Cadence is always a step ahead of our industry future challenges:

“New regulations in transportation continue to come our way increasing our costs,” says Rocky Caylor, President/CEO of Cadence Premier Logistics Inc. "We spend so much of our lives chasing singular goals in technologies that it's easy for us to forget the power of synergy; it is that mysterious dynamic whereby several factors come together to create a result far greater than the sum of its parts. Working with M2M in Motion and VisTracks, technology companies that actually care about the carrier - large, medium or small - have taken these dot-connecting opportunities, which can often reveal a wide range of possibilities that have been developing over many years and created a robust compliance platform, with ELD, In Cab Cameras, Tracking assets, and Driver scorecards that actually walk the talk. With all this being said, Cadence Premier Logistics is excited to put aside that singular thinking and work with the synergies of M2M in Motion and VisTracks."

Rocky Caylor
President/CEO
Cadence Premier Logistics

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

ITA Meets w/ Sen. Bertino-Tarrant, who signs on to co-sponsor ITA Legislation

LtoR: Caylor, Cappellett, Sen. Bertino-Tarrant, Hart

On Monday, ITA board members Rocky Caylor (Cadence Premier Logistics) and Mike Cappellett (TransChicago Truck Group), along with ITA Executive Director Matt Hart, met with State Senator Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant
D-Plainfield).  ITA met with the senator to discuss trucking industry issues in her district as well as to seek her support for HB 386, a bill initiated by ITA that would save truck owners up to $400 per truck per year.

ITA is pleased to report that the senator has signed on to co-sponsor HB 386.  She is the 35th State Senator to sign on as a co-sponsor to the legislation.  The fate of HB 386 rests with the Illinois State Senate where it is being sponsored by State Senator Martin Sandoval
(D-Chicago).  The legislation has already passed the House 109-3.

Now is the time for the trucking industry to come together and demand that lawmakers repeal this fee that singles out the trucking industry.  The CDF costs truck owners up to $400/truck/year in additional fees.

Call your State Senator immediately.  Ask them to SUPPORT HB 386 and ask if they would sign on as a
co-sponsor to HB 386.  Let your voice be heard.

A Message from our President/CEO Rocky Caylor

ATA Reports that Freight Transportation Will See Continued Growth in Years to Come

Forecast Being Used to Help Develop Future Strategies at Trucking Companies
 
As the economy grows, so does the trucking industry. Last month, the U.S. Freight Transportation Forecast to 2027, compiled by the American Trucking Association (ATA), predicted that the future of freight transportation will grow in both freight volume and the amount of goods being transported by trucks over the next 20 years.

ATA President and CEO Chris Spear explained that Forecast “has proven to be a valuable tool for everyone from industry leaders to government policy makers.” This prediction will be used as a guideline to help trucking companies develop strategies for the future, improve revenue and find methods to improve shipping.

The Forecast suggested that overall revenue for the industry will rise nearly 66 percent and tonnage will increase 24 percent by 2022. This increase is due to the growth in the overall economy, according to ATA’s Chief Economist Bob Costello. “As we continue to see growth in the overall economy, particularly due to manufacturing, consumer spending and international trade, we will also see increases in the amount of freight moved in America’s trucks,” Costello reported on ATA’s website.

However, as the trucking industry is seeing growth, other modes of transportation may see a decline in tonnage and revenue. The ATA predicts that by 2022, rail transportation may only account for 14.6% of the transportation industry compared to 15.3% it accounted for in 2010. Rail and water transportation will lose market share to pipelines as the U.S. energy production grows.

In contrast to the growing trucking industry, driver shortage is continuing to be a problem across the industry and is expected to worsen as drivers retire and hiring qualified truck drivers becomes more and more difficult.  The ATA reasons that the shortage may be due to factors such as demographic, regulatory and the fact that drivers may be away from home for long periods of time. The increase in trucks on the road in the coming years may present a problem for companies if there is a shortage in drivers. That is why organizations such as Trucking Moves America Forward (TMAF) are working to ensure the trucking industry remains thriving.

"We do know as long as our economy continues to grow, trucks will continue to move the vast majority of America’s goods, underscoring our industry’s critical role in our country’s future,” Spear reported on ATA’s website. Trucks are essential to our daily lives and there are no signs that the industry is slowing. Which is good news because as TMAF puts it - when trucks stop moving, the country stops moving.

