Land Line Now’s Community Bulletin Board for March 15, 2022.
Free CDL training in Louisiana
The state of Louisiana is offering free CDL training. The “Drive Your Future” program pays students to attend pre-selected truck driving schools, and focuses on veterans and the underemployed.
You can get all the details and sign up here.
St. Christopher Fund helps truckers
The St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund helps truckers with living expenses when they face a major medical crisis. You can donate at TruckersFund.org. On the front page, just click on the blue “Donate Now” button.
CARB smog check
The California Air Resources Board has approved a ‘smog check’ regulation for medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses. It will require twice yearly inspections for roughly 1 million heavy-duty vehicles operating in California.
Learn more here: Smog inspections ordered twice a year for California big trucks.
Support the OOIDA Mary Johnston Scholarship
If you’d like to support the OOIDA Mary Johnston Scholarship, you can also donate to the fund. You can email the OOIDA Foundation for more information. And you can drop donations at the Spirit of the American Trucker or send tax-deductible donations to:
OOIDA Foundation Inc.
1 NW OOIDA Dr.
Grain Valley, MO 64029
UCR fees set for coming year
FMCSA wants to reduce UCR fees for 2023 by about 27%. The new fee for zero to two units is $43. The UCR is an annual permit motor carriers must pay if they have an active U.S. DOT number.
OOIDA urges truckers to take part in survey
Three federal agencies will launch a nine-month Vehicle Inventory and Use Survey. OOIDA is encouraging truckers to take part. Find more information here, or contact the U.S. Census Bureau at 844-395-4085.
Survey requests input from women behind the wheel.
If you’re a woman in the transportation industry, the Women in Trucking Association wants to hear from you. They’ve launched a survey to get a better sense of how many women are working in the industry. Find out more online.
OOIDA supports towing reform bills
OOIDA is supporting two bills in Maryland to reform police-dispatched towing there. The Senate bill is SB613; the House version is HB487. You can get contact information for your state representatives and senators at FightingForTruckers.com.
Comments accepted on infrastructure bill
The public comment period for Federal Highway Administration’s information request on the Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act is still open. You can submit comments online.
Navistar recalls 4,200 trucks
Navistar is recalling more than 4,200 2019 International LT and International RH vehicles for LED backup lights that are the incorrect color. You can find more information online, or call Navistar customer service at 800-448-7825.
No longer a medical test
FMCSA has revised guidance, saying that an X-ray or blood tests are now no longer considered “medical treatment” for the purpose of accident reporting. Before this, if a driver had either, it was considered medical treatment, even if nothing was found to be wrong, and the crash was then included on the motor carriers accident register.
Organizing a truck show or other event? Contact us
Are you involved in organizing a truck show? We want to make other truckers aware of your event, but we need your help. Email information about your event to us at LandLineNow@ooida.com. We’ll get it on the air and on our website.
Fundraising for Ukraine
Illinois-based carrier GP Transco has spearheaded a fundraising coalition called Trucking & Logistics Professionals for Ukraine to aid three organizations helping Ukrainians affected by the invasion: Save the Children, UNICEF and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
You can get more information on Trucking & Logistics Professionals for Ukraine on their website.
3G shutdown could cripple your ELD
Some ELDs may stop functioning starting in 2022 as mobile carriers shut down their 3G networks, which those devices depend on. Truckers should contact their ELD providers and find out if they use 3G, and if so, ask them how they plan to upgrade or replace your device.
According to FMCSA, the schedule for complete 3G shutdowns are as follows:
- AT&T: Feb. 22
- Sprint (T-Mobile): March 31
- Sprint LTE (T-Mobile): June 30
- T-Mobile: July 1
- Verizon: Dec. 31
Any questions about the changes can be emailed to ELD@DOT.gov. LL
Truckers for Troops donations accepted
Truckers can still make direction donations to OOIDA Truckers for Troops. The program sends care packages to U.S. troops overseas and supports efforts of the Veterans Community Project to end veteran homelessness.
