2019 CVTA Get In Gear Fall Quarterly Newsletter

GET-IN-GEAR Quarterly NEwsletter Fall 2019 In this issue: •

WIOA Funding Update

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Highway Bill Update

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Special Elections

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News From the Hill

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Student Onboarding

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Grassroots In Action

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Meet the Board

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Meet the Members

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Members Services News

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from the chairman

The older you get the quicker time goes by. It seems like yesterday I became Chairman.

However, my time as CVTA Chairman is coming to a close. I want to tell all members that it has been an honor and a privilege to be your Chairman. CVTA has made tremendous progress. CVTA has led on key issues like third party testing both on the federal and state levels, we have and continue to prepare members for Brad Barber, Chairman, CVTA ELDT implementation, and we have protected WIOA funding in the face of attempted cuts.

Over the past two years, the association has been instrumental in establishing a Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship,

Member Publications

Left to right: CVTA’s Andrew Poliakoff, Brad Barber, Don Lefeve, FMCSA Administrator Ray Martinez, and NAPFTDS’s Martin Garsee and Paul Foster.

(See CHAIRMAN p. 2)

Chairman (Continued from page 1)

expanded criteria for CVTA schools to compete for commercial motor vehicle operator safety training grants, and grown our conferences all while simultaneously expanding our membership, our membership programs, and exclusive deals which offer members tremendous savings.

CVTA has also invested in research and data. This past year, the association sponsored research exposing the fact that skills testing delays are costing nearly $1.5 billion in economic losses annually throughout the United States. This research was instrumental in educating states about the impact testing delays have on our students, schools, motor carriers, and the economy. Moreover, the research provided the basis for CVTA and its members to work with Virginia, Oklahoma, and Missouri officials to implement third party testing and reduce the burden on students, who cannot start work until they have their CDL. Equally important, CVTA’s Hill Day continues to be a growing success that keeps our industry issues in front of Congress.

While ELDT continues to present a moving target, I know that CVTA members will be ready whenever the regulation takes effect. This is due to the hard work of our members and staff, who have put in countless hours to ensure members will succeed. The association will continue to be an advocate and leader for implementing ELDT and work tirelessly to improve the quality of commercial driver training throughout the country.

I joined CVTA over 20 years ago primarily to seek vendors to serve my company and my students. However, CVTA is much more than what I expected when I joined. I have made many personal friendships, professional relationships, and this is a result of getting involved. I encourage everyone to get involved in CVTA Committees, run for a Board seat and, if you already are involved, get more involved.

Gearing up for our Fall Conference Each conference is a new chance to network and learn. As Chairman of our Conference Committee, I I know that this year’s Fall Conference will present another occasion for all members to connect, share, and learn from each other in the wonderful city of Indianapolis, Indiana.

With so much going on in our industry, all members need to stay on top of the issues that impact their students, their businesses, and our industry.

This year’s Fall Conference agenda is focused on educating members on the Jerome Redmond, economy, regulations, Chairman, Conference Committee and sessions that attendees can take the knowledge learned and use in their everyday business life. With so many major world events transpiring, I’m looking forward to understanding whether our nation is headed for a recession, and whether world events will impact the trucking industry. I am also looking forward to receiving updates on the Highway Bill Reauthorization, and how regulations like the Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse and Entry-Level Driver Training regulations also impact Schools and the industry.

Each year, I consider myself grateful to be part of an association that includes members I can learn from and be inspired to become more engaged in the overall success of the organization. It’s events like CVTA’s Fall Conference that truly provide a positive and rewarding experience for members. I am looking forward to seeing everyone in Indianapolis!

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Michael O’Connell Top Rookie of the Year Award 38-year-old Stevens driver Dwight Arnold is the winner of the 2019 Mike O'Connell Trucking's Top Rookie Award presented by Trucker News.

Dwight Arnold, who lives in Clarksville, Tennessee, was announced as the award winner Friday at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas. He won $10,000 and prizes from the RoadPro Family of Brands and Rand McNally. Arnold also received $1,000 from his company for winning the award.

