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Bills would restore per diem deductions for company drivers |  | 
A bill introduced in both the House and the Senate would restore the per diem tax deduction benefit for company drivers that was eliminated in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The deduction saved drivers hundreds — if not thousands — of dollars a year in tax liability, depending on how many days a year they worked. The bills were introduced by two Democrats from Pennsylvania — Sen. Bob Casey and Rep. Conor Lamb. The Senate bill has been filed to the Senate’s Finance Committee, where it has 13 co-sponsors, all of whom are Democrats. The House bill has been filed to the Ways and Means Committee, where it has 12 co-sponsors — 11 Democrats and one Republican. The new bill in Congress, dubbed the Tax Fairness for Workers Act, would allow drivers to resume deducting 80 percent of the federal per diem allowance (currently $66 a day) from their annual tax bill, among other small changes to the 2017 tax reform package. The 2018 tax year, filings for which were due in mid-April, was the first year that drivers could not take the deduction. Their bills would allow drivers to deduct their per diem only if carriers do not provide per diem reimbursements. There’s been a growing trend, accelerated by the per diem changes in the 2017 Tax Cuts law, for carriers to incorporate per diem pay into drivers’ pay packages, allowing drivers to take advantage of the per diem benefit even if they can’t enter it as an income deduction for tax purposes. Under these pay packages, drivers still receive 80 percent of the per diem rate set by the IRS as tax-free earnings. Should the bills become law, and under the current $66 per diem rate set by the IRS, drivers would a be able to deduct $52.80 from their annual income for every day they spent working away from home. So if a driver drove five days a week on average, that would equate to an annual deduction of $13,728, which would reduce a drivers’ annual tax bill by $1,300 or more, depending on their annual income. However, drivers could only take that deduction if they chose to skip the standard deduction of $12,000 for individual filers and $24,000 for married couples. In addition to restoring per diem pay for truck operators and other transportation workers, the bill would also allow union dues to be deducted from taxable income. The per diem changes instituted by the 2017 law did not affect owner-operators, who can still deduct per diem as a business expense. Roadrunner Transportation Buys 500 New Trucks | |
Roadrunner Transportation Systems recently announced a new investment in additional fleet assets that includes new trucks and trailers. Specifically, Roadrunner plans to acquire over 500 sleeper and day cab tractors and acquire or refinance 2,100 dry and refrigerated trailers. The company hopes that the new equipment will increase safety, reduce breakdowns, improve fuel efficiency and provide an overall better driver experience. “Investing in our fleet is one of the many ways we are focusing on putting our customers, company drivers and independent contractors first,” said Michael Gettle, President, and COO of Roadrunner Transportation Systems. “We are extremely proud to introduce newer equipment to help us improve our fleet safety, reliability, and efficiency.” Peace Bridge Project Complete; Oversize-Overweight to Resume | |
The Peace Bridge Authority is pleased to announce that the three-year bridge rehabilitation project will be completed on time and all lanes will be available beginning Wednesday May 15, 2019. Carriers can begin applying online immediatelyfor wide and overweight loads that will cross the Peace Bridge on or after the May 15. PBA wants to thank the trucking community for its patience during this extended period. Any additional questions can be directed tocjb@peacebridge.comor by calling 905-994-3689 or 716-884-5809. Border patrol seizes $2.1 million in marijuana from driver | |
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers last weekend found nearly $2.1 million in marijuana hidden in a shipment of rolled sheet metal during a truck inspection, the agency announced April 23. The truck was being driven by an unidentified 45-year-old Mexican national who was attempting to enter the United States at Nogales, Arizona. A narcotics detection dog alerted officers to the hidden marijuana. Officers found nearly 600 bundles of marijuana, equaling about 4,100 pounds, according to CBP. CBP seized the tractor-trailer and marijuana. The driver was arrested and is in federal custody pending further investigation. $30K fell off the back of his truck and drivers scrambled to claim it. Now he wants it back. | |
