TSNA: Trucking News Update

That’s right, the next installment of the Trucking Industry Update is here - powered by Truck Services of North America. Don’t hide it; we know you’re excited. In an industry filled with ever-changing regulations and policies, we know it’s a daunting task to stay up-to-date and informed. But not to fret, that’s what we’re here for. So just like always, keep reading and we’ll get to the good stuff.

Operation Safe Driver Week:

Starting on October 18 and running through the 24th is the annual Operation Safe Driver Week, sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA). During this week, officers in the United States, Mexico, and Canada will be looking for a variety of specific violations.

The five most common violations they'll be searching for are:

• Speeding
• Failure to Wear a Seat Belt
• Failure to Obey Traffic Control Devices
• Improper Lane Changes
• Following Too Closely

Last year during safe driver week, officers pulled over nearly 60,000 commercial vehicle and car drivers for “unsafe driving behaviors.” That’s right, almost 60,000 traffic stops across North America over a one week period. So if you want to be safe, drive safe, and don’t get pulled over next week!

Delayed Regulations:

There’s been a lot of long-awaited trucking mandates that were expected to be implemented before the end of the year: but many have now been postponed. Don’t get too excited though—that’s postponed, not canceled. But regardless, it looks like you’re all going to be getting just a little bit more time before you have to deal with any of these new rules.

Let’s take a look and see some of the regulations that have been delayed so far:

Speed Limiters: The official rule that would mandate speed limiters was originally expected to be issued by the end of September 2015, but now the final rule is not expected to pass until the end of 2016.

ELDs: This one isn’t going to be delayed quite as long, but the ELD rule originally expected to pass by the end of September has been pushed back until the end of October.

Entry-Level Driver Training: The new requirements for entry-level driver training may not ever be passed. Just kidding, well, kind of. The rule has already been delayed multiple times, most recently to November 15, and Congress expects that date to get pushed back even further. The reason cited for the delay is that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has had a tough time justifying it from a cost-benefit standpoint. So while this new regulation may still may be coming your way soon, there's actually a strong chance it may not be heading your way at all.

Minimum Insurance Increases: Many agencies already agreed to this rule in principle, and the FMCSA was set to issue an advanced notice of the new regulation. Instead, it appears that other regulations have moved to the top of the priority list, and this has been put on the back burner for now.

I-95 Reopens in South Carolina:

This one hit us close to home here at TSNAmerica (quite literally), and we’re excited to say that all closed sections of I-95 through South Carolina have been reopened. Earlier this week, the state DOT announced that all southbound lanes had been reopened and that bridges on the northbound lanes were still under construction. But as of now, all lanes in both directions are ready for truckin’!

Well, folks, you’re welcome; you’re now the most well-informed truckers on the road. Stay tuned for more updates so you can continue to stay ahead of your brethren in both preparedness and knowledge.

At TSNAmerica, we take pride in helping you take care of all things trucking. We know the UCR registration season has begun and those 3rd quarter IFTA reports are due soon. So if you want someone to take care of it for you, just give us a call! You can reach us at 803.386.0320, email us at support@tsnamerica.com, or send us a service request.

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Breaking News: New Trucking Regulations

So far this summer has been an uncharacteristically busy one for the trucking industry. It seems like just about every week the Senate is passing a new transportation bill, and it can be a daunting task to keep up with all the new rules and regulations.

But that’s what your friends at TSNAmerica are here for, so take a look below and we’ll go over all the new mandates and bills that have been passed recently or will be coming soon.

Trucking Updates

So far this summer, these are the new mandates and bills that have been either passed or proposed.

Speed Regulator Law:

A newly proposed bill would require the use of speed limiters on heavy trucks is set to be published by the Department of Transportation this week. Details of the bill have not been made public yet, but the bill is expected to pass through the White House and be published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration later this week. However, the bill is expected to include the proposed speed limit and also whether or not the rule will be applied to trucks that are already in use.

