Trucking news and briefs for Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025:
Civil penalties increasing: The annual list of violation fines is out
The Department of Transportation this week published a final rule announcing increased fines for its agencies, including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration -- an annual move required by the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act, as amended in 2015.
The new fines were calculated, as required by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, by multiplying the penalty amount by the percent change between the October 2024 Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) and the October 2023 CPI-U. This year, that percentage change is 1.02598 -- less than last year’s 1.03241 multiplier.
FMCSA's civil penalties affected by the rule are all located in Appendix A and Appendix B to 49 CFR part 386.
The new fine amounts for FMCSA, which can be seen here as well as below, are effective immediately.
[Related: New bill would let FMCSA fine double brokers $10,000, crack down on shady actors]
Transportation Security Screening Modernization Act now law
President Joe Biden last week signed the Transportation Security Screening Modernization Act into law, which eliminates duplicative screenings and harmonizes Transportation Security Administration credentialing programs, including the Hazardous Materials Endorsement and the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC).
The legislation received bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress. American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear called the president’s signature "a bipartisan victory for common sense." ATA has championed the bill -- it allows workers to apply existing valid background checks to multiple credentialing programs managed by the TSA.
Many supply chain roles often require multiple security credentials; for truck drivers, for instance, background checks for both TWIC and a hazmat endorsement are required. Even though these credentials require the same background checks, prior to the bill's passage individuals had to undergo that background check multiple times, pay duplicative fees, and endure wait times to obtain the documentation, noted Alexandra Rosen, ATA's vice president of legislative affairs.
“For far too long, the truck drivers who keep our country running have been subjected to an outdated, inefficient credentialing system that does not respect their time and money," Spear added. "By taking the final step needed to eliminate unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles, Congress will provide essential supply chain workers with overdue relief from redundant background checks and fees."
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association also called the legislation "common sense."
[Related: Congress passes bill to streamline TSA credentialing]
Truck tonnage index’s up-and-down 2024 continued in November
Trucking activity in the United States fell in November from October, marking just the second monthly decrease since July, according to the American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally-adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index.
“The frustratingly choppy freight environment continued in November,” said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “Since hitting a low in January of this year (2024), tonnage is up a total of 1.1%, but the path has been fraught with nice gains one month only to come back down the next. The good news is that the overall trend [in 2024] is up, albeit at a slow rate.”
In November, the ATA advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index equaled 112.5 compared with 114.6 in October. The index, which is based on 2015 as 100, was down 1% from the same month last year.ATA
The not seasonally adjusted index, which calculates raw changes in tonnage hauled, equaled 109.6 in November, 9.6% below October.
The seasonally adjusted decrease followed a sequential 1.2% gain in October.
[Related: Diesel hovering around $3.50 as freight rates present a mixed bag]
