The Official Newsletter of
Louisiana's Trucking Industry  

June 24, 2022
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
2022 Annual Sponsor
DREAM VACATION RAFFLE
Throughout the event we will be selling tickets for our Dream Vacation Raffle - presented by TruckPAC, the political action committee of the LMTA. 

Each $100 raffle ticket gives you the chance to win an $8,000 booking voucher to use on the family vacation of your dreams! Possible travel destinations could include Hawaii, New York, Las Vegas, Europe, or anywhere else your family would like to visit! 
THIS WEEK:
LMTA in the News:
TRANSPORT TOPICS:
"Amar said members from her association praised a mongoose method workshop it hosted a few months ago.“They said as long as LMTA has been in existence, this was the most educational piece ..." (READ NOW)
TALK 107.3:
"LMTA Executive Director Renee Amar joined Talk 107.3's Brian Haldane to discuss the toll gas prices are taking on truckers and the trucking industry." (READ NOW)
2022 LMTA Annual Convention
July 21 - 23  | Pensacola Beach, FL

Truckers, Stronger Together!

Join us in beautiful Pensacola Beach, Fla. at the Hilton Pensacola Beach, July 21-23 for our 2022 Annual Convention. This year's convention will feature keynotes from industry professionals and Louisiana public officials. We will also have dedicated sessions on transportation updates, trucking research, federal and state legislative updates as well as key membership meetings.

In your wealth of free time outside of convention events, enjoy all that the Hilton and Pensacola Beach have to offer, with sugar-white sands and beautiful blue waters. Bring your families, we can’t wait to see you there!
Convention Schedule

THURSDAY, JULY 21
------
  • 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. | Convention Registration
  • 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. | Family Welcome Reception

FRIDAY, JULY 22
  • 8:00 a.m. - Noon | Convention Registration
  • 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. | ATRI: Research & Trends That Shape Trucking
  • 9:30 - 10:15 a.m. | Updates & Movements From Our State's OMV
  • 10:15 - 10:30 a.m. | Bloody Mary Break
  • 10:30 - 11:15 a.m. | Trucking, Trial Lawyers & Tort Reform
  • 11:15 - 12:30 p.m. | Panel: Women in Louisiana Trucking
------
  • 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. (TBD) | Hospitality Suite

SATURDAY, JULY 23
  • 8:30 - 9:15 a.m. | National Updates from the American Trucking Associations
  • 9:15 - 9:45 a.m. | The Trucking Industry & Louisiana State Police 
  • 9:45 - 11:00 a.m. | Lawmakers Panel: Legislative Session Wrap-up
  • 11:00 - 11:15 a.m. | Break
  • 11:15 - 12:15 p.m. | LMTA Board & Annual Membership Meeting
  • 12:15 - 12:30 p.m. | TruckPAC Meeting
------
  • 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. | Cocktail Reception
  • 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. | Officer Installation Banquet
  • 8:00 - Midnight | Dessert Reception with Live Music & Bar
LMTA Safety Management Council Updates
Chairmen announced, program interest survey & NATMI certification course.

This week we shared our June LMTA Safety Management Council (SMC) newsletter with updates regarding our leadership for Safety Management Council and announce a NATMI certification seminar planned for 2022.

LMTA's SMC is a distinguished group of safety professionals who are very active in promoting the welfare and safety of the motor carrier industry. SMC members lead and learn at a variety of events throughout the year, including the Louisiana Truck Driving Championships and statewide Courtesy Vehicle Inspections. If you are interested in registering with LMTA's Safety Management Council, the process can be completed online for a fee of $75.00 annually. These fees help fund Council programming and benefits.
NEW SMC CHAIRMAN & VICE-CHAIRMAN NAMED:
We are excited to announce that a new Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Safety Management Council have been named. If you have any ideas about the Council you would like to share with them, please feel free to reach out to Jeff or Brian
CHAIRMAN
Jeff Beam
Ergon Trucking
C:(337) 287-2405
VICE CHAIRMAN
Brian Koretzky
C & S Wholesale Grocers
C:(225) 323-5740
NEW PROGRAM INTEREST SURVEY:
The LMTA is making a concerted effort to ensure our Safety Management Council program offerings are robust for our SMC members, as well as ensuring our program receives recognition nationally. To do so we ask that you take this brief interest survey on proposed programs that you, or your company, would be interested in participating in. The survey takes less than a minute to complete and if you have any additional ideas or comments, we invite you to add them to the comments section.

