Posts by MTAC Staff

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), the trucking industry’s not-for-profit research organization, today launched the 2016 Top Industry Issues Survey. The annual survey, commissioned by the American Trucking Associations (ATA), asks trucking industry stakeholders to rank the top issues of concern for the industry along with appropriate strategies for addressing each issue. The survey is…

MTAC’s “Call on Washington” is scheduled for the last week of September. This annual event provides a great opportunity for MTAC members to meet with the Connecticut Congressional delegation to talk about issues that are important to the industry. Our message needs to be delivered by MTAC members directly to our elected officials and their…

Mark your calendars for the 96th MTAC Annual Meeting, which will be held on Thursday, Oct. 27 at Maneeley’s in South Windsor, Conn. This will be a worthwhile meeting featuring educational sessions on FMCSA compliance (including ELDs), International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) changes and compliance, a roadside and pre-trip inspection demonstration, a trade show, and…

Excerpt from Hartford Business Journal. Connecticut recently enacted the Fair Chance Employment Act that is a modified “ban-the-box” law. It applies to all employers in both the public and private sectors and is effective Jan. 1, 2017. The law prohibits employers from inquiring about a prospective employee’s prior arrests, criminal charges or convictions on an…

Excerpt from Transport Topics. Before adjourning for seven weeks, the Senate on July 14 confirmed Scott Darling to lead the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Darling had been the agency’s acting administrator. He was confirmed by unanimous consent. Darling had waited about half a year for the chamber to take up his nomination. “I am…

FMCSA is delaying the implementation of the final stage of the Unified Registration System (URS) until Jan. 14, 2017, with a new full compliance date of April 14, 2017. This is a three month extension. The agency is currently updating its information technology systems and undertaking a complex migration of millions of records to remote…

Excerpt from Transport Topics article: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on July 11 outlined plans for a two-year demonstration program that would allow certain non-preventable crashes to be removed from motor carriers’ public and private safety scores. The policy shift is being proposed after long-standing industry concerns that all crashes currently are being recorded…

From Bob Pitcher, State Laws Newsletter. The annual filing for the federal heavy vehicle use tax, which is reported on Internal Revenue Form 2290, is due at the end of August. Most larger fleets probably file electronically, and that seems most efficient. E-filing of the 2290 is not free however, carriers will need to use a…

From Transport Topics. Christopher Spear was named president and CEO of American Trucking Associations, effective July 9, succeeding Bill Graves. ATA made the announcement July 1, when it introduced Spear to the staff at the federation’s Arlington, Virginia, headquarters. Spear was given a five-year contract and chosen from a field of about two dozen candidates,…

From Transport Topics. The trucking industry invests at least $9.5 billion in safety annually according to a report released June 29 by American Trucking Associations. The investments include technologies on trucks such as collision avoidance systems, electronic logging devices for driver hours of service compliance and video event recorders. In addition, they include driver safety…