The Trucker Newspaper - April 15, 2018

14 • April 15-30, 2018 Nation
THE TRUCKER STAFF
Operators of trucks and buses based in
California will be unable to register their vehicles
at the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles
beginning in 2020 if they don’t meet
truck and bus regulations for cleaner air,
according to the California Air Resources
Board (CARB).
Vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of
more than 26,000 pounds which are model
2000 or older must replace it with a 2011 or
newer model or “repower” it with a 2010 or
newer engine by January 1, 2020.
Models 2001 through 2005 must meet the
standards above and be compliant by January
1, 2021. The same goes for truck models for
2006 through 2007, but the compliance date
is January 1, 2022.
Newer models 2008 through 2010 must
also meet the standards and be compliant by
January 1, 2023.
There’s a catch, however.
On its website, CARB notes that its Truck
and Bus Regulations are already in effect and
that older trucks with more polluting engines
could be blocked from registering before the
final compliance dates.
“CARB can place a DMV registration
block on your vehicle now if it does not meet
current air quality regulations. The state of
California is enforcing all diesel regulations
in preparation for 2020,” the agency stated
on its website.
The regulation applies to nearly all privately
or federally owned diesel-powered
trucks and buses weighing more than 14,000
pounds.
Keller offers program to prepare, train
drivers on having successful inspection
THE TRUCKER STAFF
NEENAH, Wis. — A poor roadside inspection
can lead to fines and a driver or vehicle
being placed out of service.
To help prepare drivers for successful
roadside inspections, J. J. Keller & Associates
has developed the Roadside Inspections
for CMV Drivers training program.
Designed by J. J. Keller’s in-house experts,
this training program demonstrates
how to prepare for a roadside inspection; details
what happens during a roadside inspection
and how to respond appropriately; and
explains what to expect after they pass or fail
a roadside inspection.
“There is simply no such thing as too
much training or preparation when it comes
to roadside inspections. The wrong attitude,
missing documents, or vehicle maintenance
issues can result in violations and, if serious
enough, an out-of-service order. Nobody
needs that,” said Tom Bray, transportation
consultant for J. J. Keller. “Our new training
program will help prepare drivers for what
the inspector will look at during an inspection,
so they can focus on those items and
make sure they’re compliant before an inspection
occurs.”
Comprising dynamic real-life video lessons
that encourage active learning, “Roadside
Inspections for CMV Drivers” is available
in DVD, Video Training Book, Pay Per
View and Online Course formats.
To learn more, visit JJKeller.
com/123896.
PrePass provider HELP joins Arizona
in helping rescue trafficking victims
THE TRUCKER STAFF
PHOENIX — HELP Inc., the nonprofit
provider of PrePass services, has joined
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich,
Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT), the
Arizona Trucking Association and PrePass
carrier Albertsons to form a new statewide
partnership to help rescue victims of human
trafficking.
TAT was on hand at a recent news conference
with its Freedom Drivers Project, the
first-of-its-kind mobile exhibit designed to
help educate the public and members of the
trucking industry about the realities of human
trafficking and how the trucking industry
can combat it.
The event was planned in recognition of
January as Human Trafficking Prevention
Month.
In 2015, Brnovich created a unit dedicated
solely to combating sexual exploitation
and human trafficking in Arizona.
Attorneys have investigated more than 75
defendants with ties to sex trafficking, with
approximately 30 currently open cases involving
sexual exploitation of minors. In just
the first six months of 2017, the National Human
Trafficking Hotline received more than
200 tips about human trafficking incidents in
Arizona.
The attorney general’s office will donate
the funds to help pay for rescue stickers that
will be placed on more than 25,000 tractortrailers
traveling across the state. The window
sticker states, “Do You Need Help?”
and lists the National Human Trafficking
Hotline or victims can text “HELP” to 233-
733 (Be Free).
HELP President and CEO Karen Rasmussen
spoke about the assistance that HELP,
a platinum sponsor, is providing to raise
awareness among the more than 57,000 fleets
that utilize HELP’s PrePass system.
