Bowlin Travel Centers, headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been serving the traveling public in the Southwest for more than 100 years. Today the travel center company is led by President and CEO Michael Bowlin and has grown considerably since it started as a single-store operation in New Mexico.
NATSO
Host a Driver Event Like Shell Rotella SuperRigs
White’s Travel Plaza hosted the 36th annual Shell Rotella SuperRigs event in June. White’s, which is owned by NATSO member Bobby Berkstresser and located on I-81 in Raphine, Virginia, is always a popular location, and when you add a spectacular event like the Shell Big Rigs, it becomes even more of a draw.
Rhode Island DOT Files Motion to Dismiss Lawsuit Challenging Truck-Only Tolls
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the American Trucking Associations, Cumberland Farms Inc., M&M Transport Services and New England Motor Freight challenging the states truck-only tolls, arguing that they are asking the court to do something that it lacks jurisdiction to do. In a motion filed Aug. 24 in the U.S. District Court of Rhode Island, RIDOT cited the Tax Injunction Act, which restricts the power of the federal district courts to prevent the collection or enforcement of state taxes, as well as the 11th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
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FMCSA Considers Tweaks to Hours-of-Service Regs
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) on Aug. 21 announced that it is seeking public comment on revising four specific areas of the federal rules that govern truck driver’s sleep and rest, also known as Hours of Service.
NATSO Comments to EPA on Renewable Fuel Standard
NATSO submitted formal comments to the Environmental Protection Agency on August 17, outlining the off-highway fuel retailer community’s concerns with how the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) has been implemented in recent months, while providing the Agency several ideas for how the RFS can be improved. The comments are in response to the Agency’s proposed renewable fuel mandates for 2019. Those numbers will not be finalized until November.
Anti-Tolling Coalition: Toll Studies Overpromise Riches
The Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates (ATFI) urged Connecticut residents to be wary of the state’s plan to study tolling of state highways citing a long history of tolling studies that have misled policymakers into thinking tolls are practical infrastructure funding solution, when in fact, they are not.
NATSO Analysis: Trump Administration Seeks To Roll Back CAFE Standards
The Environmental Protection Agency on August 2 released its long-awaited proposal to freeze fuel efficiency standards for cars and light-duty trucks.
NATSO Analysis: Chairman Shuster Infrastructure Proposal
This week retiring House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) released draft legislation outlining his vision for enhanced infrastructure investment. The draft legislation is designed to facilitate a process whereby the United States can recalibrate how it pays for infrastructure as it moves into the middle part of the 21st Century, while at the same time providing a mechanism to adequately fund such investment in the near-term as the process plays out. Although many stakeholders — including NATSO — object to certain provisions in the draft legislation, it nonetheless represents a important continuation of — and positive shift in — the discussion President Trump started when he released his own infrastructure proposal earlier this year.
Congressman Shuster Unveils Infrastructure Vision
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) on July 23 unveiled his framework for the future of infrastructure policy, which included encouraging states to lease their infrastructure assets to the private sector as well as temporarily boosting the motor fuels tax until it can be replaced with per-mile fees.
Labor Update: DOL Rescinds Persuader Rule, NLRB Rejects Joint Employer Settlement
The Department of Labor (DOL) announced July 17 that it would rescind an Obama-era rule known as the Persuader Rule. This 2016 regulation would have required more disclosures from employers that work with consultants to counter union activities. The rule required employers and consultants to disclose not only when they reached an agreement regarding activities to persuade employees about “how or whether to exercise their collective bargaining rights,” but also when consultants simply provided advice, including “recommending drafts of or revisions to…speeches and communications” that were intended to influence employees with regard to collective bargaining and other organizational rights.