transport news - Idaho Trucking Association
Transcription
transport news - Idaho Trucking Association
TRANSPORT NEWS 3405 East Overland Road, Suite 175 Meridian, ID 83642 Bi-weekly news brief to ITA members Phone: 208.342.3521 / Fax: 208.343.8397 E-mail: [email protected] February 24, 2012 Session Update and Bill Tracking Information The 2012 Session of the Idaho Legislature appears to be at its midpoint. As you know, the Idaho Legislature does not have an official end date in statute and the session can go on as long as needed, but usually ends by the first of April. The Legislature has set a revenue target of $2.667 billion for the FY 2013 budget, and that is about $33 million less than what Governor Otter recommended in the budget he outlined in his State of the State address on January 7, 2012. By setting this revenue target, the process of setting agency budgets and funding major legislative initiatives can now begin. To date, the 2012 Legislative Session has been dominated by the following issues: 1. Legislative redistricting--a process that must be completed every 10 years to set the legislative boundaries for the next ten years. Setting these boundaries has had quite a bit of controversy to date, but a plan adopted in January appears to be finalized without further court challenges. 2. Establishment of an Idaho Health Insurance Exchange as part of federal health care reform. 3. Implementation of Idaho Comprehensive Education Reforms enacted last year-primary issues this year are restoring teacher salaries and paying for technology deployment to Idaho high schools. 4. Corporate and individual income tax relief and other incentives aimed to grow Idaho's economy. 5. Funding for across the board state employee pay increases--state employee pay has not been raised in the last three years. 6. Idaho's Global Entrepreneurial Mission Grant (IGEM)--a proposal by Governor Otter which funds public-private, university-based research aimed at meeting the needs of Idaho's growing businesses. 7. Restoration of cuts made to adult Medicaid programs. 8. Idaho energy and power generation issues and regulations. All of these issues will be moving forward toward a resolution before the 2012 Legislative session comes to a close in the coming weeks Skip Smyser and Jason Kreizenbeck, Lobby Idaho, LLC Welcome the Following New ITA Members: Dan Rankin Trucking, Post Falls, ID Dan Rankin, Owner DATS Trucking, St. George, UT Don Ipson, President Dale Ipson, Safety Supervisor FSF, Inc. dba Scott Fulcher Trucking, Caldwell, ID Scott Fulcher, President Deborah Johnson, General Manager Rob Musgrave, Safety Supervisor Westone Logistics, LLC / Gelling Moving & Storage, Inc., Idaho Falls, ID Kendra Keim, President Steven Keim, Vice President Brent Keim, Safety Supervisor 2012 Truck Driving Competition May 11 – 12 Idaho State Police Facility Boise Watch for Sign-ups being mailed out in March. Mar. 13 Mar. 15 April 3 May 11-12 Jul. 11-13 Aug. 7-9 Calendar of Events SMC Meeting Boise – “Telematics that enable you to collect, organize, and use data in ways that fundamentally change behavior” SMC Meeting Twin Falls & Blackfoot – “Telematics that enable you to collect, organize, and use data in ways that fundamentally change behavior” Hazardous Materials Transportation Workshop sponsored by USDOT/PHMSA and Great West Casualty Company (see attachment) Annual Truck Driving Competition – Meridian Rocky Mountain Regional Safety Rendezvous – Helena, MT Annual Convention – McCall ITA Website: www.idtrucking.org “Change Will Come With or Without Us” There’s a wry (and ancient) Chinese curse that Kyle Treadway, the outgoing chairman of the American Truck Dealers trade group can fully appreciate: “May you live in interesting times.” “As you all well know, it’s been an amazing ride—not for the fainthearted,” Treadway noted in his final speech at ATD’s convention in Las Vegas. “Between the relentless waves of government regulations altering the engineering and cost of our equipment, the collapse of the housing and construction markets, the whipsaw effect of fuel pricing and the manic-depressive stock market, we have witnessed the demise and rebirth of our economy, industry and markets.” He also pointed out that consolidation—a fact of life in the trucking business long before the 21st century got rolling—accelerated significantly over the last decade. “There are far fewer of us, yet we are tasked with managing what the FMCSA predicts will be a doubling of domestic freight volume from the year 2012 through 2035,” Treadway noted. “At the same time, the practices and methods we use to manage that demand are increasingly under scrutiny by federal, state and local officials. Our customers have been bearing the increasing weight of hours of service, the FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program, diverse weight and length restrictions, mandatory drug testing, (and) questionable emissions and fuel economy regulations— all while balancing operational challenges of driver shortages, overcapacity, freight rates, equipments costs and maintenance expense.” Yet Treadway remains upbeat—indeed, that’s one of his “calling cards.” In a way he’s always looked for the positives in any given situation. For example, he made reference to the “Arab Spring” movement that’s reshaped the nations of Northern Africa and the Middle East – leading to ouster of Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak, the overthrow and death of Libya’s dictator Moammar Gadhafi, and the ongoing civil war in Syria. “You might interpret all this revolution as anarchy—a misguided, disorganized cacophony of unproductive noise,” Treadway said. “But you could also read a few encouraging trends: the youth of the world care; they are using their voice to lead change movements; modern technology in the form of ‘social media’ is more powerful than we all realized; and change will come with or without our cooperation.” He explained that today’s truck dealer (and I would add trucking companies) are facing the same reality—that, “change will come, with or without us ” ITA Joined In Signing Letter Opposing Tolls The Idaho Trucking Association joined sixty-seven (67) other transportation associations in signing a letter to the U.S. Senate opposing tolls on existing interstates in the Senate Surface Transportation Bill (S 1813). In addition to associations from all 50 states, organizations that signed include the Truckload Carriers Association, American Trucking Associations, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, National Private Truck Council, NATSO and National Tank Truck Carriers. Shippers, brokers, and automotive and enforcement interests also signed the letter, which urges the Senate to vote against the bill Serving all of your insurance needs 851 E. Fairview Avenue Meridian, ID 83642 (800) 213-8214 