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The renewed push by big trucking and shipper groups for longer combination vehicles – or LCVs – has OOIDA leaders questioning where they are all going to park. OOIDA’s Director of Regulatory Affairs Joe Rajkovacz said that if Congress passes federal legislation allowing more states to have LCVs, few states have adequate truck parking spaces to accommodate trucks longer than 80 feet.

Associate Editor Dave Tanner wants to know where the proponents of longer, heavier trucks get their environmental statistics from … and why some agencies and lawmakers take the bait.

At first glance, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s four-year surface transportation bill contains some wins for small-business trucking, but will those be enough to overcome possible deal breakers such as longer and heavier trucks on federal highways? Here’s a look inside the bill. OOIDA leadership continues to review the contents of the 700-plus page bill.

Port truckers in Washington state would be reclassified as employees in a bill moving through the statehouse. The House Labor and Workforce Development Committee voted Monday, Jan. 30, in favor of a revised bill that would deem drayage truck operators, as well as any owner-operators going onto a port, to be employees of companies that “directly engages the services.”

A Memphis man was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Friday, Jan. 27, for violating the Mann Act. Charles Kizer, 53, of Memphis, pleaded guilty in federal court on Aug. 31, 2011, to violating the Mann Act by “transporting a woman across state lines for the purpose of having her engage in prostitution.”

A federally appointed committee meets in early February to finalize recommendations for a rulemaking on obstructive sleep apnea and commercial vehicle operators. The committee is also addressing a court mandate that ensures EOBRs are not used to harass vehicle operators. OOIDA Executive Vice President Todd Spencer is a member of the 18-member committee.

Pennsylvania lawmakers beat the clock with the deadline to comply with a federal truck rule. Gov. Tom Corbett signed a bill into law Jan. 27 to bring Pennsylvania in line with federal rules on medical certification. Separate provisions in the bill extend the Philadelphia red-light camera program and increase the fine for out-of-state trucking operations that avoid licensing.

High school seniors still have time to submit their applications for financial assistance from the OOIDA Mary Johnston Scholarship fund. The deadline for applications is Wednesday, Feb. 1, for the 2012-2013 school year.

Medical conditions sideline numbers of professional truck drivers each year. The St. Christopher Truckers Development and Relief Fund is now accepting applications for a one-of-a-kind scholarship fund to help those drivers move forward with their lives.

We are counting down until the 2012 Mid-America Trucking Show. Now is the time to start planning your trip. The 41st anniversary of MATS is set for March 22-24 at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville, KY.