"It gives you a buffer so I can work harder and get more done, clear debt and prepare a better life for my family," he said of winning and the cash prize.

"It's a dream come true."

Dwight was born in Kissimmee, FL and raised in Jacksonville, FL. In 2001, Dwight made the decision in 2001 to join the United States Army. During his time in the service, Dwight served as an Ammunition Specialist, Military Recruiter, and a Special Unit Transportation Officer. Dwight also received many awards in the Army, including the Army Commendation Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with a Campaign Star, and an Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two stars.

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2019 Mike O'Connell Trucking's Top Rookie Award Winner Dwight Arnold

NEWS FROM THE HILL Highway Bill Reauthorization Every five or six years, Congress must reauthorize a Highway Bill. A Reauthorization bill sets specific funding levels and public policy priorities for surface transportation for the next five or six years. The bill must pass through numerous House and Senate Committees in order to make their way to the President’s desk for signature. The present Highway Bill, the FAST Act, is set to expire on September 30, 2020, so deliberations for its successor are well underway.

On July 30, 2019, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works began the process by introducing “America's Transportation Infrastructure Act” (ATIA). ATIA authorizes $287 Billion, which is 27% above current authorization levels over the next five years. That bill is a bipartisan effort aimed at investing in American infrastructure to restore the bridges and highway system and fund other programs related to transportation. Notably, ATIA would immediately convey 90% of the allotted funds directly to state and local governments.

After leaving the EPW Committee, the bill will proceed through a number of other committees, which have jurisdiction over certain parts of the bill. They are the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, which handles parts relevant to trucking and rail, the Senate Finance Committee, which will consider tax code alternations to raise revenue to fund the bill, and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, which will consider the public transportation programs.

While the Senate deliberates, the House generates a companion bill that will itself pass through various House committees. The relevant House committees are the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which authorizes trucking and rail policy, in addition to highway and infrastructure authorization levels, the Ways and Means Committee, which handles tax provisions to pay for the bill, the Energy and Commerce Committee, which handles provisions related to passenger car and NHTSA, and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

The various committees hold hearings to inform their decisions. For example, the House T&I recently held a hearing titled, “Pricing and Technology Strategies to Address Congestion on and Financing of America’s Roads.” This hearing, like all hearings, help to inform members of the committee about various policy proposals. The committee members may then craft certain provisions and insert them in the bill based on testimony they receive.

Once the House and Senate bills have passed their respective bodies, a bicameral conference committee is established to work out the differences in each bill. Once these are agreed up, a new bill emerges, is again voted on by both bodies, and then assuming passage in the House and the Senate, the bill is sent to the President for signature. (See HIGHWAY BILL, p. 12)

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MEET CVTA’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairman

Immediate Past

Vice Chairman

Treasurer

Chairman

Brad Barber

Larry Marsh

Georgia Driving Academy

Stuart Bowman

JTL Truck Driver Training

Lou Spoonhour

Roadmaster Driver’s

Retired, CVTA Emeritus

School Executive Committee Board Emeritus

John Diab

Bruce Busada

Smith and Solomon

Diesel Driving Academy

Associate Member Representative

Motor Carrier Member

Board Emeritus

Representative

Tim McLain

Vacant

Swift Transportation

Motor Carrier Seat

Associate Member

NAPFTDS

Representative

Representative

Board Elect

Rebecca Hudson

John Rojas

Martin Garsee

Tina Singh

Advanced Training Systems

Mike Byrnes & Associates

Houston Community

CA Truck Driving Academy

College Board Member

Gary Pressley Heavy Metal Truck Training

Board Member

Board Member

Jerome Redmond American Truck Training 7

Board Member

Jeff Steinberg

Nadia Speney

Apex CDL Institute

PIA Commercial

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CVTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS SPECIAL ELECTION CVTA will be holding a special election to fill a Motor Carrier board seat. We have three wonderful candidates.