Information sources, ATA and Robert’s Perryman PC

A Message from our President/CEO Rocky Caylor

Why You Should Vote "YES" on the Safe Roads Amendment Nov. 8

by Matthew W. Hart, ITA Executive Director
 
On November 8, we have the opportunity to exercise one of our rights as Americans: to go to the polling place and to vote. November 8 will also mark the end to a very bitter and ugly battle for many political offices.
 
According to the Associated Press, 78% of Americans are dissatisfied or angry with the way the federal government is working, and 62% of you are dissatisfied or angry with the way state and local government is working.
 
One of the reasons for such a low level of trust in Illinois is because elected officials have been saying one thing and then doing another once they are elected to office.
 
A prime example of this behavior is the unprecedented raiding of the state's Road Fund to pay for things that have nothing to do with your roads. At least $6.8 Billion has been diverted from the Road Fund over the past several years. Money that you have paid when you fill up your gas tank has been collected by the state with the understanding that the money would be used for building and maintaining the roads you travel. Unfortunately, this hasn't been happening in Illinois.
 
Lawmakers have been diverting money out of the Road Fund for more than a decade in Illinois. When you fill your tank, you pay taxes of 19 cents per gallon for gasoline and 21.5 cents per gallon for diesel fuel; money that is supposed to be used to repair the street in front of your house. That money is also supposed to be used to add lanes to the highway you use each day travelling to and from work.
 
With the push of a button, lawmakers in Springfield have been voting for decades to sweep your motor fuel tax money away from the Road Fund, and your tax money has been used to prop up state spending in other areas.
  
Now you have the opportunity to tell lawmakers to keep their hands off of the Road Fund. On November 8, you have the chance to tell politicians that the motor fuel tax, a tax that you pay to fund our roads and bridges, should actually be used to fund our roads and bridges.
 
This year's "Safe Roads Amendment" is of even greater interest to the trucking industry in Illinois because we pay the greatest share of motor fuel taxes in the state.  Trucking only accounts for 9 percent of the vehicle miles traveled in the state, yet we pay 43 percent of all taxes and fees owed by Illinois motorists.  So shouldn't we support the effort to actually keep our highway tax money in the Road Fund?
 
You might not be excited about some of the names on your ballot next Tuesday, but you can confidently vote to tell lawmakers that the tax money you already pay should be used to keep our roads safe.
 
On November 8, vote "YES" on the Safe Roads Amendment.

The Future is Closer!

A message from our Chairman and Founder Tom Maciulis.

Newly updated as of 9/8/16.

Cadence Premier Logistics is excited to announce the ground breaking of our new corporate home in Joliet.  Two thoughts went in to the design of our new home, Our People and Our Customers.  The key to our success today and moving into the future is our strong core values and culture.  Our new facility is being designed to give our drivers all the comforts of home, this includes; our new overnight bunk rooms, state of the art drivers lounge, full kitchen and cafeteria, health facility which includes indoor soccer and much more.
 
By listening to our associates and customers our new facility will allow us to expand on our values and culture, providing meaningful opportunities for professional growth and successful experiences, attracting, retaining and developing the great employees that help us provide the high quality services our customers deserve.

Senate Committee Approves 73-Hour Cap on Driver Hours

The US Senate Appropriations Committee voted 30-0 on Thursday to restore a legislative drafting error that put the 34-hour restart at risk. 

However, the amendment from Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) also included a cap of 73 hours for truck drivers in any 7 day period.

Last week, the Illinois Trucking Association met on Capitol Hill with the offices of US Senators Richard Durbin and Mark Kirk.  ITA urged both Senators to ensure the 34-hour restart is retained, but ITA opposes a cap on driver hours.  Instead ITA supports the existing hours of service regulations.  Both Senators Durbin and Kirk sit on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The focus now turns to the House Appropriations Committee. ITA's Rocky Caylor (Cadence Premier), Michele Schafer (Triple G Enterprises) met with Congressman Dan Lipinski, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, last week as part of the ITA Call on Washington (pictured). Points of discussion were ELDs, HOS and the current driver shortages. Caylor, Schafer, Contreras and Bidochka stressed the need to fix the legislative drafting error that has put the 34-hour restart in jeopardy.

