The Nation

AUSTIN, Texas — The American Transportation Research Institute, the trucking industry’s not-for-profit research institute, Monday unveiled its Top Industry Issues report, which includes the list of the top 10 critical issues facing the North American trucking industry. For the second year in a row, the driver shortage is the top-ranked issue. ARTI released the report during the American Trucking Associations Management Conference and Exhibition under way here. The report includes response from both professional drivers and motor carrier fleets. The need to recruit qualified truck drivers is not a new issue for the industry. In fact, the driver shortage has been a top-three issue in 12 out of the 14 years that ATRI has conducted this survey, the results of which is a compilation of responses from drivers and fleets. However, the driver shortage has held firm as the No. 1 issue as strong freight demand and an aging workforce increase pressure on motor carriers to recruit and retain the best talent. The ATRI Top Industry Issues report also includes prioritized strategies for addressing each issue. The No. 2 issue in this year’s survey is the Hours of Service rules, driven in large part by the industry’s call for increased flexibility in the rules, particularly the sleeper berth provision. Reflecting the industry’s challenges in recruiting and retaining professional drivers, this year’s No. 3 issue is driver retention, up two spots from last year. Industry concern over the electronic logging device mandate has abated some since the final rule went into effect last December, as evidenced by a drop in ranking from the No. 2 issue in 2017 to the No. 4 issue this year. The lack of available truck parking rounds out this year’s top five but remains as the number two issue among commercial drivers. Professional drivers ranked Hours of Service as the No. 1 concern with truck parking as No. 2 and ELDs as No. 3. Here are the bottom five concerns when combining driver and fleet responses: (6) CSA; (7) Driver Distraction; (8) Infrastructure/Congestion/Funding; (9) Driver Health/Wellness; and (10) Economy. Beyond HOS, Truck Parking and ELDs, here are concerns four through 10 as rated by drivers: (4) Driver Distraction; (5) Driver Retention; (6) CSA; (7) Driver Health and Wellness; (8) Transportation Infrastructure/Congestion/Funding; (9) Driver Shortage; ajnd (10) Automated Truck Technology. Here are the top 10 concerns as rated by fleet executives: (1) Driver Shortage; (2) Driver Retention; (3) Hours of Service; (4) Transportation Infrastructure/Congestion/Funding; (5) ELDs; (6) CSA; (7) Driver Distraction; (8) Tort Reform; (9) Truck Parking; and (10) Federal Preemption of State Regulation of Interstate Trucking (F4A). “I’ve spent the past year traveling the country as ATA chairman and everywhere I go, people talk about how we’ve got to resolve our workforce challenges if we’re going to keep this nation’s economy moving forward,” said Dave Manning, TCW president. “ATRI’s annual analysis lays out the industry’s preferred strategies for not only addressing our workforce issues, but HOS, truck parking, and congestion as well.” ATRI is the trucking industry’s 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research organization. It is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation’s essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system. A copy of the survey results is available from ATRI at www.TruckingResearch.org. The November 15-30 issue of The Trucker will carry more details about the report.    

ATLANTA — Road Safe America on October 25 released the results of a national survey showing that voters across the United States strongly support the required use of two existing safety technologies in large trucks — speed limiters and automatic emergency braking. Against the backdrop of worsening trends in truck safety, it should come as no surprise that there is widespread support amongst the American public for these sensible solutions, according to Steve Owings, co-founder of Road Safe America. He pointed to new crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed that 4,761 people lost their lives in truck crashes on U.S. highways in 2017. NHTSA data shows a 41 percent increase from an all-time low in 2009, an “unacceptable trend” given that technology tools are available to reduce truck crashes, he said. “Americans overwhelmingly support these common-sense and data-driven truck safety technology measures to save lives and prevent injuries,” Owings said. “If use of speed limiters and automatic emergency brakes (AEB) had been required in 2002, my son Cullum who was killed by a speeding truck driver, might be alive today. We call on Congress to support the vast majority of Americans and act now to require the use of lifesaving, truck safety technologies.” The survey, conducted by McLaughlin & Associates, of likely general election voters nationwide was conducted September 18-24, 2018, and has an accuracy of +/- 3.1%. Results from the survey show: 79 percent of voters favor speed limiters set at a maximum speed of 65 mph for large trucks, 45 percent strongly favor it and only 13 percent oppose it. 82 percent of voters favor AEB, 50 percent strongly favor it and just 9 percent oppose it. Speed limiter technology has existed for decades and is standard capability in all big rigs manufactured since 1992, yet its use in the United States is not required. Under the Obama administration, after being petitioned by the American Trucking Associations and Road Safe America, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration jointly proposed a rule to require speed limiters on heavy trucks, issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on September 7, 2016. The Trump administration has not advanced the rulemaking beyond the NPRM stage. ATA and the Truckload Carriers Association are both known to support speed limiters. However, ATA expressed displeasure with the NPRM because it did not specify any exact speed, rather it gave three possible options of where speed limiters should be set. Road Safe America noted that many trucks on American highways have set their speed limiters voluntarily because it is profitable to do so, saving on fuel and maintenance costs for brakes and tires. The European Union, Japan, Australia and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec all require speed governors to be set on heavy commercial vehicles at speeds varying from 55 mph in Japan to 65 mph in Canada.   This requirement has been in place for as long as 25 years in some countries and none of them has ever reversed the requirement. A study by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration concluded that big-rigs not using their built-in speed governors were involved in high-speed collisions at twice the rate of trucks that were using them. In addition, a study released by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation found the highway crash rate of speeding trucks dropped by 73 percent after their heavy vehicle speed limiter rule took effect in Ontario and fatalities in all crashes involving big rigs dropped 24 percent in the same time frame. Automatic emergency braking is proven collision avoidance technology. Despite years of study and successful use by leading motor carriers, this technology has yet to be required for commercial motor vehicles. NHTSA estimates that current generation AEB systems can prevent more than 2,500 crashes each year. NHTSA granted a petition in 2015 to initiate rulemaking that would require AEB in all trucks; but the agency has missed the deadline for a final report that was due in September 2018. Road Safe America is dedicated to reducing the injuries and deaths resulting from collisions between tractor-trailer trucks and passenger vehicles. It is supported by private donations and have no financial ties to any part of the transportation industry. The organization says it is not anti-truck or anti-trucker, but rather is pro-safety. Owings and his wife, Susan, founded Road Safe America in 2003 after their son, Cullum, was killed when his car – stopped in an interstate traffic jam – was crushed from behind by a speeding tractor trailer that was determined to be going well above the posted speed limit on cruise control.

