In the early beginnings of the CVTA, the Founders of our Association were fortunate to find a man that would leave an indelible mark on all those that would come and go within this organization.  His passion for the success of a then young fledgling association was unwavering, and through the years, those he helped to succeed never doubted his abilities or his desire to be of service to its members.

He had an infallible zest for life, always lived to the fullest on his own terms.  He had an eccentric and slightly warped sense of humor with a clear love of language and the power of the written word.

Anyone who spent time with Mike knew how much he loved his family, his Irish Heritage and love of his Boston Red Sox.

He was respected by many... and a friend to a fortunate few.  He was always ready to "fight the fight" in the best interests of those that needed his help.

He was quite simply one of a kind.

On the afternoon of April 20th, 2013, Kevin Michael O'Connell finally gave up the fight and passed peacefully at his home in the presence of family.  Our Association and many distinctive members of the professional community mourn the loss of this unique and special voice for our industry.

As soon as we have more information about viewing and funeral we will send them out to you.  In lieu of flowers the family has asked that donations be made to the Diabetes Association.     

In Loving Memory

Kevin "Mike" O'Connell

September 2, 1950 ~ April 20, 2013

"You may say I'm a dreamer...

But I'm not the only one...

I hope someday you'll join us,

And the world will live as one."

- Imagine by John Lennon

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced the appointment of a new chairman, vice chairman and five additional members to its Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee.

Stephen C. Owings is the first representative from the safety advocacy community to be named chairman of the MCSAC. Owings and his wife, Susan, founded Road Safe America in 2003 in honor of their son, Cullum, who was tragically killed in 2002 when struck by a tractor-trailer.

Owings replaces David Parker of Great West Casualty Co. as chairman. Parker has served as MCSAC chairman since its inception in 2007.

Lt. Col. Scott G. Hernandez of the Colorado State Patrol was appointed vice chairman. Hernandez is the interim chief of the Colorado State Patrol and will become MCSAC chairman upon the conclusion of Owings’s two-year term.

Established by Congress in 2006, the MCSAC is charged with providing information, advice and recommendations to FMCSA on safety programs and regulations for large trucks and commercial buses. The MCSAC is composed of stakeholders from the motor carrier safety advocacy, safety enforcement, labor and industry communities.

The five new MCSAC members who will begin their terms on April 1, 2013, are:

• Gary Catapano, senior vice president of safety, First Student Inc.

• Bruce Hamilton, president, Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 1700

• Robert Mills, police officer, Fort Worth, Texas, Police Department

• Donald Osterberg, senior vice president of safety and security, Schneider National Inc.

• Tami Friedrich Trakh, board member, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways

• Jennifer Tierney, board member, CRASH, (Voting Alternate Member)

Additionally, Administrator Anne Ferro reappointed ten members to the committee. They are:

• LaMont Byrd, director of health and safety, International Brotherhood of Teamsters

• Norman (Bill) Dofflemyer, captain, Maryland State Police

• Scott Hernandez, interim chief, Colorado State Patrol

• John Lannen, executive director, Truck Safety Coalition

• Jane Mathis, member, board of directors, Parents Against Tired Truckers (P.A.T.T.)

• Stephen C. Owings, president, Road Safe America

• Pete Pantuso, president and chief executive officer, American Bus Association

• David Parker, senior legal counsel, Great West Casualty Co.

• Danny Schnautz, operations manager, Clark Freight Lines, Inc.

• Todd Spencer, executive vice president, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association

With these appointments, the committee now has its full complement of 20 members.

Brad Ball, Roadmaster Drivers Schools and Chuck Wirth, American Institute of Trucking recently participated in a panel entitled From Text Book to Log Book. The panel was held at the Truckload Carriers Association – Recruiting and Retention Conference, February 11-13, 2013 at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel.

The session discussed how carriers and truck driver training schools should work together to recruit and retain new drivers to the industry. You will learn the best practices for building a good relationship with a school, what the roles of carriers and the schools should be in the relationship, and how to share information and resources to ensure that newly trained drivers have a smooth transition from their CDL training to being on the road alone.

