Posts by MTAC Staff

Legal Alert from MG+M The Law Firm. Recently, two United States senators proposed the Developing Responsible Individuals for a Vibrant Economy (DRIVE-Safe) Act in an effort to address a perceived truck driver shortage and increase job opportunities for young people. This bipartisan bill would create an apprenticeship program that would permit CDL holders under the…

From Freight Waves. A lack of workers, supply chain disruptions and the effective end of the order cycle combined to push new trailer orders down 58% year over year in July. Manufacturers would have built more equipment to meet strong demand “if the supply chain would have been more robust,” Wabash National Corp. President and…

From Transport Topics. A new initiative from the American Transportation Research Institute is exploring development of an assessment tool to identify the safest drivers among 18- to 20-year-olds, a key group that the trucking industry is targeting for expanded eligibility of commercial driver licenses for interstate travel. The group’s Young Driver Assessment Tool — which…

The Internal Revenue Service reminded owners of most heavy highway vehicles of their responsibility to timely file Form 2290, Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax Return. The highway use tax applies to highway motor vehicles with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more. This generally includes large trucks, truck tractors and buses. The tax…

Legal Alert from MG+M The Law Firm. Recently, Democrats in the United States House of Representatives introduced the “Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act.” The legislation is a $547 billion highway bill that will potentially have both positive and negative impacts on the trucking…

From Transport Topics. The Senate voted the night of July 28 to begin work on a nearly $1 trillion national infrastructure plan, acting with sudden speed after weeks of fits and starts once the White House and a bipartisan group of senators agreed on major provisions of the package that’s key to President Joe Biden’s…

Legal Alert from MG+M The Law Firm. Recently, two members of the United States House of Representatives introduced a bipartisan bill that aims to limit trucks’ speeds on our nation’s highways. Rep. Lucy McBath and Rep. John Katko proposed the Cullum Owings Large Truck Safe Operating Speed Act on May 25, 2021. The exact details…

Have you seen the latest edition of MTAC’s magazine The Transportation Professional? Our current issue features MTAC Chairwoman Helen Brooks and her journey to becoming a senior state and local government affairs representative for FedEx. This issue also highlights Connecticut’s recent implementation of the Truck Milage Tax that will go in to affect in 2023.…

CT DMV officials have communicated to MTAC that they will soon begin sending CDL downgrade notices to CDL holders who do not have a current medical certificate on file. A sample notice can be seen here. During the COVID-19 pandemic, FMCSA and DMV acted to extend expiring credentials. One such credential was medical certifications. However,…