A Michigan driver gave motorists on U.S. 31 a windfall last Thursday night when he spilled $30,000 in cash all over the roadway. Except, this was not a moment of selfless altruism. He had made a huge mistake. According to a Facebook post by the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety, the driver told authorities that he had placed the cash in a cardboard box, but had “inadvertently left the box on the bumper of his truck.” It fell off the truck while he was driving, subsequently making it rain dollar bills all over the roadway. Motorists stopped to pick up the money, so officers closed a portion of the road so some cash could be retrieved. Police were able to recover $2,470 from the road and surrounding area. But that was far short of the total. Now, the Grand Haven police are asking, very politely, to please give the driver his money back. They would not be punished if they came forward, the Detroit Free Press reported. Sgt. Lee Adams told The Washington Post the department had no further updates on Wednesday. Brian Kamstra told WXMI he was one of the drivers who had received an unexpected windfall and said people stopped on the highway to try to get some of the money. They were so desperate that they were dropping their cellphones “trying to pick up all the cash,” he said. “In about 30 seconds, I picked up $370,” he said. “I felt like it was a scene from a movie.” “I gave the money back, obviously,” he added. “You know, it’s not my money it’s his and I would love to see him use it for his intended purposes.” As of Saturday, three other people had answered the call and returned cash according to police: two 17-year-olds who grabbed $630, and a woman who had scooped up an impressive $3,880. “Thank you and way to go!” Grand Haven police wrote on Facebook. And, “We commend you for your honesty!!” Just a few thousand more to go. Trucking stakeholders applaud bill that would repeal truck tax | |
A bill introduced into the U.S. House is drawing praise from trucking industry groups for its attempt to repeal the federal excise tax (FET) levied on most new heavy-duty trucks and trailers. “Modern, Clean and Safe Trucks Act of 2019? – H.R. bill 2381 – was introduced by Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.) and Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) to help roll back the 102-year-old tax that was originally created to help finance World War I. The 12 percent excise tax generally adds between $12,000 to $22,000 to the cost of a new truck purchase. “The FET discourages truck buyers from purchasing the newest, safest and cleanest trucks and trailers available,” said Jodie Teuton, chairwoman of the American Truck Dealers (ATD) and Modernize the Truck Fleet (MTF) coalition steering committee member. “This tax is as outdated as biplanes and trench warfare.” Congressman LaMalfa notes that in the century since the FET was introduced, it has quadrupled from 3 percent to 12 percent and that the inflated acquisition cost has chased would-be new truck customers out of the market. “It’s an outdated and unnecessary barrier that discourages truck buyers from upgrading to more modern, cleaner and safer vehicles. It’s also the highest percentage-based tax that Congress imposes on any product, and it’s not even a reliable source of funding for the Highway Trust Fund,” he says. “Most heavy-duty truck owners can’t afford a $20,000 tax bill per new truck, so they don’t buy them. They’re far more likely to purchase used or older trucks with older technology that are not as fuel-efficient or don’t achieve the air quality goals the government demands. The FET limits truck replacement, the associated economic growth, and needs to be repealed.” Peterson calls the FET “an outdated burden to small businesses looking to invest in our transportation industry,” and agrees that repealing it will encourage fleets to upgrade to newer, safer and more fuel-efficient vehicles. Launched in January, the MTF coalition represents a broad collection of businesses in the trucking industry, including the American Truck Dealers, National Tank Truck Carriers, National Trailer Dealers Association, NTEA – the Association for the Work Truck Industry, Truck Renting and Leasing Association, and the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association. H.R. 2381 has been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee for further consideration. Over recent years, similar bills to repeal trucking’s FET have advanced through various stages before ultimately stalling out. In most cases, they were either tangled with other legislation or buried under a backlog of other matters. |
Major Carriers Strive to Automate Loading and Unloading Trucks | |
As the eCommerce market continues to flourish, major carriers like FedEx and UPS have started to beef up automation to keep pace with competitors like Amazon; however, they’ve been stumped at a vital stage: loading and unloading trailers. According to a recent article from Transport Topics, “Siemens AG and Honeywell International Inc. have built machines that pull packages from the back of a tractor-trailer and place them on conveyor belts, whizzing the parcels off for sorting.” The devices were recently unveiled at an automation conference in Chicago. “The biggest challenge in our world is: Every single package is different in size, shape, weight, color, material,” said Ted Dengel, managing director of operations technology at FedEx’s ground-delivery unit. “It makes it [loading and unloading] a very tricky problem.” Honeywell’s machine lives on wheels and has a bank of suction cups to grab packages stacked on top of one another and