Industry News

Maine Commercial Tire Opens Waterville Location

PRESS RELEASE Maine Commercial Tire has been servicing the heavy equipment tire needs in Maine with its four locations for more than 30 years. For 25 of those years MCT operated a location on Leighton Road in Augusta that was too small for them the day they moved in. This February the 4,000-square-foot Augusta location […]

Trucking Industry Applauds Introduction of DRIVE Safe Act

Arlington, VA — Today, American Trucking Associations applauded the introduction of the DRIVE Safe Act in both the U.S. House and Senate by a group of bipartisan legislators. The legislation addresses the economy’s growing shortage of professional truck drivers by expanding job opportunities for younger members of the trucking workforce, while also strengthening safety training […]

FMCSA extends CDL/CLP and Medical Card Waiver

February 17, 2021 FMCSA issued another extension to the previous CDL/CLP and Medical Examination waivers that were set to expire the end of this month. This waiver becomes effective on March 1, 2021 and expires on May 31, 2021. NOTE: MMTA has been advising members for months that renewal of CDLs and Medical cards should […]

John W. Austin Memorial Scholarship Fund Increases Future Awards

After decades of helping Maine students achieve their educational and training goals, the MMTA is pleased to announce exciting changes to the John W. Austin Memorial Scholarship Fund starting with this year’s applicants. In the past, scholarships have generally been for $1,000 for graduating high school seniors seeking higher education, including technical training, in areas […]

FMCSA Extends Emergency Declaration – Expires May 31, 2021

FMCSA announced that they have extended the Emergency Declaration that was set to expire on February 28th. This extension includes the same regulatory relief for motor carriers and drivers providing direct assistance in support of relief efforts related to COVID-19, as included in the December 1st declaration. This expanded declaration is limited to the transportation […]

Tax Conformity – Today’s Update

Today, the Taxation Committee discussed the Governor’s recent proposal regarding tax conformity for companies receiving PPP loans.  In a nutshell, Governor Mills is proposing full tax conformity for businesses that received under $1,000,000 in PPP loans. Additionally, those businesses that received over $1,000,000 would get full conformity on the first $1,000,000 and then the remaining […]

Maine’s Paid Leave Law and Trucking

Maine Motor Transport Association has received numerous calls from members regarding the new Earned Paid Leave (EPL) law that became effective on January 1, 2021 specific to their trucking operations. It is important to note that the new law does not impact employers with 10 or fewer employees or those with a collective bargaining agreement […]

CDL HAZMAT EXPIRATIONS

FMCSA has issued an extension of the waiver for CDL’s and CLP’s that became effective 1/1/2021 and is set to expire on 2/28/2021. This waiver is outlined in the blue text below. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), however, did not renew the exemption for waiver of the Security Threat Assessment (STA) which is required in […]