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LEGISLATURE OVERRIDES QUINN'S VETO OF ITA LEGISLATION
 As ITA reported on Wednesday, the Illinois House voted to override Governor Quinn's veto of SB 930, a bill initiated by the ITA to reduce speed limit differentials between cars and trucks. The Senate voted to override the veto two weeks earlier, which means the bill will move forward and become law effective January 1. At that time, the Illinois Department of Transportation will have the authority to raise truck speed limits on rural interstates near Chicago from 55 MPH to 60 MPH where the car speed limit is 70. The legislation restores a 10 MPH differential between cars and trucks after IDOT created several areas where the speed limit was 70 for cars and 55 for trucks.
Once again, ITA would like to thank Senator Martin Sandoval (D-Chicago) and Representative Marty Moylan (D-Des Plaines) for sponsoring SB 930 this Spring and for ensuring the veto override was successful during the legislative veto session that concluded this week.
ITA LAYS GROUNDWORK FOR 2015 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
While state lawmakers were in Springfield for the Veto Session, ITA lobbyists were busy talking to legislators about the 2015 Legislative Session, including a full repeal of the Commercial Distribution Fee, or CDF. The CDF is a 14.35% sales tax on truck license plates that goes directly into the state's general revenue fund. It adds $400 to the cost of an 80,000-pound truck license plate.
With several new lawmakers and a new governor in January, the Illinois Trucking Association will be leading the charge once again to finally repeal this burdensome fee on the trucking industry. We will need everyone's support to repeal the CDF in 2015. If you haven't already begun talking to your legislators, start talking to them now and stay tuned as we keep you up to date on our progress during the Spring Legislative Session that begins on January 14.
ITA HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE - DECEMBER 3
  The Illinois Trucking Association would like to thank everyone that attended the ITA Holiday Open House on Wednesday in Willowbrook. ITA Board Members, new members, old members, and retired members all gathered to reflect on another great year at the ITA.
ITA thanked Kevin Lhotak, Reliable Transportation Specialists, Inc., for his two years of service leading the association as Chairman. Likewise, we also welcomed incoming ITA-Chairman, Tony Schmidt, Mr. Bult's Inc., who will take over as ITA Chairman on January 1. Thank you again to everyone that stopped by for our annual Holiday Open House.
SOUTHERN IL HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE - DECEMBER 10
 The ITA's Southern Illinois Holiday Open House will be held this Wednesday, December 10 from 6-8 PM at Bella Milano in O'Fallon, IL. The Open House is our way of saying thank you to all of our Southern Illinois Members for their support in 2014. To attend the open house this Wednesday in O'Fallon, please RSVP by calling the ITA offices of by emailing Janet at [email protected].
TRUCKING COMMITS TO HIRING 100,000 VETERANS
On Tuesday, American Trucking Associations announced it was committing on behalf of the trucking industry and its members to hire 100,000 veterans as part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation's Hiring 500,000 Heroes campaign. "There's no higher calling for an American than to serve in our armed forces, and I'd like to think that driving a truck - delivering America's most essential goods safely and efficiently is also a high calling," said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. "That's why we're so proud to be partnering with Hiring Our Heroes and committing on behalf of the trucking industry to hire 100,000 veterans over the next two years."
Hiring Our Heroes launched in March 2011 as a nationwide initiative to help veterans and military spouses find meaningful employment. Working with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's vast network of state and local chambers and other strategic partners from the public, private, and non-profit sectors, the goal is to create a movement across America.
"Trucking has always been a favorite industry for our veterans because they are already trained to succeed in many great career paths," said Bill McLennan, CEO of FASTPORT. "ATA's leadership and call to action from its members demonstrate the industry's affinity for hiring veterans and we are honored to help our talented veterans find great careers with those great employers in the trucking industry." For more information, please click here.
ITA/TIPAC BOXING NIGHT - FEBRUARY 11, 2015
 Mark your calendars now for the ITA/TIPAC Boxing Night on February 11 at the Ashton Place in Willowbrook. Boxing Night is a great event to come out and network with trucking industry leaders and be entertained by 8 bouts of Golden Gloves Boxing. More information, including registration and sponsorship information, will be available next week.
ADS & CONTENT FOR JANUARY MAGAZINE ARE DUE DECEMBER 15
 All advertisements and content for the January issue of the Illinois Trucking News Magazine are due December 15. The ITN reaches 3,000 trucking companies each time it is mailed our. Click here for ad rates.
For more information on the Illinois Trucking News Magazine, please contact Matt Hart at [email protected].
In case you missed the Nov/Dec issue of the Illinois Trucking News Magazine, click here to see the full issue.
2015 TECHNICIANS COMPETITION DATE/LOCATION SET
The 2015 ITA Technicians Competition will be held July 17-18 at Universal Technical Institute and the nearby Hilton in Lisle, IL. Mark your calendars now for this exciting events. More information to come in early 2015. For more information on the ITA Technicians Competition, please contact ITA Associate Director, Randy Thomas at [email protected].
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