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump pledged on Wednesday to put an “extremely big dent” in the scourge of drug addiction in America as he signed legislation intended to help tackle the opioid crisis, the deadliest epidemic of overdoses in the country’s history. The bill, introduced in May by Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Chairman Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to report progress on hair testing within 30 days of passage and lays out a schedule, including benchmarks, for completion of hair testing guidelines, something the American Trucking Associations (ATA) and the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) have long wanted. Efforts to get hair testing guidance has been a work in progress for the past 21 months, said David Heller, vice president of government affairs at the Truckload Carriers Association. The legislation calls on HHS to issue federal oral fluid testing guidelines by December 31, study the possibility of adding a federal drug testing panel for the opiate drug fentanyl, and expand drug testing requirements for certain rail employees. “There are companies out there that are using hair to test for drug and alcohol in a driver’s system,” Heller said. “Hair only detects a driver’s history, it doesn’t detect whether they are under the influence.” Part of the issue revolves around the number of laboratories that can analyze hair testing. “There are roughly seven laboratories that do hair testing, but each one does it a little differently. There is no one set way to do the testing. This is where HHS and Department of Transportation Office of Drug and Alcohol Protocols have an issue because no one can agree on one testing method. “So those two agencies are looking at certifying laboratories, which is fine,” Heller said, “but it needs to be done sooner rather than later so carriers can officially use this testing process for their drug-and-alcohol testing protocols and is obviously something they can’t do right now. The only approved testing is urine. The need is to be able to do both. Hair is actually the predominant test for pre-employment random testing where urine would be good for post-accident and reasonable suspicion.” Although it’s a guidance and not a rulemaking, “In this day and age, guidance and rules are the same thing,” Heller said. “As I said, a lot of these carriers are hair testing now, anyway. And we’re only looking for an and/or in order to incorporate hair testing into drug testing protocols. We are not looking to change the rule, we are looking to make drug testing more stringent.” “Our fleets need to depend on the most accurate, reliable and failsafe drug testing methods available today, and this legislation pushes the federal government to recognize those means of testing,” said Bill Sullivan, ATA’s executive vice president of advocacy. The bill also contains reporting requirements on the development of the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse. Currently, SAMHSA only recognizes the test method of urinalysis. The FAST Act required HHS to issue scientific and technical guidelines for hair testing by December 2016 – a deadline which was missed. Nearly 48,000 people died last year from overdoses involving opioids. Overall, U.S. drug overdose deaths have started to level off, but Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says it’s too soon to declare victory. The legislation will add treatment options and get the U.S. Postal Service to screen overseas packages for a synthetic form of opioids called fentanyl that are being shipped largely from China. The measure mandates advance electronic data on all international packages, including those delivered by the Postal Service, and set deadlines for the screening to be put into place by the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection and the Postal Service. Trump declared the opioid epidemic a national emergency and two major funding bills have passed under his watch. “My administration has also launched an unprecedented effort to target drug dealers, traffickers and smuggler,” Trump said. “We are shutting down online networks, cracking down on international shipments and going after foreign traffickers like never before.” The White House says the Justice Department has shuttered a large “Darknet” distributor of drugs, and in August indicted two Chinese nationals accused of manufacturing the shipping fentanyl and 250 other drugs to at least 25 countries and 37 states. Fentanyl is inexpensive but some 50 times more powerful than heroin, according to Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio., who was recognized at the East Room event along with other lawmakers instrumental in getting the bill passed. The legislation covers not only opioids but also any kind of substance abuse. It expands Americans’ access to treatment and changes the law that prohibited Medicaid from reimbursing residential treatment at certain facilities with more than 16 beds. It includes $60 million for babies born dependent on these drugs and authorizes a variety of programs, such as drug courts that work to get offenders into treatment instead of behind bars. “Together we are going to end the scourge of drug addiction in America,” Trump said. “We are going to end it or we are going to at least put an extremely big dent in this terrible problem.” Associated Press sources contributed to this report.  