a portable conveyor catches them from the trailer bed. The apparatus works in most flat-floored trailers and unloads as fast as a human person can; however, without the back pain and exhaustion. Vice President of Product Development at Honeywell’s integrated unit, which focuses on warehouse automation, Matt Wicks, said, “I can speak from firsthand experience from developing this machine: The job is miserable inside that trailer. Getting people out of the trailer and on the dock side managing several of these machines is a huge factor as it relates to employee satisfaction and retention.” Siemens took a different approach from Honeywell. Their design requires a rolling belt to be permanently installed on the truck trailer’s floor with packages loaded on top. Once the trailer arrives at the loading dock, a large machine is attached to the belt and packages are pulled in and sent to the sorting hub. Their machine can unload a standard trailer in 10-minutes, about 50-minutes faster than the average person required to move the same boxes. There’s been no estimate on when either machine is set to officially hit the market; however, carriers are hoping sooner rather than later. Source of article and more great articles click here
Pilot Flying J Offers Free ‘Mid-Trip’ Inspections in Preparation for Roadcheck | |
 Pilot Flying J recently announced that they will be giving free ‘mid-trip’ inspections (normally valued at $50) to help drivers prepare for the CVSA’s 72-hour International Roadcheck inspection blitz taking place throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico from June 4-6. The complimentary inspections are available from now through June 7 and are “heavily focused on checking the tires and brakes of trucks, and also include the inspections of windshields, exhaust, lights and more,” according to Pilot Flying J. “During the 72-hour CVSA Roadcheck event, all commercial drivers should be prepared for a thorough inspection of both driver operating requirements and vehicle mechanical fitness,” said Jason Davis, director of operations for Pilot J Truck Care Service Centers. “Leading up to the event, Pilot Flying J Truck Care is here to provide necessary preparation tips to professional drivers and to help ensure trucks meet the requirements necessary for the checks. By offering free mid-trip inspections, our hope is that we help more professional drivers pass the checks successfully.” If you would like to sign up for the free inspection, you can book one in-person at a participating Pilot Flying J Truck Care Service Center or you can use the Pilot Flying J app. Meritor to acquire AxleTech | |
TROY, Mich. – Meritor announced today that it is set to acquire AxleTech for approximately $175 million in cash, adjusted for changes in working capital at closing and subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. AxleTech’s offerings include a full product line of independent suspensions, axles, braking solutions and drivetrain components. These capabilities will enable Meritor to offer global customers a wider array of differentiated products and solutions while further diversifying the company’s portfolio, the company said in a release. AxleTech generated $248 million in revenue in calendar year 2018. “We are delighted to welcome AxleTech back to the Meritor family. The addition of AxleTech is a compelling value-creating opportunity to broaden our position in attractive, adjacent markets and advances our M2022 strategy,” said Jay Craig, Meritor’s CEO and president. “Meritor’s technical expertise, operational excellence and proven track record will be a powerful platform to accelerate growth. Our product portfolios are highly complementary and we share a commitment to our people and customers. We look forward to realizing the full benefits of the transaction by serving as a premier supplier to our global customers and enhancing shareholder value.” “AxleTech has positioned itself as a strong, advanced drivetrain solutions manufacturer in the off-highway and defense market segments. These solutions range from heavy-duty axles to new remanufacturing capabilities and electric powertrain systems for our global customer base,” added Bill Gryzenia, CEO, AxleTech. “Today marks an exciting chapter for AxleTech and reflects the collective efforts of our entire team. We believe that Meritor’s deep understanding of the business and best-in-class capabilities are a natural fit to support AxleTech’s next growth phase.” After the transaction is final, AxelTech will operate within Meritor’s Aftermarket, Industrial and Trailer segment. Walmart Looking To Hire 100 Truck Drivers, Opens New Transportation Hub In McClellan | |
