Mileage Matters
October 5, 2021
Michigan Trucking
Association
Axios- Brace yourself: It's going to be hard to find everything — not just your favorite holiday foods and hot toys and gifts but also basic staples like coffee and footwear — because of supply chain problems that will likely persist at least through next spring.

Transport Topics- The U.S. Postal Service is making changes to its express shipping as of October 1 that could delay some mail going across country.

The USPS says it hasn’t been able to hit its promised delivery targets for years — and these changes make those targets more attainable, cost-effective and realistic.

The new standards — part of USPS’ Delivering for America Strategic Plan — will increase “time in transit” windows for up to two days, holding up mail with longer delivery routes. The changes are set to delay first-class mail and periodicals.
Transport Topics- The U.S. Department of Transportation told truck drivers use of CBD oils would be at their own career risk.

Although a measure signed into law by President Donald Trump in December 2018 makes industrial hemp legal, the use of cannabidiol, or CBD, can be a trap for truck drivers. CBD products are too often mislabeled and can contain higher concentrations of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the intoxicating substance in marijuana.
CNBC.com- Car manufacturers including Ford, Volkswagen and Daimler are still struggling to deal with the impact of the global chip shortage, with executives from each of the companies warning a lack of silicon is likely to remain a problem.

American Trucking Associations (ATA) has issued a statement regarding President Biden's vaccine mandate for companies with more than 100 employees.

ATA believes that the mandate "could have substantial, adverse effects on trucking capacity and the U.S. supply chain by unnecessarily exacerbating the current driver shortage and broader labor shortage."
Commercial Carriers Journal- Being an owner-operator is an appealing career option for many drivers, but motor carriers that create opportunities through lease-purchase agreements face mounting legal challenges.

Transportation attorney Mark Hunt, a partner at King & Ballow who heads the firm’s independent contractor and distribution law section in Nashville, presented last week at the Truckload Carriers Association Annual Conference in Las Vegas.

As an attorney who defends carriers against class-action lawsuits, Hunt said that cases against motor carriers usually start with a disgruntled owner-operator getting a plaintiff attorney who then gets other drivers involved.



November 9
Registration Deadline: October 29

Now a one-day class!
November 18
Registration Deadline: November 11
October 21, 11:30
am-12:30 pm
Speaker: Matthew Fabry, FMCSA Federal Program Specialist, Michigan Division
MTA's new website includes a section dedicated to the good news of our members.

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Commercial Carriers Journal- The Department of Transportation (DOT) is requesting information from trucking and other transportation industries to assist DOT in preparing a report for President Biden on supply chain disruptions.


DOT is accepting comments in the Federal Register through October 18.

Group also issues call for driver input on job motivations and satisfaction
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) has launched the 2021 Top Industry Issues Survey. The annual survey asks trucking industry stakeholders to rank the top issues of concern for the industry along with potential strategies for addressing each issue. 

Industry stakeholders are encouraged to complete the survey available through ATRI’s website by clicking here or using the above embedded QR code. The survey will remain open through October 15, 2021.
Freight Waves- Self-driving cars and trucks under testing or being deployed commercially will likely be involved in at least 200 crashes annually over the next three years, according to estimates by federal regulators.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed on Wednesday what it considers accurate estimates – based on automated driving system (ADS) crashes reported in California – on what to expect from 110 AV manufacturers and operators that have been ordered to report additional and more current crash data.

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