Cheryl Freauff , TMC Statement of Goals and Objectives To grow CVTA not just in membership, but also as "THE" premier experts in training class A drivers. Expand the depth and breadth within the legislative community to enhance the quality of all educational programs.

I also feel CVTA is stronger when schools, carriers, and our associate members all work to promote and work in unison to solve any issue and challenges the industry faces.

Reasons for wanting to serve on the Board I have had the opportunity to be a part of this organization and learn all the various layers and tools available. I feel it was premature of me to serve on the board without understanding many of the issues that each member groups face, until now. I feel I have the tenacity, drive and the industry experience to bring ideas, promote excellence as well as tackle the driver shortage and retention head on.

To grow CVTA beyond just the largest association representing CDL training programs. While it is still the primary mission in order to grow, I feel the more partners and support from other organizations and groups with like-minded values would only enhance an already strong organization. My vision is to grow the association with a collaborative approach with other industry organizations that promote ELDT, hiring, and retention of drivers. While we continue to support the 18-21 year old we also should look at ways to meet the needs of the millennial and generation Z to increase interest and enrollments into the industry, by promoting technology, and the efficacy of dialog.

(See ELECTIONS p. 10)

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Special Election (continued from p. 9)

David McBride, U.S. Xpress Reason for joining the CVTA Assist the CVTA with my years of transportation and experience with both smaller carriers and large carriers in the pursuit of better education and stronger candidates for hire.

Reasons for wanting to serve on the Board of Directors I believe that as a member of the Board I would bring a lot of insight to several avenues of the transportation industry. Our educational systems are the frontline of providing carriers quality candidates and our mission should be to continue to evolve as newer technologies and opportunities present themselves. I believe that I’ve built multiple programs and enough insight into what both the schools and carriers need to help bridge some of those gaps. Currently with a Top 5 carrier we can provide a lot of insight and education that smaller carriers wouldn’t have the analytics to and best practices for streamlining better opportunities.

Vision of the Future for CVTA I think the vision of the CVTA is the same as any business… to innovate and drive toward higher efficiencies and capture higher market share. In the case of the CVTA specifically it would surround higher influences. I have a lot of experience in driving efficiency and production. I’ve helped several business with their strategy to turn around their culture and their profitability.

Paul Rasmussen, Paschal Truck Lines I joined CVTA many years ago because I believe that having a collective group of schools, carriers and vendors with the same goal of improving the standards in cdl training was an important cause.

I would like to help further that cause by running for a board position.

The board position comes with great responsibilities to educate nonmembers what CVTA stands for, what our vision is and what our plans are to accomplish them. It also come with the responsibility to continue to work with all of our members to keep moving our programs forward. We have a great group of men and women that have championed our causes to get the organization to this level and I would like to help not only uphold those beliefs, but help further the program.

My journey over the years has provided me many opportunities to run Recruiting and Training programs at different types and sizes of carriers and I believe that will help in guiding the CVTA to continued success on a national level. CVTA has the opportunity to become a strong voice in the industry with the likes of TCA and OOIDA in the coming years and I would like to be a part of making that happen.

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Highway Bill (continued from page 4) The Conference Committee will have a number of issues to work through. They will need to focused on the funding sources, including raising the gas tax, taxes on electric cars, or congestion based or milesdriven tax schemes. T&I Chairman, Rep. DeFazio (D) is a strong proponent of a minor gas tax increase as primary funding source for the Highway Trust Fund. He has resisted the use of toll and congestion taxing because those options could potentially require administrative costs whereas the gas tax is already in place and has not been raised since 1993.

Conversely other T& I members, such as Rep. Pence (R), would likely support a diesel fuel tax increase if it came alongside dedicated truck lanes (in certain shipping corridors) and has also supported the creation of an electric vehicle tax in favor of tolling taxes. On the Senate side, Finance Committee chair, Sen. Grassley has similarly expressed support for a tax on electric vehicles, which currently, and perhaps obviously, contribute no present gas tax revenue.

