ROUNDUP T RU C K I N G I N D U S T RY
South Carolina officials advise trucks to use additional caution on I-85 construction zones
South Carolina highway and trucking officials say truck-involved fatalities in construction zones along Interstate 85 within Cherokee and Spartanburg counties warrant special attention. According to state highway officials, this stretch has a high commercial vehicle count, is right-of-waychallenged, and is hilly and winding. As SCDOT widens this section, “chutes” are being used. For trucks, these zone management methods are particularly challenging. When an accident occurs within a chute, they leave nowhere to bail out, and everything stops. Distracted drivers pose the greatest risk, and SCDOT wants to reduce and then eliminate the chutes wherever possible. In the meantime, to lessen the chance of accidents, SCDOT has reduced the speeds to 35 MPH at some points. And they are expediting work from mile markers 81 to 98 in phases of five-mile segments. (Concreting lanes require the use of chutes. Asphalt is being reconsidered in order to minimize chuting). SCDOT Secretary Christy Hall and Deputy Secretary for Engineering Leland Colvin took South Carolina Trucking Association officials on a tour of the zone, seeking input and feedback from the industry. Belue Trucking’s Casey O’Dell and Cardinal Transport’s Mark Randolph weighed in on various recommendations such as rarely, often and consistent signage. Signs need to be posted conspicuously well before the chutes are deployed. As CMVs begin to enter the construction zone, signage needs to be seen multiple times by drivers so they can expect, prepare for, and pick the proper lane. All trucks should move to and keep right in the chutes.
Infrastructure legislation includes trucking provisions After months of negotiation, the U.S. Senate last month passed a bipartisan, $1 trillion infrastructure bill called the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. According to published reports, the legislation contains several measures related 22
to trucking but also leaves out things that were previously thought to be included. Overall, industry experts are pleased with the results. The legislation reauthorizes spending on existing federal public-works programs and provides $550 billion in new spending. Of those new funds, $110 billion would go toward roads and bridges, $66 billion to rail and nearly $40 billion to transit. Some $65 billion is designated for improving the electrical grid and energy production, and nearly $50 billion for making infrastructure more resilient to cyberattacks and natural disasters. Approximately $7.5 billion is dedicated to building charging stations for electric vehicles. Instead of raising the fuel tax or imposing new types of user fees, or Biden’s plan to raise corporate taxes to cover the cost, the money will come from repurposing Covid-19 funds, delaying a Trump-era rule on Medicare rebates, and auction sales of wireless-spectrum space. The Congressional Budget Office, however, said it won’t be enough, and that the package would add $256 billion to the federal deficit in the next 10 years. The legislation would “establish a program to test the feasibility of a road usage fee and other user-based alternative revenue mechanisms” — in other words, a vehiclemiles-traveled pilot program — “to help maintain the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund.” Getting a final bill to President Biden’s desk isn’t a sure shot, however. In the House, the fate of the bill is tied to a $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package that includes many of the progressive priorities that didn’t make it into the Senate bill, such as climate change and housing. Politico.com notes that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she won’t bring the infrastructure bill to a floor vote until the Senate also passes the reconciliation bill. The current transportation programs expire in September. It’s quite possible lawmakers will have to pass another shortterm extension. Trucking provisions in the infrastructure legislation include efforts to lure more women in the trucking workforce, who currently make up about 47 percent of the workforce in the U.S. Also provisions are
included to set an apprenticeship pilot program for commercial driver’s license holders under the age of 21 to operate in interstate commerce with limitations for speed limiters and training. The legislation also calls for the DOT and the Labor Department to set up a Truck Leasing Task Force to take a close look at truck leasing arrangements between motor carriers and owner-operators, including lease-purchase agreements, and how those affect things such as vehicle maintenance, emissions from drayage vehicles at ports, driver compensation, etc. Other items include automatic emergency braking; underride protection; driver compensations; crash causation; and electric vehicles. Industry reaction was mixed. News of a deal got a thumbs up from the American Trucking Associations, but a more cautious reaction from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, whose CEO Todd Spencer, expressed frustration with lawmakers who treat truckers as an afterthought, especially with regard to safety and driver concerns. OOIDA leaders did express satisfaction that the legislation did not include previously discussed measures to increase minimum insurance levels.
Supply chain pressures prompt Midwest states to relax regs for fuel haulers Supply chain challenges have prompted multiple states in the Midwest to extend regulatory relief to truckers who haul fuel. The governors of Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska each have issued executive orders offering hours-of-service flexibility for truck drivers transporting fuel. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proclamation pertains to crews and drivers hauling diesel, gasoline, ethanol and biodiesel. Experts there point to several terminals closed down for maintenance, which challenged transportation patterns for haulers. When a terminal that a driver usually visits closes, that person has to reroute to a different terminal, leading to longer lines and added congestion. Likewise, Iowa Motor Truck Association President Brenda Neville told Transport Topics she has heard reports that conA LABAMA T RUCKER • 3 RD Q UARTER 2021
