MMTA is excited to announce that we are hosting a special upcoming event to show appreciation for our professional truck drivers. We are calling it the “2021 MMTA Trucker Knowledge Competition” and it will be held virtually on Saturday, July 31st at 7:00 pm. While that might seem like an odd time to host an event, we are coordinating our efforts with many other state trucking associations around the country to hold similar competitions on the same night and at the same time – from Maine to Hawaii.

The concept is simple. We have subscribed to the quiz-show online platform called Kahoot to test professional drivers on their knowledge of trucking regulations, state-specific trucking information and we will also toss in some general trucking trivia to keep things interesting. Participants will register through the MMTA to compete for cash prizes with entry requirements being very similar to those wishing to compete in our TDC. The top 10 qualified finishers will also be eligible to compete at a similar national event hosted by the American Trucking Associations on August 14th.

This is meant to be a fun event for drivers, especially those who have missed the camaraderie and competition of the past two TDC’s. Part of this fun will be to compete for a number of significant cash prizes, thanks to the unbelievable generosity of the MMTA’s Annual Sponsors. Please take the time to see the list of Annual Sponsors who have made this possible at the bottom of this page. The top 10 qualified finishers will receive the cash prizes listed to the right.

You read that correctly, $10,000 in total prizes delivered to the top 10 qualified finishers. Interested to learn more and register?

You can find the rules and eligibility on the registration site, but the main rule is to have fun. We hope to see you competing on July 31st!

The Truck PAC golf tournament will again be played at Natanis Golf Course, located on the Webber Pond Road in Vassalboro, on June 16, 2021. Natanis features 36 great holes of golf and will serve as an excellent host for this year’s primary fundraising event for the Truck PAC.

We are still working out the details on how lunch will be provided and what safety precautions will need to be implemented. We ask for your patience as we host an outside event in an effort to bring back some pre-pandemic normalcy!

Sponsorship opportunities are also available (Major Sponsors $500 or Hole Sponsors $150/hole)

All registrations must be received by June 5th. You can register online at www.mmta.com/golf. The cost is $500 per team or $125 per player.

We hope you consider supporting the PAC and registering a team of golfers and sponsoring the event. The Truck PAC funds are used to support business-friendly candidates to the Maine Legislature.

Augusta, ME – The Maine Jobs Council released a statement on Governor Mills’ “Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan,” which proposes spending $1.13 billion in funds from the federal American Rescue Plan across three programmatic areas – Immediate Economic Recovery, Long-Term Economic Growth, and Infrastructure Revitalization. The following statement may be attributed to Ben Lucas, Executive Director:

“We appreciate the fact that the Governor has proposed balancing how we spend these funds between short-term needs and long-term investments in Maine’s economy. Employers need a lifeline to survive, recover and restore jobs to help accelerate Maine’s economic recovery. Just as important are investments in long-term economic growth to support innovation, build our workforce, and increase trade. And we must rebuild and modernize our backbone infrastructure for both our economic future and quality of life.”

“At the same time, we should not be fooled into thinking that Maine can spend its way out of our long-term economic challenges. For example, after the short-term health care premium relief funding is exhausted, Maine will still have one of the highest health care cost burdens in the nation. Offering incentives for workers to move to Maine is great, but what really attracts workers are rewarding work opportunities, reasonable costs of living and a high quality of life. We do need regulatory reform, but that involves much more than simply increasing licensing efficiency.”

MMTA Editor Note: Many MMTA Maineline readers know that our Association, and many of our members, are actively engaged in the Maine Jobs Council because of the connection between trucking and other foundational jobs. We would encourage MMTA members to consider joining the MJC given their broad policy focus.

Federal trucking regulators have proposed delaying for four years completion of a redesign for a web-based national registry of certified medical examiners, citing information technology-related challenges with the effort.

