Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022:
Trucking law enforcement group urges states to address truck parking
The American Trucking Associations’ Law Enforcement Advisory Board (LEAB) on Tuesday sent a letter to all 50 governors and state departments of transportation urging them to apply for federal funds to expand truck parking capacity.
A nationwide shortage of truck parking has created a growing highway safety issue, the group said, as truck drivers are often forced to park in illegal or unsafe locations when authorized parking is unavailable.
“Law enforcement organizations across the country, from local police departments to statewide patrols, are impacted by this issue and have seen firsthand how the truck parking shortage jeopardizes road safety for all motorists,” said Fred Fakkema, LEAB chairman and vice president of safety & compliance for Zonar Systems, who previously served 25 years in the Washington State Patrol. “The U.S. Department of Transportation is offering federal funds to help expand truck parking capacity, and we encourage states to capitalize on these resources now while they are available.”
On Sept. 29, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg sent a letter to ATA President and CEO Chris Spear pledging the Administration’s commitment on the issue and detailing various competitive grant programs under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that can fund truck parking projects. The U.S. Department of Transportation also issued official guidance on funding eligibility requirements for states as they plan new truck parking projects. In recent weeks, Florida and Tennessee were awarded INFRA grants by USDOT totaling $37 million to expand truck parking capacity.
“Truckers need accessible parking options to move the economy’s freight safely and efficiently. This issue is critically important – not just to drivers, but to patrolmen, troopers and officers as well. It is a top priority for our Law Enforcement Advisory Board, and we’ll keep working it until the parking shortage is meaningfully addressed,” said Derek Barrs, LEAB industry outreach advisor and senior manager at the HNTB Corporation. Barrs previously served as chief of the Florida Highway Patrol’s Office of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement.
ATA’s Law Enforcement Advisory Board is a working group comprised of trucking industry professionals who have previous law enforcement experience, as well as current and retired law enforcement officers with experience on trucking issues. The 37 current members of LEAB combine for more than 900 years of law enforcement experience.
NMFTA opens cybersecurity conference to full trucking industry
The National Motor Freight Traffic Association (NMFTA) has announced that its annual Digital Solutions Conference on Cybersecurity, once limited to the LTL industry, will now open to the entire trucking industry.
NMFTA has been a leader for more than a decade in addressing cybersecurity issues, including important research work and critical educational efforts on the topic of cybersecurity for the American Trucking Associations and other organizations within the industry.
This year's conference is set for Nov. 13-15 at the Westin in Old Alexandria, Virginia. Registration is available at the conference's web site. It is a free educational event, with discounted hotel rates in Alexandria.
Those interested in attending are encouraged to register soon to ensure availability. NMFTA encourages participation not only from IT professionals in the industry, but also from individuals who manage their own trucks along with supporting software.
After kicking off with a welcome reception on the evening of Sunday, Nov. 13, the general meeting begins on Monday with educational sessions touching on cellular cybersecurity, e-mail security and mobile device security.
Tuesday's sessions cover topics such as vehicle security and enterprise security, as well as keynote speaker Eric O'Neill – a former FBI counterterrorism and counterintelligence operative.
Another highlight will be a presentation by Yongdae Kim, Ph.D., professor of Electrical Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Kim and his team have recently developed a system that can automatically analyze vulnerabilities of LTE mobile systems.
The conference will close with a panel discussion titled "The Future of Cybersecurity – Where Do We Go From Here?", moderated by Michael Wickham, senior staff engineer at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab.
"We have been having this conference for many years for the LTL industry," said Debbie Sparks, Executive Director of NMFTA. "With so many digital security threats facing the trucking industry, we are very pleased to open the conference up to the entire industry so all will have the opportunity to benefit from these insights."
In addition to O'Neill, Kim and Wickham, other conference speakers include: Chase Cunningham, Ericom; Gema Howell, National Institute of Standards and Technology; Jeremy Daily, Ph.D., Colorado State University; Kate Vajda, Dragos; and Ahmed Shah, Red Canari.
New Kenworth dealership opens in Idaho
Kenworth Sales Company recently held a ribbon cutting and grand opening celebration at its new Post Falls, Idaho, location at 4373 W. Expo Parkway.
The 42,000 square foot facility sits on 10 acres, with convenient visibility and access to I-90. It offers 14 full-service bays, six body shop bays with state of the art frame rack plus a full-length paint booth, full service alignment center utilizing Hunter alignment equipment, and 9,000 square-foot warehouse with an expanded parts inventory.
Kenworth Sales Company Board Director Elliott Morgan and Post Falls Mayor Ron Jacobson joined Kenworth Sales Company District Manager Wayne Beal for the ribbon cutting.
“This new store will allow us to better facilitate the needs of our customer base in the Post Falls and Northern Idaho area,” said Kenworth Sales Company District Manager Wayne Beal. “Kenworth has been servicing this area for many years. We are always looking for ways to better serve our customers and look forward to enhancing customer experience with this new, state of the art location.”
