The Nation

WASHINGTON — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler Tuesday launched the Cleaner Trucks Initiative (CTI) designed to further decrease nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from on-highway heavy-duty trucks and engines. The CTI will include a future rulemaking that will update the existing NOx standard which was last set in 2001, while also streamlining compliance and certification requirements. “The Cleaner Trucks Initiative will help modernize heavy-duty truck engines, improving their efficiency and providing cleaner air for all Americans,” Wheeler said. “The U.S. has made major reductions in NOx emissions, but it’s been nearly 20 years since EPA updated these standards. Through rulemaking and a comprehensive review of existing requirements, we will capitalize on these gains and incentivize new technologies to ensure our heavy-duty trucks are clean and remain a competitive method of transportation.” EPA Office of Air and Radiation Assistant Administrator Bill Wehrum said Tuesday’s announcement made it clear that reducing NOx emissions from heavy-duty vehicles is a clean air priority for the Trump administration. “EPA’s Cleaner Trucks Initiative is an important signal to all interested stakeholders that we will work hard on reducing emissions while producing a more effective and efficient program,” he said. Officials at the Truckload Carriers Association, the American Trucking Associations the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association praised the initiative. “The Truckload Carriers Association supports the initiative that is being undertaken by EPA in creating one federal standard for our entire nation to follow,” said David Heller, vice president of government affairs at TCA. “The truckload industry, made up of carriers of all sizes, certainly applauds the efforts of the EPA to make compliance easier so that our environment can benefit, our economy can continue to thrive and add additional consistency to rules that are promulgated by the federal government.” “We appreciate participating in EPA’s roundtable discussion focused on existing NOx standards and possible changes to those standards,” said Norita Taylor, OOIDA’s director of public relations. “We look forward to reviewing the details as more information becomes available.  We also made it a point to remind EPA that small-business truckers make up a substantial portion of the trucking industry and any proposed federal mandate must consider potential impacts to this critical segment of trucking.  Clean air is a priority for everyone, but the technology used to accomplish this goal must be affordable and reliable.” “As an industry engaged in interstate commerce, ATA strongly favors a single national emission pathway as opposed to a patchwork of state standards,” said ATA Executive Vice President of Advocacy Bill Sullivan. “Clean air and a healthy environment are important to all of us, and the trucking industry has repeatedly demonstrated that it can work proactively and in partnership with the federal government in achieving these aims. We look forward to working with the EPA in developing a standard that achieves nationwide air quality improvements across the country while maintaining a strong and robust economy.” Sullivan said ATA and EPA have a long history of successful, collaborative efforts to improve air quality, including the EPA SmartWay Transport Partnership, and the association said it looked forward to continuing that relationship. “Clean air is an issue that affects all of us,” said ATA Vice President, Energy & Environmental Affairs Counsel Glen Kedzie. “ATA has worked with EPA in the past to make sure emissions standards – like the current NOx rule and Phase II of the greenhouse gas emissions rules for heavy-duty vehicles – are not just achievable, but that they are indeed achieved. ATA and its members are constantly purchasing newer, cleaner, more efficient vehicles, and as a result we have achieved historic reductions in emissions of all kinds. That is a track record we are not only proud of but that we look forward to continuing into the future.” Daimler Trucks North America also expressed support for the initiative. “DTNA looks forward to working with the EPA on the Cleaner Truck Initiative,” said Sean Waters, director of regulatory compliance. “We are confident that the Cleaner Air Initiative will provide real work emission reductions, streamline certification and compliance, and continue to enable us to provide vehicles with the best total cost of ownership. Waters said over the past 20 years, DTNA had demonstrated a strong commitment to the reduction of NOx and particulate emissions and has steadily reduced its NOx emissions by over 90 percent and particulate emissions over 98 percent. From 2007 to 2017, U.S. NOx emissions dropped by more than 40 percent, but there is more work to be done. It is estimated that heavy-duty trucks will be responsible for one-third of NOx emissions from the transportation sector in 2025. EPA expects that any update to the standards will result in significant mobile source NOx reductions, which will aid communities across the country in the attainment of ozone and particulate matter standards. EPA last revised NOx standards for on-highway heavy-duty trucks and engines in January 2001. The Agency is not required by statue to update the standard. EPA intends to publish a proposed rule in early 2020. In addition to NOx emissions standards, Wheeler said the CTI will cut unnecessary red tape while simplifying certification of compliance requirements for heavy-duty trucks and engines. Areas of deregulatory focus will include onboard diagnostic requirements, cost-effective means of reassuring real world compliance by using modern and advanced technologies, the deterioration factor testing process, and concerns regarding annual recertification of engine families. “Working together with partners in states and industry, we can achieve environmental results through the pursuit of commonsense regulations that encourage economic growth,” Wheeler said. “New programs borne out of the CTI offer opportunities to streamline regulations through smarter program design and reduce the overall regulatory burden while protecting human health and the environment.” Learn more about the Cleaner Trucks Initiative here at https://www.epa.gov/regulations-emissions-vehicles-and-engines/cleaner-truck-initiative.

