May 31 - Idaho Trucking Association

TRANSPORT NEWS
P 208.342.3521 F 208.343.8397
E-mail: contact@idtrucking.org
3405 East Overland Rd./Suite 175
Meridian, ID 83642
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Michelin North
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May 31, 2016
WINN, MURPHY REPEAT TOP HONORS
IN THEIR CLASS, HEAD TO NATIONAL
COMPETITION
Seneca Foods LLC
Issue Highlights
Fall Safety
Meetings …...……... 2
Photos of TDC
Winners…………....3-4
ACA
Strategy…………….5
Ray Rice, TDC Chairman - Western Idaho Freightliner (right) with Grand Champion William
“Bill” Hill Jr. - Old Dominion Freight Line (left)
Drivers will join 7 other Idahoans in Indianapolis, Ind. for the National Step Van and Truck Driving Championships
YOUR BUSINESS
2016
ANNUAL
CONVENTION
AUGUST 10-12, 2016
REGISTRATION
OPENS JUNE 6!
Featuring:
SYD MUZZY
Driver
Behaviorist
Specialist
Visit Julie’s
blog at:
http://idtruckingblog.org/
MERIDIAN, ID – Sixty-nine professional truck drivers from across Idaho
gathered at the Idaho State Police
Training Facility May 14th to compete
for top honors in Idaho and the opportunity to represent their state and company at the National Step Van and
Truck Driving Championships, August
10-13, in Indianapolis, Ind.
Thirteen different companies were
represented in nine classes of competition. Some have a strong national presence while others were local or regional
including Commercial Tire, Boise;
Doug Andrus Distributing LLC, Idaho
Falls; Giltner Inc., Jerome; May Trucking Company, Salem, Ore.; and OffSpec Solutions LLC, Caldwell.
“I think the skills course was tough
on them this year,” said Julie Pipal,
president and CEO of the Idaho Trucking Association, the organization that
puts on the annual event. “The scores
weren’t as high as they have been in
past years, but the competition was
fierce and the drivers could truly show
their abilities.”
Competitors must first be accidentfree for a year to even be eligible to
compete. Once entered, each must take
a written test on the knowledge of safety regulations, and conduct a pre-trip
inspection that is judged by member of
the Idaho State Police’s Commercial
Vehicle Safety Unit. After the written
and pre-trip segments are completed,
drivers must take a skills test (driving)
through a series of problems. Winners
are selected based on their overall per-
formance in all three segments and
awards are presented to the 1st, 2nd and
3rd place winners in nine classes of
competition. The 1st place winner in
each class will represent Idaho at the
national competition.
Awards are also given for the best
pre-trip, rookie of the year (first-time
competitor), team performance and
grand champion.
Kevin Winn, Twin Falls, took home
top honors in the 3-Axle class for the
second year in a row. David Murphy,
Meridian, also repeated his victory in
2015 by again capturing 1st place in the
5-Axle class.
Old Dominion Freight Lines made a
strong showing, including having drivers awarded two of the event’s special
awards. William Hill, Jr. of Marsing
took home the best pre-trip award,
and the rookie of the year award went
to Gary “Beau” Beaumont, Meridian. The team award went to ABF
Freight System, Inc.
Hill also captured the Grand Champion award for the best overall performance of the day.
The winners in all classes are as follows:
3-axle Tractor Trailer Class
1 Kevin “KJ” Winn, Old Dominion
Freight Lines, Twin Falls
2 Josh Jetton, XPO Logistics, Wilder
3 Alan Compton, Oak Harbor
(Continued on page 6)
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From the desk of the President/CEO
May has been a busy month. There are
a lot of association issues and activities at
the forefront that I would like to call to
your attention, but I will focus on a few of
the most timely: safety awards deadline,
negotiated rulemaking and new partnerships.
On June 10th we’ll be closing the
application process for this y ea r s ’ maintenance, supervisor, driver and fleet safety awards. There is no better way to
tell your people how valuable they are to you than to submit
them for an award. If you have any questions about the application process, please call the office. I would love to help you
put your people and company in the running!