WASHINGTON — The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Transportation has initiated an audit of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s so-called “corrective action plan” intended to revamp the FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program methodology. The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act of 2015 (FAST Act) required the agency to commission the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to study the SMS data and methodology used in the CSA program, which was initiated in December 2010. In a report issued on June 27, 2017, NAS made six recommendations to help FMCSA improve its data, update the current methodology, and enhance transparency. Those recommendations were: Investigate a new statistical model within the existing structure of SMS over the next two years. Improve the quality of Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) data that feeds SMS by continuing to collaborate with states and other entities. Explore ways to collect additional data that could enhance the recommended methodology for safety assessment. This data could include carrier characteristics such as driver turnover rate, type of cargo, method and level of compensation, and better information on exposure. Make user-friendly versions of the MCMIS data file and computer code used to calculate SMS results, available to the public. Conduct a study to better understand if percentile rankings should be available to the public. This study should aim to determine whether percentiles are effective at identifying carriers for intervention. Findings from this study should inform the decision of whether to make percentiles public. Use absolute measures, in addition to relative percentiles, to determine which carriers are prioritized for intervention. The percentiles should be calculated within carrier safety event groups and across all carriers. The FAST Act required FMCSA to give the OIG a corrective action plan that (1) responds to deficiencies or opportunities identified in the NAS report, (2) identifies how FMCSA will address such deficiencies or opportunities, and that (3) provides a cost estimate regarding any changes FMCSA must make to staffing, enforcement, and data collection to address the issues raised. The commercial motor carrier industry plays a vital role in the nation’s economy, carrying nearly 70 percent of goods shipped to consumers and businesses. In recent years, the number of large trucks and buses on the roads has increased, as have safety issues related to these vehicles. Fatalities in crashes involving large trucks or buses grew from 4,397 in 2012 to 4,844 in 2017, a 10.2 percent increase. Since December 2010, FMCSA has monitored the safety practices of motor carriers through CSA and its SMS. FMCSA uses SMS to evaluate carrier performance information obtained from roadside inspections, crash reports, compliance reviews, and other data. The FAST Act mandated that OIG review the extent to which the corrective action plan addresses the NAS recommendations and any relevant recommendations that OIG or the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued before the law was enacted. After the audit, the OIG is required to submit a report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure that addresses the responsiveness of FMCSA’s corrective action plan to the 2017 NAS report. The OIG said its audit objectives are to (1) assess the extent to which FMCSA’s corrective action plan addresses the NAS recommendations and relevant OIG and GAO recommendations and (2) identify challenges FMCSA may face when implementing the corrective action plan.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Traffic congestion on the U.S. National Highway System added nearly $74.5 billion in operational costs to the trucking industry in 2016, a 0.5 percent increase over 2015, according to research released Thursday by the American Transportation Research Institute. In its latest “Cost of Congestion” analysis, ATRI utilized a variety of data sources, including its unique truck GPS database to calculate delays on just the NHS totaling nearly 1.2 billion hours of lost productivity. This equates to 425,533 commercial truck drivers sitting idle for a working year. The analysis showed the average congestion cost per truck in 2016 was $6,478 as compared with $6,616 in 2015. Using the Federal Highway Administration’s total truck vehicle miles traveled, cost-per-mile for 2016 was the same as 2015 — $0.26 — but the total VMT in 2016 was 287,894,900 versus 279,843,600 in 2015, an increase of 2.9 percent. It is no doubt worse — a lot worse — for on-highway trucks, even though the analysis doesn’t break down on-highway tractors separately, but rather breaks down trucks by vehicle miles traveled. The analysis is based on 11.5 million large trucks in the United States. Only 2.6 million of those are Class 8 truck tractors. “Unfortunately, the truck volume data underlying this analysis do not allow us to break out congestion costs by vehicle class,” Alan Hooper, ATRI research associate, said. “However, Class 7 and 8 vehicles are heavily represented in these data, so the results of our analysis are definitely relevant to operators of these vehicles.” That analysis shows the average congestion cost for trucks driven 100,000 miles was just over $25,000; for 125,000 miles is was just over $32,000; and for trucks driven 150,000 it was almost $40,000. Hooper listed three takeaways/surprises in the analysis: Congestion costs increased between 2015 and 2016 despite the soft freight market that year, the effects of which can be seen in the year-over-year decline in congestion costs observed during the second half of 2016. The congestion costs incurred by the trucking industry are increasingly concentrated in a relatively small number of densely populated urban areas. The top 10 states in terms of congestion costs combine to account for over half (51.8 percent) of these costs, while the top 10 metropolitan areas represent one-quarter of the national total. Moreover, over 90 percent of congestion costs occur in urban metropolitan areas. Another way to look at it is that 85.7 percent of the industry’s congestion costs occur on just 17.2 percent of NHS miles. The effects of temporary delays (e.g. construction or weather-related delays) will be more pronounced in areas with relatively small roadway networks. For instance, the Elizabethtown/Fort Knox, Kentucky, metropolitan area tops the list in terms of both congestion costs per mile and per-mile increases because of the I-65 widening project. Similarly, congestion costs surged in Lafayette, Louisiana, in part because of the effects of the catastrophic flooding that impacted much of southern Louisiana in August 2016. As expected, the survey showed traffic congestion tended to be most severe in urban areas, with more than 91 percent of the total congestion costs generating from metropolitan areas. ATRI’s analysis also documented the states, metropolitan areas and counties that were most impacted by these delays and subsequent cost increases. The top 10 states experienced costs of more than $2.4 billion each, led by Texas and Florida with over $5.5 billion each. Others in the top 10 included California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Ohio and North Carolina. The top 10 states combined account for 51.8 percent of the congestion costs nationwide. The top 10 states with the largest increase in cost congestion were Texas, California, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Hawaii, Florida and Rhode Island “Perhaps no other issue has as great an impact on this nation’s supply chain as traffic congestion.  In the face of growing and pervasive congestion, not only does the trucking industry lose billions annually but ultimately the consumer pays the price through higher prices on the shelf,” said Benjamin J. McLean, Ruan Transportation Management Systems CEO and a member of the ATRI board of directors. “Doing nothing to address the state of our nation’s infrastructure will create a significant impediment to the growth of our economy.” As part of this analysis, ATRI has updated its congestion cost database with 2016 data to provide granular cost information to transportation planning officials on the hours of delay and associated cost by major jurisdiction type and road level. ATRI listed three major factors that contributed to increased congestion in 2016: A continued increase in traffic incidents, including a record 7.3 million police-reported crashes and a 5.6 percent increase in fatalities from motor vehicle crashes on U.S. roadways. Growing economic activity as evidenced by annual U.S. Gross Domestic Product growth of 1.5 percent and growth in e-commerce sales of 14.9 percent between 2015 and 2016, and • Weather impacts such as Winter Storm Jonas — a record-breaking snowstorm which impacted the Northeast, Appalachians, and mid-Atlantic in January 2016.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina is about to begin planning for more interstate highway lanes in the eastern part of the state. The Post and Courier of Charleston reported the state transportation commission voted Thursday to begin planning to widen parts of Interstate 95 and I-26. The commission did not discuss a timetable for the expansion, expected to cost $3 billion. The plan calls for adding an additional lane in each direction for 33 miles between U.S. 17 and the Georgia state line. It also calls for expanding to three lanes in each direction on I-26 between Columbia and Charleston. The agency said the I-26 work would cost about $1.8 billion. The I-95 work would cost $1.2 billion. I-95 has at least six lanes throughout Georgia but narrows to four at the South Carolina line. And I-26 currently has six lanes at the outskirts of Columbia and Charleston but four lanes in between. Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall said Thursday’s vote will let the agency begin planning. “We must start today with identifying how to break these corridors into projects that can be advanced as funding becomes available,” she said. In announcing its decision, DOT cited the critical movement of freight across the state. This freight program is in addition to the agency’s interstate widening program already at work in certain urban areas. Hall noted trucking is the primary mode of freight movement within the state, and it’s expected to grow by 60 percent over the next two decades.  

THOREAU, N. M. — The tractor-trailer involved in a fatal accident near here August 30 was operating outside its granted authority, according to federal records. The National Transportation Safety Board Thursday released a preliminary accident report saying that a sudden air loss in a left front tire of a tractor-trailer caused the big rig to cross the median on Interstate 40 and strike a Greyhound Lines bus on August 30, killing the bus driver and six passengers. In addition, one of the twin children of a woman who went into premature labor as a result of the accident died September 9, the NTSB said. The NTSB said about 12:30 p.m. on August 30, the 2016 Freightliner in combination with a 2017 Utility refrigerated trailer, was traveling east on I-40 when the driver lost control of the vehicle after the sudden air loss, entered a 33-foot-wide depressed earthen median, jackknifed, and continued into the westbound lane, striking the bus carrying 48 passengers and the driver. The truck, operated by Jag Transportation of Fresno, California, was carrying produce to Memphis, Tennessee, but according to federal records, Jag Transportation had only intrastate authority, meaning it could transport freight only inside the borders of California. Many states require that their motor carriers who operate exclusively within that state obtain a USDOT number.  The federal government does not require intrastate carriers to obtain USDOT registration or authority — with the exception of hazmat carriers; all hazmat carriers, intrastate included, are subject to federal safety regulations. These intrastate carriers generally are subject to regulatory oversight by the state.  (There are certain federal regulations that may apply to intrastate carriers; for example, a CDL is required by the federal government to operate a vehicle weighing more than 26,000 pounds, or when operating a vehicle transporting 16 or more passengers. If a CDL is required to operate the vehicle, then federal drug-and-alcohol testing regulations also apply.) The NTSB said after the impact, the trailer separated from the tractor and came to rest in the westbound lane and center median on its right side, spilling its load onto the roadway. After rolling onto its roof, the tractor came to rest in the median just off the westbound lanes. The driver of the truck received only minor injuries, the NTSB said. NTSB inspectors conducted detailed post-crash inspections and no defects were found. The NTSB said the tire carcass from the left steer axle was shipped to the NTSB laboratory for additional examination. Investigators are also evaluating maintenance records for the truck and evaluating motor carrier operations and driver performance related to the crash.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Love’s Travel Stops (Love’s) store employees and customers raised more than $3.4 million for sick and injured children through its five-week store campaign to raise funds for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals) and promotion of National Coffee Day. Love’s Employees surpassed their $3 million goal and set a company record for the most money raised during the in-store campaign with more than $3.4 million raised, said a Love’s news release. “Each year, our employees show remarkable compassion for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and this year was no different,” said Jenny Love Meyer, vice president of communications for Love’s. “Every Love’s location stepped up its fundraising efforts to truly make a difference in the lives of others. We’re very thankful for the customers who support this cause every year, and are abundantly proud of our employees.” From Aug. 26 – Sept. 30, Love’s team members sold Miracle Balloon icons for donations and organized events like 5K runs, bowling tournaments, fishing tournaments, cookouts and more. Love’s showed additional support for CMN Hospitals on National Coffee Day, which took place Sept. 28-29 during the store campaign. To honor the day, all 24-ounce coffees and cappuccinos were discounted to $1, with all sales benefiting CMN Hospitals. “We are so excited about the results of Love’s Miles of Miracles fundraising campaign for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals this year,” said John Lauck, president and CEO of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. “The 19th annual campaign raised the most money ever and we’ve got the generous employees and customers of Love’s to thank for it. Five weeks of balloon sales, barbecues, bake sales and more were capped off with two days in celebration of National Coffee Day. We are so grateful for all the help our hospitals have received from this year’s campaign.” Of the 170 CMN Hospitals members throughout North America, 101 benefit from Love’s annual campaign. Since beginning its partnership with CMN Hospitals in 1999, Love’s has raised more than $28 million for the children and families who visit Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.  

