The Official Newsletter of
Louisiana's Trucking Industry  

August 12, 2022
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
2022 Annual Sponsor
THIS WEEK:
Decision on Classifying Owner-Operators & Impact on Trucking
Wednesday, August 17 | 10:00am

The U.S. Supreme Court announced on June 30 it has declined to hear an appeal of a California state law aimed at reclassifying owner-operators as motor carrier employees.

In an order list, the high court without comment denied a petition for review by the California Trucking Association of California’s AB 5 law that CTA has said includes a legal test, known as the three-pronged “ABC test,” that will all but ensure that independent owner-operators will be reclassified as carrier employees.

The denial leaves in place the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision that federal law does not pre-empt application of AB 5 law to owner-operators. Eventually, the case will have to go back to the district court to consider CTA’s “commerce clause” claim.

Join us on August 17, 2022 at 9 am via zoom as Drew Burnside with Ogletree Deakins breaks down this decision and how you can best protect your trucking business.
2022 Louisiana Truck Driver Appreciation Week
Sept. 11-17 | Sign-up for your free kit!

Celebrated annually, this year’s National Truck Driver Appreciation Week runs from September 11-17, 2022 and takes on a special meaning for our nation's economy! Professional truck drivers are the key ink in our nation's supply chain, continuing to deliver despite facing unprecedented obstacles. Truckers move America forward!

The LMTA Foundation will be marking Louisiana's Truck Driver Appreciation Week by shipping appreciation kits to participating companies. We have over 1,200 FREE KITS to allocate to Louisiana Trucking companies.  Kits can be registered for online, with an initial restriction of 50 kits per company.
Appreciation Kits Will Include:
  • (1) LA Truck Driver Appreciation Shirt
  • (1) LA Truck DriverAppreciation Cooling Towel
  • (1) LA Truck Driver Appreciation Sticker
Appreciation kits will be free and open to all Louisiana-based trucking companies, we just ask you to share pictures of your drivers with the materials and the hashtag #ThankALouisianaTrucker.

PLEASE NOTE: the LMTA Foundation will be distributing kits on a first come, first served basis; kit contents and quantities are subject to change. Only companies who employ drivers are eligible for kits. Allied business companies (i.e. insurance, equipment, dealers, etc.) will not be shipped kits.
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS:
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Louisiana NATMI Certification Course
September 12 -16, 2022 | Baton Rouge, LA

The LMTA Safety Management Council will host a five-day NATMI certification course on September 12 - 16, 2022 at the LMTA office. This course will offer certification for both the Certified Director of Safety (CDS) and the Certified Safety Supervisor (CSS) with the certification exam taking place Friday, September 16 following the course. 

DETAILS
WHEN: September. 12-16
WHERE: LMTA Office (4838 Bennington Avenue, Baton Rouge LA)
CERTIFICATIONS OFFERED: Certified Director of Safety (CDS); Certified Safety Supervisor (CSS) 
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. David Guess

The North American Transportation Management Institute (NATMI) is North America's leading certification and training organization for today's transportation professionals. 

Certifications through NATMI are recognized throughout the industry and are a professional way to measure your performance and growth. We invite all members to read more on the Benefits of NATMI Certification for both applicants and employers. We hope to see you in September!
LMTA Member Exclusive NO COST Employee Benefits
New benefit plans from LMTA Insurance Management!

We are excited to share our partnership with Mengel Financial Group to bring our members our new benefit plans under LMTA Insurance Management!

Since 2005, Mengel Financial Group has been offering Voluntary Employee Benefits to meet the needs of companies and their employees. Mengel Financial Group is committed to providing our members with the best and most affordable group benefits based on their specific needs. Offering Voluntary Employee Benefits strengthens relationships with your employees and improves retention and recruitment. 

All of the benefits are offered at NO COST TO THE EMPLOYER. Mengel Financial Group has partnered with over 20 insurance carriers, which allows us to provide the best and most affordable benefits to satisfy our member's employee’s needs. Many of their benefit offerings are Guaranteed Issue requiring no medical questions or medical exam.

Mengel Financial Group has been saving companies, employees & owner operators money on benefits since 1989, working with the Georgia Motor Transport Association in recent years, providing their members with affordable benefits.