I am proud to announce two new partnerships that may help
you improve your bottom line. First, we have a new partnership with Goodyear that will offer regional pricing discounts
for Idaho Trucking Association members, and it will include
Dunlop, Goodyear and Goodyear Retreads. Not only will you
get discounts, but ITA will also get affinity payments when our
members buy the products. You only need to be a member in
good standing! The pricing sheets will be posted on the member-only section of our website starting June 1.
The second an opportunity to build an association healthcare
plan for our members. Thanks to new members Payne
West Insurance, we are going to be following in the footsteps of
two Idaho associations who have already begun offering Group
insurance to their members. We’ll be encouraging their representatives to contact interested members to help build our own
program that fits the trucking industry. If you want to be one
of them, please let me know as they’ll be beginning those conversations as early as next month!
The final issue I want to cover with you is the current process
the Idaho Transportation Department is going through to conduct negotiated rulemaking resulting from the passage of Senate Bill 1229. This legislation codified in Idaho code a federal
exemption from the 1991 freeze on the interstates that limited
Idaho to 105,500 lbs. The exemption allows Idaho to permit
up to 129,000 lbs.
The exemption may seem like a simple fix, but there are opponents to 129,000 lbs. who have brought all of their concerns
about the tool to the table. Our safety records have been dismissed, and what is always an incisive decision to move to
129,000 lbs. has been characterized as a free-for-all. Regardless of where you may be on the actual use of the tool we need
to support the success of Congressman Mike Simpson in getting an exemption for Idaho from an onerous and random federal mandate, and we all need to ensure that the facts presented be accurate. Please consider engaging in the negotiated
rulemaking process as we go forward.
While we do not know how all of the comments will be incorporated into a rulemaking process, we need to pay careful attention to the comments submitted by the Idaho State
Police (ISP). As Major Bill Reese noted in his letter to the
facilitator, Steve Bywater, ISP is “the lead safety agency for
commercial vehicle enforcement in Idaho.” They are proposing that the rule include adoption of the Federal Motor Carrier
Safety Administration (FMCSA) 49 CFR 571.121, safety standards for brakes; 49 CFR 396.17, annual inspections for all permitted vehicles, 49 CFR 396.19 Inspector Qualifications and 49
CFR 396.25 Brake Inspector Qualifications. They are also going to ask that the state require any permitted vehicle that is
classified as a long combination vehicle (LCV) be operated by a
driver who has an LCV endorsement that meets the training
requirements in 49 CFR 380. ISP would also like to have a
minimum age of 21 years old for all drivers operating over legal
permitted vehicles/loads.
See ITA’s comments on page 6.
MISSION STATEMENT OF THE
Idaho Trucking Association
The mission of the Idaho Trucking Association is to
serve and represent the interests of the trucking industry with one united voice; to positively influence
state governmental actions; to advance the trucking
industry’s image, efficiency, competitiveness, and
profitability; to provide educational programs; to promote highway and driver safety; and to strive for a
healthy business environment.
SAFETY MEETINGS IN 2016 ● SAVE
THE DATES
*locations are subject to change, please
check our website prior to your arrival*
www.idtrucking.org
September 2016 ● Crash Reconstruction Best
Practices
September 7, Coeur d’Alene
at 6:00 p.m.
sponsored by:
September 15, Twin Falls, noon
September 15, Blackfoot 6:00 p.m.
September 27, Meridian, noon
October 2016 ● Cargo & Identity Theft
Prevention
October 5, Coeur d’Alene at 6:00 p.m.
October 20, Twin Falls, noon
October 20, Blackfoot 6:00 p.m.
October 25, Meridian, noon
November - 2016 ● CDL Update from ITD
November 2, Coeur d’Alene at 6:00 p.m.
November 15, Meridian, noon
*date changed due to Thanksgiving Holiday*
November 17, Twin Falls, noon
November 17, Blackfoot 6:00 p.m.
