a fire breaks out,” said Jen Watkins of Conservation Northwest. Soon, animals will have a safer option for crossing the road: They’ll be able to go above it. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ CAPTION FOR PHOTO In this photo taken October 4, 2018, eastbound Interstate 90 traffic passes beneath a wildlife bridge under construction on Snoqualmie Pass, Washington. The stretch of highway crossing the Cascade Mountains cuts through old growth forest and wetlands, creating a dangerous border for wildlife everything from an elk down to a small salamander. The new crossing gives animals in these mountains a safer option for crossing the road: They’ll be able to go above it. (Associated Press: ELAINE THOMPSON) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Washington state is finishing work on its largest wildlife bridge. The 35-foot-tall, 66-foot-wide  structure emerges from the forest and forms two arches above the highway, one for each direction of traffic. Fencing and landscaping will be installed to guide animals across the bridge, and 8-foot walls will block car noise. At least one animal has already used it. Washington’s Transportation Department tweeted last week that a wildlife camera captured video of a coyote scampering over I-90 on the new structure. “Excited to see what other species cross!” the agency wrote. Scientists pinpointed the area as part of a natural migration route from the Cascades to Keechelus Lake, about 60 miles east of Seattle, said Meagan Lott, spokeswoman for the project. Animals, especially elk, move to the lower lands as the season change and the mountains get colder and snowier. “Providing habitat reconnection will prevent some of the wildlife from accessing I-90 and keep drivers safe,” she said. The I-90 bridge is part of a growing number of wildlife crossings across the U.S. The crossings — a combination of fencing, overland bridges and underpasses — aim to keep drivers and animals away from each other as increased human population, a boom in the number of deer and development encroaching on natural habitat have meant more cars on roads and more crashes with animals. A 2008 U.S. Transportation Department study found collisions between animals and humans have steadily increased, totaling 5 percent of all crashes nationwide and, at the time, costing about $8 billion to the economy, including everything from car repairs to emergency room visits and carcass disposal. But Renee Callahan of the Montana-based Center for Large Landscapes Conservation says driver-animal collisions remain vastly under reported. She points to a 2017 study by Virginia’s transportation agency that showed law enforcement tallies of deer-driver collisions were 8.5 times lower than the number of carcass removals. An adjusted tally showed deer collisions ranked fourth among the 14 types of costliest collisions in Virginia, adding up to more than $500 million per year. “This is an issue that’s perennially undermeasured, and that means it’s not ranked properly among priorities,” Callahan said. Collisions between animals and drivers are rarely fatal to people but often deadly to wildlife. The 2008 federal study also found 21 endangered or threatened species in the U.S. are affected by vehicle hits. Along a stretch of Colorado’s state highway 9, which winds through forests and mountains west of Denver, spring melt used to unveil a grim toll. The carcasses of mule deer, which winter in the area, would emerge on the roadside under melting snow, said Michelle Cowardin, a Colorado Parks and Wildlife biologist. On average, more than 55 deer would be hit by drivers each winter. But then a local ranch, nearby municipalities and a matching state grant raised $45 million for several crossings. The first two years of monitoring showed the number of hits down to about eight per winter. “We’ve had 22,000 successful movements of mule deer across seven structures. Those aren’t individual deer, but the way I like to think about it, that’s 22,000 times a deer wasn’t crossing a highway and potentially causing an accident with a motorist,” Cowardin said. In Canada’s Banff National Park, research has found bridges, underpasses and fencing cut the area’s animal-driver collisions by 80 percent. Another set of crossings and fencing in Wyoming built for a pronghorn migration has seen drops beyond 85 percent. All but four of the two dozen overland wildlife bridges are in Western states, but dozens of other locations have been pinpointed as needing corridors, Callahan said. “The No. 1 obstacle is funding,” said Watkins, whose organization has helped campaign for animal crossings. Biologist Patty Garvey-Darda of the U.S. Forest Service has worked on the I-90 crossing from the beginning. She says the $6 million bridge will pay for itself when the highway is not fully or partially closed by animal hits. “If you shut down Interstate 90, you shut down interstate commerce,” Garvey-Darda said.