“HELP’s goal is not to duplicate work
that others are doing to raise awareness of
the issue and of TAT training, but rather to
augment it,” Rasmussen said. “We are doing
this through social media posts and blogs
that focus on the hundreds of thousands of
drivers that utilize PrePass, as well as the
distribution of TAT materials in driver areas
at weigh stations where allowed.”
TAT partners with many law enforcement
agencies across the country in training truck
drivers to recognize and report instances of
human trafficking.
Currently, 23 of the 32 states that deploy
HELP’s PrePass system are actively engaged
with TAT.
Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas, Washington
and Ohio also mandate that entry-level CDL
holders receive TAT training.
To order window stickers for your fleet,
contact tat.truckers@gmail.com.
For more information about PrePass, visit
prepass.com.
Indianapolis ponders commuter tax
on suburbanites to fund city roads
THE TRUCKER STAFF
INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis officials
desperate for money to repair roads
are considering whether they should try to
collect income taxes from suburbanites who
don’t live in the city but who travel there for
work.
Such a plan would allow Marion County,
where Indianapolis is located, to collect income
taxes from people in other communities
who work in Indianapolis. Marion County
would need approval from the Legislature
and possibly surrounding counties to collect
the “commuter tax,” The Indianapolis Star
reported.
The tax has been discussed in Marion
County intermittently for three decades.
The latest discussion comes as Indianapolis
officials estimate it would cost $732 million
for city streets to be upgraded from poor
to fair condition. They argue that people who
commute to the city for work should help pay
for road repairs because they are contributing
to pavement wear and tear.
“I would encourage a conversation to take
place over the long term that might cause the
General Assembly to more equitably distribute
income taxes that we currently pay,”
Mayor Joe Hogsett said recently.
But some officials in nearby Hamilton
County, where many people commute from,
say a commuter tax would be unfair.
“Whenever someone goes into the city
and buys lunch, dinner, or goes to a Pacers
game, they already pay a sales tax” and contribute
to the local economy, said Hamilton
County Councilor Fred Glynn.
Glynn also said a commuter tax would
amount to taxation without representation.
“We’d be paying a tax without being able
to hold the local elected officials who are
THETRUCKER.COM
Older diesel trucks, buses based in California could be blocked from registering vehicles
News Roundup
collecting it accountable because we can’t
vote for them,” he said.
The Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce
has long supported such a tax but is open to
suggestions, said Mark Fisher, vice president
of government relations and policy development.
“It remains a top priority,” Fisher said.
“We think communities should be able to
capture revenue from nonresidents who use
our streets and other infrastructure.”
Indianapolis also would need $178 million
a year for upkeep, more than double
the current annual funding that the city has
available for all roads, bridge and sidewalk
projects.
Survey under way by Ontario officials
to assess parking along area’s roads
THE TRUCKER STAFF
TORONTO — The Ontario Ministry of
Transportation is currently exploring ways
to improve truck parking along Southern Ontario
highways.
The Province of Ontario would like to
identify where additional truck parking is
needed.
The firm SPR Associates has been contracted
to carry out a survey to assess the availability
of truck parking along various segments of
major southern Ontario highways.
“We are requesting the assistance of all
those involved in the trucking sector in both
Canada and the United States,” said Ted
Harvey, the study’s director. “Our goal is to
obtain the opinions of truck drivers who use
Southern Ontario highways, including drivers
from the U.S.
The survey asks drivers to identify where
they feel additional parking is needed and to
identify any services or amenities that should
be provided or improved at truck stops along
Southern Ontario highways.
Improved availability of truck parking is
believed to have significant economic benefits
to the entire North American trucking
sector, according to studies by the American
Transportation Research Institute and Trucker
Path. Recent research has shown that a
lack of truck parking costs around $4,600 for
each truck on the road.
The survey is supported by trucking associations
across Canada and the U.S., and
by Radio Nemo.
“Since the survey was launched in November
2017, we have received responses
from more than 1,500 truck drivers,” Harvey
said, adding that SPR Associates would appreciate
more responses.
The survey website, which also contains
direct weblinks to the survey, is available at
surveycentral.ca.
The Associated Press contributed to these
reports. 8
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