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. — Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association President Todd Spencer said several comments made by Lane Kidd, managing director of The Trucking Alliance, in a recently-published article in a trucking trade publication on the subject of hair testing were misleading. “I feel compelled to respond,” Spencer said in a “Tandem Thoughts” online column on Land Line Now, OOIDA’s news and commentary website, as he addressed the article in FreightWaves concerning hair testing of commercial vehicle drivers. “First, there is no legislative mandate requiring commercial truck drivers to be hair-tested,” Spencer said. “Federal law requires the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), in coordination with other federal agencies, to report to Congress on its progress in developing guidelines that might potentially address the use of hair-testing.” Spencer was describing a comment from Lane Kidd, managing director of The Trucking Alliance, asserting there is an opioid epidemic in the trucking industry was “irresponsible.” Spencer said that Kidd presented no evidence to validate such a comment and that there is no evidence to support such a claim. Quite the contrary, Kidd said in response. “Current opioid abuse is alarming,” he said. “J.B. Hunt released new data at a United Nations meeting this spring. In 2017, there were 1,213 people, or 7.7 percent of all applicants, who tested positive for drugs, a 2 percent spike over the company’s average. Opioids accounted for 48 percent of the illegal drug use. Cocaine was second.” Kidd said in the FreightWaves article that The Trucking Alliance would actively encourage the U.S. Department of Transportation to proceed with a rulemaking as soon as possible. “Our data show that a urine exam is missing as many as 90 percent of all opioid and illegal drug abusers who are applying for work as a truck driver,” Kidd said in the article. “That’s a danger to the public and a risk to motor carriers. The trucking industry has an opioid crisis and we must reform the system to make sure that opioid abusers are not operating large trucks on the nation’s highways.” Spencer said the reality is that positive test results among truck drivers are so low – less than 1 percent, actually – that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reduced the percentage of drivers that must be randomly tested. Kidd responded to Spencer’s assertion of no evidence in an e-mail to The Trucker. Kidd said since 2006, J.B. Hunt Transport, one of the freight transportation’s largest employers, has relied on two drug tests before hiring a job applicant. The company requires a urine test, the only method recognized by the Department of Transportation. Hunt also requires applicants to pass a hair exam, which is not recognized by USDOT. “Hunt correctly justifies a hair exam because that method more accurately identifies lifestyle drug users,” Kidd said. “Urine tests can reveal drug use, but only for several hours before a test is conducted.” As of September 2018, Hunt reported that 131,364 job applicants were asked to take a urine and hair exam. There were 6,786 people, or 5.17 percent, who either failed or refused to take both drug tests. “But here’s the kicker,” Kidd said. “The urine test failed to catch 86 percent of the drug users. Almost nine out of 10 drug users passed their urine test. Only the hair exam identified the drugs in their systems. Most of those truck driver job applicants presumably found jobs at other trucking companies that only require the urine test. Clearly, the urine test is not a realistic barometer of drug use, either at pre-employment or in the various random drug test protocols out there.” Spencer said the FreightWaves article cites a 2017 study conducted by the Governors Highway Safety Association that found that 22 percent of drivers tested positive for “some drug medication.” Spencer added that the study does not indicate how many of the individuals who tested positive were truck drivers, nor did it identify the types of medications that were present or what health conditions the medications were prescribed for. Further, it also ignored the fact that the appropriate use of medications to treat medical symptoms can actually improve the well-being of a truck driver and highway safety, he wrote. Spencer noted that The Trucking Alliance was quoted correctly as saying that federal law requires potential guidelines to ensure that individuals within the trucking industry who might be exposed to certain drugs do not register a false positive. “However, there is no standard protocol for hair-testing, nor has there been any validated or reliable testing of hair samples allowing SAMSHA to propose guidelines that are scientifically valid,” he wrote. “SAMSHA has reported this lack of science-based protocol and should be commended for not bowing to special interest groups promoting tests that could adversely affect drivers based on false information.” Spencer said the Trucker Alliance was pushing for mandatory hair-testing to mitigate carriers from liability. “While hair-testing can show the presence of various substances in an individual, The Trucking Alliance fails to show how such testing would prove driver impairment while operating a commercial motor vehicle,” he said, adding he was confident The Trucking Alliance would continue to push for hair-testing, speed limiters, increased insurance minimums, and other federal mandates that disadvantage small-business carriers and infringe upon the rights of drivers, while at the same time complaining about a perceived driver shortage. “If any group deserves a shortage, it’s them,” Spencer concluded. The Trucking Alliance describes itself as “a coalition of freight and logistics companies that are working together to increase safety for commercial truck drivers, reduce the number of large truck accidents, and improve highway safety for the general public throughout the United States.”

LOS ANGELES — A new Reason Foundation study finds asset recycling via long-term leases of America’s largest existing toll roads, bridges, airports, seaports, water and wastewater facilities, and university parking systems could generate $720 billion to $885 billion for state and local governments to spend on new infrastructure projects. “With constrained public resources at every level of government, it will take novel ideas to address our continued infrastructure investment deficit. Asset recycling can help fix America’s serious infrastructure problems — aging, deteriorating facilities and a lack of funding for a large array of new infrastructure that would improve our quality of life,” said Robert Poole, director of transportation policy at Reason Foundation and author of the new report. “The basic idea calls for long-term leasing of existing facilities to well-qualified private partners and ‘recycling’ the lease proceeds into new, but currently unfunded infrastructure projects. The company pays most or all of the annual lease payments upfront, and the government uses that money on its unfunded infrastructure needs. Arguably, no other tool holds as much promise in addressing America’s infrastructure deficit.” The Reason Foundation study finds leasing the 61 largest U.S. airports to private partners could generate between $250 billion and $360 billion for state and local governments in gross upfront lease payments. Under the leases, the private companies would spend an estimated $100 billion on capital improvements over the first five years, bringing the total private-sector investment in airports to between $350 billion and $460 billion. As examples, the study cites Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport which it finds could generate between $1.6 billion and 2.3 billion in net lease proceeds (after paying off existing bonds), and Louisville International Airport, which could be leased for over $600 million in net lease proceeds. The 42 largest existing toll roads and bridges could generate $175 billion to $230 billion in gross upfront lease payments for state and local owners and would prompt another $10 billion in improvements during the first five years, according to the study. The George Washington Bridge connecting New York and New Jersey could yield between $10 billion and $17 billion in net lease payments, after debt repayment. Leasing the Illinois Tollway system could yield between $11 and $20 billion, and the Bay Area Toll Authority’s seven California-owned bridges could yield between $2 billion and $8 billion in net upfront lease payments. “Existing government-owned toll roads and bridges are very attractive to private investors,” Poole said. “Global infrastructure funds have amassed hundreds of billions of dollars in equity that they are ready to invest in U.S. infrastructure. Public sector pension funds are also eager to invest in such infrastructure, to diversify their portfolios.” The nation’s ports could be leased for up to $50 billion and would produce an estimated $9 billion in capital improvements over the first five years. The study concludes the Port of Houston could yield net proceeds of between $1 billion and $1.7 billion, and the Port of Tampa Bay could yield up to $272 million net, after debt payoff. The report also estimates that $110 billion could be generated by leasing aging water and wastewater systems around the country. An additional estimated $60 billion worth of much-needed improvements would be undertaken by the private partners, bringing the total private sector investment value to around $170 billion. The Las Vegas Valley Water District lease could yield up to $729 million in net lease payments, and the Mobile (AL) Area Water and Sewer could yield up to $328 million. In addition, the study estimates $60 billion in net economic value could be generated from state university parking recycling initiatives. For example, long-term parking leases could produce up to $276 million at the University of Georgia, $222 million at Georgia Tech, $192 million at the University of Mississippi, $180 million at Mississippi State University, and $108 million at Southern Mississippi. This money could be reinvested in higher education or infrastructure projects. “Asset recycling can unlock billions in new capital that can be redirected into investments in new infrastructure,” Poole said. “In addition, it brings in a private partner that risks capital to rehabilitate and modernize the facility, with incentives to properly maintain the system for the full term of the long-term lease.”  

