Maine Line - September 20, 2024 Edition

View as Webpage | September 20, 2024

MAINE & MMTA NEWS

New Format for October 9th MMTA Membership Meeting – JOIN US!!

MMTA

When developing her list of priorities and objectives for her 2-year term as Chairwoman of the MMTA, one issue that rose to the top for Chelsea was member engagement. As someone who regularly attends our quarterly in-person Membership meetings, she was struck by the wealth of information that got reported… and that most of our industry updates and reports naturally tended to focus on negativity and pessimism.

She asked us to consider a new approach for our meeting that provides meaningful content that encourages attendance and participation, while resulting in a value-added experience focused on positive things that are happening around us. To this end, we are pleased to announce not one, but TWO special topics that we hope you will find meaningful, interesting and valuable.

We are still going to have industry updates, but the main focus will be on a new “Good News Report” agenda item that will include:

Dan Koloski and Kate Simmons from the Roux Institute. TRI’s mission is to spur innovation, build talent and drive economic growth in Maine. And they are doing this largely through AI and data analytics, something being seen/used more and more in trucking. Dan and Kate will not only talk about what the Roux Institute is working on, but they will also want to hear from our trucking community, especially as it relates to ways they can possibly partner with our members. Whether it is placing interns to work on improving logistics/efficiency, or helping our members develop basic data analytic knowledge/skills so they are better equipped to implement and use telematics that benefit their businesses.
Kirk Ross from Sappi North America who will join us to talk about his company’s significant investment in their Maine operations, which is good for the economy and good for trucking.

As you can see, there are some pretty exciting things to talk about at our October 9th Membership and Board meetings – and some good news for a change! We hope you will join us at 9am at the MMTA office in Augusta and we hope you consider bringing others in your businesses that might be responsible for maintenance, operations, dispatch, and anything else where improved data can improve your profitability!

Click HERE for the Draft Meeting Agenda

Energy Costs Skyrocket for Maine Manufacturers in July

MMTA

An issue has arisen that, while not directly trucking-related, its impact will be felt by MMTA members throughout Maine. Below you will find a Bangor Daily News article that does a good job explaining it, but in a nutshell, energy costs for many industrial users saw a big jump starting in July. The main reason for this increase is due to the subsidies Maine has given to solar developers to encourage renewable energy. The purpose of this article is not to comment about renewable energy policy or the benefits of solar, it is to ring the bell with MMTA members that this issue is hitting some of our members (especially those in manufacturing) excessively hard as you will read about in the BDN article.

MMTA Celebrates National Truck Driver Appreciation Week

MMTA

Maine Motor Transport Association partnered with United Insurance Group to honor professional truck drivers, as part of National Truck Driver Appreciation week. Go Your Way Maine T-Shirts promoting trucking careers, work gloves, and safety vests were handed out to professional all over Maine, from Houlton to Kennebunk.

A special thanks to Dysart’s, Irving and the Maine Turnpike Authority for graciously making their locations available for us to recognize the drivers.

MMTA thanks all professional drivers (and their families) for their hard work and the sacrifices they all make every day. Truckers truly move America forward!

UPCOMING NATMI Fleet Safety Certification Courses - REGISTER TODAY!!

MMTA

In an effort to further improve professionalism in the trucking industry, the MMTA is working with NATMI to offer CSS & CDS Fleet Safety Certification courses for transportation safety professionals. The courses are applicable toward NATMI’s nationally recognized, university accredited certification programs.

Congratulations to Maine competitor Scott Wickstrom (FedEx) for placing SECOND in the Step Van class at the Nationals.

GREAT JOB SCOTT!!

For a list of the top 3 finishers in each class, click here.

All of FMCSA's current regulatory plans

Fleet Owner

The latest regulatory agenda gives a preview of the rules and regulations each federal agency is considering. For the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, that agenda includes 16 proposed rules and six final rules.

Each rule in the agenda comes with a brief description, links to any relevant sections of the federal register, and a tentative deadline. However, Dan Horvath, SVP of regulatory affairs and safety policy for the American Trucking Associations, cautions against reading the deadlines as certain truth.

TRUCKING INDUSTRY ASKED TO RANK TOP CONCERNS

ATRI

Washington, DC – The American Transportation Research Institute, the trucking industry’s not-for-profit research organization, today launched the 2024 Top Industry Issues Survey. The annual survey asks trucking industry stakeholders to rank the top issues of concern for the industry along with potential strategies for addressing each issue.

Now in its 20th year, ATRI’s annual analysis not only ranks the issues overall but also provides insights into how critical topics are ranked differently by motor carriers and professional drivers. The report also allows trucking stakeholders to monitor issues over time to better understand which issues are rising, or falling, in criticality.

DOT calls for wireless vehicle tech on national highways, most intersections by 2037

Trucking Drive

The federal government and numerous industry stakeholders want vehicle-to-everything technology to increasingly become part of the country’s national highways, intersections and vehicles to improve safety.

Known as V2X, the digital communication could help prevent crashes, optimize system performance, improve transportation efficiency and improve roadway condition awareness of issues such as weather and work zones, according to a plan summary.

Kentucky Weight Distance (KYU) Payment Announcement

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Motor Carriers – Tax and Financial Processing Branch

Important Changes are coming for the Fourth Quarter 2024 tax filing period for KYU Weight Distance Tax!

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Division of Motor Carriers, will require the Weight Distance quarterly tax returns to be filed and paid through the Motor Carrier Portal pursuant to KRS 138.685.

A half-billion-dollar nuclear verdict hits underrides: What's next?

Fleet Owner

How safe is safe enough? Trucking and federal regulators have worked for decades to find an achievable policy balance that serves the public while also allowing businesses to develop and grow. But so-called “nuclear verdicts” are putting a thumb on the scale to benefit a certain sort of attorney and at the expense of about everyone else.

The latest case in point: A St. Louis jury returned a $462 million verdict on September 5, with $450 million designated as punitive damages, in a lawsuit claiming Wabash National should have built a better rear impact guard 20 years ago.

Werner Earns Review of $100M Verdict by Texas High Court

Transport Topics

The Texas Supreme Court has granted Werner Enterprises’ petition for review of a $100 million lower-court verdict involving a 2014 fatal crash that has lingered in the Texas courts for years. The state’s highest court has scheduled oral arguments for Dec. 3.

Werner last year filed the request for review after a state appeals court upheld the large lower-court verdict that a Houston jury awarded during a 2018 trial. The appeals court ruling last year prompted the state Supreme Court appeal.

The Promise of Powered Trailers

Heavy Duty Trucking

Trailers have long been the passive partner in that relationship. Sure, they can carry an incredible amount of goods. But at the end of the day, tractors were simply pulling big dumb boxes full of stuff around behind them.

All that is changing. New technology is transforming how tractors and trailers interact. The next generation of heavy-duty trailers is smarter. They communicate more effectively with tractors, fleets, and shippers.