MCCLELLAN (CBS13) — Walmart wants to hire more than 100 new drivers in the Sacramento area. They are planning to add a “first of its kind” transportation office in the McClellan Business Park. It will be a stand-alone hub with no distribution center attached. Drivers will start and end their week in McClellan. “Just like myself, they have families at home right. So they want to see their loved ones as well as I do,” said Richard Prescott, a Walmart truck driver based out of Redding. Leaders at the business park said this is going to be a big addition. Vice President of Marketing and Leasing Ken Giannotti said Walmart strategically chose Sacramento and they expect to fill millions of more square feet at the business park in years to come. “We’re also seeing manufacturers that are choosing to relocate here from the bay area rather than jumping over to other states,” Giannotti said McClellan Business Park Chief Operating Officer Frank Meyers said Sacramento’s central location in the state provides easy access to the Bay Area and the southern part of the state. “Sacramento is growing rapidly. McClellan business park has leased several million square feet over the last few years,” Meyers said. Gianotti said lower housing prices in the Sacramento area attract companies and provide a better quality of life for their employees. This is a good location. We’re within two minutes of Interstate 80 and just a quick hop to Interstate 5 from 80,” he said. There is more than 5 million square feet still available at the McClellan Business Park. Leaders say they already have big companies interested but can’t say who yet. “People like to be here. It’s one of the prime destinations in the state for people to relocate to,” Meyers said. Walmart is planning to pay new drivers an average salary of almost $90,000. ATRI calling for participation in annual trucking costs report | |
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) recently issued a call for motor carriers to participate in its annual update to the Operational Costs of Trucking report. ATRI’s annual Operational Costs of Trucking is in its 11th year of collecting cost information derived directly from fleet operations and is among its most requested research reports. ATRI’s annual analysis provides carriers with a critical benchmarking tool and government agencies utilize ATRI’s real-world data analysis to make better-informed transportation infrastructure investment decisions. Among the for-hire fleet metrics being requested by ATRI are driver pay, fuel costs, insurance premiums and lease or purchase payments. Carriers are asked to provide full-year 2018 cost per mile and/or cost per hour data. “We actively use ATRI’s annual Operational Costs of Trucking as a critical input in our own internal operations review as a benchmark as we strive to be best in class,” said Mike Stephens, USA Truck’s vice president of finance. “The robust ATRI data, along with the key insights provided in the analysis, make it a top tier benchmarking tool for fleets of all sizes.” For-hire motor carriers are encouraged to provide operational cost data to ATRI by Friday, June 14. ATRI’s data collection form, which protects all confidential information, is available online here. Participating motor carriers will receive an advance copy of the full report. Source of article and more great articles click here
Youngstown trucking company abruptly shuts down, leaves hundreds of people out of work | |
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Hundreds of employees are without work Monday after Falcon Trucking Company, 4944 Belmont Avenue, in Youngstown announced over the weekend that it was shutting down, another devastating blow to a community already hit by the closure of the General Motors plant last month. According to WKBN , several employees from the company received email and text messages about the closing from Director of Operations Jayson Calhoun. "All Falcon Employees, We regret to inform you that Falcon Transport Co. is not able to continue operations and will be shutting down effective today. Please stop any work you are doing for the company immediately. You are not expected to return to work. Please be on the lookout for further information we will be sending regarding this situation." Business Development Manager Nicholas Holdren told WKBN, "Falcon has closed as of today." Oliver Ford, a driver for Falcon, told WKBN that the company shut off fuel cards, which means drivers who have been dispatched ran out of fuel, leaving many unable to drive back home. Ford said the company is three weeks behind on pay and at least 300 drivers are affected by the closure. Congressman Tim Ryan released a statement following the closure. “This is another example of how our system is rigged. It’s infuriating that this economy continues to gut working class wallets while management attempts to cut their way to prosperity. It's short-sighted, it’s shameful, and it’s wrong. The private equity firm that owns Falcon Trucking has left its drivers stranded all over the country, without explaining when or whether they will get their paychecks. These employees put in years of hard work and deserve to be treated like the hard working Americans they are. The President told these people not to sell their houses. What now? This economy isn’t working for ordinary Americans working hard and playing by the rules. We need to start putting people first. We need a big change in America. I will be reaching out to the U.S. Department of Labor, State of Ohio, and local agencies to see what kind of assistance can be offered to our workers during this difficult time,” said Rep. Tim Ryan. |
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