Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/55313
For the Record FMCSA medical certificate rule begins T ruckers must keep paper cop- ies of their medical examiner's certificate with them for another two years, until Jan. 30, 2014, un- der a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rule. Carriers also must keep paper copies of their driver's certificates until then. This rule is a follow-up to FMCSA extended the paper copy requirement for interstate CDL holders and carriers two years to provide sufficient overlap for state agencies to comply with the new medical certification regs. FYI | NAVISTAR PLANS NATURAL GAS INITIATIVE | Navistar Inc. and natural gas provider Clean Energy Fuels Corp. an- nounced Feb. 1 a plan to develop natural gas-powered medium-duty and heavy- duty trucks and a nationwide infrastruc- ture to fuel them. "By the end of 2013, virtually every product we have will be available in natural gas," said Jim Hebe, Navistar senior vice president for North American sales. Clean Energy expects to have 70 stations open by the end of this year in 33 states, many of them at Pilot- Flying J Travel Centers. | NATSO OPPOSES I-70 TOLLS IN MISSOURI | Truckstop organization NATSO said it is opposed to Missouri tolling Interstate 70 between St. Louis and Kansas City. In a letter to Missouri lawmakers Sen. Bill Stouffer and Rep. Charlie Denison, co-chairs of the state's Joint Committee on Transportation Over- sight, NATSO said both traditional tolling and public private partnerships including tolls hurt consumers and businesses near interstate exits. 10 | TRUCKERS NEWS | MARCH 2012 the agency's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued last June, which proposed amending a 2008 final rule. That 2008 final rule required CDL holders subject to federal physical qualification provide an original or a copy of their medical examiner's certificate to their state driver's licensing agency. State agencies must post the medi- cal certification information in | NAFTA SURFACE TRADE RISES IN NOVEMBER | Surface transportation trade between the United States and Canada and Mexico in November increased 12.7 percent over November 2010 to $76.7 billion, said the U.S. Department of Transportation. In November, U.S.-Canada trade rose 12.2 per- cent to $44.3 billion, and U.S.-Mexico trade gained 13.3 percent to $32.4 billion. | USED TRUCK SALES UP IN DECEMBER | Used Class 8 truck sales rebounded 13 percent in December from the previous month, ACT Research said, while trailer orders for last year were 38 percent higher than in 2010. Used truck sales at auction, retail and wholesale all increased in December but were 9 percent lower than the previous year. The sales figure is based on a sampling of used truck dealers. | TONNAGE INDEX SURGES IN DECEMBER | American Trucking As- sociations' seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index surged 6.8 percent in December from November and was 10.5 percent higher than December 2010. Last year, tonnage increased 5.9 percent over by JILL DUNN the Commercial Driver's License Information System, the federal electronic database. After the 2008 final rule, several states told the FMCSA their of- fices lacked the capacity to comply with the deadline. To provide suf- ficient overlap for state agencies, the agency extended the paper copy requirement for interstate CDL holders by two years. However, the FMCSA did not extend the deadline for state agencies. Effective now, drivers applying for or renewing CDLs under the non-excepted interstate category will have to self-certify and provide the certificate or a copy to the state licensing agency. All drivers affected by the rule will have to comply by Jan. 30, 2014. the previous year, which was the biggest annual rise since 1998, according to ATA. The December year-over-year gain was the largest since July 1998, ATA said. | I-5 CORRIDOR GETS MORE SHORE- POWER LOCATIONS | Electrical power pedestals will be added to six truckstops and travel centers along the I-5 corridor, five in California, and one in Oregon, through the Shorepower Truck Electrification Project, a federally funded project. The new locations to be added under the STEP program are Flying J Travel Plaza in Bakersfield; Pilot Travel Center, Dunnigan; Flying J Travel Plaza, Lebec; Flying J Travel Plaza, Lodi; Pilot Travel Center, Weed; and 7 Feathers Truck and Travel Center, Canyonville, Ore. | KENWORTH OPENS FACILITY IN INDIANA | Kenworth of Indianapolis has opened a 12,800-square-foot parts and service operation in Fremont, Ind. The new Kenworth of Fremont facility is located on four acres at 7267 North Baker near the intersection of Interstate 69 and the Indiana East-West Toll Road (I-80 and I-90). The dealership features three service bays and a 1,800-square-foot parts department. RANDY GRIDER