The proposed delay — the second since 2018 — comes just three months after a Department of Transportation Inspector General audit criticized the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for falling short in overseeing the driver medical examination process. The website is intended to ensure that commercial vehicle drivers meet physical qualification standards for getting behind the wheel.

The website rebuild — originally set for completion by June this year — now could be delayed until June 2025. Until then, drivers would still be responsible for seeing that their medical exam certificates are delivered to state driver licensing agencies or risk having their commercial driver licenses suspended or revoked.

Prior versions of federal custody and control forms used for drug testing, aka CCF’s, must be replaced with new forms before the deadline of August 31, 2021. The older versions of the form have been in place since 2017. If your lab account is CRL, they have just begun sending out the new forms. If your lab account is QUEST, they have been sending out the new forms since March 1, 2021.

You are also already compliant if you print your authorization form (CCF) from the DISA-360 Portal.

Here is how you can tell whether or not you have current chain of custody forms. If the changes described below are not on your forms, you have expiring forms.

Recognizing the important role that advanced safety systems can play in improving trucking industry safety, the FMCSA-sponsored Tech-Celerate Now program released four videos and two information guides that provide new safety technology information to industry stakeholders.

The videos and guides are designed to improve industry awareness and to support adoption of proven advance driver assistance system (ADAS) technologies.

The two guides provide information on the safety benefits of ADAS, as well as return on investment expectations. The four videos describe the features and benefits of ADAS technologies related to braking, warning, steering and monitoring functions.

Maine only fuel decals expire June 30th. Is your DOT information up-to-date? If not, your Maine Only Fuel Decal application will be rejected. Updating your DOT information is required every other year (aka biennial update or MCS-150). Your update is due according to your DOT number. The last number in your DOT# represents the month due and the next-to-the-last number represents odd or even years. You should update your information when there have been changes (business name, address, etc.); otherwise, update in the month and year you are due.

In order to complete your update online (quickest result) you must have your DOT PIN. If you do not know, have lost or were never issued a PIN associated with that number please do one the following:

If you are a business owner, there are elected officials – especially on the Labor and Taxation Committees – in the legislature that don’t think a lot about you. The policies that they are pushing this session are hard to be characterized as anything short of disgust. Disgust for the jobs you provide. Disgust for the taxes you pay. Disdain for your unmitigated audacity to locate your business in Maine.

Most legislative sessions have many competing perspectives that are considered as public policies are made, changed and eliminated. There are citizens, interest groups, unions and businesses that all weigh in as the sausage is made and most legislatures take an overall balanced approach to these interests. This session, however, is different. And not just because of the pandemic, or meeting virtually – although neither of those things has helped improve the process or the results.

2020 was a challenging year, to say the least. But as the trucking industry starts to recover from the realities of these challenges, the MMTA Workers’ Compensation Trust has good news to report to our members…. another sizeable refund, this time in the amount of $1,050,000!! Bringing the total refunds delivered back to members since 1991 to an impressive $28 million.

This remarkable trend of surplus is a positive reflection of our group self-insurance program’s ability to confidently weather the changing dynamics of the Maine workers’ compensation system. But we anticipate more change is coming and we all need to be ready for it.

As members of our Trust know, refunds are only part of the equation when it comes to identifying the correct balance between rate levels that are predictable/stable and that also provide sufficient premiums to cover projected losses. If your company has been in business for more than three years with workers’ compensation coverage, please give us a call (623-1807 and ask for Brian) to find out if group self-insurance is for you.

Congratulations to each of the WC Trust’s members on this financial stimulus created by their own hard work and safety efforts!

Each attendee will receive an Hours of Service & Driver Logs Workbook for Property Carrying Vehicles (a $9.50 value).

June 4, 2021 – MMTA

July 23, 2021 – MMTA

October 22, 2021 – MMTA

Time: 8:30am – Noon

Fee: $70 for members, $95 for non-members

We will keep MMTA members posted as new information comes in. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to email Tim, Randy or Brian if you have questions.