Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, April 2, 2024:
East Texas city bans truck parking
This slide from a College Station City Council meeting shows the types of trucks now barred from parking on city streets. Box trucks and large pickups without trailers will still be allowed to park on city streets.College Station City Council
The city of College Station, Texas, last week voted to ban commercial motor vehicle and trailer parking within city limits, joining other cities around the country in limiting where trucks can park amid a national truck parking shortage.
The College Station City Council last week voted 4-3 to approve an ordinance prohibiting truck and trailer parking within the city limits. Councilwomen Linda Harvell and Elizabeth Cunha and Mayor John Nichols voted against the motion.
A follow-up 6-1 vote removed references to commercial vehicle and trailer parking by specific location from the city’s Code of Ordinances. Councilwoman Harvell voted against the motion.
Before last week’s vote, parking bans were implemented in the city on a street-by-street basis in certain areas.
According to a news report from KBTX, the opposing councilmembers and mayor in the first vote cited the extra burden being placed on truckers “as not the best solution,” adding that a “citywide ban for an issue that has not become a major issue” was “not necessary.”
According to a presentation from the council meeting, the city received 37 complaints about truck parking between Jan. 1, 2022, and March 1, 2024, resulting in 44 warnings and 12 citations.
In the context of the ban, a commercial vehicle is defined as a motor vehicle or combination with a weight rating of 26,001 or more pounds, including a towed unit with a gross vehicle weight or a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds; or a vehicle that has a gross vehicle weight or gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 or more pounds on its own.
[Related: St. Paul, Minnesota, officially bans truck parking]
Maryland temporarily waives certain IFTA requirements
The Comptroller of Maryland, Brooke E. Lierman, on April 1 authorized the temporary waiver of certain IFTA requirements in Maryland to mitigate the economic impact of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
As of March 30 at 12:01 a.m. and through May 31 at 11:59 p.m., Maryland will waive IFTA licensing and decal requirements for motor carriers hauling freight to or from a seaport.
Lierman’s office also noted that it expects some IFTA licensees located in the affected area to possibly experience difficulty filing their quarterly IFTA tax returns by the April 30 due date, and as such, the office is granting a waiver of penalties for this filing period.
Those affected by the waiver still must file their first quarter returns no later than June 30 in order to be granted the relief.
Lierman added that she “strongly encourage[s] our neighboring jurisdictions to also waive IFTA licensing requirements temporarily for motor carriers hauling freight to or from a seaport.”
[Related: Baltimore bridge collapse could squeeze DEF supply]
ATBS launches enhanced app, client portal
Trucking business services provider ATBS, Overdrive's principal collaborator on the Partners in Business guide to trucking as an owner-operator, announced Tuesday the launch of its new “ATBS Hub” enhanced app and client portal. Over the past couple of years, the company said it has gathered feedback from hundreds of its clients on ways to improve its service.
The new ATBS Hub offers a single, secure, user-friendly resource that significantly enhances the experience for owner-operators working with the firm, ATBS noted. It features several tools for bookkeeping and viewing/analyzing revenue, expenses and profitability, including:
- Easy scanning and sending of receipts
- Tracking the per-diem deduction to watching tax savings add up
- Visualizing a Profit & Loss Statement and Profit Plan with interactive graphs and charts
- Accessing quarterly tax estimates
- Calling or emailing your Business Consultant with the tap of a button
- Accessing all of your ATBS client information from any device at any time
“We’ve had tremendous feedback from everyone who has experienced the ATBS Hub,” said ATBS President and CEO Todd Amen. “It puts managing your business and taxes in the palm of your hand so you can focus on driving and making more money.” The ATBS Hub is now available to all ATBS clients.
[Related: How owner-operators still standing have weathered big rates drops through the present]
Two-day UCR meeting upcoming
The Unified Carrier Registration Plan Board of Directors and its Enforcement Subcommittee will hold meetings Thursday and Friday this week to continue to work on developing and implementing the Unified Carrier Registration Plan and Agreement.
Meetings will take place at the Hotel Indigo Savannah Historic District, 201 West Bay Street in Savannah, Georgia. They'll also be accessible via conference call and Zoom. Any interested person may call 929-205-6099 (US Toll) or 669-900-6833 (US Toll), using Meeting ID: 972 4708 8227, to listen and participate. Registration to participate via Zoom for Thursday's meeting is available here, and registration for Friday's Zoom meeting is available here.
On Thursday, April 4, the UCR Board will meet from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern to discuss potential policy changes, hear an update from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on its 2025 UCR Fee proposed rulemaking, hear reports from various subcommittees and more.
On Friday, April 5, the UCR Plan Enforcement Subcommittee will meet from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern. Items on the subcommittee’s agenda include:
- Review a variety of tools and activities undertaken in 2023 to conduct enforcement activities in the states
- Discuss the possibility of roadside enforcement for carriers who have been identified as under-registered
- Discuss how enforcement can support and contribute to inspection audits
- Discuss the awarding of annual UCR Enforcement Award, including criteria for best enforcement efficiency rate, most violations issued overall, and an annual award to the inspector who issues the most UCR violations. The subcommittee may take action to recommend such options to the Board of Directors.
[Related: FMCSA proposes 25% hike for UCR fees]