The path and process required to produce a new Highway Bill is indeed long and winding road. It remains whether the Senate and House will complete all of their work necessary to produce a final bill by years’ end. Nonetheless, CVTA is working with lawmakers so they know our priorities and will hopefully consider including them in the next bill.

UNITED STATES MEXICO CANADA AGREEMENT AWAITS RATIFICIATION In 2018 the Trump Administration succeeded in bringing Mexico and Canada to the table for a new trade agreement, which modified the existing NAFTA agreement. In doing so, the administration won a number of small victories regarding access to the Canadian dairy market and appeasements by Mexico that affect the American auto sector. Additionally, the agreement contained provisions to protect American businesses from intellectual property theft, and perhaps most interestingly to the trucking industry, to reduce the bureaucratic paperwork required for cross-border freight commerce. Requiring ratification by Congress in order to gain the full effect of federal law, the House is currently in discussions with the Trump Administration in an effort to “get to yes,” in the words of Speaker Pelosi, with the hope of signing the document this year. The House has expressed a request for a number of concessions as to provisions dealing with labor and environmental issues, but the specific details of the House Democrats’ requests have not yet been disclosed.

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Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill Update Four Appropriations bills were brought to the Senate floor on Wednesday September 18. One of these bills, the Department of Labor Appropriations Act for FY 2020 would fund the Department of Labor, including WIOA programs for program year 2021.

is by invoking cloture, which limits debate to 30 hours. At the end of debate, the Senate votes on the bill. However, Senate rules require 3/5 to vote on cloture and without it, debate can continue and thus, no vote can occur on the final bill. Democrats are The Senate version appropriates $3,516,700,000 for unhappy with the spending amounts which signals that both the House and Senate will likely have to WIOA, slightly under overall au- pass a Continuing Resolution to fund government thorized amounts, operations before the end of the government fiscal year (September 30). but thankfully above FY2019 In order to fund government operations and avoid a budget of government shutdown, the House and Senate will $3,502,700,000. either need to pass all spending bills or pass a ConAs you can see from the chart below, despite a small tinuing Resolution, which the House introduced last overall increase, the actual spending amounts in the week to fund the government through November 21.

Senate version have remained static with FY 2019 This also signals that Republicans will have to work levels for WIOA. Apprenticeships saw the biggest with Democrats to find compromises on spending increase of $10,000,000. levels to get a bill passed.

The bill, however, failed to advance to a vote under a parliamentary tactic called “cloture.� The only way to prevent a filibuster in the Senate (and limit debate)

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Student Onboarding – The Never-ending Story!

We all know that onboarding new drivers begins with the first interaction they have with our school, company, and industry. This initial interaction sets the tone for their experience in our industry.

reach of employees from various departments to help students and drivers stay connected and engaged. Assigning a mentor or buddy helps new drivers learn the ropes so they don’t have to figure things out by themselves when questions arise. Simply having people stop by orientation class to say hello, talk with drivers on breaks, and get to know them during orientation makes drivers makes drivers feel comfortable and at ease while giving them a sense of belonging.

Onboarding students successfully into our industry is one of our greatest challenges. Federal, state, local, and company policies and procedures all add to the process a student must go through to enroll in school, get approved funding, attend orientation at a carrier, and graduate from school to get on their own truck.

There are opportunities to lose students at each stage of this process. As members of this industry, it is our responsibility to make this process as user friendly as possible in order to retain new drivers.

3. Adopt a mobile solution.

Today, the average person keeps their phone within reach 22 hours a day and checks it over 150 times throughout the day. With 2 out of every 3 adults now using a smartphone, it’s easy to see why just about every industry has turned their attention to mobile– with designated mobile teams and websites that are mobile-first.