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. — The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association will offer a class to help those interested in starting a small trucking business. OOIDA’s business education training, Truck to Success, is an intensive training for those ready to take their first steps toward becoming an owner-operator. The class is scheduled for March 12-14, 2019, near OOIDA headquarters. The class features trucking experts dedicated to helping drivers become successful. The training consists of expert trainers and interaction among participants. Some homework is required for full participation. The training is designed to follow a logical path of information on the transition from a company driver to an independent contractor. For a variety of reasons, many businesses fail within the first year of operating.  If you are thinking about making the switch from a company driver to an owner-operator, or just desire to have a more successful business, we would encourage you to consider OOIDA’s business education training course. Topics include developing a business plan that works for you. buying a new or used truck, equipment financing, insurance, pros and cons of running under your own authority or leasing on to a carrier, new entrant safety audits and compliance reviews, drug and alcohol testing requirements, permits and licensing, taxes and business structures, brokers and factoring, and current issues affecting the industry. Registration is open to anyone. Registrants do not have to be a member of OOIDA to participate in the classes. The cost is $495 per person and that includes breakfast, lunch and snacks. Lodging is not included. However, participants can book a room and receive OOIDA’s corporate rate. Participants who register before February 1 will receive a year’s membership for free. To register, visit www.OOIDAOnlineEducation.com. 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, Missouri.    

READING, Pa. — The Penske Driver app has added an upgrade designed to benefit truck drivers ahead of the busy holiday freight season. Deliveries are always time critical but around the holidays, freight such as food, beverages, retail shipments, and e-commerce gift parcels of toys and electronics are at peak seasonal demand, said Sherry Sanger, senior vice president of marketing at Penske Truck Leasing. When a truck driver has an unexpected roadside assistance issue such as a flat tire, truckers can now use the Penske Driver mobile app to report the problem quickly and easily to Penske Truck Leasing’s 24/7 Roadside Assistance team without ever making a call or being on hold, she said. Using Penske’s mobile app, truck drivers report their roadside issue and simultaneously secure a place in line for assistance. Drivers and their fleet managers receive real-time digital updates about their issue until it’s resolved. “This is the latest benefit we’re making available to our customers and their drivers through our mobile apps,” Sanger said. “We’ve worked closely with our customers and their drivers to help improve and speed up their roadside assistance experience using our mobile app. This new option frees up the driver to take care of their freight loads and make other important arrangements until we help get their vehicle back on the road.” The free Penske Driver mobile app is an all-in one solution developed by Penske Truck Leasing for its full-service truck leasing, contract maintenance, and commercial truck rental customers. Launched in 2017, the Penske Driver app has enhanced functionality enabling truck drivers to: Easily log Hours of Service in Penske rental vehicles and comply with the ELD mandate. Quickly locate Penske service, rental and fuel locations as well as other locations, including truck stops, CNG stations and public scales. Access essential vehicle information, including full visibility into a vehicle’s recent service history. Digitally submit fuel receipts with a simple form and receipt photo, virtually eliminating paperwork. Penske Truck Leasing offers a wide array of Connected Fleet Solutions to keep customers connected, compliant and informed including consulting advice about telematics and other onboard systems, remote vehicle diagnostics and web-based and mobile-app based tech solutions that simplify fleet and vehicle management for fleet operators and truck drivers. The free Penske Driver app and other Penske apps are available for immediate download in the Apple App Store and on Google Play. For more information, visit GoPenske.com.

DALLAS — Angela Eliacostas, founder and CEO of AGT Global Logistics, was presented with the eighth annual Influential Woman in Trucking Award during a panel discussion of “Hard-Won Lessons from Trailblazing Women” at the Women In Trucking Accelerate! Conference & Expo here Tuesday. The panel was facilitated by Joann Lublin, a Pulitzer-prize winner and news editor for The Wall Street Journal. Eliacostas was presented the award by Kary Schaefer, general manager, product marketing and strategy, Daimler Trucks North America. Freightliner Trucks, a Daimler nameplate, and WIT sponsored the award. “From occupying seats in the truck to chairs in the boardroom, it is important that we recognize and celebrate the outstanding leadership contributions being made each and every day by women in our industry,” Kary said. “Through involvement in organizations like Women In Trucking, we want to highlight the career opportunities available to women in our industry.” The Influential Woman in Trucking award recognizes women in the trucking industry who make or influence key decisions, have a proven record of responsibility, and mentor and serve as a role model to other women. The award was developed in 2010 as a way to honor female leaders in trucking, and to attract and advance women within the industry. “We are truly honored to highlight influential women in our industry through this award,” said Ellen Voie, president and CEO of Women In Trucking. “I’m proud to recognize Angela Eliacostas for her accomplishments throughout her career in the transportation industry.” Voie said with more than 30 years in transportation, Eliacostas has worked her way from the ground up. Following generations of relatives with expertise in the transportation industry, she made the natural transition to her own career by learning the processes at trucking companies to running third-party logistics. In 2005, Eliacostas formed All Girls Transportation and Logistics. As offerings and services grew, a name change was required to fit their expansion and AGT Global Logistics was born. The company, headquartered in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, provides a broad range of third-party logistics (3PL) services. In addition to raising four boys, and now being an active loving grandmother, Eliacostas has been recognized for making AGT Global Logistics one of the top 50 in Illinois and top 1000 woman-owned businesses in the United States. Eliacostas’ father once told her that as a woman in the industry, she would face many challenges, but hard work knows no gender. “These are words to live by and I’m honored to help encourage and hopefully inspire women in the world of trucking,” she said. The finalists of the 2018 Influential Woman in Trucking award also included Nozuko Mayeza, managing director, Tulsawiz Logistics and Brooke Willey, vice president-human resources, CRST International.  