E-log Mandate:

Also this week, the final version of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s rule that would make the use of electronic logging devices mandatory is supposed to be finished. The rule will not actually take effect until two years after its publication in the Federal Register, but it will require all drivers that must keep duty records to use an electronic logging device.

The rule is currently under review by the Office of Management and Budget, although it is expected to be cleared next month on September 21 and published by September 30. in addition to this rule, a corresponding rule.

DRIVE Act:

Also within the last month, the DRIVE Act, which stands for Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy, was approved by the US Senate with a vote of 65 to 34. This is big news for trucking because let’s face it, we all know the highways across our country could use some work. The bill comes at a big time for the industry, as over the last several years 34 short-term extensions have been passed to extend the current method for highway funding, which has proven to be ineffective. The new bill will put over $350 billion into the funding of our nation’s highways, railroads, and public transit systems. While the sponsors of the bill were only able to guarantee the bill’s first three years, the bill is still a huge step forward for the industry.

New Transportation Bill:

In addition to the aforementioned DRIVE Act, the Senate has also been working on another transportation-related bill. Although it’s been 22 years since the last time taxes were raised as an act of Congress, it’s looking more and more likely that those 22 years will be coming to an end soon.

Senator Tom Carper from Delaware announced the TRAFFIC Relief Act of 2015, which would increase fuel taxes by four cents each year for the next four years in order to offset years of inflation. The money would go towards the highway trust fund, and the proposal would index taxes to the rate of inflation after four years and would make a pair of earned income tax credits permanent.

Thanks for reading Trucking Nation, we hope you enjoyed the trucking update. Be sure to stay tuned for more updates from TSNAmerica.

And remember, if you ever have any questions about new trucking regulations or registration requirements, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 803.386.0320, or email us at support@tsnamerica.com.

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Benefits of TSNAmerica

As a premier processing agency, Truck Services of North America provides the services and tools to help start your business and keep it compliant. We take care of filing the necessary paperwork on your behalf for registrations, renewals, quarterly taxes, permits and more, so you don’t have to mess with it allowing you to stay focused on the road.  

Here are some of the many services we handle:

Operating Authority

• We handle the complicated process of getting your operating authority to give you the freedom and ability to operate on your own

USDOT Number

• The USDOT Number is a unique identifier used to monitor your company’s safety and compliance during inspections and audits.

Unified Carrier Registration (UCR)

• The UCR agreement requires all interstate carriers, freight forwarders, leasing companies and brokers based in the United States, Canada, and Mexico to register and submit an annual filing.

Federal Form 2290 HVUT (Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax Return)

• Used to calculate and pay the HVUT due on highway motor vehicles used during the period with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more.

International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA)

• IFTA is where member jurisdictions act cooperatively to administer and collect motor fuel use taxes for carriers operating in multiple jurisdictions. It is required for all commercial motor carriers, having a gross vehicle weight of 26,001 lbs. or more, or those with 3 or more axles, who travel outside their base state. The IFTA license decals will provide blanket coverage for 48 states and all of the Canadian provinces.

International Registration Plan (IRP)

• Also called Apportioned Registration, a registration reciprocity agreement among the 48 contiguous states of the United States, the District of Columbia and provinces of Canada providing for payment of apportionable fees on the basis of total distance operated in all jurisdictions.

Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)

• Also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number, a unique 9 digit number assigned by the Internal Revenue Service and is used to identify a business entity.

Start Up Services

• We have packages to get you what you need to get on the road as quickly as possible. We can also customize a package based on the individual services you require.

TSNAmerica saves you time and money by preparing registrations, tax forms and permits, quickly and accurately. Check out all our services at TSNAmerica.com. Don’t see what you are looking for?  No problem, simply fill out the Service Request Form and note the service you require in the message section and we will contact you for details.  Of course you can always email us at support@tsnamerica.com or call 803.386.0320. TSNAmerica takes the paperwork out of your way.

