Truckload Authority - Winter 2014/15

that the agency is requesting approval of a form that could be used in a future
ELD vendor registration system through the paperwork reduction act process.
“That will be defined in the final regulation,” he said.
As to the question of whether proactive carriers which have already been
employing ELDs will be able to have their technology “grandfathered in” to the
regulations, Cuthbertson said there’s already a clause in the SNPRM that “indicated
a carrier may install an older AOBRD-compliant device up to the compliant
date, which is two years after the effective date of the regulation, and then may
use this an additional two years, at which time they need to install an ELD-compliant
device.”
There were minimum wage bills up for vote in Alaska, Arkansas, South
Dakota and Nebraska and all passed overwhelmingly, sending a message to
Congress that people are struggling and that the federal minimum wage of $7.25
per hour simply isn’t cutting it any more.
What’s more, voters in San Francisco passed a $15 minimum wage bill, tying
it with Seattle for the nation’s highest.
Jason’s Law
Passing the pot
In several states, a city, the territory of Guam and in Washington D.C. voters
passed measures to legalize marijuana. In Washington it sailed through with
69.4 percent of the vote.
Oregon passed the Control, Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana and
Industrial Hemp Act by 56 percent. In Alaska, voters passed a measure to legalize
recreational pot use by 52.15 percent while Guam, a U.S. territory, voted to
legalize medical marijuana. California voted to reduce the penalties for simple
drug possession arrests to misdemeanors and the city of Saginaw, Michigan,
voted to decriminalize pot. Trucking will have to deal with this issue sooner rather
than later.
Pay Raise Popularity
While the Democrats may have been licking their wounds after the
midterm elections, workers in four states who are now paid the minimum wage
will have more money in their pocketbooks in the future.
There are two moves under way in Congress to help protect professional
truck drivers while on the job.
The most-well known effort is the inclusion of Jason’s Law in MAP-21, the
surface transportation bill passed in 2012, named for Jason Rivenburg, a Schoharie
County, New York, truck driver who was killed in South Carolina in 2009,
while resting at an abandoned gas station after being unable to find a parking
place at a safe haven.
Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., introduced the legislation, which requires the
Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration to conduct
a national truck parking adequacy study. The study is now under way with a
report to Congress scheduled sometime in 2015.
The newer of the two is Mike’s Law, named after 30-year-old trucker Mike
Boeglin who on June 26 was found shot several times in the cab of his truck
while parked on an abandoned lot in Detroit waiting for a morning delivery, and
whose death intensified the outcry among professional truck drivers who felt as
though they should be allow to carry guns to protect themselves.
Mike’s Law will be introduced in the 114th Congress by Sen. Marco Rubio,
R-Fla., and would require the U.S. Attorney General, through normal public
notice and comment rulemaking by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
and Explosives, develop and implement a Federal Business Concealed Carry
Firearms Permit Program for United States citizens over the age of 18 engaged
in interstate commerce, which would include professional truck drivers.
WE VALUE THE SAFETY OF YOUR
COMPANY AND YOUR DRIVERS
We give you tools to reduce crashes and save lives. Our safety
professionals are there to consult with you on your company’s safety
program which includes assisting you with your regularly scheduled
educational seminars, keeping you informed on the latest safety and risk
management techniques and regulatory changes in the trucking industry.
We understand your business. Since trucking is all we do, we know
the importance of keeping your trucks moving safely. Our Value-
Driven® Company program, which includes modules on safe driving,
health, leadership, and operations, is designed to easily help you
create and maintain a safety culture within your organization.
We help keep you moving. We provide your drivers with techniques
to improve the overall driving experience with tips on staying
alert, eating right, proper lifting, and getting enough exercise.
SAFETY IS
OUR PASSION
Great West Casualty Company — No matter where the
road takes you, we’re with you for the long haul.
GREAT WEST CASUALTY COMPANY
The Difference is Service
Not available in all states. All policy terms, conditions,
TO FIND AN AGENT VISIT GWCCNET.COM
AND CLICK ON “FIND AN AGENT”
800-228-8053
800-228-8053
gwccnet.com
gwccnet.com
16 Truckload
GWCC_SFTY_HP_COL_TCA_14.indd
Authority
1
| www.Truckload.org
2/25/2014
TCA
2:09:38
2014-15
PM