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Stay Metrics, a provider of evidence-based driver feedback, engagement, training and retention solutions for the transportation industry, has published a new research paper that attributes critical areas of driver job satisfaction and turnover intent to gender. Industry leaders have been emphasizing the need to recruit and retain more women as a solution to the driver shortage, which is expected to reach 63,000 in 2018. The Women In Trucking association has an index that tracks the percentage of female drivers in the workforce, which in early 2018 the index was just under eight percent. For the second straight year, motor carriers have ranked the shortage of qualified drivers as their top concern in the American Transportation Research Institute’s annual Top Industry Issues report. Driver retention is at No. 3. Stay Metrics assesses driver opinions and satisfaction levels on a wide range of areas that correlate with driver retention. The company administers an in-depth standardized Annual Driver Satisfaction Survey to drivers on behalf of its motor carrier clients. Using its extensive research database, Stay Metrics analyzed responses from nearly 16,000 drivers who completed the survey from January 1, 2017, to July 31, 2018. The study found these key differences between male and female drivers’ responses: Job Satisfaction. Female drivers tend to be more satisfied in most areas with their carriers. Women feel less bored by their work. They also feel more fairly compensated and satisfied with their home time. Pre-Turnover Thoughts. Female drivers score significantly higher in the area of Pre-Turnover Thoughts, which indicates they are less likely to be thinking of leaving their present carriers than male drivers. Stay Metrics said its clients consistently outperform the industry in driver retention and have a higher percentage of female drivers, on average. In the research sample, 11 percent of the drivers were female. The industry is now learning more about why we should focus on bringing more women into the industry, not just to fill seats, but to fill them with capable and well-trained drivers, according to Tim Hindes, co-founder and CEO of Stay Metrics. “Our new research explains why women drivers are more likely to stay with their carriers,” Hindes said. “To preserve this retention advantage, carriers should use a survey and feedback system that gives their drivers a safe and secure platform to anonymously share their feelings, opinions, and concerns to make sure they are addressed.” “Ten years ago carriers often claimed they didn’t care about the gender (race, age) of the driver.  Now we’re learning more about why we should focus on bringing more women into the industry, not just to fill seats, but to fill them with capable and well-trained drivers,” said Ellen Voie, President and CEO of the Women In Trucking Association. “We value the research Stay Metrics has done to better understand how to attract and retain female drivers, and are thrilled to learn that women behind the wheel are often happier with their carriers and less likely to leave, which translates to lower turnover and a more valuable relationship.” To receive a copy of the full research report, “When it Comes to Driver Satisfaction and Turnover Intent, Is There a Gender Difference?” visit https://www.staymetrics.com and click “Get our latest research.”

WASHINGTON — The November 6 congressional elections not only gave control of the U.S. House of Representatives to the Democrats and kept the Senate in Republican hands, but also sent at least 47 of the 60-member House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee back to Capitol Hill. House members winning re-election include Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore. (pictured above), who is currently the ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, but is now poised to take over as the new chairman. “We have a lot of common ground. I want to get a [infrastructure] bill out of the House; hopefully move it out by early summer, but we will need help from the Senate and the president has to be engaged and onboard and there has to be real money in it,” DeFazio explained in an interview with KVAL 13 in Portland, Oregon, this week. The interview was included in an election report published this week by the American Association of State Transportation and Highway Officials Journal. “In terms of bridges, we’ve made scant progress; we are down to 140,000 bridges in a state of disrepair from 165,000 on the national highway system,” DeFazio said during the interview. “Our transit system has a $100 billion backlog to be brought up to state of good of state repair, let alone giving people new options. And parts of National Highway System’s road surface have deteriorated to point where you can’t resurface it – you have to replace about 40 percent of it. Also, all across America, we have congestion in our airports; they are aging out, so we need to allow out airports to issue bonds to improve their facilities to improve the customer experience.” Those investments are “long overdue,” DeFazio stressed: “We need to make these investments.” Republican T&I committee members who lost their races include Rep. John Faso, R-N.Y., and Rep. Jason Lewis, R-Minn. The outcome of the race of another committee member, Rep. Jeff Denham, D-Calif., is still too close to call and POLITICO has reported that if Denham prevails in that election, it could set the stage for a battle with Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., to become the committee’s new ranking member. Another committee member, Rep. Rob Woodall, R-Ga., is likewise caught up in a too-close-to-call race. The T&I committee’s current chairman, Rep. Bill Shuster, R-Penn., was among the seven committee members who did not seek reelection to the House for various reasons. Twenty-nine members of the House Ways and Means Committee will be making their way back to Congress, though its leadership will change since the Democrats are in the majority. Republican committee members who lost their re-election bids are Rep. Erik Paulsen, R-Minn., Rep. Carlos Curbelo, R-Fla., Rep. Mike Bishop, R-Mich., and Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Ill. The incoming chairman of the Ways and Means Committee is now Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., currently its ranking member. Almost all 48 members of the House Energy and Commerce committee won their re-election bids on Nov. 6, with the exception of Rep. Leonard Lance, R-N.J. Ranking member Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., is most likely going to be the committee’s next chairman. Members of the House Appropriations Committee who lost their reelection bids include Rep. David Young, R-Iowa, Rep. Scott Taylor, R-Va., Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, and Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kan. A total of 44 other committee member prevailed in their races Nov. 6 and with Democrats in the majority, Rep. Nita Lowey, R-N.Y., is poised to become the first woman to chair the Appropriations Committee. In the Senate, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., was projected to lose his re-election bid to former Florida Gov. Rick Scott and thus open the four committee positions Nelson held to new members – the most prominent being the ranking member slot on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, of which Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., remains chairman. But the Nelson-Scott race is headed for a mandatory recount so it is not over yet. There is a possibility that Thune would move up into a more senior leadership role within the Republican conference and thereby give up his chairman position. If that happens, the next in line to replace him would be Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss. The only members of the Senate Appropriations Committee up for reelection this year were Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W. Va., and all three won their electoral contests. Meanwhile, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala, retains his chairmanship of that committee. Finally, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., won his bid for re-election and will remain chairman of the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., also won re-election and will remain the ranking member on the EPW committee.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The Truckload Carriers Association and FreightWave have formed an exclusive partnership whose first initiative — Truckload Indexes — will be a “unique” microsite that will track the pulse of the truckload industry, providing the public with a snapshot of the stories, data, personalities, opportunities facing the truckload segment. The agreement links the editorial and data science team at FreightWaves with the TCA Profitability Program (TPP) 20 Index data and the growing Best Practice Groups. Users of FreightWaves’ SONAR platform—an intuitive dashboard tool that offers a unique aggregation of multiple, highly disparate freight market data points—will now be able to plot the results from the TPP 20 Index, a subset of aggregated, anonymous, standardized key performance indicators (KPIs) from the top 20 performing trucking companies within TPP. SONAR users will now be able to correlate all current economic and other disparate data sets with the results from these exclusive financial and operational performance indicators, according to John Lyboldt, TCA president. These data sets will enable carriers of all sizes to benchmark their internal performance metrics against best-in-class operators, Lyboldt said, noting that this type of data has never been available to the public and represents the most powerful set of indices in the entire trucking industry. Members of the TCA Profitability Program will benefit significantly from the partnership through the creation of the monthly TPP Member Playbook, he said. This report, only available to TPP members, will combine near-real-time data from TPP and SONAR with market-specific commentary. “FreightWaves has changed the transportation game permanently,” Lyboldt said. “TCA recognized early on that its efforts to drive change and elevate the technological and operational sophistication of carriers and partners were very much in line with TCA’s pursuits. This partnership was an easy decision for our association. Partnering with FreightWaves will elevate member performance by effectively telling the truckload story, as well as highlighting our growing advocacy efforts.” “TCA — and specifically the TCA Profitability Program—are the curators of one of the most unique data sets in trucking today,” said FreightWaves CEO and Managing Director Craig Fuller. “The TPP Index combines credible monthly general ledger data with standardized operational results from the top-performing companies in the truckload space. Instead of waiting for annual survey results to be published six months later, TPP members and SONAR users are able to take a near-real-time pulse of this massive market segment. Further, we are excited to utilize our growing data science team to add value to the TPP data and actionable commentary from our award-winning editorial team. This is only the beginning.” To learn more and subscribe to the Truckload Indexes weekly newsletter, visit www.TruckloadIndexes.com.  

