Three steel bridges in Maine that cross Interstate 95 and date to the Dwight Eisenhower administration are included in a $1.8 billion plan to overhaul some of the state’s transportation infrastructure.

The Maine Department of Transportation on Jan. 18 released a three-year plan covering calendar years 2022-2024 that lists projects the agency will deliver or coordinate. Included are 235 bridges and 115 miles of highway construction or rehabilitation.

Maine and Federal laws require most employees be paid at least minimum wage for all hours worked and overtime pay (at least time and a half of the regular rate of pay) for all hours worked over 40 hours in a workweek. Yes, there is an interstate exemption for the trucking industry, but for the purpose of this article we are only talking about Maine’s law for Maine employers.

Maine’s law exempts salaried employees who work in “a bona fide executive, administrative or professional capacity” from the overtime requirement as long as their compensation (converted to an annual rate) exceeds 3,000 times the State’s minimum hourly wage. Which means this threshold has continued to ratchet upwards as Maine’s minimum wage has increased in the recent years.

February 25, 2022

8:30am - MMTA Office

March 4, 2022

8:30am - MMTA Office

April 1, 2022

8:00am - MMTA Office

There are things in life you can count on like death, taxes, and if you live in Maine…posted roads. Mainers, especially those in the Trucking Industry, are quite familiar with the spring thaw and the necessity of the State and Towns to post roads during mud season. This article is a refresher of the posted road law to help our members comply.

MMTA

It’s back… live and in-person. The 2022 Maine Professional Truck Driving Championships (to be held at Dysart’s in Hermon) and the 2022 Maine Professional Technician Skills Competition (to be held at EMCC in Bangor) will both be held on May 21, 2022 – a day that we have termed “CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY”.

Given our two-year hiatus, we are hoping to make this year’s Maine Professional Truck Driving Championships the best ever by encouraging a tremendous response from competitors wanting to prove they are the best truck driver in Maine. Make plans to join us for a fun day of camaraderie and good old trucking tradition, whether as a competitor, judge or spectator to see the unbelievable skills displayed by Maine’s best drivers.

Economists and industry experts widely believe supply chain disruptions will continue to greatly impact the transportation industry for the first half of the year, and possibly into 2023. Stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the logistical bottleneck continues to reverberate around the world as carriers, shippers and third-party logistics providers attempt to deal with the impact on their operations.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s International Roadcheck will run May 17 through May 19 and will focus on wheel ends violations.

International Roadcheck is 72-hour high-visibility, high-volume commercial motor vehicle inspection and enforcement initiative. Commercial motor vehicle inspectors in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. will conduct North American Standard Inspections of commercial motor vehicles and drivers at weigh and inspection stations, on roving patrols, and at temporary inspection sites.

Democrats are getting panicky about gas prices, which have risen 39% during the last year to a national average of $3.58 per gallon. The last time gas prices were this high was 2014, when Barack Obama was president and Republicans made major gains in the midterm elections, strengthening their control of the House and flipping control of the Senate from Obama’s Democrats.

Truck driver fatigue starts in many ways. And just as many people have a role in preventing fatigue. It is in everyone’s interest that fatigue does not endanger driver health and highway safety. Fortunately, research conducted by medical and sleep scientists in Canada and the U.S. allowed development of the multifaceted North American Fatigue Management Program (NAFMP). Its goal is to educate and train every person who touches a truck driver’s life, and drivers themselves, in the causes and prevention of fatigue.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMSCA”) of the U.S. Department of Transportation sets forth the rules and regulations that motor vehicle carriers must follow when hiring and monitoring all new applicants and employed truckers. It is imperative that carriers are aware that proper and compliant driver qualification is an ongoing process. Pre-employment investigations and screenings are but the first steps toward compliance.

MMTA wants to remind members about the opportunities that exist for suppliers and service providers to broadcast their message to the Maine trucking community. Our Association is now over 1,700 members strong and, while every trucker in Maine might not be a member, we are confident to boast the largest reach in the Maine trucking community.

So how do you tap into the strength of MMTA’s membership when you have products or services to sell? Advertising, of course!

MMTA members might hear a few variations of advertisements for the industry’s Go Your Way workforce Development campaign in the coming weeks and months. The intended goal is to get people, specifically in the Gen-Z age group, to consider careers in the trucking industry.

Click on the image to the right to hear one version of the advertisement.

Please keep the campaign in mind as you promote our industry’s safety and professionalism on your social media platforms. To follow the campaign: