Trucking Trucking Industry News...

FMCSA releases Hours of Service Final Rule, making 4 key rule changes

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has published their long-awaited Hours of Service Final Rule.

For nearly two years, the FMCSA has been crafting the changes to current Hours of Service regulations that were debuted on the morning of May 14. The agency has promised that the regulation changes will increase flexibility for U.S. truckers while maintaining highway safety.

“America’s truckers are doing a heroic job keeping our supply chains open during this unprecedented time and these rules will provide them greater flexibility to keep America moving,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

FMCSA says that they drafted the Final Rule after consulting more than 8,000 public comments from industry stakeholders, law enforcement, safety groups, and drivers themselves.

The Final Rule features four key changes to existing Hours of Service requirements.

• The Agency will increase safety and flexibility for the 30-minute break rule by requiring a break after 8 hours of consecutive driving and allowing the break to be satisfied by a driver using on-duty, not driving status, rather than off-duty status.

• The Agency will modify the sleeper-berth exception to allow drivers to split their required 10 hours off duty into two periods: an 8/2 split, or a 7/3 split with neither period counting against the driver’s 14‑hour driving window.

• The Agency will modify the adverse driving conditions exception by extending by two hours the maximum window during which driving is permitted.

The Agency will change the short-haul exception available to certain commercial drivers by lengthening the drivers’ maximum on‑duty period from 12 to 14 hours and extending the distance limit within which the driver may operate from 100 air miles to 150 air miles.

Many industry stakeholders had been hoping for a rule change that would allow drivers to “pause” the 14 hour clock, but the FMCSA said that they decided against this change after consulting public comment. The new Hours of Service rules will be implemented 120 days after the Final Rule is published in the Federal Register.

Cross-border Prohibition for CMV drivers with Insulin Treated Diabetes Mellitus (ITDM) Removed...

The FMCSA is alerting motor carriers and CMV drivers that cross the U.S.-Canada border that on Sept. 24, 2019, FMCSA and Canada formally updated their medical reciprocity agreement with Canada and removed the cross -border prohibition for CMV drivers with Insulin

Treated Diabetes Mellitus (ITDM). Letter exchanged by FMCSA and Transport Canada may be viewed on the International Safety Programs webpage https:// www.fmcsa.dot.gov/international-programs. American Borders Division, via email at Carla.vagnini@dot.gov, or by phone at (202) 366-3771.

DOT Office of Drug and Alcohol Policy and Compliance Notice

…

The Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018, Pub.

L. 115-334, (Farm Bill) removed hemp from the definition of marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act. Under the Farm Bill, hempderived products containing a concentration of up to 0.3% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are not controlled substances. THC is the primary psychoactive component of marijuana. Any product, including “Cannabidiol” (CBD) products, with a concentration of more than 0.3% THC remains classified as marijuana, a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act. Learn more at https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/ USDOT/bulletins/27bd19f

First section of Presque Isle Bypass completed...

Maine Department of Transportation completed the first section of the 'Presque Isle Bypass' in May of 2019. This section connects the Fort Road with the Conant Road and offers a safer and more convenient travel route for heavy trucks. Learn more - https:// mcusercontent.com/50356bc32e7c1ced15b258bf6 /files/5c4af92c-d442-4483-bebe-d3b962aaca51/ bypass.pdf

By April Wadsworth

Wadsworth Woodlands, Inc. is a forestry company based in Cornish, Maine whose foremost objective is to help landowners achieve their goals of natural resource management through land management plans, sustainable and responsible harvests of wood products, and active forest product marketing. This ensures the greatest return on your forestland investment, forest health, and promoting multi-use woodlands.

Our mission is to continue growing a long-term forest management company in order to provide continuity to current landowners, as well as future generations. Wadsworth Woodlands, Inc. was established in 1994, and is a multigenerational family-owned business that has now been in operation for 26 years and offers over 87 years of combined forestry experience.

We proudly serve small and large landowners and have written land management plans for over 162,000 acres of private land as well as for Land & Conservation

Trusts in Maine and New Hampshire. We believe that good forestry practices begin with good landowner relationships, and that long-term sustainability is achieved through responsible resource management. We offer the convenience of being a full-service forestry company, utilizing the expertise of our professional foresters who are licensed in Maine and New Hampshire. Our foresters are very diverse, having worked all over the great state of Maine from Fort Kent all the way to the New Hampshire/ Vermont border; and we pride ourselves on offering a wide range of experience, knowledge and technology coupled with excellent customer service. As with any vocation, we are always evolving and incorporating new technology and techniques; but are steadfast in remaining stewards of the forest.

It is so important to utilize a licensed forester in developing management objectives as well as providing guidance, and expertise to satisfy the landowners objectives for forest management and harvests. Our land management style focuses on uneven land management resulting in long term sustainability, and leaving behind the best growing stock to grow for future generations.

We specialize in Selective Timber Harvesting and utilize several different harvest techniques which include: Biomass Whole Tree Harvesting, Non-Biomass Whole Tree Harvesting, and Traditional Hand Crew. We facilitate and manage harvests from start to finish ensuring that the landowner’s objectives are met. We are a preferred supplier to the majority of local mills which allows us to guarantee the greatest financial return for the landowner’s wood products.

We utilize professional loggers who are both economically and environmentally focused, and create a healthy and improved forest stand poised to increase growth rates for the future. This includes working with many Maine Master Logger companies that are dedicated to professional harvest planning and the application of logging techniques that protect soil and water resources, cultural heritage, wildlife, and forest aesthetics while still maintaining returns for landowners.

GPS tracking is one technology Wadsworth employs to improve harvests.

We offer all the timber harvesting, forestry consulting and land management services a landowner would need to successfully manage their woodlot and grow their timber investment. Our team consists of four full time foresters all with BS degrees in Forestry from the University of Maine –Orono. On a daily basis all of them are either meeting with landowners, inspecting woodlots, writing Forest Management Plans, cruising and assessing your timber, supervising harvests, amongst a plethora of other activities.

Our clients put their trust in our qualifications and Wadsworth Continued Page 26

Wadsworth Continued from Page 25 judgement, and allow us to treat the woods with our professional expertise. The working relationships we’ve built allow us to view the woods on a personal level with a “treat the lands as if you owned it’ mentality; and we feel it is of the utmost importance to maintain frequent communication, be accessible, and provide continuous care regarding a client’s land; and these qualities cannot be underestimated.

One of the many strengths at Wadsworth Woodlands, Inc. is our ‘family’ mindset. Our family approach, we feel, creates a foundation of trust and gives each of our team members the drive to perform with accountability, purpose and to work together to manage the moving parts and sustain momentum. From the foresters to the administrative staff we diligently work together to ensure your experience with us is as seamless, and as easy as possible.

Wadsworth Woodlands, Inc. became a supporting member of the PLC in 2015 when we realized how effective they are in advocating for the timber harvesting and wood products industry - the PLC gets things done. We firmly believe they are the voice of Maine’s logging industry as they advocate for all of us through the various challenges of Maine’s forestry and logging industry.

The foundation of our company is to create and maintain strong, lasting relationships with both our clients and the mills. We feel strong relationships go hand in hand with good forestry practices; and we are committed to serving the individual forestry needs of our clients and their woodlands. As professional foresters, our mission is to provide landowners with a wide array of economical forestry services and bring our expertise and experience to responsibly work with their woodland.

We strive to always do our best in satisfying our client’s objectives, and in return we can feel good about our accomplishments. We believe that good forestry practices begin with good landowner relationships, and that longterm sustainability is achieved through responsible resource management. A well-managed, sustainable woodlot is good for you and even better for the forests!