Last Chance to Join Your Colleagues in Newport Beach - June 19-21, 2024 | |
See the registration form here to join your colleagues in Newport Beach for networking, business ideas and options, social events and meetings that could make a difference in your business. For example, here are the presentations to be made at the general session:
“Navigating the Road Ahead: Automotive Aftermarket Outlook in the Era of Economic Shifts and Technological Transformation” - Ben Brucato, Vice-President, MEMA
“Global Supply Chain: What to Expect in 2024 and Beyond” – Steve Hughes, President, HCS International
“What Makes You Different from Your Competitor?" - David Wofford, Director of Service Dealer Programs, The Pronto Network
“Mergers & Acquisitions 2024: Roundtable Discussion - Opportunities and Challenges, Lessons from the Front Line” - Tom Marx, Founding Partner, Hart Marx Advisors
To register for the event, click here. We hope to see you there.
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CAWA’s Watching This Legislation in California on Your Behalf
CAWA is vigilant on the number of bills being introduced in the current California legislative session. Our Public Affairs Committee and government affairs staff are very vigilant as bills are introduced. See the most current list of bills that CAWA is watching here.
Should you have any questions regarding this matter, contact our Legislative Advocate Ryan Pierini at rpierini@mwcllc.com or 916.995.5323.
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CAWA Will Remain Vigilant Here, as Well | |
The Bloomberg editorial board weighed in on the CARB in-use locomotive regulation, arguing against the waiver request from California to the EPA: California May Break the US's Freight-Rail Network. They note: “Last year, the state’s air-pollution regulator, known as CARB, finalized a new rule that would require freight railroads in the state to adopt zero-emissions locomotives for industrial use by 2030 and for normal hauling by 2035. It is now requesting a waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency to proceed. It all sounds simple enough. Yet in practice, there will be a few complications.
One is that the mandatory new technology doesn’t exist. Although a handful of locomotive manufacturers are experimenting with zero-emissions designs, none is past the prototype phase. Even if an operative one appeared tomorrow, getting such trains on the rails would require huge new investment — not least in electrical-distribution infrastructure, across every type of topography — that is largely outside the railroads’ control. Enforcing this rule before such a system is viable ‘will bring the national rail network to a grinding halt,’ a trade group warns.
Cost presents another challenge. CARB would require the railroads to pay into a restricted trust each year, with the funds earmarked for compliance. This assessment isn’t negligible: For the bigger railroads, it would amount to some $800 million apiece each year — or more than 20% of their total current spending — to comply with a single state’s regulation. That’s money that might otherwise be invested in research and development, safety improvements and so on. Smaller operators may simply be out of luck: CARB concedes that one risk of this rule is that “some of these businesses would be eliminated.”
And add: “California says the new costs can be passed along to customers. But this makes the effort all the more misguided. Trains produce about one-tenth the greenhouse gasses per ton-mile as trucks; to the extent that this rule induces companies to ship by road instead of rail, it will actually worsen the problem it intends to solve. More to the point, railroads — which produce just 2% of transportation emissions nationwide — are the wrong target for such heavy-handed intervention. As many environmental groups have acknowledged, they should instead be considered part of the solution.
The EPA will need to determine if the rule can go forward. Legal challenges are also proceeding. And perhaps California will relent before actually fracturing the nation’s freight-shipping system to little apparent benefit. But the costs will pile up regardless.” Should you have any questions regarding CARB, contact our Legislative Advocate, Ryan Pierini at rpierini@mwcllc.com or 916-995-5323.
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What do Employers Need to Know About California’s Workplace Violence Prevention Legislation? | California’s Workplace Violence Prevention Senate Bill 553, which was signed into law on September 30, 2023, created the first general industry workplace violence prevention safety requirements in the United States. The requirements – which are pretty dense – will be applicable to nearly all California employers, with very few exceptions. Learn More. Source: Littler | |
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Whitepaper - Workplace Violence Prevention for California Employers
Effective July 1, 2024, California employers covered by general industry workplace violence prevention requirements enacted through Senate Bill 553 have a number of new obligations, including developing and implementing a workplace violence prevention plan; training employees on the plan; identifying, evaluating and correcting workplace violence hazards; creating workplace violence incident logs; and various recordkeeping requirements.