LMTA Insurance Management also has a local benefits specialist in Tiffany VanHazebroeck, located in Mandeville, LA. Tiffany is ready to help our member companies provide their employees with exclusive voluntary benefits!

For more information or inquiries on benefits - please contact Tiffany VanHazebroeck or Ted Mengel whose information is listed in their profiles here.
TIFFANY VANHAZEBROECK
Benefits Specialist
(678) 977-5175
TED MENGEL
CEO
(404) 314-6799
ATRI’s Newest Operational Costs Research Documents Costliest Year Ever in Trucking
2022 An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking from ATRI

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) today released the findings of its 2022 update to An Analysis of the Operational Costs of Trucking. A record number of motor carriers contributed their 2021 financial data for this year’s research. The “Ops Costs” report provides detailed breakdowns of numerous line-item costs by fleet size and sector, allowing for tailored benchmarking.

The total marginal cost of trucking grew by 12.7 percent in 2021 to $1.855 per mile, the highest on record. Leading contributors to this increase were fuel (35.4% higher than in 2020), repair and maintenance (18.2% higher than in 2020), and driver wages (10.8% higher than in 2020). On a cost-per-hour basis, costs increased to $74.65.

(A full copy of the report is available through ATRI’s website here.
Sat, Aug. 13th Closure - I-20 Westbound/I-55 Southbound
Travel Alert in Jackson, MS Area

  • Saturday, August 13th - begins at 4:30 am for 48 hours
  • Jackson, MS I-20 westbound / I-55 southbound @ State Street

The closure is anticipated to last approximately 48 hours. During the closure, I-20 westbound/I-55 southbound traffic will be directed to I-55 northbound and I-220 southbound to detour around the closure. Local traffic should consider an alternate route on local roads during the closure.

(Live travel information can be found at MDOTtraffic.com)
National Weather Service Update - Excessive Rain Possible
Regional Weather Update, Rainfall Through Weekend

Here is an update from our partners at the New Orleans and Baton Rouge NWS.
Overview:
  • TROPICS
  • Tropical wave east of the islands becoming less likely to develop as environment becomes unfavorable. 
  • Outside o this wave, overall things remain quiet through the next five days. 
  • EXCESSIVE RAIN
  • Excessive rainfall possible into the weekend. Localized flooding will also remain possible, especially urbanized and other flood prone areas. 
  • Less T'storm coverage expected into the start of the new workweek
  • COASTAL FLOODING
  • Spring tides should continue to decrease into the weekend. The Coastal Flood Advisory expired yesterday, Thurs. August 11.
Additional Information and Resources:
NWS New Orleans Website: www.weather.gov/neworleans
NWS New Orleans DSS Website: http://www.weather.gov/lix/embrief
NWS New Orleans Facebook: www.facebook.com/NWSNewOrleans
NWS New Orleans Twitter: https://twitter.com/NWSNewOrleans
Save the Dates:
Legal Webinar
Decision on Classifying Owner-Operators & Impact on Trucking
Aug. 17, 2022 | 10:00 am
NATMI Certification Course
Join North America's leading certification and training organization for today's transportation professionals
September 12 - 16, 2022
LMTA Office - Baton Rouge, LA
Management & Membership Forum
PART 2: Mongoose Method Training
Featuring: Mongoose Method Litigation Defense Training Pt. 2
DATE MOVED: Nov. 8-9, 2022
LMTA's Transportation Conference
Hear from industry experts on trucking issues
Jan. 17 & 18, 2022
Trucking News:
FLEET OWNER:
"LTL and private fleet drivers saw smaller wage increases in 2021 but typically started with higher salaries. With drivers in high demand across the U.S., fleets increased bonuses and average pay for employees, according to new ATA compensation data ..." (READ MORE)
TRANSPORT TOPICS:
"To help veterans, spouses and active duty military members gain truck driving jobs, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration awarded $3.1 million in grants to ..." (READ NOW)
STARS & STRIPES/ BLOOMBERG:
"The standoff between the U.S. and China over Taiwan has thrown a spotlight on growing risks to one of the world's busiest shipping lanes — even a minor disruption could ripple through supply chains. The Taiwan Strait is the primary route for ships ...." (READ NOW)