News

Legal Alert From MG+M The Law Firm. By: Christos Koutrobis. The Texas legislature has proposed legislation to address large-scale verdicts that continue to impact the trucking industry and consumers alike. On May 3, 2021, the Texas House passed HB19 and sent the bill to the Senate for consideration. In its current form, HB19 has a…

From Fox Business. Chris Spear, president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations, told “Cavuto: Coast to Coast” on Tuesday that over the next decade more than one million truckers will have to join the industry “just to maintain current economic demand.” Spear, who is the head of the nation’s leading organization representing the interests…

From Fleet Owner. Demand for commercial vehicles in North America is as good as it’s been in the 35 years that ACT has been monitoring heavy-duty market conditions, according to ACT’s president and senior analyst. The heavy-duty trucks’ business environment doesn’t get much better than this, according to ACT Research’s recently released Transportation Digest. The…

Legal Alert From MG+M The Law Firm. Autonomous vehicle technologies, including full self-driving automobiles as well as simpler driver assist systems, are becoming more prevalent across the country. Most, if not all, new passenger cars come equipped with at least some form of autonomous technology including automatic cruise control, lane departure controls, and anti-collision warning…

From Transport Topics. Motor carriers and independent contractors in written comments expressed objection to a U.S. Department of Labor proposal to withdraw a rule designed to clarify the federal standard for determining if a truck driver is a contractor or employee. The agency in January said the rule — issued that month — was designed…

MTAC invites all interested parties to join us via Zoom on Friday, May 14 at 10 a.m. to hear from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) as they present the results of their new report detailing the costs of deploying and operating a national vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax system. What kind of hardware and/or…

MTAC President Joe Sculley submitted testimony in response to a bill that would eliminate the property tax on most (but not all) motor vehicles, in exchange for potentially significantly higher taxes on real property. The bill was pitched as a way to consolidate administrative burden by eliminating the “nuisance tax” that is the motor vehicle…

From Transport Topics. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency expects to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking later this year aimed at establishing new emissions standards for oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and other pollutants for highway heavy-duty engines, an EPA official told the S.11 study group of the Technology & Maintenance Council of American Trucking Associations…

Legal Alert from MG+M The Law Firm. When trucking or commercial vehicle accidents occur, there is a substantial likelihood of property damage, personal injury, and potentially catastrophic harm to drivers, passengers, or pedestrians. When there is a question of fault involved, competing interests between the injured parties, the insurance carriers, and law enforcement will undoubtedly…

From Transport Topics. President Joe Biden has previewed a $1.5 trillion fiscal 2022 budget plan that would increase discretionary spending for transportation systems and severe weather resilience programs. Under the president’s budget blueprint, unveiled April 9, the U.S. Department of Transportation would receive a 14% increase in discretionary funding, as well as an updated strategy…