That means members of the Trust have received refunds in 28 years – out of the 32-year history of the program – now totaling over $31 million.

This remarkable trend of surplus is a positive reflection of our group self-insurance program’s ability to confidently weather the changing dynamics of the Maine workers’ compensation system. But we anticipate more change is coming and we all need to be ready for it.

As members of our Trust know, refunds are only part of the program’s equation when it comes to identifying the correct balance between rate levels that are predictable/stable and that also provide sufficient premiums to cover projected losses. If your company has been in business for more than three years with workers’ compensation coverage, please give us a call (623-1807 and ask for Brian) to find out if group self-insurance is for you.

Congratulations to each of the WC Trust’s members on earning yet another financial stimulus created by their own hard work and safety efforts!

The Truck PAC golf tournament will again be played at Natanis Golf Course, located on the Webber Pond Road in Vassalboro, on June 28, 2023. Natanis features 36 great holes of golf and will serve as an excellent host for this year’s primary fundraising event for the Truck PAC. The tournament is designed to be player friendly and will feature an on the course meal consisting of hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, watermelon, dessert, and soft drinks. After golf has concluded, light refreshments, and a cash bar will be available as prizes are handed out.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available - Major Sponsors $500 or Hole Sponsors $150/hole.

All registrations must be received by June 23rd. You can register online at www.mmta.com/golf. The cost is $500 per team or $125 per player.

We hope you consider supporting the PAC and registering a team of golfers and sponsoring the event. The Truck PAC funds are used to support business-friendly candidates to the Maine Legislature.

Legislative activity has been heating up with Committee work in full swing. Below are bills/issues that we would like to highlight for our members – a full list (updated periodically) of the bills MMTA is tracking can be found at https://www.mmta.com/131st-maine-legislature-update/

One item not on this list because it is still taking shape is an effort to have Maine adopt a Paid Family and Medical Leave program. MMTA is involved in a trade association coalition that will be engaged on this very important issue and you should expect to hear more about it in the coming weeks.

The 2023 Maine Professional Truck Driving Championships (to be held at Dysart’s in Hermon) and the 2023 Maine Professional Technician Skills Competition (to be held at EMCC in Bangor) will both be held on May 20, 2023 – a day that we have termed “CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY”.

Participation at last year’s event was unbelievable and 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.

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — For almost four decades, Vincent Cote of Dayton has started his work day by getting behind the wheel of a large vehicle. He has been driving professionally for 37 years, spending 25 of those years at ADUSA Transportation, serving Hannaford stores in northern New England.

"When I was a kid, I was always interested in trucks," Cote said about his early passion for the business. "My uncle owns some trucks, and I always kind of looked up to him."

The John W. Austin Memorial Scholarship Fund has grown over the years and now awards up to nine recipients a one-time scholarship for up to $2,500 each. The application deadline is May 1st and will be accepted online only.

The criteria to be selected for one of the nine scholarships now reflect an emphasis on careers and instruction specific to the trucking industry in an attempt to focus on technical training. See below for the new qualifications and requirements for applicants.

Your mindset is responsible for 95% of your results, emotions, behavior & beliefs. Hypnosis can help remodel your mindset & exchange negative thoughts that have been controlling your outcomes & replace them with positive thoughts that produce successful results.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has granted California environmental regulators waivers to officially move forward with the agency’s aggressive plans to transition diesel trucks to electric vehicles and expand the length of truck warranties.

A broad-based group representing motor carriers, truck manufacturers and truck dealers has launched a coalition intended to serve as a collective voice for key trucking industry stakeholders.

Members of the group, known as the Clean Freight Coalition, include American Trucking Associations, American Truck Dealers, National Tank Truck Carriers, Truckload Carriers Association and Truck & Engine Manufacturers Association, according to a March 23 announcement.

Attorneys filed a flurry of litigation for 80,000 to 100,000 new court cases that could seek damages from trucking companies and other businesses in Florida, a few days before Gov. Ron DeSantis immediately enacted a law to quash the notorious lawsuit abuse.

Purely battery-powered trucks have a head start on hydrogen fuel cells in the race to decarbonize trucks, but because of major drawbacks for both technologies, the competition is far from settled.

While hydrogen trucks offer long driving range and quick refueling, only a few very expensive models are on the market. Battery-electric rigs are relatively cheaper and more widely available, but operating them at scale will require massive investments in high-powered charging infrastructure.

(APRIL 1, 2023) Starting today, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) 2023 North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria are now in effect. The 2023 out-of-service criteria replace and supersede all previous versions.

CVSA’s North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria ensure uniformity, consistency and reciprocity among the states, provinces, territories and countries and determine whether or not drivers or vehicles present an imminent hazard and should be placed out of service. The federal regulations, together with CVSA’s out-of-service criteria, provide the standards that drivers, motor carriers and law enforcement personnel use to ensure the commercial motor vehicles and drivers operating on North America’s roadways are safe and compliant.

WASHINGTON — The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has announced May 16-18 as this year’s International Roadcheck.

International Roadcheck is a high-visibility, high-volume 72-hour inspection and enforcement event where CVSA-certified inspectors in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. will conduct inspections of commercial motor vehicles and drivers at weigh/inspection stations, designated inspection areas and along roadways.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is proposing reduced Unified Carrier Registration fees for the 2024 registration year.

In a notice of proposed rulemaking that is scheduled to publish in the Federal Register on Thursday, March 16, the agency is proposing fees that would be about 9% less than in 2023.

The trucking industry is approaching a fork in the road. Within the next 12 to 18 months, fleets looking to place orders for new trucks or fleet renewals will have to decide whether to look at some form of propulsion other than diesel or take a chance on diesel trucks equipped with new emissions-reduction technologies.

Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Representatives Mike Bost (R-Ill.) and Angie Craig (D-Minn.) on Wednesday re-introduced the Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act – legislation that would authorize $755 million in competitive grant funding to expand commercial truck parking capacity across the country.

May 4, 2023

9:00am

MMTA Office, Augusta

May 20, 2023

Dysart's and EMCC

FMI & Registration:

TDC  | PTSC

May 24, 2023

8:00am

MMTA Office, Augusta