Security & Safety Briefs - Jan. 26 - Feb. 1
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The Latest Headlines:
- N.J. Issues Hazwaste Transport Fee Refunds
- Bottlenecks Costing Trucking Billions, Study Says
- Connecticut Sets New Safety Measures
- Bottlenecks Costing Trucking Billions, Study Says
N.J. Issues Hazwaste Transport Fee Refunds
The State of New Jersey Tuesday issued about 500 checks totaling more than $5.5 million in refunds of the state’s hazardous waste transporter registration fees and A-901 company disclosure fees, American Trucking Associations said.The refunds cap a successful ATA Commerce Clause challenge to those flat annual charges.
If sufficient monies from the first refund efforts prove undeliverable, the New Jersey Tax Court has ordered a second, pro rata refund of any remaining monies to those fee payers who were initially located.
A second refund distribution, if made, would take place in about 6 months, ATA said. Transport Topics
Bottlenecks Costing Trucking Billions, Study Says
Bottlenecks on U.S. highways idled trucks for more than 243 million hours in 2004, costing trucking companies $7.8 billion, according to a study prepared for the Federal Highway Administration.The study estimates a delay cost of $32.15 per hour based on four major types of truck-related delays along freight corridors, including constraints at interchanges, signalized intersections, hold ups caused by steep grades, and lane reductions.
When truck deliveries are delayed by congestion, freight transportation costs increase due to unnecessary fuel consumption, lost driver time and productivity, and disruption of pick-up and delivery schedules, particularly with critical just-in-time freight.
“Ultimately, it is the consumer who will pay the price when increasing congestion forces the cost of goods on store shelves go up,” said Bill Graves, ATA’s president. Transport Topics
Connecticut Sets New Safety Measures
Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell (R) has proposed doubling fines for people who break traffic laws on Avon Mountain, site of a huge crash that killed four people last summer, the Associated Press reported.Rell said many steps have been taken to improve safety on the steep road in the wake of the July 29 crash, but more must be done, AP reported.
The crash was triggered by a dump truck that barreled down the mountain and smashed into vehicles waiting at a traffic signal. It also injured 19 people.
Rell said she will propose strengthening the Department of Motor Vehicles’ ability to suspend the licenses of trucking companies operating illegally and clearly outline commercial insurance reporting requirements, AP said. Transport Topics
