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TRUCKING INDUSTRY NEWS * USA & Canada
* New York - OOIDA lawsuit seeks to head off “fee proliferation”
NY,USA -Fleet Owner, by Sean Kilcarr -Oct. 15, 2013: -- A class action lawsuit launched by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) last week against the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance seeks to head-off what some in the industry are calling “fee proliferation” – efforts by state and local governments to craft extra fees and/or taxes often targeted at truckers to generate additional revenues... OOIDA said its lawsuit is in response to a $15 fee for a certificate of registration and a $4 decal charge on all trucks using New York State highways, with penalties for non-payment on a timely basis resulting in fines, interest, penalties, and seizure of property... Jim Johnston, OOIDA’s president and CEO, said in a statement that those fees are being imposed not only on New York-based trucks, but also on trucks based outside of New York. That’s why OOIDA’s lawsuit claims the fees are “unconstitutional and discriminatory” against out-of-state truckers...
* Canada - Truck firms looking for drivers, too - Bottom line: A 33,000 driver shortage by 2020.
Ottawa,ONT,Canada -Fleet Owner, by Larry Kahaner -Oct. 11, 2013: -- If misery loves company, then U.S. carriers grappling with driver shortages can take comfort that their Canada counterparts are plagued by the same malady. The issue is so acute that about a year ago the Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) published a Blue Ribbon Task Force report on the subject and produced a separate website to keep carriers and others updated on the topic... The report highlighted core values that could help alleviate the driver shortage. These included:
-- Truck drivers should be paid for all the work that they do and earn enough to cover all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses as well as have an improved ability to predict what their weekly pay is going to be; compensation packages need to be competitive and more transparent
-- Drivers’ time at work should not be wasted — at shipper/consignee premises, waiting for their trucks in the shop, or waiting for a response to a question of their carrier
-- Driver wellness should be a top priority for employers
-- A minimum standard of entry level, apprenticeship or apprenticeship-like truck driver training should be mandatory
-- Truck driving should be considered a skilled trade and be recognized as such by the various levels and branches of government, standards councils
* DC / USA - Trucking rests easy as sleep apnea bill signed into law
Washington,DC,USA -Fleet Owner, by Larry Kahaner -Oct. 17, 2013: -- Showing that government still can work smoothly and without rancor, President Barack Obama without fanfare on Tuesday signed legislation requiring that any federal standards concerning sleep disorders, especially sleep apnea, that apply to commercial vehicle operators would be handled through a rulemaking proceeding and not solely by regulatory guidance. The three-sentence legislation passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 405 to 0 and the Senate by unanimous consent... Trucking industry stakeholders, including drivers, are pleased with the law because it will allow a full airing of the matter and offer opportunities for input in a prescribed, scientific and cost analysis-based manner. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration had already made public its belief that the matter should be handled through rulemaking, but the law provides the industry added assurance that this will the case...
posted by Unknown @ 5:26 AM
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