Land Line Now Community Bulletin Board – Oct. 19, 2021

October 19, 2021

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Land Line Now’s Community Bulletin Board for Oct. 19, 2021.

Freightliner recall for exhaust pipe

Freightliner will recall about 460 model year 2022 Cascadias over possible exhaust system problems. The exhaust pipe outlet might have been installed incorrectly, increasing the risk of fire.

Owners may contact DTNA’s customer service at 800-547-0712. DTNA’s number for this recall is FL-901. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 or go to the NHTSA website.

Utility Trailers reefer recall

Utility Trailers is recalling several hundred model year 2022 Utility VS2RA reefer trailers. The wrong tape was installed on the top foil, which could result in the sealer plate separating from the roof.

Owners may contact Utility Trailer’s customer service at 800-423-6591. Utility Trailer’s number for this recall is SB-19-009. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 800-424-9153), or go to NHTSA.gov.

Antique truck show in North Carolina

The American Truck Historical Society’s Western North Carolina Chapter has scheduled a truck show for Oct. 23 at the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds in Cherokee, N.C.

Truck to Success seminar scheduled

The OOIDA Foundation will offer the Truck to Success course starting at 8 a.m. Central Time on Oct. 26-28 both in person at the Courtyard by Marriott in Blue Springs, Mo., and online via Zoom. You can learn more or register here.

Freightliner Cascadia recall

Daimler is recalling more than 100,000 2019-21 Freightliner Cascadias. The drag link taper joint in those trucks may not be tightened well enough and could come loose, which could cut steering control.

Owners may contact DTNA’s customer service at 800-547-0712. DTNA’s number for this recall is FL-900. Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 800-424-9153), or go to NHTSA.gov.

UCR pilot program

The Unified Carrier Registration Plan is starting a pilot program to contact truckers based in states that don’t participate. UCR officials are warning those truckers that they are still required to pay UCR fees.

The states involved are Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont and Wyoming.

Driver assistance systems survey

ATRI and the OOIDA Foundation are asking truckers to take part in the Tech-Celerate Now survey, which addresses advanced driver assistance systems. The perspectives and concerns of drivers, owner-operators, and small-trucking carriers are especially sought. The deadline is Nov. 1.

You can take part here.

Maryland beltway toll lane project update

Maryland is holding public hearings on an updated study regarding Capital Beltway improvements, including a toll lane project, on Nov. 1. You can register online to attend either of the two sessions.

To take part in the virtual public hearing on I-492 and I-270 managed lanes study, go to the project’s website and register or by calling 833-858-5960. The two call-in hearings will be from 2-4 p.m. and from 6-8 p.m.

Maine to increase tolls

Maine will increase tolls Nov. 1 to offset losses from lower traffic during the pandemic. The $1 toll hike for cars will keep construction projects on track; information on truck toll increases was not immediately available.

You can learn more at the Turnpike website.

FMCSA wants comments on complaint database

The FMCSA is asking for feedback about its National Consumer Complaint Database.

The program enables truckers to report anyone who coerces them to violate federal regulations. The deadline for comments is Nov. 3.

Comments can be made here or by going to the Regulations.gov website and entering Docket No. FMCSA-2021-0089.

Read up on the National Consumer Complaint Database: FMCSA seeks comments on National Consumer Complaint Database

New Colorado travel site

Colorado has rolled out a new version of its travel website, COtrip.org. The updated version has features to help travelers plan their route ahead of time with information on road conditions, construction issues and road or lane closures.

Check it out here.

COVID restrictions in Prince Edward Island

New COVID-19 restrictions on Prince Edward Island require that truckers who don’t live there to get tested when entering the province, whether they’ve been vaccinated or not. Unvaccinated drivers also have to self-isolate.

Go here for more information.

Accelerate Conference and Expo

The Women in Trucking 2021 Accelerate! Conference and Expo will take place Nov. 7-9 at the Dallas Sheraton in Dallas, Texas. The annual event offers vendors and numerous business speakers covering a wide variety of topics.

For more information, go to the Women in Trucking website.

Major maintenance project to close lanes on the Brent Spence Bridge

A maintenance project will close some lanes on the Brent Spence Bridge over the Ohio River through Nov. 15. This is the first time in 30 years the bridge has been painted.

U.S. to reopen Canadian, Mexican borders to the fully vaxxed

The U.S. is re-opening its borders to visitors from Canada and Mexico – but only if they’re fully vaccinated. Travel bans were put in place at the start of the pandemic to stop the spread. The new rules will roll out in phases.

To learn more, go to the DHS website, or read Land Line Magazine’s coverage: Homeland Security announces border reopening in two phases.

Truckers must report emergency hours of service use online

Carriers now have five days after the end of each month to file information online about how they have used the COVID-19 emergency hours-of-service declaration. That includes your U.S. DOT number, how many trips were made under the emergency declaration and which commodities were transported. The current emergency order runs through Nov. 30.

Get the details on FMCSA’s Emergency Declaration Reporting requirements.

NHTSA: Keep reporting autonomous vehicle incidents?

NHTSA is asking for comments on whether to continue incident reporting for Level 2-5 autonomous vehicles. You can submit those through Nov. 29.

Get more information from Land Line.