PHILADELPHIA — Mobile devices continue to distract drivers in the greater Philadelphia area, according to a survey recently commissioned by The Travelers Institute, the public policy division of The Travelers Companies. The survey findings were part of a Tuesday symposium “Harnessing Science, Tech and Innovation to Combat Distracted Driving,” today at the University of Pennsylvania. The program, part of the company’s Every Second Matters ? distracted driving education series, is being held in conjunction with the Behavioral Science and Analytics for Injury Reduction Lab, the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, the Penn Injury Science Center, Penn Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Center for Injury Research and Prevention. The symposium addressed behavioral science behind distracted driving and explored research-driven approaches to increasing roadway safety. The survey among 435 drivers found that 75 percent use a mobile device while driving, with 91 percent of millennials, 79 percent of Gen Xers and 64 percent of baby boomers engaging in this behavior. The survey also identified how drivers in the region are using mobile devices while behind the wheel. Top activities included: Reading texts or emails (48 percent). Updating or checking social media, such as Facebook or Twitter (23 percent). Recording video (18 percent). “Crashes caused by people choosing to look at their phone rather than the road are entirely preventable,” said Michael Klein, executive vice president and president, Personal Insurance at Travelers. “Technology like a ‘do not disturb’ function on your phone, which only 9 percent of our survey respondents said they use, is one solution that can help more drivers stay focused. Distracted driving remains a significant danger in Philadelphia and across the country, underscoring the importance of education, research and action.” When it comes to preventing driver distraction, the Travelers survey found that the greatest deterrent for all ages comes from the fear of causing a collision (40 percent). This ranked higher than having a loved one involved in a collision related to distracted driving; having the option to utilize mobile device blocking technology; and legislation prohibiting phone use. “Distracted driving has become a national public health issue,” said Dr. Kit Delgado, assistant professor of emergency medicine and epidemiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and a practicing trauma center physician. . “There are many lessons to be learned from the study of human behavior and behavior change. When you combine that with new, scalable technology available in today’s smartphones, there may be promising avenues to explore to help combat the distracted driving epidemic.”

ATLANTA — The North American Commercial Vehicle Show (NAVC Show) a biennial B2B trucking industry trade show that focuses on the needs of fleet owners, managers and decision makers, said all of the major Class 8 truck manufacturers will return to the NACV Show 2019, following its successful launch in 2017. Industry leaders returning to display and launch their latest products include Daimler Trucks North America’s Freightliner & Western Star brands, Volvo Trucks, Mack Trucks, Navistar’s International Trucks brand and Hino Trucks, to name a few. PACCAR’s Peterbilt and Kenworth will exhibit for the first time at NACV Show 2019, according to said Larry Turner, president and CEO of Hannover Fairs USA (HFUSA), the NACV Show’s co-organizer with partner Newcom Media. As it did in 2017, the NACV Show will curtail participation in the Mid American Trucking Show. Officials at Navistar, Volvo Trucks and Mack Trucks said they would not exhibit at MATS in 2019. Officials at Kenworth and Peterbilt said they would exhibit at MATS and the NACV Show. Daimler officials have not yet responded to a request by The Trucker about its participation plans. Leading trailer manufacturers and top tier suppliers, including Bendix, BorgWarner, Bosch, ConMet, Continental, Cooper Tire, Cummins Inc., Dana, Dorsey Trailer, Great Dane, Hendrickson, Holland, Hyundai Translead, Meritor, SAF Holland, Tenneco, Thermo King, Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co., Wabash and WABCO, have signed on to exhibit at the Georgia World Congress Center from October 28-31, 2019. The NACV Show is growing and will cover 530,000 square feet of net exhibition space in 2019 up from 370,000 net square feet in 2017, Turner said. Next year’s trade show will span the entire Building B and expand into Building A at the Georgia World Congress Center. The organizers expect to host more than 500 exhibitors up from 439 exhibitors in 2017. OEMs will offer exclusive looks at their latest model power units and trailers, advanced driver assistance systems, fuel efficiency equipment, safety technologies and electronic logging devices. New features at the NACV Show 2019 include a broader array of maintenance services, high-quality truck accessories, driver retention and recruiting services. “Since its 2017 launch in Atlanta, the NACV Show continues to impress the industry with its cutting-edge demonstrations of commercial vehicle innovations and technologies,” Turner said. “We are excited to expand the event’s footprint and offerings next year, and to continue to focus on the needs of a larger audience of fleet owners, fleet managers, fleet maintenance managers and other key decision makers from across North America.” More than 15,000 fleet management attendees are expected to visit the show in 2019, or more than double the number of attendees at the inaugural event. “The inaugural NACV Show was designated a Gold 100 Awards honoree by Trade Show Executive Magazine, acknowledging the scope of our first show’s accomplishments and industry innovations,” said Joe Glionna, president of Newcom Media. “Again in 2019, we look forward to showcasing the industry’s top OEMs and solutions providers and to featuring new product categories plus a variety of educational and tutorial sessions both on the floor and immediately before the show floor opens every day during the event,” Glionna said. For more information about exhibiting, contact Bill Fox, senior director of industrial events at HFUSA at 773-796-4250 ext. 248 or [email protected]. To attend, contact Ashley Olian, audience development manager at HFUSA at 773)-796-4250 ext. 225 or [email protected].

