Formerly the North Carolina Traffic League, Inc.
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TRANS WORKER IDENTIFICATION CREDENTIAL PROGRAM
TWIC is a system-wide common credential that can be used across all transportation modes. The program was developed in response to threats and vulnerabilities identified in the transportation system and is in accordance with the legislative provisions of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act and the Maritime Transportation Security Act. The TWIC will positively tie the person to their credential and to their threat assessment. The credential will then be used with the local facility access control system to allow unescorted access to those in possession of a valid TWIC card. TSA and the US Coast Guard have jointly developed a proposed rule to implement the TWIC for the maritime mode. The TWIC program will enhance security at US Transportation facilities while boosting the efficiency of commercial activity. Up to 850,000 maritime ports transportation workers are expected to participate in the initial rollout of the program over 18 months starting by the end of 2006. Initially this will include enrollment centers in 125 different ports located in 38 states. Lockheed Martin has been awarded the TWIC contract for $70 million. The TWIC cards will cost drivers $137.25 for first-time applicants and a discounted fee of $105.25 if they have already undergone TSA-mandated background checks for haz mat or for the agency’s border clearance program. The card will be valid for five years and must then be renewed. 

NEW CHAIR OF THE NC HOUSE TRANS COMMITTEE
Rep. Becky Carney, D-Mecklenburg is now the sole chair of the NC House Transportation Committee for 2007 and 2008. Her top priority is the redistribution of the existing funding. She said in a recent interview that there would probably be no further funding from Washington for states for surface transportation. Ms. Carney also stated that she is in favor of toll roads in NC and that congestion would change for the better once the toll roads are built.

YADKIN RIVER BRIDGE TOLLS CONSIDERED
The NC Turnpike Authority is considering in a study of using tolls to pay for a new bridge over the Yadkin River between Charlotte and Greensboro. A proposed new eight-lane bridge, part of a $189 million project along heavily traveled I-85 is not slated for funding until at least 2014. A new bridge which connects Rowan and Davidson County would be so expensive that it would consume all road-building money in a five-county region for the next seven years. David Joyner, executive director of the turnpike authority has estimated the total cost is closer to $350 to $400 million, double the DOT’s estimate. A toll bridge would require lawmakers’ approval. The old bridge has very narrow shoulders with just two lanes in each direction.

SOME CARRIERS TO BUY NEW 07 EQUIPMENT
Some carriers plan to purchase the new 2007 EPA-certified class 8 equipment. VP Mike Hasinee of Penske Leasing said that Penske plans to purchase 7,000 to 8,000 class 8 trucks with the 2007 engine from various manufacturers including International and Freightliner during 2007. EPA certified 07 engines drive up the cost per model from $7,000 to $9,000. Penske is also training some 5,000 technicians to maintain the new engines and has also purchased diagnostic software for all 700 of its locations and is preparing orientation sheets to be given to drivers of its rentals. Some carriers estimate that the new engines will cause a 1%-3% drop in fuel efficiency.  

ETHANOL WON’T STEM CONSUMPTION
Michael Economides, a professor of chemical and bio-molecular engineering at the University of Houston, has stated that President Bush’s plan to increase ethanol production would not reduce the country’s overall energy consumption or help the US move away from oil as its main source of energy for transportation. The comments were made during a meeting of the SMC3. Economides said that there was not enough corn production to produce the 35 billion gallons of alternative fuels by 2017 as required by the Bush plan and that if the country started importing corn, the increased cost would not make the plan feasible. 

CONTAINER SCANNING TO COST $160 MILLION
The US Congressional Budget Office has released a cost estimate of $160 million for the Federal government to scan containers over the next five years. These costs would be in addition to the $140 annual cost of the Container Security Initiative. The cost of electronic seals would be borne by the private sector. Total cost will exceed $131 million in 2007 alone if the bill is adopted. 

NC FURNITURE INCENTIVES
A NC General Assembly study panel has proposed incentives and tax breaks to help keep the NC furniture industry competitive with cheap imports. The group would exempt furniture factories from property taxes and give tax credits for job creation and expansion. A recommendation was also made that the state spend $2 million for a new furniture technology center in Hickory and create a fund of up to $5 million to support the state’s furniture industry. NC lost one third of its furniture manufacturing jobs between 1996 and 2006. There are 50,870 furniture manufacturing jobs remaining. 

NC WILL OUTSOURCE ROADSIDE UPKEEP
The NC DOT opened bids on January 25 to award $5 million annually to hire a private firm to maintain its 131 miles of interstates in the Charlotte region which would cover all the interstates in Mecklenburg, Gaston and Cleveland counties. The contractor will decide how to divide its staff and money to maintain signs, repair guardrails and fill potholes, mow grass to a height between 6-15 inches and keep litter picked up (no more than 100 pieces of fist-sized litter every 0.2 miles). 

GREYHOUND TO BE BOUGHT
British bus and train operator FirstGroup PLC has announced a $2.8 billion deal to acquire Greyhound owner Laidlaw International Inc whose business is focused on its fleet of 40,000 school buses. The transaction would pair the two largest school bus operators in the US and Canada and give the combined company 40 percent of the school bus market.

REMINDER TO PARTICIPANTS IN THE NMFC
It is unlawful to interline NMFC (National Motor Freight Classification) class-rated shipments by or with nonparticipants. Congress specifically reaffirmed the requirement that carriers electing to use or rely on the NMFC in any way must establish participation in that collective tariff, supported by the Transportation Industry Regulatory Reform Act of 1994 (TIRRA) and 49 U.S.C. par. 13703(f)(1)(B). A NMFTA Seminar on how to use the NMFC will be held in Charlotte NC on June 11. Cost is $300.00 per person and $250.00 to NMFC Motor Carrier participants, with a 10% discount for 3 or more registrants from the same company. For more information contact the NMFTA at 703-838-1813 or beck@nmfta.org 

SEMINAR ON NEW UPC 600 RULES
A full day seminar on the New UCP 600 Rules (Get Ready for Major Changes) is being sponsored by United Parcel Service and SunTrust Bank Tuesday May 1, 2007 at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro. The cost is $125.00 for members and $150.00 for non-members. For more information please contact John Schmonsees at 336-333-5345.

T&L COUNCIL ANNUAL CONFERENCE
The Transportation & Logistics Council will hold a joint conference with the Transportation Loss Prevention & Security Association “Education for Transportation Professionals” at the Hotel Royal Plaza Lake Buena Vista Florida April 16-18, 2007. The Conference will address many current transportation and legal issues and topics. Cost is $495.00 for members and $595.00 for non-members. For more information please contact the Transportation & Logistics Council at 631-549-8984 or email tlc@transportlaw.com 

ROADWAY EXPRESS REWARDS SAFE DRIVERS
Roadway Express has rewarded five truck drivers that have driven a total of more than five million miles with no accidents, according to David Thompson, field safety manager. The drivers are Lance Farthing, Easley SC, (3 million miles) Robert Easterling of Salisbury NC, Louis Tucker of Concord, Neil Davis and Nick Ogrodnick. (1 million miles) Each driver received a cab for his exclusive use with the driver’s name and driving milestone painted on the side as well as a plaque, pin and belt buckle. 

PARKING PERK
Workers at a Ford Motor Plant in Dearborn, Michigan were told not to park in the company lot unless they drive a Ford or a vehicle manufactured by a Ford subsidiary. Non-Ford driving employees must park in a lot that is farther away.

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