SAVE THE DATE: NATMI COURSE - SEPT. 12-16
LMTA will host a NATMI course at our Baton Rouge office from September 12-16. The North American Transportation Management Institute (NATMI) is North America's leading certification and training organization for today's transportation professionals.

Certifications through NATMI are recognized throughout the industry and are a professional way to measure your performance and growth. We invite all members to read more on the Benefits of NATMI Certification for both applicants and employers. We hope to see you in September!
LMTA Member Exclusive NO COST Employee Benefits
New benefit plans from LMTA Insurance Management!

We are excited to share our partnership with Mengel Financial Group to bring our members our new benefit plans under LMTA Insurance Management!

Since 2005, Mengel Financial Group has been offering Voluntary Employee Benefits to meet the needs of companies and their employees. Mengel Financial Group is committed to providing our members with the best and most affordable group benefits based on their specific needs. Offering Voluntary Employee Benefits strengthens relationships with your employees and improves retention and recruitment. 

All of the benefits are offered at NO COST TO THE EMPLOYER. Mengel Financial Group has partnered with over 20 insurance carriers, which allows us to provide the best and most affordable benefits to satisfy our member's employee’s needs. Many of their benefit offerings are Guaranteed Issue requiring no medical questions or medical exam.

Mengel Financial Group has been saving companies, employees & owner operators money on benefits since 1989, working with the Georgia Motor Transport Association in recent years, providing their members with affordable benefits.

LMTA Insurance Management also has a local benefits specialist in Tiffany VanHazebroeck, located in Mandeville, LA. Tiffany is ready to help our member companies provide their employees with exclusive voluntary benefits!

For more information or inquiries on benefits - please contact Tiffany VanHazebroeck or Ted Mengel whose information is listed in their profiles here.
TIFFANY VANHAZEBROECK
Benefits Specialist
(678) 977-5175
TED MENGEL
CEO
(404) 314-6799
National Weather Service Advisories
Extreme Heat Advisory - 6.23 - 6.26

WHAT: Prolonged and potentially dangerous heat conditions will continue overnight tonight and through Friday Morning lows will struggle to drop below the lower 70s for some areas and locations near the tidal lakes will struggle to drop below the lower 80s. Heat index values could approach as highs as 116 degrees in the warning areas and 112 degrees expected in the advisory areas. Heat index readings of 103 to 112 will continue to be possible through the weekend.
WHEN: Heat Advisory will continue through the entire night; then an Excessive heat Warning and Heat Advisory Friday from 10 AM thru 7 PM. Additional advisories are likely through this weekend.
WHERE: Excessive Heat Warning - coastal MS, areas surrounding lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas, and the urban area around Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Heat Advisory - all locations outside of the warning. 

CONFIDENCE: We are confident hot temperatures and high humidity will occur each day and could quickly lead to heat illness if precautions aren’t taken. Isolated afternoon/evening pop-up showers and storms will be possible today through the weekend, which could bring brief or temporary relief at times. Forecast conditions will continue to be monitored if an Excessive Heat Warning is required for some areas through Sunday.

Impacts: 
  • People planning to be outdoors, especially for an extended period of time, are encouraged to drink plenty of fluids, take breaks in an air-conditioned room. Also, check up on relatives and neighbors and provide adequate shade and water for pets. 
  • For weekend outdoor plans/events, potentially dangerous heat is expected to continue Friday through Sunday with the potential for more advisories and/or an Excessive Heat Warning if required. 
  • The possibility of morning lows remaining in the upper 70s to possibly even lower 80s will provide little if any relief for the body to cool for those without access to air conditioning or cooling centers. 
  • In addition, densely populated urban areas like downtown New Orleans and downtown Baton Rouge where there is mostly cement, combined with a lack of any real breeze will lead to very oppressive conditions.

The graphic highlights the area covered by the Heat Advisory, timing of the Heat Advisory, and impacts expected. 
Additional Information and Resources:
NWS New Orleans Website: www.weather.gov/neworleans
NWS New Orleans DSS Website: http://www.weather.gov/lix/embrief
NWS New Orleans Facebook: www.facebook.com/NWSNewOrleans
NWS New Orleans Twitter: https://twitter.com/NWSNewOrleans
OSHA & Heat-Related Illness
A Reminder for Louisiana Employers from OSHA about Preventing Heat-Related Illness

FROM OUR PARTNER ANDREW BURNSIDE WITH OGLETREE, DEAKINS, NASH, SMOAK & STEWART, P.C.