WASHINGTON — The future of the U.S. Interstate Highway System is threatened by a persistent and growing backlog of structural and operational deficiencies and by various looming challenges, such as the progress of automated vehicles, developments in electric vehicles, and vulnerabilities due to climate change. Unless a commitment is made to remedy the system’s deficiencies and prepare for these oncoming challenges, there is a real risk that the nation’s interstates will become increasingly unreliable and congested, far more costly to maintain, less safe, incompatible with evolving technology, and vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather, says a new Congressionally- mandated report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The report calls for a 20-year “blueprint for action,” which includes creating an “Interstate Highway System Renewal and Modernization Program,” increasing the federal fuel tax to help pay for it and allowing tolls and per-mile-charges on more interstate routes. “The interstates have long been the backbone of our country’s transportation system, but most of them have exceeded their design lives and in many places are worn and overused,” said Norman Augustine, former chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corp. and chair of the committee that wrote the report.  “These aging interstates are highly congested oftentimes and in need of reconstruction.  Furthermore, technological advances are offering new opportunities, but they may also undermine a principal source of income for the interstates, namely the tax on fuel.  We recommend a course of action that is aggressive and ambitious, but by no means novel.  Essentially, we need a reinvigoration of the federal and state partnership that produced the Interstate Highway System in the first place.” The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways was authorized in 1956 and designed to provide safe and efficient transportation across states.  The highways serve as both urban commuter and inter-urban travel corridors, integrate the country’s freight system by connecting to major ports and rail hubs, and are critical to the logistics of national defense. Constituting about 1 percent of public road mileage, the interstates carry about one-fourth of the nation’s vehicle miles traveled, including about one-half of the miles traveled by heavy trucks. Moreover, per vehicle mile traveled, interstate highways are the safest roads in the country.  Because of their heavy use, however, they still account for more than 5,000 traffic deaths per year.  Nevertheless, today they suffer from severe congestion, mainly in urban areas, and in many cases are in need of costly reconstruction. The committee identified a series of challenges – both long-standing and emerging ones – that confront the future of the interstates.  These include rebuilding the system’s pavements, bridges, and other aging assets before they become unserviceable and less safe; adding more traffic capacity and demand management capabilities, especially on congested urban segments; ensuring the system’s coverage keeps pace with changes in the location of the country’s population and economic growth; improving safety as traffic volumes increase; adapting to changing vehicle technologies; adopting new user-based funding mechanisms that will generate the needed reinvestment revenues; and incorporating changing climate conditions into planning and design.  For example, more than one-third of interstate bridges have been in service for more than 50 years and will require repair and renewal investments that will add significantly to the major outlays required for rebuilding the system’s original pavement foundation.  In addition, large metropolitan areas are expected to continue to account for most of the country’s population growth, yet their interstates have little room to expand locally and are likely to require innovative solutions to accommodate growing travel demand. The committee noted that advances in technology – ranging from more efficient and faster construction methods and more durable materials to electronic tolling and increasingly connected and automated vehicles – could make the rebuilding of the Interstate Highway System and the allocation of its capacity more manageable, while also furthering the continual goal of increasing the system’s capacity and level of safety. Recent combined state and federal capital spending on the interstates has been approximately $25 billion annually.  To renew and modernize these highways over the next 20 years, $45 billion to $70 billion will be required annually, depending on uncertainties, such as the rate of growth of vehicle miles traveled.  The committee noted, however, that these estimates may be low, because they do not include funding required to reconfigure and reconstruct many of the interstates’ 15,000 interchanges or make the system more resilient to the effects of climate change. To raise the additional new revenue needed for system upgrades, the committee recommended increasing the federal fuel tax in the near term and allowing tolls or per-mile charges on interstate users.  Lifting the ban on tolling that applies to most general purpose interstate lanes would provide states and metropolitan areas with more options for raising revenue for their share of RAMP investments and for managing the traffic demand on and operations of interstate segments that offer limited opportunity for physical expansion.

