LMTA 70th Annual Convention
It’s finally here! The 70th Annual LMTA Convention will be held on July 29-31st at the Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort in Destin, Florida. Join us to hear this exciting lineup of speakers:
Tommy Hodges, Chairman of the American Trucking Associations and Titan Transport, Shelbyville, Tennessee will discuss issues of concern to the trucking industry on the national level.
Bob Costello, ATA Chief Economist and Forecaster, will discuss the economy and what he predicts for the trucking industry ahead.
Sen. Danny Martiny & Rep. Tony Ligi, co-sponsors of SB 625, our Indemnification legislation, will give you a behind the scenes look at the indemnification battle in the 2010 Legislature.
Eric Kalivoda, LA-DOTD Undersecretary, will discuss "Right-Sizing the State's Highway System" - state versus local highway funding.
Ken Cotton, with J.J. Keller will present "CSA 2010 Impact on Fleets," a comprehensive overview of the program and how it will impact your operations.
Golf Tournament. The 7th Annual Bill Clark Memorial Golf Tournament will be held at the Baytowne Golf Club, a premier choice among the extensive offerings of golf courses in Northwest Florida. Registration is at noon at the Clubhouse with a shotgun start at 1:00 p.m.!
Check the Sandestin website www.sandestin.com for daily updates.
Hurricane Bonnie Emergency Declaration.
Louisiana dodged a big bullet when Hurricane Bonnie fizzled out! Regardless, the Governor’s Office had to issue an emergency declaration to allow the state to prepare for a hurricane no matter what the intensity. LMTA staff participated on conference calls with the Governor’s Hurricane Fuel Team to determine the existing fuel supply and the possible increased demand in the event that a full-fledged evacuation was ordered over the weekend. Lucky for all of us, Bonnie was quickly downgraded. However, we should note that although we were lucky, the big one could be right around the corner and we still need to be prepared.
LA-DOTD Violation Ticket Review Panel.
Effective July 1, 2010 with the passage of SB 635/Act 320 of the 2010 Legislature, the State Police are officially in charge of all weight enforcement and the operation of the stationary weigh scales in the state. However, if you have a violation still pending before the La-DOTD, a tentative hearing has been scheduled. For more information on these hearings read this week’s LMTA Truck Talk newsletter.
State Police Initiatives.
Increase FMCSR Threshold.
The State Police have submitted a Fiscal Impact Statement to the Legislative Fiscal Office concerning a proposed rule change to Title 33. For more information on the proposed change read this week’s LMTA Truck Talk newsletter.
Safety Meetings.
In order for safety-conscious companies to also benefit from safety inspections on well-maintained vehicles, the State Police will continue to conduct courtesy inspections. For more information on how you can schedule an enforcement officer to address your drivers read this week’s LMTA Truck Talk newsletter.
Cell Phone Ban Update.
Eight states, eight of the ten Canadian provinces, and the District of Columbia now have laws that prohibit making calls on a cell-phone while driving, unless the phone is in a hands-free mode along with laws in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, D.C., California, Oregon, and Washington State and Maryland. To find out more about these laws, when they are effective and how you can avoid receiving a citation read this week’s LMTA Truck Talk newsletter.
CMV Operation Safety Training Grants.
Recently the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published its solicitation for applications for FY11 CMV Operator Safety Training Grants, which provide one million dollars in grant monies to train current and future drivers in the safe operation of CMVs. For more information on eligibility criteria, funding priorities, deadlines and matching percentages read this week’s LMTA Truck Talk newsletter.
IRS Electronic Filing Requirement.
The U.S. Treasury Department says that the Internal Revenue Service will shortly undertake a rulemaking to require almost all entities that file federal employment taxes to file them electronically, using the Treasury’s Electronic Federal Tax Payment System, or EFTPS. For more information on this electronic filing requirement read this week’s LMTA Truck Talk newsletter.
Federal Metal Coil Securement Regulations.
Recently the American Trucking Associations (ATA) filed comments supporting the Flatbed Carrier Safety Group’s exemption request concerning the federal load securement regulations applicable to the transportation of metal coils. For more information on ATA’s comments read this week’s LMTA Truck Talk newsletter.
Bureau of Transportation Statistics’ State Data.
The US-DOT Research & Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics released the latest version of its annual reference guide to transportation data by state. For more information on information included in the guide and how you can get a copy read this week’s LMTA Truck Talk newsletter.
ATA Owner-Operator Classification Alert.
The June 2010 Owner-Operator Classification Alert is now available. The Alert reflects the winding down of many state legislative sessions. For more information on which states passed legislation affecting owner-operator classifications read this week’s LMTA Truck Talk newsletter.
