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The trucking industry is going to go through at lot
of changes in the next couple of years. Some of these
changes are already taking place.
The current Hours of Service Regulations, which
went into effect Jan. 4, 2004, have been ruled illegal.
The court said that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration (FMCSA) did not comply with proper
procedures when collecting data; they did not provide a
complete picture of how the rules would impact a carrier
or a driver’s health. The FMCSA has until Sept. 2005 to
respond or go back to the old rule. The old Hours of
Service have been in effect since 1939.
Drivers renewing their Hazmat Endorsement on their
CDL after May 31,2005, will have to be fingerprinted and
go through a complete background check. Their
fingerprints will be sent to the Iowa DCI who will
forward them to the Criminal Justice Information System
(CJIS). The FBI administers the CJIS. The FBI will send
the results to the Iowa DOT via the Commercial Drivers
License Information System. The Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) will mail a notice to the driver
when the process has been completed. It is estimated to
take up to 60 days to complete this process.
Driver Disqualification for CDL holders keeps
getting tougher each year. More violations have been
added again. Some violations in your personal car can
cause you to lose your CDL while still retaining your
operator’s license. Truck drivers are expected to
maintain a better driving record than other drivers.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure
Committee passed a $283.9 billion, multiyear highway
bill. This bill included a provision to allow States to
impose a toll on the current interstate highway system.
This is in addition to the 24.4 cents Federal and 22.5
cents state tax per gallon we are already paying.
Congressman Mark Kennedy and Adam Smith are introducing
an amendment to keep the toll off of existing interstate
highways. This would still allow States the option to
impose tolls on new highways. Adding a toll to the
existing interstate highways would force more car and
truck traffic onto local roads which are 4 times more
dangerous than Interstates.
Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Mike DeWine
(R-OH) introduced a bill to put more weight restrictions
on the National Highway System (NHS). The NHS includes
the interstate system and more than 100,000 miles of
other roadways. This bill would also force more truck
traffic onto local roads.
In 2007, the federal emission regulations will
become a
lot tougher. Truck engine manufacturers will have to
make major changes in their engines and add particulate
traps to catch exhaust particles. This will add a lot of
cost and weight to the truck; it will also increase
maintenance costs and reduce fuel mileage. These engines
will have to burn lower sulfur fuel; this will increase
the cost of diesel fuel.
The national average cost of diesel fuel for the
first week of March was $2.11; during this same period
one year ago the average cost was $1.61. Higher priced
fuel will have a big effect on our operating cost. In
2004, fuel was approximately 17% of our operating cost
for trucks.
This is just a small sample of things taking place
in the trucking industry. There are new bills, rules,
and regulations being introduced every day that effect
drivers and carriers. We need more people to get
involved. Please voice your opinions to your
congressmen. Most of the goods consumed in this country
are transported by truck. Without trucks and truck
drivers this nation would be at a stand still.
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