Oh, man, it’s column time again. You know what? I’m going to have to be straight with you. There isn’t a darned thing I feel like talking about this time around. This is one of those “slow news” periods you hear about, and there really isn’t a whole lot going on in the trucking universe these days, at least nothing to write a column about. Things almost always slow down around the holidays. And now the midterm election is over and done with. In the weeks leading up to it everyone was playing the “What could it mean? What could it mean?” game. Then for a few weeks everyone played the “What will it mean? What will it mean?” game, which all adds up to a whole lot of nothing. Speaking of which, the other day we had a meeting – boy, I’ll tell you what, that is one thing I envy you drivers for, you don’t have to sit in on staff meetings. Especially teleconferences, those are the worst. Half the time what they are talking about has nothing to do with you, and so you just have to sit there – it’s excruciating. The only good thing with teleconferences is, unlike traditional conferences around a table, you don’t have to even look like you’re paying attention. I swear, there are times you can get up after an hour thinking, “Wait, did we decide on anything, about anything, aside from when the next meeting will be?” But this wasn’t a teleconference. This meeting had a purpose. We were trying to figure out our editorial game plan for the near future. For inspiration, we looked at the just-released annual ATRI report on top industry concerns to see what we could tackle that we hadn’t covered lately. We went down the list of carrier concerns, then the list of driver concerns. Whaddaya know? We’ve done them all. Some of them repeatedly, If anything, going over the list only emphasized how many issues there are in trucking that never seem to go away. Week after week, month after month, year after year, sometimes for decades, they are talked about and talked about. Studies are done. Programs and legislation are proposed. Then someone objects to the proposal and alternate programs and legislation are proposed. Then it stalls out, so someone decides to do another study. These issues may evolve, but they’re never resolved, and we get stuck covering them, every misstep and false step and backtracking step of the way. For instance, with the election over, everyone’s back to talking about infrastructure. I was hearing about “our crumbling infrastructure” long before I ever thought about writing about trucking, for at least 30 years. Elected officials come and go, and everyone everywhere agrees something needs to be done about it. They’re saying this might finally be the time we get something done. Uh, huh, I’ve been hearing that for 30 years, too. Tell you what, when you figure something out and the steam shovels start rolling, give me a call. And I’ve had enough of the autonomous vehicle stories, too. Talking about self-driving vehicles at this point is like talking about a manned mission to Mars. Folks are working on it, great. And they want to make a lot of noise about how they’re working on it. Of course, they do, and that’s largely because they know it will take a long time to convince the public it’s a good idea. But I don’t think they’re nearly as close as some of the hype would lead us to believe. I’ll go on record saying it’s about 50-50 humans will at least orbit Mars before fully automated vehicles go mainstream. The lack of truck parking is another issue that makes the ATRI list every year, at least among drivers. For some reason trucking executives never rate it as high, go figure. We keep hearing it’s bad, we keep hearing it’s getting worse. We keep hearing something must be done about it. So, what’s keeping something from being done about it? The solution is simple. If you need more parking, build more parking. The question is, who’s going to foot the bill? At the risk of rendering much of trucking journalism moot, that’s why many of these issues have the lifespan of a giant tortoise and move about as quickly – money, plain and simple. Which brings us to the perpetual driver shortage. Carriers have gotten scared enough that they’ve dynamited their wallets open and started giving raises, to which drivers have responded by saying there’s more to life than money, to which has followed a wave of public soul-searching about trucking culture. And now it’s popular to beat the drum about opening interstate trucking to 18-year-olds and rolling out the red carpet for veterans. There are some proposals out there, some pilot programs, but of course, it’s going to take a couple years of studies and data crunching to determine how much good these moves will do to relieve trucking’s labor shortage. More talk, still not much in the way of results, and it gets boring to write about. Another bold prediction: It’ll help a little, but not that much and not nearly enough. What would be interesting would be to get a cross-section of industry analysts and try to break down exactly why trucking seems to be perpetually stuck with some of these problems. Wait a minute – that’s it! That’s what we decided to do at the last meeting! OK, now that could be a cool topic for conversation. Now we’re getting somewhere.    