MEETING ARE ALWAYS FREE TO
CARRIERS,
LUNCH OR DINNER IS NO-HOST
Please RSVP for Meridian meeting at
mistyl@idtrucking.org.
$20.00 per person (Meridian only)
Starting in September, remember: The Northern
Idaho meeting has been changed to the first
Wednesday each month and the Treasure Valley
SMC meetings will be the 4th Tuesday.
ITA NEWS BRIEFS
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Straight Truck Winners Daryl Barnett - FedEx Freight (left), William
Nolan III - Old Dominion (middle), Alan Stacy - FedEx Ground
(right)
Flatbed Truck Winners Craig Beaudin - XPO Logistics (left), William
“Bill” Hill Jr. - Old Dominion Freight Lines (middle), Scott Volkers ABF Freight Systems (right)
Tank Truck Winners Glenn Pufhal - Old Dominion Freight Lines (left),
Ray Sitton - XPO Logistics (middle), Curtis Smith - FedEx Freight
(right)
5-axle Tractor Winners Dave Murphy - YRC Freight (left), Carl
Suttey - Doug Andrus Distributing (middle), Ryan Matos - Old
Dominion Freight Lines (right)
3-axle Tractor Winners Josh Jetton - XPO Logistics (left), Alan
Compton - Oak Harbor Freight Lines (middle), Kevin “KJ” Winn - Old
Dominion Freight Lines (right)
4-axle Tractor Winners Adam Heim - FedEx Freight (?), Michael
Shipley - FedEx Freight (?), Eugene “Scott” Scheuffele - ABF Freight
Systems (left)
Sleeper Berth Winners Jeffrey Vanderzaden - Giltner, Inc. (left),
Gabriel Cobler - May Trucking Company (middle), Jerry AguirreOld Dominion Freight Lines (right)
Twin Trailer Tractor Winners Beau Bonds - Old Dominion Freight
Lines (left), Arthur “Scott” Beal - FedEx Freight (middle), Gary
“Beau” Beaumont - Old Dominion Freight Lines (right)
ITA NEWS BRIEFS
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Team Award - ABF Freight Systems, Inc.
Volunteer Judges get instruction lead by Duane Worthington Rich Thompson Trucking (right)
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Ray Rice, TDC Chairman - WIFL (right) presents
the Rookie of the Year award to Gary “Beau”
Beaumont - Old Dominion Freight Line
TDC Volunteers Doug Davidson - Kenworth Sales Company (left),
Courtney Hill - Simplot Transportation (middle), Max Lang - Simplot
Transportation (right)
A GREAT DAY AT THE TRUCK DRIVING CHAMPIONSHIP FOR ALL!
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Special to Transport News
IMPORTANT DATES
TO REMEMBER
July 20-22, 2016: 58th Annual Rocky Mountain Regional Safety Rendezvous. Double
Tree by Hilton Hotel| Park City, UT
August 10-12, 2016: ITA 82nd Annual Convention | McCall, ID
August 10-13, 2016: ATA SMC’s National
Truck Driving Championships and National
Step Van Driving Championships.
Indiana Convention Center, The Westin, The
Hyatt Regency Indianapolis, and the Omni
Severin Hotel | Indianapolis, IN
October 24-26, 2016: SMC and TSC’s 2016
Safety, Security & Human Resources National
Conference and Exhibition.
Oklahoma City Renaissance Convention
Center Hotel and the National Cowboy &
Western Heritage Museum | Oklahoma City,
OK
August 8-12, 2017: ATA SMC’s National Truck
Driving Championships and National Step
Van Driving Championships.
Orange County Convention Center, The Hyatt Regency Orlando, and the Rosen Center
Hotel| Orlando, FL
August 13-17, 2019: ATA SMC’s National
Truck Driving Championships and National
Step Van Driving Championships.