Usually when you hear or read something about autonomous commercial vehicles, the word safety is mentioned. A lot. The thought is that if you take humans out of the driving equation, you will eliminate human error. Scratch beneath the surface, and you may find that like most things, a lot of it is being driven by greenbacks, dough, cash, or as Lyle Lovett croons, Mmmm O-N-E-Y. Germany-based ZF Friedrichshafen AG, a global supplier of driveline and chassis technology, in a recent copy of its magazine has an article titled “Autonomous cost-cutting.” It says truck drivers used to be “the last of the adventurers” but now “have to reconcile the requirements of their forwarding companies and its customers, of legislators and of other road users. It’s all about transporting wares quickly, safely and as economically as possible.” The freight boom is in part being driven by ecommerce and consumers’ expectations that they can order something online and get it in a few days or sooner. And, the economy is booming so there’s more freight. More freight is a good thing. The booming economy is a good thing. Businesses helping their bottom lines and streamlining their operations is a good thing. I’m just not sure a rush to driverless anything is such a good idea. The above-mentioned ZF has an “Innovation Truck” that’s being used at depots to carry out such tasks as loading and unloading; it uses “smart tags” that contain such digital information as whether the cargo has been damaged on its way to the depot or if the temperature controls weren’t working and the contents have been compromised. Automation replacing human jobs isn’t a new thing and it can be a good thing depending on how the humans are treated. A recent study says nearly 300,000 truck driving jobs could be replaced by autonomous trucks but I personally think that’s an over-statement. And I don’t think it’s going to happen any time soon. United Nations figures show that 55 percent of the world’s 7.62 billion population currently live in urban areas, and a lot of autonomous and driverless technology seems to be aimed at city deliveries after hours when there’s less traffic. That being said, however, it seems this global push to get driverless cars and trucks on the road is being rushed. But hey, maybe that’s just me. I guess what I object to more than just driverless and autonomous technology is what seems to be a rush to take the human equation out of things — not just in trucking but in everything. And I think that’s part of the digital, Facebook, YouTube world we live in. It’s a world where we can have “face time” with someone across the globe but a world in which many of us get insulated from other people by our technology. I mean, I hate to go out to dinner with people and sit there while everyone is on their smartphones instead of talking to each other. Most of the people I go out to eat with are my age and feel the same way. People my step-daughter’s age and younger — not so much. We have the world at our fingertips, but we need human interaction. My pastor is fond of saying that we get hurt by people but by the same token, God uses people to help heal us emotionally as well. Driving a truck over-the-road can be a lonely job, and my heart aches for some of this newspaper’s letter writers who feel isolated, angry and alone. Then I am cheered by other drivers who take the job with a grain of salt and are looking for someone they can help, whether it’s another truck driver, a four-wheel driver, or someone at a truck stop who needs a hot meal and a few dollars to help them get back on their feet. When was the last time a machine bought your lunch? And don’t say when you ordered out on your cell phone. Just sayin.’ Be safe out there and God bless.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Trucker Buddy International has received a gift from Pilot Flying J to support its mission to educate students around the nation on the value of the trucking industry. The donation was awarded as part of Pilot Flying J’s $2 million commitment to giving back in celebration of its 60th anniversary this month. “Pilot Flying J has long been a valued supporter of the Trucker Buddy mission, but this year’s gift goes above and beyond,” said Alan Welborn, executive director of Trucker Buddy International, who called the gift “impactful.”. Trucker Buddy International pairs over the road truck drivers with elementary school classrooms as pen pals. These pen pal relationships allow the driver, through communication directly with the elementary school teachers, to educate the students about the importance of the trucking industry. The teacher is able to use various details about the driver’s travels to teach math, history, reading, and writing. The gift from Pilot Flying J will allow Trucker Buddy to further its mission and pair more drivers with classrooms than ever. “A spirit of community and philanthropy was instilled in our company’s culture from the beginning,” said Meg Counts, community relations and events manager of Pilot Flying J. “To celebrate and thank our guests and team members for 60 years in business, we wanted to give back to the communities and people we serve. We are proud to partner with Trucker Buddy International in support of their mission and programs to help our communities thrive. Together, we are truly able to fuel life’s journeys.” Pilot Flying J’s giving is focused on fueling those who serve by supporting military heroes and their families, and helping communities across the country improve the quality of life for people at home and on the road,” Counts said. To learn more about Pilot Flying J’s 60th anniversary giving, visit www.pilotflyingj.com/giving-back. Trucker Buddy International is an independent, non-profit 501(c) (3) organization, often called the No. 1 trucking image campaign in North America. It has helped educate schoolchildren and introduce educators to the trucking industry.  This gives them the world through the eyes of a professional truck driver. The Trucker Buddy program helps to educate and mentor schoolchildren via a pen pal relationship between professional truck drivers and children in grades K-8 as supervised by their teachers. After an extensive screening process, the professional truck drivers are matched with a class and as directed by the teacher, drivers share news about their travels with their class. Students write letters and send pictures to their drivers. Students’ skills in reading, writing, geography, mathematics, social studies, and history are enhanced and learning is made fun. Since 1992, Trucker Buddy International has helped educate over a million schoolchildren and introduced them to caring, compassionate men and women, professional truck drivers.  The on-going success of the program is due to driver volunteers, participating teachers and the contributions of sponsors.  There is no cost to the drivers or teachers to participate in the program. The Trucker Buddy program is funded entirely by sponsorships and donations. To learn more about Trucker Buddy International visit www.truckerbuddy.org.  