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — President Donald Trump teamed up with the leaders of Canada and Mexico on Friday to sign a revised North American trade pact, a deal that fulfills a key political pledge by the American president but faces an uncertain future in the U.S. Congress. The celebratory moment was dimmed by ongoing differences over Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs, as well as plans for massive layoffs in the U.S. and Canada by General Motors.   PHOTO CAPTION: President Donald Trump, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, and Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Neto, left, participate in the USMCA signing ceremony, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Associated Press: PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS)   The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is meant to replace the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement, which Trump has long denigrated as a “disaster.” The American Trucking Associations praised the new agreement. “We commend the Trump Administration, Canada and Mexico for coming to an agreement to keep our nations’ borders open to trade and commerce,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “Signing this improved trade agreement will strengthen America’s relationships with our nearest neighbors and put us all in a position to grow the North American economy. That economic growth will be a boon to the American trucking industry – which already moves 82 percent of the freight that crosses the Mexican border and 68 percent that crosses our border with Canada – as well as to consumers in all three countries. “We urge Congress and their counterparts in Mexico and Canada to quickly ratify this agreement so we can begin reaping its benefits.” Trump appeared with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and outgoing Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto at the Group of 20 nations summit in Buenos Aires for the formal signing ceremony. Each country’s legislature must also approve the agreement. “It’s been long and hard. We’ve taken a lot of barbs and a little abuse and we got there,” Trump said of the pact. “It’s great for all our countries.” Legislative approval is the next step in the process, but could prove to be a difficult task in the United States, especially now that Democrats — instead of Trump’s Republicans — will control the House of Representatives come January. Democrats and their allies in the labor movement are already demanding changes to the agreement. Within hours of the signing, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the deal must have stronger labor and environmental protections in order to get majority support in Congress and “must prove to be a net benefit to middle-class families and working people.” The three countries agreed to the USMCA just hours before a U.S.-imposed Sept. 30 deadline. Many trade analysts say the successor to NAFTA isn’t all that different from the old one, despite Trump’s claim that it would “transform North America back into a manufacturing powerhouse.” While Trump hailed the revised trade pact, Trudeau was more measured and used the event to call on Trump to remove steel and aluminum tariffs the U.S. slapped on Canada and Mexico. Trudeau also referenced recent downsizing moves by GM in North America as a “heavy blow.” “With hard work, good will and determination I’m confident that we will get there,” Trudeau said. Pena Nieto, who will hand off to his successor Saturday, said he was honored to be at the signing on the final day of his administration, calling it the culmination of a long process “that allow us to overcome differences and to conciliate our visions.” The new agreement requires that 40 percent of cars eventually be made countries that pay autoworkers at least $16 an hour — that is, the U.S. and Canada and not Mexico — to qualify for duty-free treatment under the trade pact. It also requires Mexico to pursue reforms of labor law to encourage independent unions that will bargain for higher wages and better working conditions for Mexican workers. The signing came at the front end of two days of tough diplomacy for Trump. On the top of his agenda is a Saturday dinner meeting with Chinese President Xi Jingping that will determine if the two can ease escalating trade tensions. Before Trump arrived in Argentina he injected additional drama into the proceedings by canceling another high-stakes meeting, with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump opened Friday with a cordial meeting at the Casa Rosada with Argentine President Mauricio Macri, a longtime business acquaintance. Posing for photos in the gilded Salón Blanco, Trump spoke about their longtime personal relationship and said they would discuss trade, military purchases and other issues. “We’ve known each other a long while,” Trump said, noting he worked with Macri’s father on real estate developments. The businessman-turned-politician joked that when he and Macri first met they’d never have imagined their future roles on the world stage. Macri is hosting the summit as he struggles with problems at home. He is trying to halt economic turmoil that has caused the steep depreciation of the Argentine peso. Trump, who arrived in Buenos Aires late Thursday, barreled into the two-day meeting by announcing via Twitter that he was canceling the planned meeting with Putin over Russia’s seizure of Ukrainian vessels. His agenda for the weekend includes meetings with world leaders, as well as a number of heavily choreographed group activities for the gathering of leaders of rich and developing nations. The president canceled on Putin not long after his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, revealed he had lied to Congress to cover up that he was negotiating a real estate deal in Moscow on Trump’s behalf during the Republican presidential primary in 2016. The news ensured any meeting with Putin would have put a spotlight on the special counsel’s investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow during the campaign. Trump has denied any wrongdoing. One looming question is whether Trump will have a run-in with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman amid global dismay over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that the Saudi crown prince must have at least known of the plot to kill Khashoggi, who was critical of the Saudi royal family. Lawmakers in both parties have called on Trump to at least avoid the young heir apparent as punishment.