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the
Omni William Penn and the Westin Convention Center| Pittsburgh, PA
STOP THE BLEEDING STRATEGY FOR
AFFORDABLE CARE ● BY AUSTIN STOLP
An Introduction to the MEC
Even though the Affordable Care Act (ACA), known more
commonly as Obamacare, has been part of our lives for over
five years, much confusion still exists about how to comply
with the law. More specifically, many business owners are
still struggling with how to comply in a manner that doesn’t
bankrupt their company. We’ve developed a program to assist employers with compliance.
Here’s what you need to know:
It was widely believed for several years that the terms Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) and Minimum Value (MV)
meant the same thing when referring to the type of coverage
those employers with more than 50 full time equivalent
(FTE) employees must offer. They are, in fact, quite different.
Coverage of “Minimum Value” is referring to a “bronze”
level plan that covers all ten essential benefits, including preventive care, maternity, hospitalization, and prescriptions. A
typical Bronze Plan will have a $5000-$6000 deductible, and
will cost from $250-400 per employee per month on average.
“Minimum Essential Coverage” or MEC as it is commonly
referred to, is simply defined as any “Group” insurance plan.
There are no requirements regarding the type of coverage and
what specifically is covered. Most commonly, MEC programs
will be self-insured and only cover preventive care. As a result, the cost of these programs is not only dramatically less
than the Minimum Value (Bronze), but also significantly less
than paying the fines for not offering coverage.
Let’s quickly review what the fines are to put it in context.
There are two fines an employer needs to be aware of for failure to comply with the ACA. The fines are referred to as Part
A, and Part B.
The Part A fine is incurred when an employer with 50 or
more FTEs either fails to offer an MEC (Group) program or
fails to offer it to 95 percent of the eligible employees. The
Part A fine is $180 per month per full time employee ($2160
per year). Employers get to subtract the first 30 employees in
calculating the fine. For example, if an employer has 100 full
time employees the fine would be $151,200 (100-30 x $2180).
The fine is calculated and assessed monthly.
The Part B fine is incurred if the employee purchases coverage through the state exchange and receives a subsidy towards that coverage. If the employer offers coverage to the
employees the only way they can receive a subsidy from the
exchange is if the coverage offered by the employer is deemed
unaffordable (exceeding 9.5 percent of the employee’s gross
household income) or the plan is not a Bronze plan. If this
happens, the fine is $3,240. Though this is a larger fine, it
doesn’t apply to the entire group, but only the handful of individuals who go to the exchange and receive a subsidy.
Now let’s talk strategy for a moment. As an employer, you
can continue to, or begin to, offer a Minimum Value Plan to
100 percent of your Full Time Employees. If the cost of a MV
Plan is not feasible for your company then it is time to look at
MEC and how you can get compliant with the ACA and still
have enough capital to run your company.
It is important to recognize that the MEC program still
leaves an employer exposed to the Part B fine because it is not
Minimum Value. However, the Part B fine typically applies to
less than 5 percent of your employees and minimizes your
overall exposure to Affordable Care Act fines.