Local (208)323-8214 www.ballardandco.com Organization of the Trucking Advisory Council The Governor’s Motor Carrier Advisory Committee existed for many years as an important tool to provide the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) with valuable information regarding trucking and freight issues. This Committee was disbanded in February 2010. However, ITD recognizes the ongoing need to stay involved with the trucking industry as partners in highway transport, safety, operations, and freight management. Consequently, ITD, with recommendations from the Motor Vehicle Administrator, in consultation with the trucking industry has organized a new group called the “Trucking Advisory Council.” It will be organized after the same structure as the ITD Board of Directors which consists of a chairman and one member from each of the six districts. Those making up the first Council are as follows: Council Chair – Bill Moad District 1 Member – Jack Buell District 2 Member – Bill Stellmon District 3 Member – Tony Black District 4 Member – Kevin Iverson District 5 Member – Evan Hayes District 6 Member – John Pocock We want to congratulate those ITA members who have agreed to serve on this important council Before You Just Pay An Overweight Citation, There Are a Few Things You Should Know Your driver just received an overweight citation. There are a few things you should think about. First, determine under which section of the vehicle code your driver was cited. Second, find out from your driver how the vehicle was weighed. Were there any issues that arose during the weighing that may create doubt as to the accuracy of the scale? Did the officer properly weigh the vehicle? Third, make sure that the fine amount was calculated correctly. It is imperative that before you plead guilty and pay the fine amount you verify that the fine amount is proper. Fourth, if your vehicle was traveling pursuant to a permit, determine whether or not the citation was issued based upon the permit weight and/or the legal weight. Fifth, consider retaining an attorney to review the citation and/or handle the hearing. At a hearing, an attorney can be particularly beneficial in cases in which the officer does not prove all of the necessary facts for its case and can articulate why judgment should be entered for the defendant. Another good defense to an overweight citation is prevention and—avoid having the expense in time and money of having to deal with the ticket in the first place. If your truck is traveling pursuant to a permit, stress the importance of following the conditions of the permit to your drivers. Not only will a violation of a permit condition allow the permit to be revoked, but in some instances it may permit the officer to disregard the permitted weight and use the legal weight resulting in an increased overweight citation. For instance, if a driver is found traveling off route, the permitted weight is no longer applicable when determining the overweight fine amount. Drivers should also be careful to avoid roads and bridges with weight limit signs posted. Any time an overweight citation is received or any other traffic citation, the driver and company should consider what could have been done in order to avoid the citation. -by Angela N. Rainey, Esq., Marcello & Kivisto, LLC New ITD Board Chairman Focuses On Improvement Governor Butch Otter recently appointed Jerry Whitehead as chairman of the ITD board, giving him oversight of the entire state. He replaces former Chairman Darrell Manning. Whitehead recently responded to the Idaho Press-Tribune’s questions about his new role: Can you explain what your role is on the Board? The board helps set the direction of the Transportation Department. It sets policy. As chairman, I will lead the board, run meetings and only vote in case of a tie. What aspects of your new role are you most looking forward to? Transportation is so important—it’s vital to the economy. ITD can have a positive impact on the economy. That is one of our newer focus areas. It’s exciting to be involved, to partner with the Department of Commerce and many other agencies to promote economic opportunities. I am very pleased with the current direction the Department is heading. I am looking forward to continuing to foster the excellent partnerships that we have established and continue collaboration to address the state’s transportation issues. What challenges face transportation planners in Idaho this year? One of the biggest challenges is insufficient funding. Idaho’s transportation system is deteriorating. We are doing our best to maintain the current system, but that is getting harder and harder to do with our limited funding. Because one of our highest priorities is taking care of the existing system, there is very little money left to expand the system. Today 13% of our pavements are deficient. Without additional funding, our projections are that the deficient pavement rate will increase to 28% by 2021. Additionally, today there are over 500 bridges over 50 years old. That number will double over the next ten years. We need funding to take care of the current system, let alone to address the increasing needs of the state as it continues to grow in population. All areas of transportation need more money—airports and public transportation—not just highways and bridges. Another major concern is personnel. The turnover rate is high, especially in the transportation technician series—the snowplow drivers. The Department is having a difficult time paying competitive wages. We are training staff, investing in employees, and then they often leave for better salaries elsewhere. This turnover is costly. Additionally, 50% of the transportation department employees will be eligible to retire in the next five years. This is also a grave concern as we lose dedicated, knowledgeable staff and their expertise and institutional knowledge. How have you represented southwest Idaho residents and interests, and how do you plan to represent them in the future? Although I hope I have represented District 3 well and have been a strong advocate to improve the transportation system in southwest Idaho, I hope I have also been a strong advocate for the entire state. The Transportation Board is a statewide board. It oversees a statewide network. It doesn’t do any good to have a top-quality transportation system in southwest Idaho if people can’t get to northern Idaho or can’t get their products to eastern Idaho because the transportation system is inadequate in other parts of the state. Southwest Idaho has benefitted greatly from the GARVEE and federal stimulus funding. I intend to continue focusing on the needs of the statewide system and make decisions that are in the best interest of the state and the entire statewide transportation system - from Idaho Press Tribune