FMCSA offers information sessions at MATS

March 18, 2022

Land Line Staff

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The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration plans to be at the Mid-America Trucking Show to inform truckers about the latest regulations and to answer questions.

MATS’ 50th anniversary event is scheduled for March 24-26 at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville. It will be the first in-person show since 2019 as the pandemic forced organizers to move to an online format the past two years.

FMCSA will offer an information session at 10 a.m. Friday, March 25, in room B104. The agency is expected to discuss such topics as the new entry-level driver training program, human trafficking, drug and alcohol regulations and the crash preventability determination program. There also will be an opportunity to ask questions.

Following the FMCSA presentation, an information session is planned with the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Department of Labor at 11 a.m. Friday, March 25, in room B104. The joint session is planned to discuss the departments’ efforts to recruit and retain more drivers to the industry, as well as other initiatives.

In addition, FMCSA acting Administrator Robin Hutcheson is expected to meet with members of the media on Thursday.

OOIDA at MATS

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association also plans to provide educational opportunities at the truck show in Louisville.

An OOIDA Town Hall event is scheduled from 1-2 p.m. on Friday, March 25, in room C108 of the Kentucky Expo Center. The event will serve as an open-forum question-and-answer session with OOIDA President Todd Spencer, OOIDA Executive Vice President Lewie Pugh and lobbyists from the Association’s Washington, D.C., office.

“OOIDA’s Town Hall will provide truckers a chance to hear directly from OOIDA’s leadership and government affairs team about recent developments in Washington, D.C., and the important initiatives OOIDA will be working on over the coming year,” said Bryce Mongeon, OOIDA’s director of legislative affairs. “Attendees will also have the opportunity to provide their feedback and ask questions about ongoing issues. From hours-of-service regulations, to truck parking, to fighting back against excessive mandates, to improving working conditions for truckers, we are looking forward to discussing these and other important issues with truckers.”

From 9:30-11 a.m. on Saturday, March 26, OOIDA will offer a free preview of its Truck to Success course.

The abbreviated version of the full Truck to Success course, which will be offered next in October, will focus on taxes and business structure.

The class will be led by Pugh and Barry Fowler, founder of Houston-based Taxation Solutions and author of the “Trucking and Taxes” column in Land Line Magazine. LL