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.

AUGUSTA and COLUMBIA FALLS, ME — April 27 2023 — Maine Motor Transport Association is proud to announce its participation in a statewide Virtual Convoy in partnership with national nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA).

The Virtual Convoy kicks off this month across the country. The goal is simple, help raise awareness for WAA’s year-round mission to Remember the fallen, Honor those that serve, and Teach the next generation the value of freedom, while helping raise funds to support local programs important to the people of Maine. Through WAA’s Group Sponsorship Program, MMTA is registered as a $5 pay back Sponsorship Group supporting Arlington National Cemetery – where more than 400,000 servicemembers, representing every U.S. conflict and the state of Maine, are laid to rest.

Through this effort, MMTA will be working to fill (virtually) one trailer load of sponsored veterans’ wreaths to send to Arlington National Cemetery this December. This is approximately 5,000 wreaths which will be laid on the final resting place of servicemembers from our state. With each $17 veteran’s wreath sponsored an American hero receives a wreath, and the year-round mission of WAA is supported, AND the Association will receive $5 back! Every penny of these funds will go right back into sponsoring even more wreaths PLUS the MMTA will match the sponsorship of up to 100 wreaths to help Maine meet it’s trailer load goal.

AUGUSTA, Maine — A paid leave proposal circulating in the Maine Legislature is drawing objections from business groups and progressives pushing a referendum on the issue.

The early tone of the debate highlights the careful balance needed to get a bill through the Democratic-controlled State House on paid family and medical leave. Maine would join 11 other states that have similar insurance programs and fund them with payroll taxes.

Mental health is an important aspect of a trucker’s health and safety. By addressing mental health challenges, drivers can experience improved job satisfaction, productivity, and overall well-being. This can lead to reduced accidents and safety concerns on the road, decreased risk of substance abuse and addiction, and improved personal relationships.

Acknowledging that the road to implementation may be bumpy, the California Air Resources Board has unanimously approved its Advanced Clean Fleets regulation that will require some motor carriers operating in the state to begin the transition to zero-emission trucks as soon as next year.

The regulation was approved by the board April 28, despite concerns expressed by some truckers that battery or fuel-cell electric trucks may not be available as soon as required, or that there might not be an adequate electric charging infrastructure ready in time.

Andrew Boyle, ATA first vice chair and co-president of Massachusetts-based Boyle Transportation, went to Washington this week to testify before a Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on the future of clean vehicles. As the manager of a truck fleet with one of the strongest environmental records in the industry today, Boyle injected a heavy dose of reality into the debate happening on Capitol Hill and nationwide over electric-vehicle mandates.

Beginning May 12, 2023, DHS will no longer require non-U.S. travelers entering the United States via land ports of entry and ferry terminals to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and provide related proof of vaccination upon request. DHS intends to rescind these Title 19 travel restrictions in alignment with the end of the Public Health Emergency and the termination of the Presidential Proclamation on air travel.

This means that Canadian and Mexican truck drivers that are unvaccinated can once again enter the U.S. As you know, ATA has been pushing the Administration on this for months. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, ATA, along with our partners at the Canadian Trucking Alliance, TCA, and NTTC sent a letter to both the U.S. ambassador in Ottawa and the Canadian ambassador in Washington, DC asking for better coordination on a number of cross-border issues, including that the U.S. drop the vaccine mandate for truck drivers.

Legislation meant to tackle the trucking industry’s driver shortage was recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Lawmakers on April 28 unveiled the Licensing Individual Commercial Exam-takers Now Safely and Efficiently, or LICENSE, Act. Specific to licensing regulations under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the bill would make permanent two waivers issued by the agency. One would allow state driver’s licensing agencies to use certain third-party testers to administer CDL knowledge tests. The bill also would allow states to administer driving skills tests to certain out-of-state applicants.

Major trucking industry advocacy groups are split in their reactions to a House of Representatives bill that would prohibit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration from requiring speed-limiting technology on most heavy-duty trucks

On Tuesday, Oklahoma Rep. Josh Brecheen, a Republican, introduced the Deregulating Restrictions on Interstate Vehicles and Eighteen-Wheelers (DRIVE) Act, which would prohibit the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) from implementing any rule or regulation requiring vehicles over 26,000 pounds that are engaged in interstate commerce to be equipped with a speed limiting-device set to a maximum speed.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. — The American Transportation Research Institute unveiled its top five research projects for 2023 at American Trucking Associations’ annual Mid-Year Management Session.

ATRI’s leadership says amid the ongoing issues related to truck parking, its board has approved a study specifically looking at the cost and impact of expanding truck parking facilities at public rest areas as its No. 1 focus.

May 24, 2023

8:00am

MMTA Office, Augusta

June 9, 2023

8:30am

MMTA Office, Augusta

June 15, 2023

9:00am

MMTA Office, Augusta