RUCKERSVILLE, Va. — Crashes are up by as much as 6 percent in Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, compared with neighboring states that haven’t legalized marijuana for recreational use, new research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) shows. The findings come as campaigns to decriminalize marijuana gain traction with voters and legislators in the U.S., and Canada begins allowing recreational use of marijuana this month. The two new studies will be presented today at the Combating Alcohol- and Drug-Impaired Driving summit, hosted by IIHS and HLDI at the Vehicle Research Center. The summit brings together highway safety and law enforcement experts to discuss the prevalence and associated risk of alcohol- and drug-impaired driving, as well as strategies to combat impaired driving. Colorado and Washington were the first states to legalize recreational marijuana for adults 21 and older with voter approval in November 2012. Retail sales began in January 2014 in Colorado and in July 2014 in Washington. Oregon voters approved legalized recreational marijuana in November 2014, and sales started in October 2015. Nevada voters approved recreational marijuana in November 2016, and retail sales began in July 2017. HLDI analysts estimate that the frequency of collision claims per insured vehicle year rose a combined 6 percent following the start of retail sales of recreational marijuana in Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, compared with the control states of Idaho, Montana, Utah and Wyoming. The combined-state analysis is based on collision loss data from January 2012 through October 2017. Analysts controlled for differences in the rated driver population, insured vehicle fleet, the mix of urban versus rural exposure, unemployment, weather and seasonality. Collision claims are the most frequent kind of claims insurers receive. Collision coverage insures against physical damage to a driver’s vehicle in a crash with an object or other vehicle, generally when the driver is at fault. Claim frequencies are expressed as the number of claims per 100 insured vehicle years. An insured vehicle year is one vehicle insured for one year or two vehicles insured for six months each. A separate IIHS study examined 2012–16 police-reported crashes before and after retail sales began in Colorado, Oregon and Washington. IIHS estimates that the three states combined saw a 5.2 percent increase in the rate of crashes per million vehicle registrations, compared with neighboring states that didn’t legalize marijuana sales. IIHS researchers compared the change in crash rate in Colorado, Oregon and Washington with the change in crash rates in the neighboring states that didn’t enact recreational marijuana laws. Researchers compared Colorado with Nebraska, Wyoming and Utah, and they compared Oregon and Washington with Idaho and Montana. The study controlled for differences in demographics, unemployment and weather in each state. The size of the effect varied by state. Although the study controlled for several differences among the states, the models can’t capture every single difference. For example, marijuana laws in Colorado, Oregon and Washington differ in terms of daily purchase limits, sales taxes and available options for home growers. These differences can influence how often consumers buy marijuana, where they buy it and where they consume it. The 5.2 percent increase in police-reported crash rates following legalization of recreational marijuana use is consistent with the 6 percent increase in insurance claim rates estimated by HLDI. “The new IIHS-HLDI research on marijuana and crashes indicates that legalizing marijuana for all uses is having a negative impact on the safety of our roads,” says IIHS-HLDI President David Harkey. “States exploring legalizing marijuana should consider this effect on highway safety.” Marijuana is still an illegal controlled substance under federal law. In addition to the study states, Alaska, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont and the District of Columbia also allow recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 and older and medical use of marijuana. Another 22 states allow medical marijuana, while 15 more states permit the use of specific cannabis products for designated medical conditions. Legalization of recreational use is pending in New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. In November, Michigan and North Dakota will hold referendums on marijuana, and Missouri and Utah voters will decide whether to expand medical marijuana laws in their states. Driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal in all 50 states and D.C., but determining impairment is challenging. Unlike alcohol, the amount of marijuana present in a person’s body doesn’t consistently relate to impairment. THC, or Tetrahydrocannabinol, is the primary psychoactive component of cannabis. A positive test for THC and its active metabolite doesn’t mean the driver was impaired at the time of the crash. Habitual users of marijuana may have positive blood tests for THC days or weeks after using the drug. Marijuana’s role in crashes isn’t as clear as the link between alcohol and crashes. Many states don’t include consistent information on driver drug use in crash reports, and policies and procedures for drug testing are inconsistent. More drivers in crashes are tested for alcohol than for drugs. When drivers are tested, other drugs are often found in combination with alcohol, which makes it difficult to isolate their separate effects. “Despite the difficulty of isolating the specific effects of marijuana impairment on crash risk, the evidence is growing that legalizing its use increases crashes,” Harkey says.

WASHINGTON — If you are driving in the San Francisco/Oakland area, you stand a pretty good chance of driving (or riding) on some pretty sorry roads. So says the a report issued Wednesday by TRIP, a national transportation group. Among urban areas with a population of 500,000 or more, 71 percent of the total miles of major roads in the San Francisco/Oakland area are considered to be in poor condition. To make matters more daunting for California motorists, the worst three locations among large urban areas are in the Golden State, with 64 percent in San José, and 57 percent in the Los Angeles/Long Beach/Anaheim area. In the mid-sized urban areas with populations of 200,000-500,000, three of the top four cities are in California — Antioch at 57 percent; Concord at 56 percent and Oxnard at 48 percent. Madison, Wisconsin, is No. 3 in mid-size urban areas, at 46 percent. The TRIP report “Bumpy Roads Ahead: America’s Roughest Rides and Strategies to make our Roads Smoother,” evaluates pavement conditions in the large and mid-sized (200,000-500,000 population) urban areas and calculates the additional costs passed on to motorists as a result of driving on rough roads. Driving on deteriorated urban roads costs motorists as much as $1,049 annually, the TRIP report said, because driving on roads in disrepair increases consumer costs by increasing needed repairs, maintenance, fuel consumption, tire wear, and accelerating vehicle deterioration and depreciation. The remaining seven cities in large urban areas in the report with a poor share of bad roads are: Milwaukee, 54 percent Honolulu, 54 percent Akron, Ohio, 49 percent Cleveland, 49 percent New York-Newark, 46 percent Providence, Rhode Island/Massachusetts, 46 percent Philadelphia/New Jersey/Delaware/Maryland, 43 percent The remaining six cities in mid-size urban areas are: Round Lake Beach-McHenry-Grayson Lake, Illinois/Wisconsin, 44 percent Jackson, Mississippi, 44 percent Santa Rosa, California, 43 percent Green Bay, Wisconsin, 43 percent Stockton, California, 43 percent Victorville-Hesperia, California, 42 percent In 2016, one-third of the nation’s major urban roads – interstates, freeways and other arterial routes – had pavements that were in substandard condition and provided an unacceptably rough ride to motorists, costing the average driver $599 annually. The nationwide annual cost to motorists driving on deteriorated roads totals $130 billion. “Drivers are paying a hefty price for our nation’s crumbling roads and bridges,” said Kathleen Bower, AAA senior vice president of public affairs and international relations. “Those traveling daily through urban cities bear the weight of the problem — with many wasting thousands of dollars each year on rising transportation costs due to pot holes and wasted fuel. “AAA urges Congress and the current administration to prioritize transportation infrastructure improvements to ensure safe, efficient and reliable mobility across the United States.” Road conditions could deteriorate further as the rate of vehicle travel continues to increase and local and state governments find themselves unable to adequately fund road repairs, the TRIP report said. With vehicle travel growth rates returning to pre-recession levels and large truck travel anticipated to grow significantly, mounting wear-and-tear on the nation’s urban roads and highways is expected to increase the cost of needed highway repairs. Vehicle miles of travel in the U.S. increased by 16 percent from 2000 to 2016 and increased by 6 percent in just the three years from 2013 to 2016. Travel by large commercial trucks in the U.S. increased by 29 percent from 2000 to 2016 and is anticipated to increase by approximately 56 percent from 2018 to 2045, putting even greater stress on the nation’s roadways. “The needs of our nation’s infrastructure continue to grow. This report provides clear evidence that deteriorating roads are a strain on motorists and bad for the economy,” said U.S. Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Transportation and Infrastructure Ed Mortimer. “It is past time for federal lawmakers to come together to enact a long-term infrastructure modernization plan.” The U.S. Department of Transportation’s semi-annual report on the condition, use and funding needs of the nation’s surface transportation program found that the current backlog of needed road and highway rehabilitation is $419.5 billion and that the nation’s current $41 billion annual investment in maintaining the condition of roads and highways should be increased by 33 percent to $61 billion annually to improve the condition of America’s roads and highways. “Motorists are facing a rough ride in many urban areas because of a lack of adequate funding for road repairs,” said Will Wilkins, TRIP’s executive director. “Some states and regional governments have begun to address their needs through recent funding increases, but it will also take action by the federal government. Congress can help by fixing the federal Highway Trust Fund with a sustainable source of user-fee based revenue.”

HOLSTEIN, Iowa  — After six decades of construction, an expansion project to build a four-lane expressway across northern Iowa is finished. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held Friday in Holstein for the completed U.S. Highway 20 corridor, which now extends 302 miles to connect Sioux City with Fort Dodge, Waterloo and Dubuque, the Des Moines Register reported. Road widening of the expressway’s first 3-mile section started in 1958. But the remaining miles have taken 60 years to complete. “Most people never thought they would see this in their lifetime,” said Shirley Phillips, president of the U.S. Highway 20 Corridor Association, a lobbying group that represents communities along the route. Gov. Kim Reynolds and Rep. Steve King will join Iowa Department of Transportation officials in celebrating the route, which is an alternative to the often-congested Interstate Highway 80 across Iowa’s midsection. Widening the final 40-mile stretch of Highway 20 cost about $215 million. The Legislature provided funding for the project’s final stages by approving a 10-cent per gallon increase in the state’s gas and diesel fuel tax. Former Sen. Bill Anderson, a Republican who voted in favor of the fuel tax increase, said Department of Transportation officials had no plans to complete the project without addition state revenue. “The reality is this wouldn’t have happened without the gas tax,” Anderson said. “The money just wasn’t there.” The completed four-lane corridor will slightly reduce driving times for motorists and should spark more businesses along the route, such as convenience stores, restaurants and motels, according to Iowa State University economist David Swenson. But the highway expansion likely won’t reverse long-term trends that have drawn labor away from rural communities and toward Iowa’s metropolitan areas and regional trade centers, he said. “Will this make a difference with regards to the location, or the siting of manufacturing firms and other kinds of firms? I don’t think so,” Swenson said.  