WASHINGTON — In response to questions received since the publication of the personal conveyance guidance on June 7, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has provided answers to a series of Frequently Asked Questions to assist the industry and law enforcement in the application of the guidance. Additional questions can be sent to [email protected]. FMCSA will continue to answer questions and monitor them to determine if additional clarification is needed. The guidance clarifies that Personal Conveyance is the movement of a commercial motor vehicle for personal use while off-duty and that a CMV may be used for personal conveyance even if it is laden, since the load is not being transported for the commercial benefit of the motor carrier at that time. Personal conveyance does not reduce a driver’s or motor carrier’s responsibility to operate a CMV safely, and motor carriers can establish personal conveyance limitations either within the scope of, or more restrictive than, the guidance provided. Here are the questions and answers compiled since the June 7 guidance. May a driver, who drops his or her last load at a receiver’s facility use personal conveyance to return to their normal work location (i.e. home or terminal)? No. Returning home or to the terminal from a dispatched trip is a continuation of the trip, and therefore cannot be considered personal conveyance. The guidance allows for “authorized use of a CMV to travel home after working at an offsite location.” What is meant by the term “offsite” when used in this context? The term refers to a location, other than a carrier’s terminal or a shipper’s or receiver’s facility, where a driver works for a temporary period for a particular job. Specifically, this term is intended for construction and utility companies that set up base camps near a major job and operate from there for days or weeks at a time. These remote locations are considered “offsite” locations. Therefore, travel between home and that offsite location is considered commuting time, and qualifies as personal conveyance. Is personal conveyance treated any differently when the driver is hauling hazardous materials? No. There is no restriction on personal conveyance regarding hazardous materials transportation, provided that the driver complies with provisions of 49 CFR parts 177 and 397. Can a driver who claims the short haul exception use personal conveyance? Yes, there is no connection between personal conveyance and the short-haul exception. As always, off duty time does not extend the 12-hour duty time limitation. How is personal conveyance time calculated in the Hours of Service rules? Time spent under personal conveyance is off duty time. May a driver use personal conveyance when they run out of available (driving/on-duty) hours? No, except for the one exception described in the guidance where a driver who runs out of hours while at a shipper’s or receiver’s facility may drive from that facility to a nearby, safe location to park, provided that the driver allows adequate time to obtain rest in accordance with daily minimum off-duty periods under the Hours of Service rules before beginning to drive. Personal conveyance is those times where a driver is operating solely for a non-business purpose and cannot be used to extend the duty day. Are there maximum distance time or distance limits for the use of personal conveyance? No. However, it is important to note that the provision in §392.3 of the FMCSRs, prohibiting the operation of a commercial motor vehicle while fatigued, continues to apply. Therefore, a driver must get adequate rest before returning to driving. If a driver picks up the commercial motor vehicle from a repair facility once repairs are complete, would the driver be allowed to use personal conveyance to their residence from the repair shop? No, travel for repair and maintenance work is being done in the furtherance of the business and is considered on duty time. Can a loaded vehicle be used as personal conveyance? Yes. Determining personal conveyance is based on the nature of the movement, not whether the vehicle is laden. Can personal conveyance time be combined with other off-duty time to complete a 10 or 34-hour break? Yes, since PC is off-duty time. However, it is important to note that the provision in §392.3 of the FMCSRs, prohibiting the operation of a commercial motor vehicle while ill or fatigued continues to apply. Can a driver be inspected during personal conveyance? If so, what is the driver’s duty status during the inspection? Yes. Since the driver is still subject to the FMCSRs, the driver or vehicle can be inspected. The driver’s duty status would be “on-duty, not driving” during the inspection.

EL RENO, Okla. — Love’s Travel Stops is now serving more customers in Oklahoma with the grand opening of a new travel stop in El Reno Thursday. The store, located at 3900 South Radio Road off Interstate 40 at Exit 127, adds 50 new jobs to Canadian County and 95 truck parking spaces. “We’re thrilled to add another convenient Love’s location to our hometown customers in Oklahoma,” said Tom Love, founder and executive chairman of Love’s. “El Reno’s location near the heart of Oklahoma and directly off heavily-traveled I-40 makes it the perfect place for both professional and leisurely drivers to refuel. We’re eager to serve even more customers in our home state with the ‘Clean Places, Friendly Faces’ Love’s is known for.” The more than 11,000-square-foot facility is open 24/7 and offers many amenities, including Carl’s Jr., Fresh to Go, 95 truck parking spaces, nine diesel bays, three RV parking spaces, seven showers, laundry facilities, gourmet coffee, brand-name snacks, Mobile to Go Zone and CAT scale “The City of El Reno is excited to welcome another Love’s to our community,” said Matt White, mayor of El Reno. “With the quality and service that Love’s provides, the citizens and visitors of El Reno will enjoy the high standards of this Oklahoma-based company. It will be an asset to our new I-40 and Radio Road interchange. We are also excited about the jobs and the addition of a Carl’s Jr.” In honor of the grand opening, Love’s will host a ribbon cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m. on November 20. During the ceremony, Love’s will make a $2,000 donation to the El Reno Carnegie Library.      

WASHINGTON — Nineteen Democratic members of the House of Representatives and the Senate have “strongly” urged Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to deny a petition submitted by the American Trucking Associations requesting a determination that the State of California’s meal and rest break rules are pre-empted by federal law. “Our objection to an administrative determination of preemption is unequivocal,” the lawmakers stated in a letter to Chao dated October 31. “After more than four years of debate on this issue in Congress, we have had the opportunity to consider at length the impacts of pre-emption of California’s meal and rest break law on truck drivers, to review Congressional intent in enacting the motor carrier pre-emption statute, and to evaluate thoroughly the complex operational realities of goods movement. We have also proposed narrowly tailored statutory changes in an attempt to promote uniformity of Hours of Service rules for drivers that operate across multiple states. These reasonable proposals have been roundly and repeatedly rejected by the ATA. We strongly maintain that any change to pre-emption in this area requires a change in statute and must be left to Congress.” The lawmakers said they were extremely concerned that the Trump administration had already demonstrated a results-oriented bias against state meal and rest break protections, noting that on September 20, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration had determined that California meal and rest break laws were pre-empted with respect to drivers of motor vehicles transporting hazardous materials and certain classes of explosive materials, as well as drivers employed by motor carriers required to file a security plan. “To justify pre-emption, the agency cites purported ‘unnecessary delay’ in the transportation of hazardous materials created by California’s labor law,” the lawmakers wrote. “The state’s law does not cause unnecessary delay, because drivers can agree to waive meal or rest breaks, provided they are compensated for the time worked. If an employer denies a driver an opportunity for a break, then the employer must pay the driver an additional hour of wages. By granting pre-emption, this administration has demonstrated its willingness to negate a state’s authority to regulate wages and working conditions in order to sustain carrier productivity and profit.” The California law requires employers to provide a “duty-free,” 30-minute meal break for employees who work more than five hours a day, as well as a second duty-free, 30-minute meal break for people who work more than 10 hours a day. Other states followed California’s lead, enacting their own break rules. Nearly 20 states have their own separate meal and rest break laws. The trucking industry has for some time tried to get legislation passed that would pre-empt state trucking regulations. The most recent Congressional rebuff came late last month when an amendment to the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2018 that would have clarified Congress’ intent to have federal regulatory authority over interstate commerce, was removed as the House and Senate conference committee met to resolve differences between the two bills as passed by those respective chambers. The amendment would have stopped the erosion of federal authority by states who impose meal and rest breaks that run contrary to national uniformity. The amendment had been approved in the House on a vote of 222-193 last April but was not part of the FAA Senate bill. Within hours of learning that the amendment had been quashed, the American Trucking Associations submitted a petition to the FMCSA requesting a determination under federal law whether California’s meal and rest break rules are pre-empted by federal law. The specific federal law cited by ATA says a state may not enforce a state law or regulation on commercial motor vehicle safety that the Secretary of Transportation decides may not be enforced. The letter was led by Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure; Patty Murray of Washington, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. The letter was signed by Robert “Bobby” Scott of Virginia, ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce; Eleanor Holmes Norton of the District of Columbia, ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit; as well as Reps. Grace Napolitano, Jared Huffman, Julia Brownley, Alan Lowenthal, Mark DeSaulnier and Mark Takano, all from California. Senators who signed the letter include Kamala Harris and Dianne Feinstein, both of California; Claire McCaskill, Missouri; Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut; Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey, both of Massachusetts; Cory Booker, New Jersey; Margaret Wood Hassan, New Hampshire; and Robert Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania. The letter and a four-page attachment strongly refuting the call for a determination of pre-emption can be found here.  