Marilyn Surber, Tenstreet

The transportation industry is no exception. In fact, 2 out of 3 carriers already use texting to communicate with their drivers. Thanks to this shift, mobile driver So how can we make this process better and improve onboarding solutions have been developed to address your conversion and retention rates as a result? the particular pain points of this traditionally lengthy 1. Establish clear, two-way communication from and tedious process. After experiencing the advantages of mobile onboarding, drivers have often the beginning. expressed that they won’t go back. We’ve seen this The most important starting point is in communisame trend here at Tenstreet, with 75% of driver apcating with your students and drivers. Set expectaplications submitted in February 2019 coming from a tions, make accommodations, and allow for feedback mobile device, a number that will continue to rise. to encourage engagement and make drivers feel your (See ONBOARDING p. 19) company cares.

When starting a new job, everybody likes to know what they’re getting into – and drivers are no different. Unmet expectations cause drivers to believe that their company doesn’t care about their experience.

The expectation that’s most easily mishandled is regarding pay. Make sure you’re clear when talking to new drivers about pay, home time, rewards, routes, equipment, and everything else regarding the job and our industry.

2. Build key relationships early.

Turn your training team into an interconnected out16

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From left are Steve Harris (Stevens Transport), Wade Bumgarner (Veriha Trucking), Christopher Bacon (TMC Transportation), and Joseph Campbell (Roehl Transport).

The top four finalists in the "Transition Trucking Driving for Excellence" recognition program were named as America's top rookie military drivers at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas.

For the fourth consecutive year, Kenworth will provide The Driver's Truck - a fully-loaded Kenworth T680 equipped with a 76-inch sleeper - to serve as the "Transition Trucking: Driving for Excellence" recognition program award.

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Onboarding

meet the members

(Continued from p. 16)

What used to require sitting down at a computer can now happen while a driver waits in line at the grocery store. Simply put, schools and carriers who don’t have a mobile solution in place are isolating themselves from 3/4 of the driver market–and counting.

Aimee Napier, President

Napier Truck Driver Training What inspired you to go into trucking?

Tenstreet for schools also allows communication between the school and the carrier to be faster and more efficient. This benefits the student, the school, and the carrier.

It was our family’s trucking business and I got into it from a young age.

What’s the best part of your job?

4. Strengthened Security Even if you keep your documents locked up whenever you’re not using them and own the only key to the cabinet, there’s still a greater risk of your files being compromised if you keep sensitive information on paper. All it takes is one social security number sitting out in front of one unwanted eye to risk identity theft.

Online files – especially those stored by Tenstreet – are protected by encryption and follow strict privacy standards that ensure confidentiality of sensitive information.

Seeing the students graduate and then when they return to show off their trucks. You know you have made a difference in someone’s life What’s the biggest struggle you face in running a school?

Juggling all the many balls in the air, Students, Trainers, Financing making it all come together.

Having the students start their professional career as a safe truck driver is our top priority.

In Conclusion We are all in this together, let’s onboard new drivers into our industry and help them have long, successful careers!

How has CVTA helped you and/or your school?

CVTA saved my business at least three times , once with guidance on financing issue, once on a state government and finally through networking I was able to have a CVTA member work with me to resolve an issue that could have adversely affected my business.

What advice would you give members on participating in CVTA? CVTA is an excellent networking resource and we are stronger together legislatively than alone.

Have Content? Want to Share it?

CVTA welcomes articles from members on industry relevant topics. Please send all articles to Cindy Atwood (ccatwood@cvta.org.)

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On the Road Over the last few months I’ve had the pleasure of joining CVTA members for Congressional tours.

These tours have provided an opportunity for our members to address various national issues directly with their Member of Congress. During that time, I’ve have had the privilege of seeing an earnest and dedicated group of professionals committed to improving the lives our future commercial drivers. Let me say that it is an honor to represent and advocate for such a wonderful group of members. I have been impressed with the generosity that members have shown in taking time to host representatives, and by the effect their commitment to excellence has on their students. I have been equally impressed by members’ energy and courage to work

together to push for commonsense policies to better our industry.

This summer CVTA has advocated on a number of different legislative and regulatory issues. The most challenging has been with regard to the Entry-Level Driver Training regulation. The FMCSA has proposed delaying certain parts until 2022. CVTA delivered measured but forceful comments aimed at implement

ing the entire regulation in February 2020. In our opinion, implementing the regulation is a matter of safety and law.