Austin Stolp is a benefits specialist with Payne West Insurance. Austin can be reached at 509.789.7434 or
astolp@paynewest.com. ITA
ITA NEWS BRIEFS
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Freight Lines, Nampa
Sleeper Berth Class
1 Jerry Aguirre, Old Dominion Freight Lines, Boise
2 Jeffrey Vanderzaden, Giltner, Inc., Jerome
3 Gabriel Cobler, May Trucking Company, Kuna
4-axle Tractor Trailer Class
1 Eugene “Scott” Scheuffele, ABF Freight, Nampa
2 Michael Shipley, FedEx Freight, Inc, Blackfoot
3 Adam Heim, Fed Ex Freight, Inc., Rathdrum
Straight Truck Class
1 Alan Stacy, FedEx Ground, Boise
2 Daryl Barnett, Fed Ex Freight,
Mountain Home
3 William Nolan III, Old Dominion Freight Lines, Kuna
5-axle Tractor Trailer Class
1 Dave Murphy, YRC Freight, Meridian
2 Ryan Matos, Old Dominion Freight Lines, Meridian
3 Carl Suttey, Doug Andrus Distributing LLC, Idaho Falls
Tank Truck Class
1 Glenn Pufhal, Old Dominion Fright Lines, Twin Falls
2 Ray Sitton, XPO Logistics, Nampa
3 Curtis Smith, FedEx Freight, Inc., Idaho City
Flatbed Class
1 William "Bill" Hill, Jr., Old Dominion Freight Lines, Marsing
2 Scott Volkers, ABF Freight, Nampa
3 Craig Beaudin, XPO Logistics, Boise
Twin Trailers Class
1 Arthur “Scott” Beal, FedEx Freight, Inc., Kuna
2 Gary Beaumont, Old Dominion Freight Lines, Meridian
3 Beau Bonds, Old Dominion Freight Lines, Nampa
Step Van Class
1 Randall Schwasinger, FedEx Freight, Inc., Boise
2 Michael Perkins, FedEx Ground, Emmett
3 Eddie Pincock, FedEx Ground, Sugar City
*Bolded winners are first-time competitors. This does not
indicate how many years someone has been driving.
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ITA COMMENTS ON NEGOTIATED
RULEMAKING
May 27, 2016
Dear Mr. Bywater,
Thank you for this opportunity to submit comments on
the negotiated rulemaking process to implement Senate Bill
1229, which codified the federal exemption Idaho was granted for 129,000 lb. vehicles on our Interstate system. I am
writing today on behalf of the more than 240 members of
the Idaho Trucking Association (ITA) and an industry that
employs more than 34,000 Idahoans either directly or indirectly, and that pays more than $1.4 billion in annual wages.
The current permitting system works. It requires just a
simple fix to implement Senate Bill 1229 and allow the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) to permit vehicles up
to 129,000 lbs. on the Interstate system in Idaho. Therefore, we urge ITD to limit the scope of this rulemaking to
adopting the federal exemption. The overhaul of the entire
system (the permitting process, safety requirements for vehicles, regional harmonization, and customer service)
should be handled separately and concurrently or in the future.
We make this request not only because 129,000 lb. vehicles are more efficient, but also because ITD’s 10-year Pilot
Project concluded that these vehicles have a lighter footprint
on infrastructure and that there was also no negative impact
on safety. This is especially important to ITA because we
agree that safety is paramount in our industry; it is the primary reason the Idaho Trucking Association exists. We promote and honor the highest commitments to safety in our
organization through our annual safety awards program. We offer ongoing safety and compliance training
throughout the year, including the Idaho Truck Driving
Championships. Our goals are millions of accident-free vehicle miles traveled (VMT), and our members and their drivers strive to achieve those goals. Idaho is not alone. At the
national level, the large truck fatal crash rate for 2013 was
1.44 fatal crashes per 100 million VMT. This rate has
dropped by 39.2 percent over the past decade.
Again, the current system works. Further, ITD’s 10-year
Pilot Project unequivocally proved that the 129,000 pound
vehicle combination worked for Idaho. Therefore, please
adopt the federal exemption by rule and implement Senate
Bill 1229.
Thank you to all the generous companies that donated their valuable
equipment that made the TDC possible.
ABF Freight
FedEx Freight
FedEx Ground
Kenworth Sales Company
Oak Harbor Freight
Off-Spec Solutions
Old Dominion Freight Lines
Reddaway
Ruan Transportation
Management Systems
Scott Fulcher Trucking
Simplot Transportation
Western Idaho Freightliner
YRC
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TRUCKING NOTICES:
ATA APPLAUDS HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS
COMMITTEE FOR ADVANCING TRUCK SAFETY
Annual Spending Bill Addresses HOS Restart Fix,
Clarifies Federal Role in Regulations
ARLINGTON, VA – American Trucking Associations applauded the House Appropriations Committee for passing a
Fiscal Year 2017 transportation spending bill, addressing
issues critical to the trucking industry that, without approval,
could have immediate impacts on the safety and efficiency of
the trucking industry, and interstate commerce across the
United States.