From Left to Right: Caylor, Schafer, Lipinski, Contreras, Bidochka

Picture far left is Chariman Congressman Schuster (PA), Congressman Mike Bost (IL), and far right is Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL)

From our Chairman Tom Maciulis and President CEO Rocky Caylor

Cadence Premier Logistics takes pride in being a leader, pioneer, and innovator of safer operations in the transportation and logistics industry.  During this past year we have looked at ways to enhance the values and culture of our family.  One specific component of our Continuous Improvement process has been establishing a solid working relationship with the Department of Labor’s (DOL), Veterans’ Employment and Training Service(VETS) Regional Outreach Team, Employment Manager Eric Asmussen. This all started with the assistance from the American Trucking Association (ATA), specifically Elisabeth Barna at this year’s ATA MCE. As our President, I’ve worked with veterans groups over the past several years. Tom, our Chairman, asked our executive team to elevate working with veterans to the highest level.  Most companies DO NOT go beyond just making that public announcement about how they support and are committed to our veterans, then hoping or assuming that the men and women of our armed forces will just send a resume or pick up the phone and call them.  Well my friends, and as a veteran, that is not the case.  This process is a commitment needed from the whole organization and needs to be planned and executed.  At Cadence we are committed to success in everything we do as a team.
 
During this process with DOL VETS we’ve introduced our driver programs at Cadence and the unique opportunities we provide not just to civilian driver candidates, but to those veterans that want to pursue a career in a growing industry. From our ability to assist a Veteran entrepreneur who wants to buy or lease their own equipment and begin building their own fleet, to training new and existing drivers with our Driver Simulator, and our CVSA trained “Train the Trainer” managers, we back words with quality actions.
 
Today we had the honor and pleasure to take that first step with Reginald “Reggie” Whitley, Illinois Department of Employment and Security (IDES), Veterans Employment Representative, Reggie also served with the US Army as a Ranger.  Starting in January of 2016, Cadence will be working hand in hand with the Illinois Department of Employment as well as local Chicagoland community development groups specifically in the driver training and placement, as well as, workshops to share industry knowledge.
 
In closing, the Cadence Team extends a warm and sincere Thank You to all the associates at the US Department of Labor and Illinois Department of Employment and Security for all your hard work and dedication.
 
Stay tuned for our next news release that will detail our new camera and ELD technologies Cadence and M2M In Motion have developed and tested, taking a motor carriers actionable needs to the next level.

The Annual ATA MCE

Cadence Premier was represented at the annual ATA MCE in Philadelphia by our President/CEO Rocky Caylor. Pictured above is the American Trucking Association sub-committee on HOS, Hours of Service, meeting.   During the meeting many topics, one of which was the new mandate on ELD.  Please see the caption below and FMCSA link as provided by HDT.

FMCSA ANNOUNCES ELECTRONIC MANDATE

By December 2017, an approximately 3 million commercial drivers will have thrown out their paper logbooks. The long-anticipated rule requiring electronic logging devices (ELDs) for truck and bus driver hours of service was announced Thursday morning.  NOTE:  The rule is scheduled for official publication on Frida, Dec. 11.  To read or get a copy of the ELD Final Rule it will be available at: www.fmcsa.dot.gov/hours-service/elds/electronic-logging-devices-and-hours-service-supporting-documents.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

While attending the recent American Trucking Association Management Conference in Philadelphia, Cadence Premier President/CEO Rocky Caylor, had the honor of attending an private reception for Congressman Bill Schuster, Pennsylvania. Congressman Schuster, is the Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, as well as sitting on the House Armed Services Committee.  Also pictured to the left of Congressman Schuster is Barbara Windsor, CEO HAHN Transportation Inc.  Barbara was also the first woman to Chair the ATA, American Trucking Association, 2010 to 2011.

What Resulted from the House-Senate Conference Committee
On December 4, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act highway bill (dubbed the "FAST Act 2015"). The five - year, $305 billion dollar highway funding bill includes several important trucking regulatory reforms and also represents the longest termed highway bill in decades. The Act mandates a series of long term homework projects for the FMCSA with the goal of clearing the smoke and mirrors effect from certain issues such as CSA scores, driver detention issues, and insurance matters. To save you the trouble of perusing the approximately 1,300 pages of Act (unless you've been eagerly anticipating the read, then consider this a spoiler alert) we've highlighted some important changes that directly impact our industry:

• The infamous CSA scores are no more for the time being. Much of the information contained on the FMCSA website that was previously available and that related to carriers' performance is no longer on display. Carriers' percentile rankings and the seven SMS BASICS are among the bulk of the data that has been temporarily removed. The bill requires the FMCSA to perform in-depth studies on issues like carriers' crash risk and the correlation between CSA scores and the carriers' likelihood of crashes. This study is due to be produced to Congress within 18 months of the bill becoming law. Congress has required that the FMCSA implement a "corrective action plan" before it can allow public view of the carrier information previously contained on its website.
   
• The FMCSA must study and provide Congress with a report on how driver detention at shippers and receivers' facilities impede the efficiency of US freight movement, as well as the impact the detention might have on drivers' schedules or wages.
   
• The FMCSA must also provide a report to Congress concerning carrier liability insurance minimums and whether they should be raised from their current values. Liability for general freight carriers is $750,000.00.
   
• The Act allows carriers to use drivers' hair as a source of material for drug testing, in lieu of urine tests, but only after the Department of Health and Human Services establishes a clear guideline for hair testing. The DHHS is expected to report to Congress with some guidelines within one year.
   
• The rulemaking process for the FMCSA has undergone new regulations, and the FMCSA must include a "regulatory impact analysis" for each new rule it institutes, which must show the effect the rule might have on carriers of various sizes. The Act requires the analysis to utilize data that represents the commercial motor carrier industry that would be impacted by the rule.
   
• The FMCSA must change the rules to allow military veterans with experience driving equipment that is similar to heavy-duty trucks to more easily obtain a CDL and drive a truck as a civilian. Specifically, the FMCSA must allow their military driving experience to count towards driving skills and tests and their medical certifications could be obtained from VA doctors rather than those in the FMCSA's registry.

For as many things as the bill included, there exists a list of things notably absent from the final, signed draft:

• The final version does not contain a measure to permit 18-21 year old CDL holders to drive interstate. The preliminary House and Senate bills included measures to let states enter into a compact to allow 18-21 years olds to cross state lines. The final version, however, sets up a "controlled study" to be performed by the FMCSA to collect data on under-21 year old drivers who are former military members and study the benefits and safety issues.
   
• There is no provision allowing for an increase in federal weight limits. Trucking lobbyist groups pushed for an increase from the current 80,000 pounds to 91,000 pounds and increasing the maximum allowed length of tandem trailers to 33 feet from the current 28 feet. 
   
• The Act provides no "hiring standards" provision (thankfully). The original House highway bill had criteria that encouraged shippers and brokers to hire only carriers with "satisfactory" safety ratings. Critics of the House highway bill balked, stating that the provision would wreak havoc on a majority of small trucking companies who are "unrated" by the FMCSA. 
   
• The Denham Amendment, promulgated by Representative Jeff Denham (R-Calif.), sought to clarify a recent court ruling issued by a federal appellate court. The Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act (FAAA) prohibits states from enacting laws that interfere with motor carrier prices, routes, or service. However, the federal ruling last year held that a California law mandating meal and rest break for workers in the states superseded FAA. The Denham Amendment would have explicitly provided that states cannot regulate truckers who fall under federal Hours of Service regulations.
   
• The final bill also eliminated the provision in the Senate's original bill that allowed tolling on existing interstate lanes and the use of toll money for use outside of the US interstate system.

Overall, the Act shows promise in paving a way for a better future for those of us in the transportation industry. We are all painfully aware of the FMCSA's need to take the CSA score concept back to the proverbial drawing board. Hopefully the new system will provide a less harsh view of some of the more (relatively speaking) benign issues that blemish some of our reports. Improvements in CSA reporting may also help defend trucking companies sued in litigation, as plaintiffs' attorneys often exaggerate what would otherwise be seen as relatively minor disclosures. Of course the impact of this Act may hit more forcefully once the FMCSA generates the numerous reports it has been assigned to prepare and provide and that concern very important aspects of the transportation industry. The agency has been given a hefty homework assignment and it remains to be seen whether the curve is in its favor.

Information source: Roberts Perryman PC.

Congress Passes 5-Year Highway Bill; What Does It Mean for Trucking?

Earlier this year, our President and CEO, Rocky Caylor accompanied the Illinois Trucking Association contingency to the “ITA Call On Washington”. The trip was essential in supporting the increased funding bill for our nation’s highways and bridges, among other safety and economic issues facing the trucking industry.

The US Senate and Congress both stamped their approval on a new multi-year, federal highway bill this week and sent it to White House where President Obama is expected to sign the bill as early as today.  Noticeably missing from the FAST (Fixing America's Surface Transportation) Act is a meaningful increase to funding for our nation's highways and bridges.
 
The ITA would like to thank our state trucking association affiliates and especially our national affiliate, the American Trucking Associations, who fought hard over the past several months to include many pro-trucking pieces to the final bill while also fighting off anti-trucking amendments that would have made our industry less safe and cost us more in taxes and fees. Click here for the initial analysis of the FAST Act from the ATA.