New Jersey school bus contractors received significant help when the State enacted a new law for school districts adapting to the COVID-19 lockdown. NJ Assembly bill A3904 (as amended by the Senate on April 13, 2020) included a last-minute addition that specifically " requires school districts to make all reasonable efforts to renegotiate a contract in good faith...to meet the payroll and fixed costs obligations of the contracted service provider."

 

Murphy announced the appointment of members to a Restart and Recovery Commission, tasked with advising the administration on the timing and preparation for New Jersey's recovery from the COVID-19 shutdown. 

The Governor's Restart and Recovery Commission will be comprised of 21 members, all with a vast wealth of experience in health care, business, finance, academics, and economics and will be chaired by Princeton Professor and former University President Shirley Tilghman and Ken Frazier, Chief Executive Officer of Merck and Co., Inc.  Read more...

The American Bus Association and United Motorcoach Association invite you to join a rally at the Capitol in Washington, D.C. on May 13th.   Purpose: This is a positive event showcasing how our big buses and small businesses move America. Buses will be decorated with informative signs about our industry and the groups we carry, the economic impact we have and the people we employ. 

For more info, please visit: https://www.busesmoveamerica.com/contact-congress/motorcoaches-rolling-for-awareness/

 

These FAQs provide clarity regarding how COVID-19 preparations impact certain FTA requirements. They also contain recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help grantees and subgrantees prepare for COVID-19.  Read more...

 

The American Bus Association Foundation released a report showcasing the effect COVID-19 is having on the U.S. motorcoach industry.

Nearly the entire industry is currently shut down in every corner of the country. Most charter and tour companies have closed their doors, commuter operations have mostly stopped running, and scheduled service operations are operating at approximately 15% of capacity. The industry is seeing a fallout between 80% to 90% of cancelled trips and very few future bookings.  Read more...

 

According to new data released by the U.S. Travel Association and the analytics firm Tourism Economics, the travel industry is currently experiencing a total impact that is nine times greater than seen as a result of the attacks of 9/11. Read more...

 

A group of operators decided to form the Ohio Motorcoach Association to serve as one statewide voice for the industry.  Members say the new Ohio association they've formed is not only working to support the business owners, but the thousands of employees across the state.  Read more...

 

The U.S. Department of the Treasury issued guidance in an interim final rule related to the PPP addressing promissory notes, authorizations, affiliation, and eligibility. 

 

Matt Daus, Windels Marx, recently fielded questions by transportation company operators regarding the Paycheck Protection Program ("PPP") loans, including the criteria for loan forgiveness.

The most recent guidance from the U.S. Small Business Administration was presented, including the documents a lender servicing the PPP loan may require to process the loan forgiveness requests to verify payroll costs, as well as other payments that may qualify for loan forgiveness. Since lenders are required to make a decision on the PPP loan forgiveness request within 60 days, transportation companies need to identify and keep records to properly document the expenses during the 8-week period after the PPP loan funds are issued. Significant Q&A took place with specific hypothetical scenarios and sample calculations to make those who have questions about how "loan forgiveness" will work feel more at ease with their decisions.  To view the webinar playback, click here.

 

FMCSA has updated the Clearinghouse Learning Center with additional resources to help you use the Clearinghouse.  

Additional resources for Employers, Including Owner-Operators:
How to Designate Your C/TPA
Query History: Employers
How to Report RTD Information (Employers)

 

The National Park Service (NPS) has withdrawn plans to implement a standard, nationwide commercial use authorization (CUA) requirement for road-based commercial tours and will not increase commercial tour entrance fees. This decision was made in part to reduce significant changes to commercial tour procedures once COVID-19 related modified operations cease.

Parks that issue road-based commercial tour CUAs may continue to do so and will charge current CUA fees. Parks that have not historically issued road-based commercial tour CUAs may not begin issuing at this time.  As usual, road-based commercial tour operators need to check with each park individually for specific CUA requirements and fees as well as any park-specific operating requirements.

 

It looks like New York City's congestion pricing program won't be up and running by the start of the new year after all. On Wednesday, MTA Chairman and CEO Pat Foye told reporters it was "unlikely" that the nation's first congestion pricing scheme would be operational by the long-targeted start date of Jan. 1, 2021. "I think that given a combination of the pandemic and the delays in Washington, a January 2021 start is unlikely," Foye said. "But we are doing everything we can on our side, on the MTA side, to advance it as much as possible." Read more...

 

The National Transportation Safety Board said it is awaiting responses to several recommendations made to the school bus community, including the adoption of lap/shoulder seatbelts. NTSB said 46 of its 268 recommendations that address its 10 Most Wanted List of Safety Improvements for 2019-2020 could be implemented by the end of this year. Five of these recommendations are specific to school buses, but NTSB said it has not received a response to them from states or stakeholders. Read more... 

 

Busing on the Lookout has some resources for your drivers and dispatchers. You can download poster designs that can be printed and hung in your driver break rooms, dispatch rooms, offices, etc.  These posters can serve as a handy reminder of the red flags for drivers to be on the lookout for, the important role of dispatch, and the number to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.   

 

Many of you may remember our keynote speaker, Steve Gilliland, at our 2019 Spring Meeting.  Steve is a member of the Speaker Hall of Fame and is one of the most in-demand and top-rated speakers in the world.  

Recognized as a master storyteller and brilliant comedian, he can be heard daily on SiriusXM Radio's Laugh USA.  Steve shared a three-part video series based on his book, Detour.  Detour contains remarkable insight on how to deal with change and provides solutions to reduce stress, eliminate fear and increase performance.

Video Part 1           Video Part 2           Video Part 3

                               (4:35 min)                     (4:39 min)                   (5:20 min)