This white paper details what employers should know about the new workplace violence prevention requirements, including:
- Which employers are covered.
- What qualifies as workplace violence.
- What a workplace violence prevention plan is.
- What type of training is required.
- How employers can identify workplace violence hazards and respond to workplace violence incidents.
- What documentation is required under the law.
See the white paper here. Source: Our Friends at the California Chamber of Commerce
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Shipping Space – High Space Utilization | Over the last several weeks we have been seeing a situation develop that is impacting importers of all sizes. The issue is an extremely high utilization of available space in container shipping as the market from Asia to North America remains very strong due to a combination of factors. High import volumes, equipment shortages at key ports (especially North China), weather delays and congestion at major Asian ports, and tight capacity are all impacting the trade, creating a perfect storm resembling the shipping challenges experienced during the pandemic. Carriers are still working through rollover pools at Asia-origin ports, and vessels are still booked up several weeks in advance. With that said, this is not limited to the US. The problem is affecting cargo from Asia to Europe, Asia to the US and as mentioned, inter-Asia shipping. Much of this is due to the issues in the Red Sea that have had domino effects across virtually all aspects of ocean shipping. Adding to the pressure is an early peak shipping season which was expected from companies hoping to avoid any issues that might be caused should the ILA go on strike October 1st. But the strength and timing of this surge has taken most industry analysts by surprise. Not surprisingly, it’s been announced that spot rates from Asia to the US are scheduled to increase another $1000 per FEU as of June 1. Here are some important metrics to keep in mind as to the cause of this issue. Source: Steve Hughes, HCS International | |
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Six More Success Traits of Top Salespeople
In last month’s article, I wrote about six success traits of top salespeople. In this article I’ll cover six more. As a refresher, here are the first six: a positive attitude, being action oriented, being prepared, being businesslike and business-savvy, the ability to stand out from the crowd, and finally, likeability, trustworthiness, and the ability to build relationships. Now, here are the additional six. Source: John Chapin
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Be a Supporter of TechForce – CAWA is!
Do you have a strong relationship with a local tech school? Provide a warm intro to TechForce at introduce@techforce.org so it can alert students to $2.3 million in scholarships, support for instructors and classrooms, and offer field trips, student experiences and networking opportunities. Do your part in encouraging young people to consider a career in the automotive aftermarket, it’s your industry.
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eBook: Lessons in ADAS – Almost Everything You Need to Know Regarding ADAS!
As advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) becomes increasingly popular, understanding proper maintenance is crucial. While each car may have different functions, the service process and common pain points remain the same. Ensuring your shop is following proper procedures and keeping up with training on specialized calibration tools is the best way to keep your customers safe on the road and prepare your shop for the future of ADAS. This eBook, Lessons in ADAS, explains the importance of staying current on proper ADAS calibration processes, radar aiming procedures, and scan tool documentation while also advising your shop on the necessary steps to take when repairing a vehicle equipped with ADAS. Download Lessons in ADAS below to stay up to date on ADAS maintenance tips and help your shop prepare for what lies ahead in vehicle technology. See the e-book here. Source: Motor Age
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On-Boarding Activities: Best to Wait for Employee’s First Day of Work
When we start a new employee, their first day is spent completing on-boarding paperwork and trainings. Can we streamline the process by having them do all that from home before they report for their first day of work? See discussion here. Source: Our Friends at the California Chamber of Commerce
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Need Assistance in Human Resource Issues at NO Cost to You?
As your CAWA / Armstrong and Associates and CoreMark Insurance broker, we are constantly searching for value-added services that may assist you in running your business. To that end, CAWA has partnered with HR360 to provide you with a comprehensive yet easy-to navigate and understand human resources library. The website has a wonderful array of "help" areas for any company. The site covers topics such as:
Employee Benefits, Human Resource Issues, State and Federal Employment Law, Hiring and Termination. There are also hundreds of downloadable HR forms, posters and even a selection of frequently asked questions.
For more information contact Mat Nabity at (866) 340-2247 x21 or mnabity@coremarkins.com .
To access your online HR information library, please visit www.HR360.com.
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