SACRAMENTO, Calif.  — As the political battle to overturn California’s gas tax increase intensified, the state transportation agency coordinated frequently with the public affairs firm working to block the repeal on behalf of unions, construction companies and local government groups, emails obtained by The Associated Press show. The California State Transportation Agency and Sacramento-based Bicker, Castillo & Fairbanks organized news conferences and other efforts to promote legislation to raise the tax to fund road and bridge repairs, which passed the Legislature in April 2017. After Gov. Jerry Brown signed it, the agency and firm continued planning events and coordinating social media posts as opponents gathered signatures for repeal. Three ethics experts interviewed by the AP said the emails raise concerns that the agency’s relationship with the firm was too close, but none saw a clear violation of campaign laws, which prohibit the use of public resources for political campaigns. The repeal qualified for the November ballot in June. The firm, BCF, continues to work for the anti-repeal coalition, which includes the League of California Cities and the California Chamber of Commerce. Some communications between BCF and the state agency involved politics, according to more than 200 emails from 2017 and the first half of this year obtained by the AP through the California Public Records Act. Last fall, the agency and firm discussed opinion pieces “targeting” U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa and three other vulnerable Republicans in Congress. National Democratic leaders see those seats as key to winning control of the U.S. House. In January, a BCF partner, Kathy Fairbanks, communicated with the agency about designing a campaign logo for Proposition 69, a June ballot measure involving how gas tax proceeds are spent. And an undated memo shows the agency and firm also planned to coordinate efforts for several months through the primary. Loyola Law School Professor and government ethics expert Jessica Levinson said the relationship between the firm and agency appears too close, and the exchange about the congressmen crossed an ethical line. “I mean way over the line,” she said. BCF and agency officials said the communications were appropriate to educate the public about the law and that they ramped down coordination when the firm took an official campaign role. “Clearly the agency was trying to coordinate with the campaign, and they shouldn’t have,” said Bob Stern, a government ethics expert who helped write California’s campaign laws. But he added the actual amount of time government workers spent coordinating with the firm was likely minimal. Ann Ravel, who served on the Federal Election Commission and California’s Fair Political Practices Commission, said the volume of emails raises questions about whether the agency aided one side. “It seems like maybe it’s a little too cozy, but I wouldn’t say that it’s clearly inappropriate,” Ravel said. The legislation approved last year raised gas taxes by 12 cents per gallon and added diesel and vehicle fees to generate $5 billion annually. Proposition 6 would repeal the increase and require voters approve gas and vehicle tax increases. The ballot measure is a centerpiece of California Republicans’ efforts to boost turnout. GOP Congress members — including House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield and Orange County’s Mimi Walters — are among the repeal’s biggest financial backers. Leaders of the repeal campaign have asked the federal government to investigate their claims that public resources have been used against them, based on emails and other documents that show local government workers discussing the repeal effort. Those documents are different from the ones the AP obtained. Opponents also circulated a video of a Caltrans contractor passing out anti-Proposition 6 fliers to drivers. The California Department of Transportation, known as Caltrans, falls under the state transportation agency. Melissa Figueroa, the agency’s deputy secretary for communications and strategic planning, said it’s the agency’s job to inform the public about the impact of laws, and it has done so in the past, including for California’s “motor voter” registration law. “We’re trying to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars,” Figueroa said. The agency communicated much less frequently with the firm and stopped coordinating social media posts once the official anti-Proposition 6 campaign started, Figueroa said. “Prior to that point, it was more of a collaborative effort because they were not in campaign mode,” Figueroa said. BCF partner Brandon Castillo said the coalition registered as a fundraising committee in December and officially became a ballot measure campaign in March to support Proposition 69. BCF and other gas tax supporters routinely asked the agency for information, but they did not coordinate on creating campaign materials, Figueroa said. The agency also fulfilled numerous public records requests filed by gas tax opponents, she said. However, an undated memo outlining agency and coalition plans from March through the primary election shows the firm and the agency coordinated the timing of announcements and events. It details plans for the state to tout new construction projects while the coalition campaigned for Proposition 69. The agency and coalition coordinated their schedules, but the agency wasn’t involved in campaigning for Proposition 69, Figueroa said. Castillo sent the email about op-eds focused on GOP candidates Sept. 20, 2017. “Hey Melissa — We’re penning opeds (sic) targeting the following congressional republicans,” he wrote. He identified Reps. Jeff Denham, Steve Knight, Walters and Issa and asked Figueroa for information about projects funded by the gas tax increase in their districts. At the time, the coalition was working to persuade California’s influential Republican congressional delegates to reject the repeal. Several days after Castillo’s email, Figueroa suggested she or Brian Kelly, then the agency’s leader, help find an author for the piece targeting Issa, considered the most vulnerable California incumbent before he decided against seeking re-election. Castillo responded saying coalition members were working on it and asked: “Do you have anyone in mind that could influence Republicans/Issa?” The documents obtained by the AP don’t include further exchanges on the issue. In interviews, Castillo and Figueroa said the agency never suggested an author. Figueroa said she offered help because the op-ed would educate people in Issa’s district. The piece ultimately was written by the mayor of Encinitas, a suburb north of San Diego, and ran the following month in the San Diego Union-Tribune. It touted projects in the district funded by the gas tax increase but didn’t mention Issa. Levinson found the exchange surprising because it seemed to directly reference campaign activities. “I don’t want to say it’s a smoking gun, but that is so much more explicit than I ever would have predicted they would be,” she said. Prominent gas tax repeal supporters, including gubernatorial candidate John Cox and conservative activist Carl DeMaio, criticized the agency’s activity. “It’s against the law, and it also shows that you can’t trust them with money,” DeMaio said. “I think that what you’re seeing is just the tip of the iceberg.”

SALT LAKE CITY — EpicVue, providers of in-cab satellite TV packaged exclusively for the trucking industry, said that carriers can now take advantage of its driver entertainment systems without the need to sign a subscription contract. “The adoption of our in-cab satellite TV systems for improving driver recruitment, job satisfaction and retention continues to grow steadily,” said Lance Platt, CEO of EpicVue. “With our new no contract offering carriers now have the option of providing drivers with premium entertainment such as EpicVue systems without the worry of making a long term commitment.” With the new no contract offer from EpicVue Platt said fleets can adopt satellite TV systems for an upfront fee, and can cancel the service at any time and keep the in-cab equipment. The new offer also has potential tax advantages because the systems are considered assets and not leased items. The EpicVue package includes more than 100 channels of DIRECTV programming, including premium channels such as HBO/Cinemax, SHOWTIME and the NFL Sunday Ticket. The in-cab satellite TV systems are offered to fleets with 20 or more vehicles for a monthly subscription fee and without any upfront hardware costs. Salt Lake City-based EpicVue was formed by individuals with years of combined experience in the satellite and television industries. For more information, visit www.epicvue.com.

PHOENIX — HELP Inc., the non-profit provider of the PrePass truck weigh station bypass program and other safety services, is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Since HELP’s creation in 1993, the world of trucking and commercial motor vehicle enforcement changed forever and for the better, but getting there actually began several years before HELP was created, according to Karen Rasmussen, CEO of HELP. Back in the mid-1980s, innovative leaders from state transportation agencies and the trucking industry in a band of western states and British Columbia sought common ground between government and industry, she said. “As a member of the leadership staff at the California Trucking Association during that time, I saw first-hand that government and industry shared a critical common goal: highway safety,” Rasmussen said “Both were experiencing inefficiencies at ports of entry and weight/inspection facilities. That goal became the focus of a demonstration program, known as the Crescent Project.” The project was overseen by a loose-knit coalition of industry and government representatives from Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas, Washington and British Columbia. During the two-and-a-half years of the project, industry and government participants worked cooperatively together. When the truck bypass technology system moved past the demonstration phase, the coalition determined it would be best to create an objective third-party entity, one that would balance safety and efficiency, and be charged with ensuring carriers adhered to strict safety and credentialing standards. Thus, HELP Inc. (Heavy-vehicle Electronic License Plate, Inc.) was born, along with a shared vision by its public and private partners: achieving safe, secure and seamless commercial vehicle operations across North America’s highway system. Rasmussen said in implementing HELP the organization follows three core tenants: HELP remains a fully compliant 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity as designated by the Internal Revenue Service. HELP is not driven by profit but is an entity whose every action must support its tax-exempt mission of safety. HELP is governed by a board composed of equal numbers from public agencies and trucking industry representatives, providing a critical balance between safety and efficiency. Today, HELP provides PrePass at 303 fixed, operational sites in 31 states. These are sites that are staffed and operational, providing real bypasses. Another 25 fixed sites are in various stages of planning and construction and hundreds of mobile sites will be announced soon. In addition, HELP’s partnership with the NORPASS and Oregon Green Light bypass systems provides carriers bypass opportunities at an additional 43 sites in six states. Nearly 600,000 trucks from over 66,000 qualified fleets participate in PrePass today. Over the years, PrePass has generated 8.8 million successful bypasses, saving the trucking industry an estimated $6.2 billion, based on a cost algorithm utilized by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. In addition, trucks in HELP’s PrePass Plus system enjoy streamlined toll payments at 2,620 locations across 48 tolled facilities. “Imagine the challenge faced today by commercial motor vehicle enforcement and compliance agencies without an accepted means to screen and identify the safe carriers and drivers from others that may need attention,” Rasmussen said. “Imagine the delays faced in today’s just-in-time economy by fleets and drivers without an accepted means to legally and safely bypass scales and inspections.” And what about the next 25 years? Rasmussen said the HELP Inc. vision speaks to achieving its safety and efficiency goals through the use of advanced technologies. HELP is already at work on the future – a future where government and the trucking industry will continue working together as one to achieve those goals. For more information about HELP, visit www.helpinc.us. For more information on PrePass, visit www.prepass.com. PHOTO CAPTION Courtesy: HELP INC. HELP provides PrePass at 303 fixed, operational sites in 31 states. These are sites that are staffed and operational, providing real bypasses. Another 25 fixed sites are in various stages of planning and construction and hundreds of mobile sites will be announced soon.                      

