Upcoming Events:
- February 13th, 2025 – Drug & Alcohol Training for Safety Supervisors Seminar
- April 2nd, 2025 – Southern Utah Trucking Association Charitable Golf Tournament
- April 14th – 18th, 2025 – CSS/CDS Fleet Safety Certification Courses (Save the Date)
- April 18th, 2025 – Spring WarmUp Sporting Clay Tournament (Save the Date)
- April 28th – 29th, 2025 – ZERO FATALITIES SAFETY SUMMIT
- May 7th – 9th, 2025 – Utah Trucking Association Management Conference & Trucking Expo (Save the Date)
- June 6th – 7th, 2025 – Utah Trucking Association Truck Driving Championship (Save the Date)
Announcements
Events:
Drug & Alcohol Seminar (February 13th, 2025)
19th Annual SUTA Charity Golf Tournament (April 2nd, 2025)
2025 Management Conference & Trucking Expo (May 7th – 9th, 2025)
ZERO FATALITIES SAFETY SUMMIT
You’re invited to join traffic safety officials and advocates for the 2025 Zero Fatalities Safety Summit, April 28-29, at the Mountain America Exposition Center in Sandy, Utah. The summit will include presentations and sessions on topics that are related to traffic safety, pedestrian and bike safety, enforcement, engineering, driver education, child passenger safety, occupant
protection, trucking, DEI, and other topics related to reaching our goal of Zero Fatalities.
The 2025 Safety Summit is an opportunity for traffic safety officials and advocates to share experiences, opportunities, and successes to improve safety in our communities.
Register before March 7 for early bird pricing.
Resources:
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Utah Trucking Association 401K
Boost Your Retirement Savings with Increased 401k Catch-Up Contributions
Exciting news! Starting in 2025, you’ll have the opportunity to increase your retirement savings. The SECURE Act 2.0 introduces a new catch-up contribution rule that allows those turning age 60-63 in 2025 to contribute an additional $11,250 per year to their 401(k) accounts.
For detailed information about this valuable opportunity, please review the attached document. We have included a link to schedule a financial planning meeting with our 401k advisors at OneDigital. Please note, these planning meetings are offered at no charge to our 401k participants.
News:
ATA Forecasts Freight Market Will Improve by 1.6% During this Year
In the latest edition of its annual freight forecast, the American Trucking Associations projects that after two years of declines, truck volumes are expected to grow 1.6% in 2025, and ultimately rise to nearly 14 billion tons by 2035.
FMCSA Allows Fleets to Self-Certify Maintenance Training with TMC RPs
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) last week granted an exemption that will slash the amount of time new maintenance technicians need to spend preparing to enter the workforce. The waiver, requested in 2020 by the American Trucking Associations and ATA’s Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC), allows technicians to skip the federally required one-year of training or experience needed to conduct commercial vehicle inspections and brake-related repair and maintenance as long as they have received training based on TMC’s Recommended Practices.
FMCSA Retains Fleets’ 50% Random Drug Testing Rate in 2025
Motor carriers must continue to conduct random drug tests with 50% of their truck drivers and random alcohol tests with 10% of their drivers in 2025, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced.
Industry Applauds CARB’s Restraint
“The trucking industry and American consumers can breathe a collective sigh of relief today after CARB finally bowed to reality and shelved its job-killing Advanced Clean Fleets regulation,” said American Trucking Associations president and CEO Chris Spear. “We look forward to President-elect Trump rescinding CARB’s remaining unworkable waivers and new leadership at EPA restoring a common-sense approach that balances environmental progress with economic viability.”
Two Prominent Utility Dealers Merge; Creating Mountain West Utility Trailer
Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company announced Thursday dealer groups Utility Trailer Sales of Utah and Utility Trailer Sales of Idaho have merged, creating Mountain West Utility Trailer Inc. The new business brings together locations in Salt Lake City and St. George, Utah; Las Vegas; Boise and Idaho Falls, Idaho; and Spokane, Wash. Justin Deputy will serve as president and CEO of the new company alongside his brother Spencer Deputy, who will serve as chief sales officer. Both Justin and Spencer are majority shareholders in the new company.
ATA Forecasting Freight Bounce Back in 2025
The American Trucking Associations (ATA) released its annual freight forecast Thursday in ATA Freight Transportation Forecast 2024 to 2035, a joint report by ATA and S&P Global Market Intelligence. In it, ATA states that after two years of freight declines, truck volumes are expected to grow 1.6% in 2025 and ultimately rise to nearly 14 billion tons by 2035.
Supreme Court Again Punts on Broker Liability Issue
For a third time, the Supreme Court has shot down an opportunity to resolve conflicting rulings across the country dealing with whether a broker is liable for a crash involving a motor carrier it hired. On Monday, Jan. 13, the Supreme Court declined hearing the case regarding broker liability.
FMCSA Grants ATA’s Request for Inspector Exemption
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has granted a limited five-year exemption to the American Trucking Associations from training or experience requirements related to conducting commercial motor vehicle inspections. FMCSA announced the exemption in a notice that was published in the Federal Register on Thursday, Jan. 16. Current regulations require motor carriers and intermodal equipment providers to ensure that individuals performing annual inspections of commercial motor vehicles, including individuals who inspect, maintain, repair or service CMV brake systems, have a total of at least one year of training or experience.
