U.S. Legislative News

Fleets and ELDs

As of April 1, commercial drivers not in compliance with the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate could officially be placed out of service during a roadside inspection.

NAFA is asking for your feedback on how ELD compliance and enforcement since April 1 is affecting your fleet. Please respond to Pat O’Connor, NAFA’s U.S. Legislative Counsel at poconnor@nafa.org.

1. There is an exemption for a fleet driver that operates within either 100 or 150 air miles of the work location. To qualify for the exemption, a CDL driver must operate solely within a 100 air-mile radius; must be completely off-duty within 12 hours; and report back to the same work location every day. A non-CDL driver must operate solely within a 150 air-mile radius; must not drive through any state that requires a CDL for the type of vehicle being operated; and must report back to the same work location every day.

Question: Have your drivers experienced any difficulty during a roadside inspection documenting eligibility for this exemption?

2. ELDs are not required for drivers who use paper Record of Duty Status (RODS) logs for not more than eight days out of every 30-day period.

Question: Have you or your drivers had any difficulties in interpreting this exemption?

3. Question: Are there other issues you would like to bring to NAFA’s attention?

 

NAFA Urges Congress to Act on Technical Training

In a letter to a key U.S. Senate Committee, NAFA has urged swift action on legislation to reauthorize the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins Act). In the letter to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, NAFA urged the Senate to act on H.R. 2353 which reauthorizes the Perkins Act to help more Americans enter the workforce with the skills necessary to compete for and succeed in high-skilled, in-demand careers. Specifically, the legislation looks to empower state and local community leaders, improve alignment with in-demand jobs, increase transparency and accountability, and ensure a limited federal role.

In the letter, NAFA’s CEO Phil Russo said, “Successful passage of the Perkins reauthorization legislation will represent an important step in closing the skills gap in our industry and others and in preparing workers for the high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand careers of the 21st century.”

 

Automakers Launch VIN Tool

The auto manufacturers have launched a new tool to facilitate auto recalls by allowing vehicle fleet managers and others to search for open recalls for thousands of autos at once, free of charge.

This search tool, available at www.freeautorecallsearch.org, is a result of a partnership among the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the Association of Global Automakers – which together represent 99 percent of automakers in the United States – and Carfax, a provider of vehicle history-based products for buyers, sellers, and owners of used cars.

The search portal will allow authorized users to search for open recalls for up to 10,000 vehicles at once and get results usually within a matter of seconds. This capability is an important tool in the collective, continuing efforts to increase recall participation rates. According to current Carfax research, more than 57 million vehicles on U.S. roads have unfixed recalls, despite the fact that voluntary recall remedies are completed free of charge to the consumer.

This additional VIN search tool will supplement efforts by individual automakers and the industry to help inform fleets and the public about responding to vehicle recalls.

 

Studies Suggest Using Mileage-Based Tax as an Alternative to the Gas Tax

The Highway Trust Fund is the primary source of federal funding for highway and mass-transit in the United States, yet it is projected to become insolvent by 2021. Studies by think tanks such as the Brookings Institution and the American Action Forum, left-leaning and right-leaning think tanks respectively, suggest using a mileage-based tax to raise revenue for the fund in lieu of the gas tax currently used.

A mileage-based tax charges motorists a fee for every mile traveled rather than taxing motorists for each gallon of gas purchased. Vehicle-miles traveled has grown at a greater rate than motor fuel use due to advancements in auto and green technologies that improve fuel efficiency and reduce our reliance on traditional fuels like gasoline.

Mileage-based tax pilot programs have seen success in states like Oregon and California where participants’ miles are logged using distance-traveled technology and fees are paid through monthly invoices. Pilot programs are also underway in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Washington, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.

While the idea of using a mileage-based tax is gaining popularity among state and federal officials, the idea remains “unwaveringly unpopular” when polled to the general public. A recent survey by the Mineta Transportation Institute found that support for such a tax ranged between 23 percent and 48 percent depending on how the question was framed. Delaware’s Secretary of Transportation Jennifer Cohan, one of the officials supporting the programs, said the study, “is just a first step of many and will help us answer questions about mileage-based user fees and whether this is an alternative worth pursuing further.”

 

EPA Now Accepting Grant Proposals for DERA Program

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now accepting grant proposals for the DERA Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program. The program awards grants to agencies and nonprofits who preside over or specialize in transportation and air quality. The money will be used to upgrade or replace diesel fleets with cleaner and more efficient diesel engines.

The EPA plans to award a total of $40 million in grant funding to various applicants whose project proposals significantly reduce diesel emissions and demonstrate further emissions reductions after the project has ended. The agency anticipates awarding between 20 to 80 assistance agreements. The maximum amount of funding an applicant may request varies by region.

To learn more about National Clean Diesel campaign and program requirements, please click here.

 

D.C. and 17 States Sue the Trump Administration Over Vehicle Emissions Standards

California, 16 other states, and Washington D.C. - covering about 40 percent of the U.S. population - filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of Appeals over the Trump administration’s decision to roll back fuel-efficiency standards. Current standards call for average fuel efficiency to increase to 54.5 mpg by 2025 and are a culmination of discussions and agreements made by automakers, federal officials, and the state of California during the Obama administration. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said the current standards “may be too stringent” and present “challenges to auto manufacturers.”

The Trump administration’s plan would freeze standards at 2021 levels and challenge California’s ability to set its own fuel-efficiency rules. California has a waiver under the Clean Air Act to set its own emissions standards. Twelve other states filing suit against the Trump administration have opted to adopt the California standards.

The lawsuit argues that Pruitt and the EPA acted arbitrarily and capriciously and violated the Clean Air Act. In a statement released to the public, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said, “the evidence is irrefutable: today's clean car standards are achievable, science-based and a boon for hardworking American families, but the EPA and Administrator Scott Pruitt refuse to do their job and enforce these standards.”