ARLINGTON, Va. — The American Trucking Associations has released the list of 34 professional truck drivers named as finalists for the 2019-2020 term of America’s Road Team. “ATA believes the men and women who work safely day after day to deliver our goods – truck drivers – are the best representatives of the trucking industry and we are inspired by the finalists for the upcoming class of America’s Road Team,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “Throughout the evaluation process, we read and heard stories from truck drivers about pride, courage, and selflessness – the kinds of stories we are excited to share with the public, media and elected officials.” America’s Road Team, a group of professional truck drivers with superior safety records, was created in 1986 to represent the trucking industry and is sponsored by Volvo Trucks. Captains, with support from their companies, dedicate a few days each month to attend industry events, speak at schools, or meet policymakers on behalf of the trucking industry. The 34 finalists advance to the final round of the selection process to be held January 27-30 in Arlington. A panel of evaluators, including industry officials and trucking news media representatives, will judge the contenders on their knowledge of the trucking industry, dedication to safety, ability to communicate the industry’s messages and overall safe driving record. The finalists, with a combined total of 90 million safe-driving miles and 946 years as professional truck drivers, are highway safety experts eager to share their experiences with the motoring public, Spear said. The newly chosen 2019-2020 America’s Road Team will be announced on January 30 following a ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington. New Captains, after receiving their signature navy blue America’s Road Team blazer, will begin working to share the industry’s message of safety, essentiality and sustainability with the motoring public, media, business groups, public officials and their fellow truck drivers around the country. Captains from the 2017-2018 America’s Road Team, and previous teams, continue to serve as ambassadors to the industry and are called upon frequently to participate in safety events, speaking appearances and industry conferences. “The trucking industry has millions of truck drivers who work tirelessly to safely deliver goods to our communities, so it is a major responsibility to represent that workforce as an America’s Road Team Captain,” said ATA COO and Executive Vice President of Industry Affairs Elisabeth Barna. “These finalists, and all the nominees, are valuable representatives for our industry and we are looking forward to meeting them in January and welcoming a new team to join the proud legacy of being an America’s Road Team Captain.” To be nominated to serve as an America’s Road Team Captain, professional truck drivers must be employed or leased to an ATA member company. Each nominee should have an excellent safety record, and should demonstrate an ability to communicate his or her commitment to safety and passion for the industry. Nominees should also portray a positive image of the professional truck driver in all that they do. This year’s finalists hail from 22 different states, haul a diverse assortment of products and materials, and range from short haul drivers to over-the-road drivers operating in all of the lower 48 states. The finalists represent a cross-section of the industry with experience ranging from 6 years to 55 years as professional truck drivers with anywhere from 600,000 to 6.9 million safe driving miles. The finalists, the companies for which they drive and their hometown include: Ronald Baird, Hoffman Transportation/G&D Trucking; Thorntown, Indiana; William C. Bennett III, UPS Freight, Maytown, Pennsylvania; Dale Brenaman, UPS Freight, Stamping Ground, Kentucky; Sammy Brewster, ABF Freight, Powder Springs, Georgia; Jorge Chavez, Jetco Delivery, Houston; Timothy Chelette, Big G Express, Murfreesboro, Tennessee; James Clark, Penske Logistics, Otter Lake, Michigan; April Coolidge, USA Truck, Mint Hill, North Carolina; Scott Davis, ABF Freight, Kearney, Missouri; Jesse Wayne Dennis, Prime Inc., Springfield, Missouri; Ken Duncan, Walmart Transportation, Gorham, Maine; Douglas Frombaugh, FedEx Freight, Carlisle, Pennsylvania; William Goins, Old Dominion Freight Line, Cloverdale, Indiana; Billy Hambrick, Werner Enterprises, Yoder, Wyoming; Russell James, YRC Freight, Bonner, Montana; and Ronnie Luckadoo, UPS Freight, Forest City, North Carolina. Also, Gary Martin, FedEx Ground, Galt, California; William McNamee, Carbon Express, Christopher, Illinois; Dave Peterson, FedEx Ground, Blaine, Minnesota; Tine Peterson, FedEx Ground, Blaine, Minnesota; Brian Petrovcic, ABF Freight, McAlisterville, Pennsylvania; Robert Preston, Werner Enterprises, Winder, Georgia; Roger Price, TCW Inc., Olive Branch, Mississippi; Jeff Rose, YRC Freight, Creston, Ohio; Rodney Rutledge, FedEx Freight, La Union, New Mexico; Richard Slack Jr., TCW Inc., Savannah, Georgia; Theldorine Sova, Prime Inc., Sacramento, California; James Starr, Groendyke Transportation, Wichita, Kansas; Clarence Taylor, Walmart Transportation, North Chesterfield, Virginia; Paul Wahlster, Holland, Rolling Prairie, Indiana; Nicolette Weaver, FedEx Freight, New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania; Todd Wilemon, ABF Freight, Fulton, Mississippi; James Gragg Wilson, FedEx Freight, Reno, Nevada; and Ronald Vandermark, UPS Freight; Delran, New Jersey.   .

At least for the present, gone are the days where one or more regions in the U.S. are showing diesel prices in the $2-a-gallon range, with the national average ringing up at $3.394 a gallon Monday. That was up 9 tenths of a penny from last week’s $3.385. California diesel prices actually went down, but only by 2 tenths of a cent, to $4.109 a gallon, reported the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The West Coast Less California region saw the biggest price jump — 3.3 cents a gallon — putting diesel in that EIA region at $3.591. The Midwest region stayed the same as last week, $3.351 a gallon, while the Gulf Coast had the lowest diesel at $3.172, up 3 tenths of a penny from last week. U.S. crude rose 0.6 percent to $71.78 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, the standard for international oil prices, added 0.4 percent to $80.78 a barrel in London, The Associated Press reported. Natural gas prices continued to surge as the weather in the U.S. grew colder. They rose 2.6 percent to $3.24 per 1,000 cubic feet Monday and have climbed almost 8 percent in October to reach their highest price since January. Wholesale gasoline edged up 0.1 percent to $1.94 a gallon and heating oil added 0.2 percent to $2.33 a gallon. For more details by region, click here.  