• The top reasons truck driving schools find that new drivers leave the industry and how to mitigate those concerns
• Best practices for recruiters presenting to drivers-in-training at truck driver training schools
• Matching the carrier’s business model to the school’s operational model to benefit both parties

Consistent with the USA Today article, the U.S. Department of Labor has issued a prediction which is very favorable to the truck driving career. The current Occupational Outlook Handbook contains the following quote which can be shared with prospective students:

Employment of heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers is projected to grow 21 percent from 2010 to 2020, faster than the average of all occupations.

As the economy grows, the demand for goods will increase, and more truck drivers will be needed to keep supply chains moving. Trucks transport most of the freight in the United States, so as households and businesses increase their spending, the trucking industry will grow.

CITATION: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Heavy and Tractor-trailer Truck Drivers, on the Internet at bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/heavy-and-tractor-trailer-truck-drivers.htm

On January 7, 2013, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) held a public listening session to solicit feedback for implementing an Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) rule. ELDT requirements would be in addition to requirements to acquire a CDL. FMCSA had proposed a rule in December 2007 which the driver education industry opposes the rule for requiring training institutions be accredited by a Department of Education-certified accrediting agency and for mandating training requirements based upon hours of instruction rather than trainee mastery of the skill taught, among other issues. However, the MAP-21 highway legislation requires FMCSA to promulgate an ELDT rule by October 2013 and FMCSA held this listening session as the first step in doing so.

CVTA would like to thank our "Dream Team" who attended the FMCSA Listening sessions in Charlotte.

• John Frey, Werner Industries,
  Representing Commercial Vehicle Training Association
   
• Mark Greenberg, NETTTS,
  Representing the Commercial Driver Training Foundation
   
• Richard Reiser, Werner Industries,
  Representing Werner Industries
   
• Chuck Wirth, American Institute of Truck Driving School,
  Representing Accredited Schools
   
• Brad Ball, Roadmaster,
  Representing Non-Accredited Schools

Under John Frey's guidance as Chairman of this committee, these CVTA members spent hours on numerous conference calls and personal time crafting the comments submitted. We would also like to recognize Chuck Wirth and Lou Spoonhour for updating our comments from 2007 and producing CVTA comments that ensure all our members are well represented. Other committee members include John Rojas and Cheryl Hanley.
 
We would also like to acknowledge Boyd Stephenson from ATA for his participation and guidance with this project. We appreciate ATA's support and especially Boyd's assistance on this project.
 
To watch our "Dream Team" you can click on the link below:

• Morning Session
• Afternoon Session

Also if you wish to review the comments submitted please click on the links below:

• CVTA Comments
• CDTFI Comments

On January 7, 2013, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) held a public listening session to solicit feedback for implementing an Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) rule. ELDT requirements would be in addition to requirements to acquire a CDL. FMCSA had proposed a rule in December 2007 which the driver education industry opposes the rule for requiring training institutions be accredited by a Department of Education-certified accrediting agency and for mandating training requirements based upon hours of instruction rather than trainee mastery of the skill taught, among other issues. However, the MAP-21 highway legislation requires FMCSA to promulgate an ELDT rule by October 2013 and FMCSA held this listening session as the first step in doing so.
 
CVTA would like to thank our "Dream Team" who attended the FMCSA Listening sessions in Charlotte.

• John Frey, Werner Industries, Representing Commercial Vehicle Training Association
• Mark Greenberg, NETTTS, Representing the Commercial Driver Training Foundation
• Richard Reiser, Werner Industries, Representing Werner Industries
• Chuck Wirth, American Institute of Truck Driving School, Representing Accredited Schools
• Brad Ball, Roadmaster, Representing Non-Accredited Schools

Under John Frey's guidance as Chairman of this committee, these CVTA members spent hours on numerous conference calls and personal time crafting the comments submitted. We would also like to recognize Chuck Wirth and Lou Spoonhour for updating our comments from 2007 and producing CVTA comments that ensure all our members are well represented. Other committee members include John Rojas and Cheryl Hanley.
 
We would also like to acknowledge Boyd Stephenson from ATA for his participation and guidance with this project. We appreciate ATA's support and especially Boyd's assistance on this project.
 
To watch our "Dream Team" you can click on the link below:

• Morning Session
• Afternoon Session

Also if you wish to review the comments submitted please click on the links below:

• CVTA Comments
• CDTFI Comments

CVTA was honored to be a part of Wreaths Across America. We look forward to our continual participation in the years to come. Thanks to the many CVTA Members who donated to this worthy cause.