PHOENIX — HELP Inc., provider of PrePass weigh station bypass and other safety services, has received new endorsements from four trucking organizations. These associations provide exclusive discounts and promotions for their members on products and services including PrePass. The Truckers Service Association (TSA) is an association of approximately 12,000 owner-operators created nearly 20 years ago with the mission of helping members acquire products and services to help them be more competitive. TSA’s membership includes both owner-operators connected with larger fleets and independent truck drivers running under their own authority. “This endorsement of HELP Inc. means PrePass is the exclusive provider of weigh station bypass and toll payment services to TSA members, while receiving a service that has a tremendous positive impact on their businesses,” said TSA Executive Director Bill Webb. “We really focus our endorsements on companies that provide real measureable value and best-in-class service, and our relationship with HELP Inc./PrePass gives our members both of these things.” HELP’s PrePass also has received new endorsements from the Louisiana Motor Transport Association (LMTA), the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association (PMTA) and the Washington Trucking Associations (WTA), representing a diverse and large number of truck fleets. These endorsements follow earlier ones from many other state trucking associations, as well as the American Trucking Associations’ ongoing endorsement of PrePass as an endorsed featured product. “These latest endorsements show the trust that carriers place in HELP to provide the best choice for weigh station bypass and electronic toll payment services,” said HELP Inc. Chief Executive Officer Karen Rasmussen. HELP Inc. continues to advance intelligent highway safety systems through the recent introduction of MOTION, PrePass’ mobile weigh station bypass application. Earlier this year, HELP introduced INFORM data visualization software, to improve fleet safety and reduce toll costs. HELP also offers PrePass ELD, an affordable and easy way for carriers to comply with federal electronic logging device requirements. For more information about HELP Inc., visit www.helpinc.us. For more information on PrePass, visit www.prepass.com.    

A few weeks back, I got word that a former colleague had died. Old Gus, as I’ll call him here, and I worked together for about five years at a small community newspaper in Florida. A fellow former colleague sent me the news, along with an article the paper posted on his death. The article said Old Gus walked into work one day and announced that after 27 years at the paper he was too tired to go on and he was taking early retirement. He was 63, the article said, which surprised me more than the news that he had died. When I knew him, he had always staunchly refused to divulge his age. With only the way he looked, moved and behaved to go on, I had guessed him to be much older. His last day on the job was September 7. The article said that on October 10, his out-of-state relatives got concerned when he stopped answering texts and asked the Sheriff’s Department to do a wellness check. He was found in the apartment he shared with his cat. I was a little surprised but not at all upset when I heard of Old Gus’ passing. I’d left that paper six years ago, and when I was there we weren’t friends, we weren’t even work pals. Honestly, I just plain didn’t like the guy. Management loved him, though. For my money, Old Gus couldn’t write his way out of a paper bag, but as with too many publications these days management looked at editorial content as nothing more than an unavoidable expense, something to fill the space between the ads. Old Gus filled a lot of pages and he put in lots of unpaid overtime doing it. Outside interests like hobbies or a social life never seemed to get in the way. I got the feeling all he did was work, work, work and go home to his cat. He wasn’t unfriendly at work, but he wasn’t an easy guy to talk to. He avoided eye contact. Usually, he would squint into space as he rambled or mumbled, or sometimes both. If you tried to have a conversation with him, you’d get the feeling he was only paying attention to his half of it, that he didn’t want your thoughts to disturb his. He was no one’s first choice for a little coffee-break chitchat.  And except for frequent, repetitive rants about “American Idol,” and raves about Apple computers – monologs, not conversations, that erupted with little prompting – Old Gus shared little of what went on up there. As I read the article, conscious of the writer’s well-intentioned efforts to play up Old Gus’ contribution to community journalism while downplaying that there was little else to write about, I was revisited by a lurking thought that was secretly always part my disdain for Old Gus when I knew him. Part of that disdain was uneasiness, because it often occurred to me how easily I could have wound up just like him. I’ve never exactly been a social butterfly, and there have been a few points in my life when I could have slowly sunk into a life of self-isolation like Old Gus had. That’s how it happens – isolation grows on you, like mold on a piece of forgotten food in the back of the refrigerator. I’ve felt it in some of my more curmudgeonly streaks and I’ve seen it happen to others. There’s a line between solitude and isolation. It’s an addiction, of sorts, almost like drinking or recreational drugs. You don’t realize the damaging effects as it slowly takes over. At first you make do. You may even like the “quiet time.” Then you get used to it. It becomes your comfort zone, until you get to the point where things turn around; you’re as increasingly uncomfortable with the outside world as they seem to increasingly be with you. The term “creepy loner” doesn’t exist for nothing. That’s a description no one aspires to, but it’s such an easy spiral to slide into, especially for men, it seems. As closed off as he was, in five years working in the same office Old Gus couldn’t help but let clues leak out between the lines of some of the things he wrote and some of the things he said – he may have been a loner, but he was also lonely. Somewhere along the line he’d lost the knack for doing anything about it. So why am I telling you all this? I was finishing a story about a program to improve truck drivers’ lifestyles, to make them healthier. Drivers’ health has become a big issue in recent years, and this program was one of the few I’ve run across that acknowledges that even though there is so much focus on eating better, getting more exercise and proper rest, a steady diet of human interaction is also important. It wasn’t long after I wrapped up that story that I got the news about Old Gus, how he died alone, at 63, though he looked much older. He wasn’t a truck driver, just a fellow traveler. I guess I made a connection.