WASHINGTON — In response to Hurricane Michael, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Southern Service Center has issued a regional emergency declaration for the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgie, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee that provides exemption for Parts 390 through 399 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. The exemption covers several aspects of commercial motor vehicle operation, including Hours of Service regulations. The agency said the declaration is needed to address anticipated emergency conditions in the Affected States and jurisdictions creating a need for immediate transportation of supplies, equipment and persons, and provides necessary relief. The emergency declaration provides for regulatory relief for commercial motor vehicle operations while providing direct assistance supporting emergency relief efforts transporting supplies, equipment, fuel and persons into and from the affected states and jurisdictions or providing other assistance in the form of emergency services during the emergency in the affected states and jurisdictions from Hurricane Michael. Direct assistance terminates when a driver or commercial motor vehicle is used in interstate commerce to transport cargo or provide services not directly supporting the emergency relief effort or when the motor carrier dispatches a driver or commercial motor vehicle to another location to begin operations in commerce The agency said the declaration is effective immediately and will remain in effect for the duration of the emergency or until 11:59 p.m. EST, November 9, 2018, whichever is less.  

NEW YORK — Germinder + Associates has named Norita Taylor, president of the Greater Kansas City Public Relations Society of America chapter and public relations director of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, 12th Germinder20 Power of Pink Honoree to receive the award. Germinder + Associates is a New York City public relations firm specializing in outreach for niche markets, primarily pet and veterinary products and services. Taylor is a former Germinder + Associates account manager, an accomplished musician and pet lover. She has designated the Band of Angels, a 501c(3) charity that collects music instruments and provides them to children in need to receive $1,000 for her honoree donation. To read more about her story, click here. “Norita is not only an especially gifted communications executive, she’s an exceptional team builder and manager of people. I am grateful for the time she spent at Germinder + Associates, how she nurtured the smallest of ideas into successful programs for our clients, how she developed her career, and how she has led the Kansas City chapter of PRSA as president this year,” said Lea-Ann Germinder, founder and president of Germinder + Associates, Inc. Taylor was an account manager at Germinder + Associates responsible for managing several animal health clients and campaigns in veterinary medicine. Her creative approach and teambuilding skills led to several GKC-PRSA Prism awards. As PR director of OOIDA, Taylor recently won two GKC-PRSA Prism Awards for the “Speed Limiter Video” and the “OpEd for Hours of Service Regulations.” “I would like to thank Lea-Ann for creating this program,” In accepting this latest Germinder20 Power of Pink honor, Taylor said in accepting this latest Germinder20 Power of Pink award. “I am humbled to be an Honoree and grateful that Germinder + Associates is making a donation to Band of Angels. Music teaches tenacity, artistry and patience.  Even though my career path is mostly about public relations and the corporate world, music is very much a major part of my life. I have always been involved in performing music in some way since childhood and have continued to do so today. I am even more inspired by the fact my son is pursuing music as well and this donation will help other children learn the joy music can bring to their lives.” Taylor has served as public relations director at OOIDA since 2007. Prior to joining OOIDA she was a Germinder + Associates PR account manager & internet communications manager. Prior to joining Germinder she served as a corporate and marketing communications specialist for Business Men’s Assurance Company of America, planning and carrying out corporate communications initiatives and supporting external event activities. Prior to BMA she was a public relations account executive at Bernstein-Rein Advertising in Kansas City, Missouri, responsible for creating and executing public relations campaigns for a wide range of clients. Taylor is accredited in public relations by the Public Relations Society of America and has won numerous public relations awards. She is an accomplished musician and her son has followed in her footsteps with his own musical talents. She also presently has two pets at home, her rescue dog Brie and her rescue cat Sherman.

DENTON, Texas — Peterbilt Motors Co. will celebrate its annual United Way campaign with the third annual Pride and Class Parade in the downtown Denton square Friday. Since 2002, Peterbilt and the United Way of Denton County have partnered to raise more than $16 million in support of the Denton community.  Peterbilt has been a supporter of the United Way since the 1980s and hosts a week of employee-based fundraising through a variety of activities and interdepartmental contests. “When the first Pride and Class Parade was held in 2016 it was so popular with the community, employees and Peterbilt enthusiasts that it has turned into an annual event,” said Jason Skoog, general manager, Peterbilt Motors. “Peterbilt moved to Denton in 1980 and our employees are proud to be a part of the community and enjoy the opportunities to give back.  Supporting the Denton County United Way and the strong work it does here is a natural fit.” The Pride and Class Parade invites owners of more than 50 custom Peterbilt trucks from around the United States and Canada to join in the campaign by traveling to Denton to participate in the parade route through the city square. The parade viewing route will take the trucks around the square starting at Hickory and Elm streets and will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Supporters are encouraged to donate online or through onsite collection volunteers.  Donations onsite can be made in cash, check or credit card. “Peterbilt and United Way of Denton County share a rich partnership that has positively shaped this community for more than three decades,” said United Way of Denton County President & CEO Gary Henderson. “In addition to their unrivaled financial support, Peterbilt and its employees have generously given their time as Six Sigma Lean Belt training facilitators, Leaders On Loan program participants, nonprofit board members, and creators of the memorable Friday night parade featuring amazing Peterbilt trucks driving the Denton Square. There’s no doubt the people of Peterbilt leave an indelible mark on the Denton County community.”  

On-highway diesel prices took a sharp upward turn for the week ending October 8, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The average price nationwide climbed by $0.072 to $3.385. It’s the largest weekly gain since September 4, 2017, when diesel shot up 14.2 cents. As they did the week before, diesel prices rose in every region across the country this past week, but to considerably different degrees from one region to the next. The Gulf Coast region, which has enjoyed the lowest diesel prices in the nation, experienced the largest gain this week, rising a full 9 cents to $3.169 per gallon, still the lowest of any region in the country. The Rocky Mountain region saw the smallest increase over the past week, $0.023, to end the week at $3.390, which is higher than any region to its east but lower than the West Coast. The price jumps were uneven on the East Coast, with prices rising in the New England region by a relatively low $0.039, compared to jumps of $0.084 and $0.063 in the Central and Lower Atlantic regions, respectively. Cumulatively, diesel rose $0.068 on the East Coast, to an average price of $3.360 per gallon. The jump was almost as high on the West Coast, where prices were up $0.064 overall. California got the worst of it, a jump of $0.073, to finish the week at $4.111, by far the highest in the country. Overall, the West Coast, diesel is now running $3.886 per gallon.   Nationwide, the price of diesel is currently $0.609 higher than it was a year ago. California has experienced the largest year-to-year gain, at $0.945, and every region has now seen gas prices increase by more than 50 cents per gallon from this time last year. Oil futures rose Oct. 9, on signs that Iranian crude exports are falling ahead of reimposed sanctions by the U.S. and anticipation of Hurricane Michael as it gained strength headed toward the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. benchmark crude was up by 67 cents to close at $74.96 a barrel, while Brent crude climbed by $1.09, or 1.3 percent, to $85.00 per barrel. Click here for a complete list of average prices by region for the past three weeks.