Special Edition V.22 (April 2020)
CORONAVIRUS NEWS
SBA Assistance
April 3, 2020

The Maine Motor Transport Association has received several calls from members inquiring about the “CARES ACT” and their ability to obtain federal assistance from the Small Business Administration in order to maintain payroll and their business during the period that many businesses are closed or running at greatly diminished capacity. The following information from Bangor Savings Bank, an MMTA Annual Sponsor, provides and overview and direction.

Please note that the “CARES ACT” SBA loans are administered by banking institutions and members are encouraged to contact the lending institution that they have a banking relationship with to apply for the loan or obtain more information.

For a link to the full Interim SBA final rule Click Here.
We are here to help our business customers impacted by COVID-19

We are committed in providing our employees, customers, and our communities with flexibility, care, and support during these times of uncertainty. We understand small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and want you to know that we are here to help and support you during these unprecedented times.

On March 27th, President Trump signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, otherwise known as the “CARES Act.” The CARES Act establishes several protections, including a SBA loan program for businesses, called the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

The PPP is a loan designed to provide support for small businesses to keep their employees on payroll. The best source of information about this program is at the SBA’s website under the Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources, where you can learn details about eligibility, terms, and loan forgiveness. Applications will open and Bangor Savings Bank will begin offering SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans on Friday April 3, 2020 for small businesses and sole proprietorships and April 10, 2020 for independent contractors and self-employed individuals.

Below are some highlights of the relief program and how to prepare:
  • Any business with less than 500 employees, including sole proprietorships, independent contractors, and self-employed persons, private non-profit organizations and veteran organizations may apply.
  • The SBA will forgive the loans if all employees are kept on payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest, or utilities. At least 75% of the forgiven amount must have been used for payroll.
  • Loan payments will be deferred for six months. No collateral or personal guarantees are required.
  • The loan has a maturity of two years and an interest rate of 0.5%. Neither the government nor Bangor Savings Bank will charge any fees.
  • The program will be available through June 30, 2020.
  • Applicants will need to provide support for the loan amount being requested in the form of average monthly payroll information based on payroll tax documents during calendar year 2019, or if a new business, for the period 1/1/2020 through 2/29/20.
  • All applicants will need to have a Bangor Savings Bank business checking account opened prior to application. For those who do not have a checking account at Bangor Savings Bank, please call your local branch to make an appointment to open a business checking account as soon as possible.

In order to help you prepare, click here to view a sample loan application. Please note that this is in draft form and intended to help you organize your information. Also, please note that all individuals owning 20% or more of the business will need to answer certain questions.

The application form and process are still evolving. We will keep you informed as soon as the process is finalized.

For more information, please email us at business@bangor.com or contact your lender.
PHMSA Offers Sanitizer Relief
April 3, 2020

William Schoonover, Associate Administrator for Hazardous Material Safety, has issued temporary relief of certain alcohol-based hand sanitizer products for highway mode transportation only. Many of these products contain alcohol and may be considered a hazardous material for transportation defined in HMR, 49 CFR Parts 171-180 as a class 3 flammable liquid. Many companies have offered to produce this product and many will be transporting it as well. 

Generally, under 49 CFR 173.150(g) limited quantities has special rules regarding the container size limit based on 70 percent alcohol by volume. During this public health emergency, PHMSA is providing some relief for additional packaging configurations and sizes when produced under the FDA guidance that includes:
  • Alcohol concentration cannot exceed 80 percent;
  • Make sure packagings are secured and leak tight;
  • A single package cannot exceed 8 gallons;
  • Inner packaging cannot exceed 1 gallon; and
  • The total gallons cannot exceed 8 gallons for a combination package. 

Make sure to mark the outside of the package with company name and the product that is inside under the guidelines. PHMSA will not take any enforcement of packagings containing more than 8 gallons and no more than 119 gallons of sanitizer, however that quantity of product must be transported under the hazmat rule requiring a bill of lading or shipping paper and meeting the normal shipping guide lines. 

Pay particular attention to the registration requirement in #6 and in #7 where it talks about offerors and transporter requirements during the public health emergency. For a full copy of the guidance, click here.
Select Irving Locations Offering Free Breakfast to Professional Drivers
April 3, 2020

Below is notice MMTA received from Irving. We appreciate their generosity and for recognizing the importance of truck drivers during this emergency.

To our valued customers and partners,

At Irving Oil, we remain committed to providing the essential services that Professional Drivers require during this challenging time.

We want to say thank you to Professional Drivers for all they are doing to keep our communities going. That’s why we’re offering FREE grab & go breakfast from 6 am to 11 am and complimentary hot showers with any Irving fuel purchase at the following locations:
Our friends at Circle K, Couche-Tard and select Dealer locations have FREE coffee available all day long.

As we continue to adapt to the changing circumstances in our communities, we encourage you to visit irvingoil.com/covid-19 for the latest and most accurate updates by site.

Thank you to the hardworking teams that keep the supply chain moving.

Sincerely,
Your Irving Oil Fleet Team

HAZMAT Endorsement Relief 
NTTC

TSA is has granted an exemption that permits State licensing entities to grant an up to 180-day extension on a Hazardous Materials Endorsement (HME) security threat assessment for drivers whose HMEs expired on March 1, 2020, or later within 180 days of the notice's publication in the Federal Register. Learn More
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES
We will keep MMTA members posted as new information comes in. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to email Tim, Randy or Brian if you have questions.
THANK YOU MMTA ANNUAL SPONSORS
Maine Motor Transport Association
P.O. Box 857
Augusta, ME 04332-0857
ph: (207)623-4128
fax: (207)623-4096