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Happy Thanksgiving From Truck Services of North America

Truck Services of North America would like to express how grateful we are to our customers. Wish wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Our office will be closed today for Thanksgiving Day and on tomorrow, Friday November 29th, we will have email support only.

Thank you again for choosing Truck Services of North America for your trucking needs and we hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving.

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Proposed Strategies For 2013 Trucking Industry Top Issues

Last week we shared the report released by American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), presenting the 2013 top issues in the trucking industry.  Today we will share the proposed strategies, as they appeared in the report. They are as follows:

Issue	Proposed Strategies
1. Hours-of-Service	Quantify the impacts of 2013 HOS changes on industry operations, productivity and safety Research and advocate for more innovative and flexible strategies for fatigue management than prescriptive HOS rules Advocate for increased flexibility in the current sleeper berth provision
2. Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)	Push for a crash accountability determination process that removes non-preventable crashes from carrier scores Utilize Inspector General (IG) and Government Accountability Office (GAO) findings to push FMCSA to correct flaws in the scoring system Quantify the impact of disparate state enforcement practices on carrier CSA scores and advocate for more uniform enforcement
3. Driver Shortage	Examine the competitiveness of truck driver pay and benefits as compared to other industries Work with state and federal authorities to consider a graduated CDL program to safely attract new and younger drivers Continue work to streamline the transition from a military CDL to a civilian CDL in order to attract more veterans to the trucking industry
4 Economy	Advocate for reforming/repealing ineffective and burdensome regulations that add to industry costs without providing benefits Pressure Congress to change its pattern of short-term extensions and inaction that creates more uncertainty in the economy Continue to advocate for policies that will stimulate the economy
5. Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Mandate	Advocate for FMCSA to include provisions that retain existing Hours-of-Service (HOS) exemptions and provide supporting document relief in an ELD mandate Ensure that the ELD mandate does not require storage or transfer of data unrelated to HOS record of duty status Encourage FMCSA to issue the congressionally-mandated ELD rule in a timely fashion
6. Truck Parking	Investment in new truck parking facilities & work to reopen closed public rest facilities Educate the public on safety consequences resulting from closing public parking facilities Research the role and value of real-time truck parking information availability and truck parking reservation systems
7. Driver Retention	Help improve work/life balance, healthy lifestyles and family relationships for drivers Research the basis for driver turnover by personality type, compensation models and industry business/operating models Study the effectiveness of carrier retention programs that financially incentivize drivers for safe driving performance
8. Fuel Supply/Fuel Prices	Advocate for measures that limit financial market speculation on energy which can cause price fluctuations/volatility Support expanded use of domestic energy sources to improve the reliability of our energy supply Support effective technologies and proven methods for improving fuel efficiency that could lower fuel costs
9. Infrastructure/Congestion/Funding	Advocate for fuel tax increases to efficiently fund the surface transportation system Identify the worst trouble spots as a means for targeting government infrastructure investments Utilize the congressionally- mandated National Freight Policy and National Freight Network as tools to ensure adequate investment in critical highway infrastructure
10. Driver health and Wellness	Encourage increase availability & healthy food choices at truck stops/travel plazas Educate the carriers-create a model health & wellness program based on national best practices Promote research that quantifies the return-on-investment potential of driver health & wellness programs

By identifying the top issues in the trucking industry,  and strategies to improve them, this study is not about finger pointing, but instead a tool that can be used to find a solution to the issues.

Truck Services of North America works to help you stay informed of the trucking industry and the impact it may have on you. For more information about any of our services, contact us at TSNAmerica.com, email support@TSNAmerica.com or call 803.386.0320.

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Trucking Industry: 2013 Top Issues

In October 2013, American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), released a report presenting the 2013 top issues in the trucking industry.