How Trump is Changing Emissions Standards This Year
Trump’s first day as president kickstarted a radical shift in climate policy that will impact commercial carriers’ operating costs. Industry experts predict the new administration will weaken emissions standards, challenge CARB’s waivers, and promote domestic oil production.
How Federal Agencies Will Regulate Trucking this Year
Donald Trump resumed control of the nation’s federal agencies this week. With a change in administration, what will agency management look like for 2025? Agency rulemakings will likely slow down under a Trump administration, but there are still several key regulations that may impact carriers this year.
Trump Orders Trade Review Ahead of Potential Tariffs
President Donald Trump issued a memorandum Monday directing federal agencies to evaluate U.S. trade policy, paving the way for potential new tariffs. Agencies have until April 1 to report their findings and provide recommendations. Trump said at the time that he would levy a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico his first day in office. He also said he would increase tariffs on China by an additional 10%.
7 Key Focal Points of Trump’s First Day Executive Orders
President Donald Trump’s flurry of first-day executive actions included a slew of orders related to health, energy, international relations and the federal workforce.That’s in addition to the nearly across-the-board pardons of those convicted of offenses related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and Trump’s decision to pause enforcement of a prohibition on TikTok operating in the United States.White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on X that there were “more than 200 executive actions” from Trump on his first day back in office, and a total of “115 personnel actions.”
Cargo Theft Soared 27% in 2024
CargoNet reports ‘record-breaking’ cargo theft activity in Canada and the U.S. in 2024, with 3,625 reported incidents marking a 27% increase over 2023. The average value per theft also climbed to $202,364 (all figures US), up from $187,895 the previous year. Each quarter of 2024 surpassed previous records set in 2023, with the biggest spike occurring in Q1, which saw 317 more incidents than the same period the year before. The rate of increase narrowed as the year progressed, with Q4 showing an 11.81% year-over-year growth in cargo theft.
Online Registration Updates are Back
As of January 20, 2025, FMCSA Registration Options have been integrated into the FMCSA Portal to enhance security and comply with the Presidential mandate for Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and customers can resume making online updates. Thank you for your patience!
Online updates can now be made to:
• File a biennial update (MCS-150)
• File a change of address
• Reinstate Operating Authority
• Reapply for a USDOT Number after New Entrant revocation
• Update cargo tank registration
• Update HM Safety Permit (MCS-150B) registration
If you already have a Login.gov account, you do not need to create a new one. Use your existing Login.gov account only if it is not already associated with an FMCSA Portal account. Each FMCSA Portal account type – whether for a Company Employee, Associate of a Company, Insurance Filer, or BOC-3 Filer – requires its own unique Login.gov account. You cannot use the same Login.gov account for multiple FMCSA Portal accounts.
Additional information can be found at https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration/registration-forms#Processing%20Time and a complete step-by-step process is detailed in our FMCSA Portal Registration User Guide for FMCSA Registered Entities and Associates.
Sean Duffy Confirmed as DOT Secretary
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Sean Duffy to become the Secretary of Transportation. Duffy was confirmed by a 77-22 vote. American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear said Tuesday’s “strong, bipartisan vote in favor of his nomination is an endorsement of his qualifications and experience for this position. It also reflects his commitment to unite stakeholders around commonsense policies to make our transportation network safer and more efficient.”
Tax Changes to Consider Before April 15
ATBS, a partner in Overdrive’s Partners in Business educational program, has compiled a list of updates owner-operators should be aware of when filing. Among notable changes was the Internal Revenue Service’s announcement that the per diem deduction for meals and incidental expenses increased to $80 per full day and $60 per partial day as of Oct. 1, 2024. The rate for Jan. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2024, remained unchanged at $69 per full day and $51.75 per partial day. The IRS allows for an 80% deduction of those amounts.
ATA’s Dellinger Calls on Congress to Repeal FET
Dennis Dellinger, president and CEO of Cargo Transports and chair of the American Trucking Associations, called on Congress to repeal the federal excise tax (FET) on Wednesday. The FET was first enacted during World War I. It is a 12% tax on the sale of most heavy-duty trucks and trailers. More than $6 billion in FET was collected in 2023 from truck, trailer and semitrailer chassis, bodies and tractors sales. Industry organizations contend the tax is a barrier to the sale of new, more efficient tractors.
Will Trump’s Second Term Usher in Golden Age for Trucking?
During his confirmation hearing Sean Duffy, the presumptive secretary of transportation, did say, “Together with President Trump, this committee, and the entire DOT team, we will usher in a golden age of travel.”Duffy went on to promise to “reduce the red tape that slows critical infrastructure projects” and wisely spend tax dollars.
HHS to Put Fentanyl on its List for DOT Testing
In a January 16, 2025 notice published in the U.S. Federal Register, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that Fentanyl and Norfentanyl have been added to the list of Schedule I and II drugs authorized for testing in Federal workplace drug testing programs. The change is effective July 7, 2025.
Bill to Streamline CDL Testing Reintroduced
With a new Congress comes the reintroduction of legislation that failed to gain traction during previous Congressional sessions. One such bill is the Licensing Individual Commercial Exam-Takers Now Safely and Efficiently (LICENSE) Act of 2025. The bill has been introduced twice before and would make permanent some waivers implemented by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is Distracted Driving?
Distracted driving may seem simple, but this is a prevalent problem that is often misunderstood. There is much more to distracted driving and how the trucking industry can combat this problem. Distracted driving kills thousands of people on U.S. highways annually. In 2022, 3,308 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers, according to the latest data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
