Bill - DRIVE-Safe Act Language Included

Legislation that would dedicate $78 billion over five years for freight, trucking and rail safety programs was advanced by the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee June 16...

The Maine Jobs Council appreciates the Legislature's rejection of any move toward banning at-will employment. In this debate, Maine's employers did a tremendous job communicating the real-world harm this proposal would have had on their workplaces and Maine's entire economy. To their credit, lawmakers listened.

While this is a positive outcome, it's a sad commentary on Maine's employment climate that we count success as not adding another job-killing, anti-employer policy. We didn't make it easier to create and sustain jobs for Maine families. We simply rejected the idea that Maine employers should be forced to comply with job-killing employment rules that don't apply anywhere else in the nation.

Arlington, Virginia – Today, the American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council released its first report on the use and adoption of intelligence products and services across the trucking industry with an examination of adoption of the trailer and lease fleet sector.

“Trailers are poised to advance in the next 20 years the way tractors have advanced in the last 30 years. Understanding the market needs and the available technologies will help the industry advance so fleets can achieve goals for safety, maintainability and readiness,” said TMC Executive Director Robert Braswell.

In looking at trailer rental and lease companies, TMC and eSMARTT gauged 12 of the top 15 companies in North America, operating 10% of all trailers, with a written surveyed and a video conference.

In a reversal from Trump administration policies, U.S. auto safety regulators say they will move to require or set standards for automatic emergency braking systems on new heavy trucks.

The Department of Transportation, which includes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, announced the change June 11 when it released its spring regulatory agenda.

It also will require what it said are rigorous testing standards for autonomous vehicles, and set up a national database to document automated-vehicle crashes.

The moves by the administration of President Joe Biden run counter to the agency’s stance under President Donald Trump. NHTSA had resisted regulation of automated-vehicle systems, saying it didn’t want to stand in the way of potential life-saving developments. Instead it relied on voluntary safety plans from manufacturers.

Effectively addressing the truck parking capacity problem will depend on standardization and accuracy, according to a recent white paper from the American Transportation Research Institute.

ATRI on June 14 released the research, which analyzed truck driver perspectives regarding truck parking information systems. The research reflects a survey of 1,103 truckers and cross-tabulates findings from all sectors, age groups and experience levels. It covers how truck drivers currently use parking availability systems and their perspectives on how truck parking information is distributed.

Among the survey respondents, the strongest recommendation to addressing the truck parking shortage was increasing parking capacity. However, due to zoning regulations and land costs, this option may not be viable in all locations, ATRI said.

More evidence is emerging that crash rates go up when states legalize recreational use and retail sales of marijuana.

Crash rates spiked with the legalization of recreational marijuana use and retail sales in California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and another by the affiliated Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) show.

However, the preliminary results of a separate IIHS study of injured drivers who visited emergency rooms in California, Colorado and Oregon showed that drivers who used marijuana alone were no more likely to be involved in crashes than drivers who hadn’t used the drug. That is consistent with a 2015 study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that found that a positive test for marijuana was not associated with increased risk of being involved in a police-reported crash.

As part of MMTA’s continuing efforts to address the Maine trucking industry’s workforce development shortage, we have partnered with Maine Savings Federal Credit Union to develop the ‘MMTA Education Loan Program.’ Students attending approved CDL schools are eligible to apply for tuition loans to attain their Class A or Class B Commercial Driver’s License at an amazing ZERO percent interest.

Basics of the program include:

Maine’s workforce shortage is the most serious issue facing Maine Motor Transport Association members, which is why our association has invested in the Go Your Way campaign to attract the next generation of truckers. The MMTA Education Loan Program was developed as a way to further support those looking at a career in trucking by addressing one of the financial impediments that might be holding some people back from starting a high-paying, in-demand career with minimal debt.

If you, or someone you know, is considering CDL training and they need a ZERO % interest loan to help them achieve their goals, go to www.mmta.com/loan to get them on the road to success!

Defensive driving is the only way to stay accident free on today’s highways. Join us and brush up on your skills and have 3 points credited to your Maine CDL.

July 11, 2021 – MMTA

Time: 8:00 am to 1:00 pm

$70.00/attendee for MMTA members

$95.00/attendee for non-members