We have also continued to advocate on behalf of skills testing delays by helping state driver’s license agencies (SDLAs) understand the problem and the harm it causes students. We are working to reduce SDLA’s anxiety about the risks to expanding third party testing. Recently, the AAMVA conference offered a great opportunity to engage with SDLAs and we thank AAMVA greatly for their continued interest in helping to facilitate success with SDLAs testing programs. To that end, if you are experiencing challenges in a state without third-party testing, I’d like to schedule a time to talk, to hear about your experience.

In meetings on Capitol Hill and during Congressional visits, we’ve continued to stress the importance of removing the interstate restriction on drivers under 21 years old. We had positive exchanges with Members of Congress as it is easy to understand the value of removing this arbitrary and antiquated restriction while preserving safety. During these interactions, we have also discussed driver assisted technology and autonomous vehicles with representatives, which has helped separate fact from fiction. Frankly, there is a lot of fiction out there, which is yet another reason it is so critical to show our federal stakeholders the faces of honest hardworking people changing their lives through employment in the trucking industry. CVTA’s members offer real opportunities to real people, and it’s great to see it in action.

Thank you again for giving me continued good fortune to advocate on behalf of CVTA. I look forward to seeing you and reconnecting at the conference in Indianapolis in October.

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Member Services Committee Providing Member Savings & Value

Larry Marsh, Chairman

Member Services Committee

The Member Services Committee has worked hard to provide members with education programs, member-only discounts with vendors, and complimentary content like Best Practices. I want to remind you of a few of the services available on the CVTA website (Members only section) that are complimentary for all CVTA members.

Best Practices

CVTA has produced a series of Best Practices covering the following subjects: Insurance, Financial, and Admissions. Each of these are a wealth of information compiled by leading experts in their respective fields. I suggest a quick review of the information in each periodically. You may recognize areas in your school that require attention and these documents may provide just the answer.

Discounts CVTA has worked hard to provide member discounts on Tires, Fuel, Software, and Curriculum. If you aren’t currently aware of these discounts, I urge you to look at taking advantage of these savings today. If you need help, Cindy Atwood can help guide you through the process.

Instructor Certification Program (ICP) CVTA’s ICP is a valuable program that can help you prepare your instructors to teach. As Schools, our job is training individuals to become truck drivers. However, helping your instructors is paramount to both your and their success. You know they have a CDL, a clean driving record, passed a physical and drug screen.

The only thing you may not be sure of is their ability to teach. CVTA’s ICP is an affordable program that helps ensure your instructors know how to teach. If a properly trained CDL driver has a greater chance success, it is probably true also for a properly trained instructor. Visit the Instructor Certification tab- for information on this very important program.

If you have any suggestions you want the committee to pursue, please let us know.

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ADDITIONAL PUBLICATIONS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE CVTA has created a series of documents to aid members in proactive outreach to various stakeholders. We encourage members to review these materials and in some cases, distribute.

CVTA has produced a CVTA Member’s Media Tips & Talking Points document for members to aid them in the communications outreach with press and media. Telling our story and talking about the issues facing our industry is a tremendous opportunity for members to educate the public and stakeholders on what you do. CVTA has created this document to educate members on the dos and don’ts of talking with the press, educate members on issues either they will be asked about or will want to discuss, and background information on the issues. This document can be accessed on CVTA’s member-only website under “Best Practices”. An active login is required.

ELDT Document for State Education & DMV Officials CVTA has also created a short document to educate both State Education and DMV officials about the upcoming ELDT regulation. Many in Higher Education and state DMV’s are unfamiliar with ELDT. This document helps to give State Officials the quick facts and establish a dialogue, with you serving as the expert. If needed, CVTA can assist. We strongly encourage you to have discussions with your state officials about this upcoming regulation, how it will impact training. By doing so, you are seen by these stakeholders as a trusted resource on this important issue .

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2019 Premium Sponsors

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