High temperatures in the Southwestern United States have and continue to break records. In Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas, the heat index could reach triple digits and in some cases exceed 110°F. These elevated temperatures pose a serious risk to employees exposed to heat due to the nature of their jobs. As a result, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is aggressively enforcing its national and regional programs aimed at preventing heat-related illnesses and fatalities.

On April 8, 2022, OSHA launched a national emphasis program to protect workers from heat-related illness and injuries. On May 11, 2022, OSHA’s Region 6 Regional Office, which covers Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas, and worksites in New Mexico under federal OSHA jurisdiction, issued a separate press release reminding employers and workers “not to ignore the dangers of working in hot weather – indoors and out.”

Given OSHA’s emphasis on heat-related injuries, employers in Region 6, especially those in industries known for heat-related illnesses and fatalities such as agriculture, construction, oil and gas operations, may want to familiarize themselves with OSHA’s Regional [Region 6] Emphasis Program for Heat Illnesses (REP) that took effect on October 1, 2019. Under the REP, when the heat index is forecasted to be above 80°F, employers must take the following heat illness precautions, including: (1) training employees on the hazards of hot environmental temperatures, (2) making appropriate first aid supplies available, (3) having drinking water available, (4) having shade or a climate-controlled (i.e. air conditioning area for rest breaks, (5) having a protocol to protect employees particularly vulnerable to heat stress, specifically new workers and those who have just returned from an extended absence and (6) having made provisions for prompt medical attention if a worker experiences a heat-related illness.

Employers in Region 6 may want to consider reviewing their policies and procedures for preventing heat-related illnesses to ensure they meet all the requirements of the REP. Employers may be interested in heat-related hazard policy templates to assist them in complying with heat-related safety initiatives. Ogletree Deakins will continue to monitor and report on developments with respect to OSHA’s national and regional emphasis programs on indoor and outdoor heat-related hazards and will post updates on the firm’s Workplace Safety and Health blog. Important information for employers is also available via the firm’s webinar and podcast programs.

Drew Burnside, an attorney licensed in Louisiana and Texas, practices labor and employment law representing employers with the Ogletree Deakins law firm based in New Orleans.
FMSCA ELD UPDATE: ArionT ELD from Registered Devices List on June 24, 2022
Motor carriers and drivers using ArionT ELDs have 60 days to replace the revoked devices with compliant ELDs

On June 24, 2022, FMCSA removed the following device from the list of registered ELDs due to the company’s failure to meet the minimum requirements established in 49 CFR part 395, subpart B, appendix A.

ELD Name: ArionT ELD
Model number: AT5000
ELD Identifier: AR1ONT
ELD Provider: Arion Tech Inc. 

This device now appears on FMCSA’s Revoked Devices list.

Motor carriers and drivers who use the device listed above must take the following actions: 
  1. Discontinue using the revoked device(s) and revert to paper logs or logging software to record required hours of service data.
  2. Replace the revoked device(s) with compliant ELD(s) from the Registered Devices list before August 24, 2022. 
Save the Dates:
NATMI Certification Course
Join North America's leading certification and training organization for today's transportation professionals
September 12 - 16, 2022
LMTA Office - Baton Rouge, LA
LMTA's Management Conference
Featuring: Mongoose Method Litigation Defense Training Pt. 2
Nov. 1 & 2, 2022
LMTA's Transportation Conference
Hear from industry experts on trucking issues
Jan. 17 & 18, 2022
Trucking News:
TRANSPORT TOPICS:
"President Joe Biden on June 22 called on Congress to suspend federal gasoline and diesel taxes for three months — an election-year move meant to ease financial pressures that was greeted with doubts ..." (READ NOW)
THE WASHINGTON TIMES:
"Truckers also are hurting for help amid retirements, rising gasoline prices, a lack of mechanics and a semiconductor shortage that has added tens of thousands of dollars to the price tag of a new big rig. The trucking industry added 27,300 payroll jobs in April and May combined ..."(READ MORE)
REUTERS:
"U.S. diesel consumption is likely to decline by 200,000 to 600,000 barrels per day (5%-15%) over the next year as the economy slows in response to rising interest rates.The Federal Reserve is not deliberately trying to induce a recession to bring inflation under control, central bank chief Jerome Powell told legislators on Wednesday. ..." (READ NOW)