The new HOS regulations that went into effect in 2013 created the biggest concern in the industry, followed by CSA, driver shortage, economy, the electronic logging device mandate, truck parking, driver retention, fuel supply/fuel prices, infrastructure/congestion/funding and driver health and wellness.

You can see from the chart above, that hours-of-service and CSA account for over half the concerns within the industry.  In addition to identifying the top issues, the study also addressed proposed strategies for each issue.

See our blog next week to see what those strategies are or go to http://atri-online.org/ to order your copy of the ATRI’s 2013 Top Industry Issue Report.

Truck Services of North America works to help you stay informed of the trucking industry and the impact it may have on you. For more information about any of our other services, contact us at TSNAmerica.com, email support@TSNAmerica.com or call 803.386.0320.

Read More »

Benefits of TSNA

s a premier processing agency, Truck Services of North America provides the services and tools to help start your business and keep it compliant. We take care of filing the necessary paperwork on your behalf for registrations, renewals, quarterly taxes, permits and more, so you don’t have to mess with it allowing you to stay focused on the road.  

Here are some of the many services we handle:

Operating Authority

• We handle the complicated process of getting your operating authority to give you the freedom and ability to operate on your own

USDOT Number

• The USDOT Number is a unique identifier used to monitor your company’s safety and compliance during inspections and audits

Unified Carrier Registration (UCR)

• The UCR agreement requires all interstate carriers, freight forwarders, leasing companies and brokers based in the United States, Canada, and Mexico to register and submit an annual filing

Federal Form 2290 HVUT (Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax Return)

• Used to calculate and pay the HVUT due on highway motor vehicles used during the period with a taxable gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more

International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA)

• FTA is where member jurisdictions act cooperatively to administer and collect motor fuel use taxes for carriers operating in multiple jurisdictions. It is required for all commercial motor carriers, having a gross vehicle weight of 26,001 lbs. or more, or those with 3 or more axles, who travel outside their base state. The IFTA license decals will provide blanket coverage for 48 states and all of the Canadian provinces.

International Registration Plan (IRP)

• Also called Apportioned Registration, a registration reciprocity agreement among the 48 contiguous states of the United States, the District of Columbia and provinces of Canada providing for payment of apportionable fees on the basis of total distance operated in all jurisdictions.

Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)

• Also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number, a unique 9 digit number assigned by the Internal Revenue Service and is used to identify a business entity.

Start Up Services

• We have packages to get you what you need to get on the road as quickly as possible. We can also customize a package based on the individual services you require.

TSNA saves you time and money by preparing registrations, tax forms and permits, quickly and accurately. Check out all our services at TSNAmerica.com. Don’t see what you are looking for?  No problem, simply fill out the Service Request Form and note the service you require in the message section and we will contact you for details.  Of course you can always email us at support@tsnamerica.com or call 803.386.0320. TSNA takes the paperwork out of your way.

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Why Choose Truck Services of North America?

Let's face it, there are many companies out there that offer what we offer, so why choose us? As a premier processing agency, Truck Services of North America (TSNA) has become synonymous with professionalism and excellence in the trucking services industry. We provide the services and tools to help start your business and keep it compliant, by taking care of filing the necessary paperwork on your behalf for registrations, renewals, quarterly taxes, permits and more, so you don’t have to mess with it allowing you to stay focused on the road.  

Whether you’re a New Entrant or an established transportation business, we have the products, services, and expertise to save you time and money. We are here to help you minimize downtime and eliminate headaches.  Let TSNA navigate the maze of paperwork and regulations that burden the transportation industry. Contact us today and find out why so many carriers consider TSNA a trusted partner for all of their compliance and regulatory needs. We provide quality customer service at a great value!

Check out all our services at TSNAmerica.com. Don’t see what you are looking for?  No problem, simply fill out the Service Request Form and note the service you require in the message section and we will contact you for details.  Of course you can always email us at support@TSNAmerica.com or call 803.386.0320. TSNA takes the paperwork out of your way!

Read More »