Stars and Stripes
Published: December 15, 2012

ARLINGTON, Va. — What began as a goodwill gesture by a Maine businessman who found himself with a surplus of Christmas wreaths two decades ago continued its annual growth trend Saturday when 20,000 volunteers took part in the Wreaths Across America event at Arlington National Cemetery.

Merrill Worcester, owner of the Worcester Wreath Co. in Harrington, Me., marked a special milestone Saturday by presenting the program's one millionth wreath to Gold Star mother Mary Byers, whose son, Army Capt. Joshua Byers, was killed in Afghanistan in 2003. Byers, her husband, Lloyd, and Army Sgt. Justin Lansford — who was severely wounded by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in April —  later placed it at the grave of Vietnam veteran Wilbur Tresvant in Arlington's Section 60.

Also joining in the placing of wreaths were Maine Gov. Paul LePage and his wife, Ann.

According to cemetery officials, the volunteers placed 110,000 wreaths at Arlington on Saturday. Similar events were held at cemeteries across the country.

Source: stripes.com/news/us/wreaths-across-america-2012-at-arlington-national-cemetery-1.200872

Recently Mike O’Connell received an invitation to the Veterans Transportation Career Opportunities Forum. Mike and Cheryl Hanley asked John Diab and Cindy Atwood to attend in his place.

The forum focused on careers in the trucking, transit, and motor coach sectors. Participants discussed the importance of working with truck and bus companies to recruit qualified and safety-conscious Veterans for the critical jobs that need to be filled. The DOT is striving to remove barriers that stand in the way of our veterans’ success and connecting them with job opportunities that they deserve. This meeting gave motor carriers and other stakeholders a chance to tell DOT and DOL how they can assist in making the transition for veterans easier.

Together, DOT and Veterans Affairs have launched the Veterans Transportation Career Center, a web site to help veterans find jobs in the private sector. On this site, veterans can learn what training and certification are needed for civilian jobs, determine what career fits best with their background, and search for available jobs in their field. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is doing what it can to make obtaining a Commercial Driver's License (CDL) easier for veterans with military driving experience.

In May, FMCSA proposed a rule allowing states to waive the CDL skills test for military drivers with two years of safe driving experience. Today, 39 states are offering or preparing to offer this option, and DOT is encouraging the other states to do the same.

The latest transportation bill, MAP-21, requires DOT and FMCSA to examine the gaps between military training and the requirements for a CDL. This study will provide us with the information needed need to work with the military and the states to fill those gaps.
 
There are significant grants available from DOL and DOT that CVTA members are not currently able to access. There was an indication that privately owned schools were not held in the same esteem as Community Colleges. CVTA is striving to change the perception with the Departments of Labor and Transportation.
 
Our friends from ATA specifically Boyd Stephenson did a wonderful job of supporting CVTA and its members schools. His comments were very favorable and we believe had an impact on the group. We thank Boyd and ATA for their continued support.

The session ended with a commitment to work together. We all realize that providing opportunities to talented and skilled veterans is essential to strengthening America’s transportation system. The DOT promised will continue to work with an ever increasing wide range of partners to help veterans find success in transportation fields.

An extremely informative podcast regarding federal student loan policy and current issues in congress is available in the Compliance Journey Group of The Lounge.  In this educational podcast, Elise Scanlon, the Principal of Elise Scanlon Law Group and former Executive Director of ACCSCT, interviews the Director of the Federal Education Budget Project with the New America Foundation, Jason Delisle.  

Some of the Many Questions Answered in this Podcast Include:

• What determines the interest rates on federal student loans?
• What motivated Congress to lower interest rates from 6.8% to 3.4% for borrowers who are eligible for Subsidized Stafford Loans?  
• Are the current interest rates a good deal for borrowers and why?
• What are the benefits of federal student loans beyond interest rates?
• What are some of the differences between student loans relative to other types of consumer borrowing such as a mortgage?
• What are the details of the New America Foundation proposal regarding Federal Student Loan Policy and how it is being received by members of Congress?

Listen to the Podcast and Leave a Comment to Share Your Thoughts and Opinions