LOS ANGELES — Californians voted Tuesday to keep higher gasoline taxes, rejecting a Republican-backed proposal to repeal a state transportation deal that is expected to pour $52 billion into road and transit upgrades over a decade. Proposition 6 was trailing with 45 percent of the vote after about 4.5 million votes were counted. The initiative sought to repeal increases in fuel taxes and vehicle fees that are expected to fund transportation projects throughout the state. It also would have required voter approval for future gas tax hikes. GOP officials — who hoped the measure would drive Republican turnout in contested state and congressional races — argued that California has grown too expensive and state lawmakers should spend money more wisely. Democrats and construction industry and union leaders maintained the $5 billion a year in revenues are vital to upgrade California’s crumbling roads and bridges. “California voters were not fooled,” said Brian Rice, president of California Professional Firefighters. “It’s a tax, it’s tough, but I think that they understood what it brings to the state.” “For us as firefighters, it is a matter of public safety,” he said. Gov. Jerry Brown signed California’s transportation deal last year, which generates money partly through a 12 cent-per-gallon boost in gasoline excise taxes that took effect last November. Members of both political parties agree that California needs a transportation overhaul as suburban commuters clamor for freeway fixes and city dwellers demand mass transit. Democrats have argued that with more fuel-efficient cars drivers don’t need to buy as much gasoline as they once did, and that means fuel tax revenues aren’t keeping pace with the state’s transportation needs. Republicans said California should use existing revenues to cover road and freeway fixes. San Diego talk radio host and former councilman Carl DeMaio pushed the initiative after leading a successful recall campaign against a Democratic state lawmaker from Orange County over his vote for the fuel tax increase. DeMaio said that the ballot title for the initiative — which began with “eliminates certain road repair and transportation funding” — was misleading. The campaign sent mailers styled as election “corrections” to try to convey to voters the measure was a repeal. “Despite the ill-gotten victory that the politicians have won tonight by stealing votes, by changing the title on our initiative, you have so much to be proud of,” DeMaio told volunteers on Tuesday night. State Attorney General Xavier Becerra — who drafts ballot titles in California — has said that courts sided with him on another gas tax repeal measure with a similar title that didn’t qualify for the ballot. Greg Vargas, a real estate agent from Costa Mesa, said he voted against the repeal because he regularly drives long distances to conduct home valuations and wants decent roads to get there. He said he doesn’t worry about spending too much on gasoline because he has a hybrid vehicle. “I have a Prius, and I’m thinking about getting a Tesla,” the 39-year-old said. “I do believe that the more expensive gas becomes, people start thinking of new technology.”

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi stood in front of the cameras in California not long after what had been a forgone conclusion happened, that being Democratic control of the House of Representatives In short order she intoned: “Tomorrow will be a new day in America.” Come on, Nancy, give us a break. “The victory is about restoring checks and balances to the Trump administration.” Come on Nancy, give us a break. “We (Democrats) have a responsibility to find common ground when we can and stand our ground when we can’t.” Come on Nancy, give us a break. There’s a need to bring us together because we’ve all had enough of division.” Come on Nancy, give us a break. Wouldn’t it have been better if she’d said something like this: “Tomorrow will be a new day in America, not because the Democrats have regained control of the House, but because God promised day would follow the night. We appreciate the fact that the under the Trump administration, the economy advanced an annualized 3.5 percent in the third quarter of 2018, beating market expectations of 3.3 percent, the advance estimate shows. It follows a 4.2 percent growth in the previous period and we want to work with the administration to make sure nothing happens to knock this growth off track. We’re sure there’ll be times when we can find common ground and there’ll be times when we can’t, and when that happens we will work doubly hard to make sure the final outcome is what’s best for the country, not what’s best for our party. We do need to be brought together and that will take some hard work as evidenced by the bitterness of the Brett Kavanaugh hearing.” Instead, here’s what we think she really meant: “Tomorrow will be a new day in America. We haven’t had one since January 3, 2011, when Republicans took control of the House. We’re going to keep Donald Trump so busy answering our subpoenas and appearing before our committees, he won’t have time to run the country. We want to find common ground on issues that are important to the American people, but when we can’t, the heck with what you think. About that division, if we don’t get our way, well … .” We can’t recall a time when partisanship has been so rampant in politics. And it not just partisanship, it’s the bitterness that accompanies the “we’ll get our way or else” attitude. Pelosi and the Democrats will get to test their “new day” theory right away because she says that major infrastructure legislation will be high on the party’s agenda. “We will deliver a transformational investment in America’s infrastructure to create more good-paying jobs, rebuilding our roads, bridges, schools, water systems, broadband networks … housing and beyond,” she said in the wake of the Democratic takeover. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters at a news conference Wednesday that he had talked with Pelosi earlier that day. “The one issue Leader Pelosi and I have discussed this morning where there could be a possible bipartisan agreement would be something on infrastructure.” He provided no details. President Donald Trump had said last month that there’s “a possibility” that his administration and Democrats can “get along” with each other. “They want infrastructure … I want infrastructure. There’s something that can bring us together.” The new House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which could well be chaired by 17-term Rep. Pete DeFazio, D.-Ore., need only to reach on the shelf and pull down the plan written by Rep. Bill Shuster, the current T and I chairman who is leaving Congress. Shuster’s plan calls for significant federal investment in infrastructure projects and grant programs through at least 2021. It includes billions of dollars in grant funding, as well as trillions in appropriations for projects of national significance, though the numbers — along with the rest of the proposal — are subject to change. To provide at least partial funding, the draft calls for a 15-cent-per-gallon tax on gasoline and a 20-cent-per-gallon tax on diesel. The increases would be phased in over a three-year period. At that point, the fees would be indexed to inflation before they are ultimately eliminated in September 2028. We don’t anticipate Democratic interference in the work of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration as FMCSA Administrator Ray Martinez is very capable of steering the agency’s work from the political highway. Nancy, we do hope it’s a new day. Most recently, from a political standpoint, the old ones have been pretty bad and your Democrats are as much to blame as your peers across the aisle.