LandLine

• SPECIAL REPORT: OOIDA sues Minnesota over CMV enforcement -
Friday, Nov. 20, 2009 - More than six years' worth of citations and out-of-service orders issued to truckers by the Minnesota Highway Patrol aren't worth the paper they were written on, according to a lawsuit filed by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.


• Blue Water Bridge tolls to nearly double in January -
Tolls for trucks crossing the Blue Water Bridge are scheduled to nearly double to $3.25 per axle starting in January 2010. The Michigan Department of Transportation has scheduled three public hearings to receive comments concerning this important bridge that connects Port Huron, MI, and Sarnia, Ontario.


• Time is running out to comment on route restriction plan in upstate NY -
There are only 10 more days for truckers to comment on the New York State Department of Transportation's plan to ban heavy trucks on certain secondary roads in the Finger Lakes Region. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is urging its members in New York, as well as others who do business upstate, to contact the NYSDOT, the governor and lawmakers.


• CARB: Reefer enforcement won't be delayed this time -
Trucks that haul reefers in California have until Dec. 31, 2009, to meet the equipment portion of the state's "In-Use Performance Standards" for 2001 and older reefers. CARB said enforcement of in-use performance standards will begin in January 2010 for all model year 2002 and older reefers. Joe Rajkovacz, OOIDA regulatory affairs specialist, said he believes the December enforcement plan will stick.


• OBAC: Take Canada's parking survey and make a difference -
Is there enough truck parking in Canada? Is it adequate? Transport Canada and industry groups want to hear from you if you drive and park in Canada, even if you're a U.S. trucker.


• California cap-and-trade reporting: how's that going? -
The California Air Resources Board says 591 out of 605 facilities that are required to report their greenhouse gas emissions completed the reports in 2008, and CARB staff is "working with the remaining facilities" to complete their reporting by December.


• South Carolina lawmaker feels need for speed -
If a South Carolina state lawmaker gets his way, all vehicles on interstates in the state would get the go-ahead to zip along at higher speeds. Rep. Todd Rutherford, D-Richland, has prefiled a bill for consideration during the 2010 regular session that would boost the speed limit along interstates and freeways from 70 mph to 80 mph.


• From the Land Line blog: New York shortchanged by elected officials -
It's no surprise that states dip into transportation budgets to help fill other coffers but the grim details are particularly bad in New York. To add insult to injury, Gov. Paterson has admitted that the new license plates are a "revenue grab." Land Line's Keith Goble takes issue with these political maneuverings.

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