Trucking News and Briefs for Tuesday, May 28 2024:
FMCSA Truck Leasing Task Force Meeting twice this Summer
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced that the task force , which is charged with addressing predatory practice related to lease-purchase program in trucking, will meet twice this Summer.
The Truck Leasing Task Force is scheduled to meet on Thursdays, June 13 and July 18, both from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Eastern time. Meetings will be held for the entire duration of each day.
TLTF members will discuss at the meeting on June 13 whether truck leasing agreements incentivize safe operations, including driver compliance to the Hours-of-Service Regulation, laws governing speed, safety and general laws, and resources that can assist truck operators with assessing the financial impact of leasing agreements.
During the meeting, a public comment period will be held to allow truckers and lessees to discuss their personal experiences and provide any supporting information that they wish to share in order to help TLTF make recommendations about such agreements.
The 18th of July meeting will focus on the opportunities that equitable leasing agreements offer drivers to start or expand their trucking businesses, and the history behind motor carriers who started as single-truck owners-operators. A public comment period, similar to the June meeting will be held.
Registration is required for the first meeting (available here) and the second meeting (available here) by June 7.
[ Related to Task force on lease-purchase focuses on restrictive maintenance clauses]
PHMSA increases hazmat transport registration fees
A Department of Transportation agency proposes to increase the annual fee paid by carriers of hazardous materials.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration , in an notice of proposed rulemaking, published on May 24, proposed what it called the “overdue updating of the registration fees under statutory mandated registration and fee assessments for persons who transport or offer transportation of certain categories and amounts of hazardous materials.”
The annual registration fee is currently set at $250 (plus a $25 processing fee) for registrants qualifying as small businesses or not-for-profit organizations and $2,575 (plus a $25 processing fee) for other non-small-business/nonprofit registrants.
PHMSA noted that since 2006, the small business fee was not increased. The fee for large businesses, however, was last raised from $975 to 2,575 dollars in 2010.
PHMSA’s proposal would increase the registration fee for small businesses, nonprofits and other registrants by $125 up to $375, and by $425 up to $3,000 — the maximum allowed by federal law.
The registration program has the purpose of funding the Hazardous Material Emergency Preparedness (HMEP), which supports hazardous material emergency response planning and training by state, local government, and Native American Tribes.
The 2021 Bipartisan infrastructure law increased the authorized funding for grants by $18.5million, forcing PHMSA adjust fees to meet the funding level. The total amount of funds received by registrants for the 2022-2023 registration period, less the processing fees, was about $24,662,200. This was more than $22 millions short of the federal limit.
PHMSA is taking public comments on its proposed increase in registration fees here until August 22.
[ Related to: Ohio and Arizona hazmat disasters teach lessons for carriers and owner-ops in the battle against safety complacency]
ATRI outlines its new research priorities
The American Transportation Research Institute’s board of directors met in San Antonio to discuss its research priorities for the coming year. The Research Advisory Committee of ATRI selected a variety of topics to address some of industry’s most important issues, according to the group.
The top research priorities for 2024 ATRI are:
Exploring driver demographic data in order to find new career paths. This study will use ATRI’s extensive data on truck driver demographics collected over many decades through driver surveys. ATRI stated that the data will be used to identify demographic trends within the professional driver population. This will allow the industry to better target recruitment and retention strategies for drivers. The research will also examine possible pathways into the industry for previously untapped populations including young adults who have aged out of the foster system.
Updates on the impact of nuclear verdicts. In 2020, ATRI released an ATRI study examining frequency and impact of nuclear judgments on the trucking industries. This research examined the increasing use of third-party litigation funding and the size and frequency of verdicts after truck crash litigation. This update will use more recent data to examine verdicts that have changed since the original study, impacts of motor carrier insurance rates, and factors contributing to nuclear jury verdicts.
[ Related to The pervasive effect of nuclear-verdicts hysteria, threat]
Understanding the scope of cargo fraud in the U.S. The growing problem of cargo theft is a concern to motor carriers, shippers and insurers. This research will examine data sources and work closely with motor carriers to better quantify this often unreported crime. The research will also examine emerging and existing cargo theft tracing programs and prevention programs in order to identify best practices.
[ Related to Cargo Theft jumped another 46% in 2024]
Calculating truck bottlenecks. Over the past few decades, ATRI’s extensive database of GPS truck data has been used to monitor traffic congestion on America’s highways. This research will provide more detailed analysis of the costs of congestion at specific bottleneck locations on ATRI’s top-100 truck bottlenecks list. It will also include case studies that quantify the return-on investment for locations where targeted improvements to infrastructure have resulted reduced congestion.
Federal Excise Tax Analysis. The 12 percent FET on heavy-duty trucks, trailers and other equipment is seen by many as a deterrent to investing in safer equipment with cleaner engines. This analysis will examine how the FET impacts carrier decisions, such as avoiding new equipment investments and unrealized safety or emissions improvements.
[ Related to FET may be repealed depending on truck safety, high cost of ZEVs and supply chain issues]