“On behalf of ATA, I want to express our gratitude to the
Committee, especially Chairman Rogers and Chairman DiazBalart, for their work in moving this bill forward,” said ATA
President and CEO Bill Graves. “In addition to allocating
funding for important transportation projects, this legislation
will ensure that commercial drivers can still utilize the 34hour restart provision of the hours-of-service rules.”
“Also of paramount importance, this bill would clarify Congress’ objective that interstate trucking be governed by the
federal government, not individual states, in order to prevent
a patchwork of regulations that needlessly complicates the
lives of millions of professional drivers,” said Dave Osiecki,
ATA executive vice president of national advocacy.
“Federal preemption of certain state laws, such as state rest
break rules, helps to facilitate interstate commerce, benefitting consumers and the national economy, while also continuing to protect driver safety with uniform federal regulations.”
“We are grateful for the leadership of the House Appropriations Committee in addressing both of these critical issues in
their base bill. This legislation would give the trucking industry certainty moving forward in today’s challenging, and recovering economy,” Graves said. “We now urge the full
House to take up and quickly pass this important legislation
and resolve the differences with the Senate’s passed bill, so a
conferenced transportation spending bill can be expeditiously sent to President Obama for his signature.”
Some basic trucking industry facts:

Truck-involved fatal crashes are down 21% since the current hours-of-service and restart rule framework went
into effect in 2004.

The American Transportation Research Institute found
an uptick in crashes after the restart restrictions were
imposed in 2013 as a result of a shift of more truck traffic
to daytime hours.

In surveys, professional drivers consistently say the current restart rules aid them in getting more rest and allowing them more time at home.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has
said state meal and rest break rules that have been enacted by California and other states have no connection to
safety.
For more facts on the restart click here or to learn more
about F4A, click here. ITA
REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC GRANDMOTHERS AGREE: STOP WASTING FOOD
By: Rep. K. Michael Conaway (R-TX), Rep. Collin Peterson
(D-MN), Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME)
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Have you ever gotten into an argument about whether a carton of eggs are still good even
though the date on the label has passed? It's happened in
our households and we bet it's happened in yours.
Although it seems like a harmless domestic disagreement,
the truth is when you throw away perfectly good food simply
because the date has passed, that food is wasted. While date
labels are intended as a marketing tool to convey to consumers peak quality, they are often confused with issues of food
safety leading consumers to discard perfectly safe food.
Most of that wasted food ends up in landfills. In fact, food is
the largest single source of waste in municipal landfills.
And the amount of food that goes to waste is increasing every year. This is a significant problem, but it's also a significant opportunity. While all this food is being wasted, 46.5
million Americans are food insecure according to data by
Feeding America. We can cut that number in half if we stop
throwing away so much food and reduce food waste by just
15 percent.
Tackling this problem requires us to look at every part of
the food system. Food gets wasted at the farm, in grocery
stores, restaurants, in grade schools, universities, and in our
homes. Some of the solutions may involve changes to public
policy, while others may happen entirely within the private
sector. A little common sense, public education, and a
change in behavior will go a long way toward reducing the
amount of good food we throw away every year.
In Congress, we've begun discussing ways that we can address food waste, and at a Wednesday hearing of the House
Agriculture Committee, we will listen to the testimony of
experts from both the public and private sectors.
One witness will be Jesse Fink, a successful entrepreneur
who is the driving force behind a new report, ReFED—a
Roadmap to Reduce US Food Waste that takes a comprehensive and objective look at the drivers of food waste and
identifies cost-effective and efficient solutions. The committee will also hear about research and first-hand examples of
efforts undertaken to lessen food waste.
It marks the start of a bipartisan effort to address food
waste. Addressing this problem shouldn't depend on what
party we belong to or what part of the country we represent.
And in the end, we should also remember the advice of our
grandmothers, who told us to clean our plates and not let all
that good food go to waste. ITA
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