LL INVESTIGATION: SBA LOAN PROGRAM "DESIGNED TO FAIL"
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Land Line staff writer Clarissa Kell-Holland, in a two-part online series, with coverage of why the majority of the money set aside for this program remains untouched and why so few SBA-backed lenders are even participating in the ARC loan program. PART I: Flawed loan program leaves truckers without lifeline PART II: ARC loan program just a ‘clunker without the cash’
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CARB TRU REGISTRATION ENFORCEMENT BEGINS
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CARB began enforcement of TRU regulations August 1, 2009 for intrastate carriers. Interstate carriers have until December 31, 2009 to register their refer units with CARB before enforcement will begin for interstate carrriers. Registration is not required for interstate carriers, but will result in up to a $500.00 fine if the trailer refer unit is not registered with CARB and you enter into the state. ARB/TRU site info is located within our "Driver Services" page.
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VIRGINIA REST AREA CLOSURES TO BEGAN JULY 21
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Truck Parking Changes to Be Implemented July 21 in All Rest Areas Statewide (Full Article)
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CALIFORNIA TRUCKIN': DELAYS, DETOURS AND INSPECTIONS ON I-80
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Truckers headed westbound must arrive an hour earlier at a staging-type area at Eagle Lake before the scheduled detour time begins. That time varies weekly so planning is problematic. Before California Highway Patrol lets trucks go, there’s a full safety inspection performed by the CHP. The detour will start at 9 p.m. on Sunday, June 7, so drivers must be there by 8 p.m. (CalTrans "GetAcross80" Travel Info)
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REMINDER: ALABAMA STEEL COIL LAW
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Certification grace period ended June 1st. Law requires motor carriers involved in transporting steel coils to use truck drivers trained and certified in properly securing these coils. The Alabama Department of Public Safety is charged with setting the training standards. A company that uses an uncertified driver would face a fine of $5,000 to $10,000. The uncertified driver would also face of fine of $250 to $1,000, and as much as a year in jail. Governor of Alabama Press Release
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TRUCKERS WARNED ABOUT U.S.- MEXICO BORDER VIOLENCE
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The Highway ISAC issued an “unclassified” alert the first week of March detailing the increase in violence among Mexican drug cartels – on both sides of the border. The main area of concern highlighted in the alert is in and around Ciudad Juarez. The full ISAC alert can be read here.
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MISSOURI CREATES NEW 'TRAVEL SAFE ZONE’
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If you travel Interstate 55 in Missouri, be aware that the state DOT has created a new “travel safe zone” on a five-mile stretch south of St. Louis. The travel safe zone is in effect from Friday, March 20, through Sept. 18.
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COLORADO DOT PREPARING FOR WINTER
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WITH 60 MORE TRUCK PARKING SPACES Officials with the Department of Transportation said plans call for the paving of a site for 60 truck parking spaces on a 7.3-acre lot at the northwest corner of the I-70 ramp at exit 133 in Dotsero, CO. Peter Kozinski, I-70 mountain corridor manager for CDOT, said even though the fairgrounds officials posted signs stating the parking lot was "permanently closed starting July 25," they have worked out a deal with the county that will allow trucks to park there until the CDOT site is open. Additional overflow space is designated on a frontage road between Dotsero and Gypsum as part of the plan.
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TWIC Nationwide TWIC enforcement began April 15
Workers at Captain of the Port Zones in Guam; Houston/Galveston, TX; Port Arthur, TX; Los Angeles/Long Beach and San Juan, Puerto Rico, will be allowed to use “interim equivalent security measures” through May 13. Those measures include allowing eligible workers to access secure areas after their security threat assessment is completed or escorting them.
Standard TWIC enrollment costs $132.50, although workers with "current, comparable" threat assessment background checks such as hazmat, the Merchant Mariner Document, or Free and Secure Trade (FAST) cards may obtain a TWIC card for $105.25. The card is designed to last five years.
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