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The Official Newsletter of Louisiana's Trucking Industry |
March 7, 2025 |
UPCOMING EVENTS |
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THIS WEEK |
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ASSOCIATION UPDATES |
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2025 Truck Driving Championships & Safety Awards - Winners & Honors |
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Our 2025 Truck Driving Championships was held Feb 28 - Mar 1, 2025. The registration, testing and awards banquet was held at the L'Auberge Casino & Hotel in Baton Rouge. While the Pre-trip inspection and driving course was hosted at the L’Auberge Casino & Hotel overflow parking lot in Baton Rouge.
Winners and honorees are listed below by category: |
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Member Recruitment Event - LMTA Gears & Grub - 4/18/25 - Lake Charles, LA |
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The Louisiana Motor Transport Association (LMTA) invites you to help us share an exciting opportunity with colleagues, employees, and industry contacts.
We are hosting "Gears & Grub – What I Wish I Knew About Trucking" on: Date: Tuesday, March 18, 2025 This event will feature three experienced truckers offering candid insights, lessons learned, and advice on navigating the trucking industry. It is a great opportunity for those new to the industry, as well as anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of trucking.
Key Details:
We encourage you to share this event with those who may benefit from attending. |
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ATRI Invites Motor Carriers to Participate in 2025 Operational Costs | Data Needed |
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ATRI’s Operational Costs of Trucking is the industry’s leading public benchmarking tool. ATRI collects data confidentially from for-hire motor carriers of all sectors, regions, and sizes – from 1-truck owner-operators to 10,000+ truck fleets – to document changing cost patterns in truck operations and how fleets can leverage the cost data to achieve higher profitability and improved operational efficiencies. Cost metrics requested by ATRI include driver pay, insurance premiums, and equipment lease or purchase payments. Additional questions relate to key performance indicators such as non-revenue mileage, dwell time per stop, and miles between breakdowns. Carriers can confidentially submit these data for the year 2024 on a per-mile or per-hour basis with an easy-to-use online data entry form or an emailed PDF form. A new, streamlined version of the form for owner-operators makes it easier than ever for one-truck companies to leverage the benefits of benchmarking. All participating motor carriers receive a customized report that compares their fleet’s costs and operations to an anonymized peer group of the same sector and size, as well as an advance copy of the full report. For-hire motor carriers are invited to submit operational cost data by Friday, April 25. ATRI’s data collection form is available online here, along with a sample customized report and support via Frequently Answered Questions. All confidential information is protected and published only in anonymized, aggregate form. |
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ON-DEMAND VIDEO: New Transportation Tax with LA Dept. of Revenue? |
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On Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at 8 AM, we hosted a Zoom call with the Louisiana Department of Revenue to discuss the newly passed and rumored "transportation tax." Luke Morris, Assistant Secretary for the Louisiana Department of Revenue, graciously joined us to provide insights into the details of this tax, including who it affects, what it entails, and how much it will cost. Members can now watch the webinar on-demand by accessing the video link. |
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2025 Seafood Gala | Apr. 5 - Sponsorships & Tickets Now Open! |
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LMTA’s Annual Seafood Gala is the must-attend social and networking event of the year! Enjoy an evening filled with live music, great drinks, and—most importantly—Louisiana’s finest seafood.
Mark your calendar for Saturday, April 5, 2025, as we gather at the Hilton Capitol Center in Baton Rouge. This historic downtown hotel offers stunning views of the Mississippi River and the Louisiana State Capitol, providing the perfect setting for an unforgettable night. Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to connect, unwind, and celebrate with industry friends and colleagues. We look forward to seeing you there!
Schedule:
Sponsorships: Please follow this LMTA Store Link to purchase Sponsorship Packages. - Seafood Gala Crawfish Sponsor: $7,500 (Premier event signage AND 10 Complimentary Tickets) - Seafood Gala Shrimp Sponsor: $5,000 (Premier event signage AND 6 Complimentary Tickets) - Seafood Gala Oyster Sponsor: $2,500 (Premier event signage AND 3 Complimentary Tickets) - Seafood Gala Drink Sponsor: $1,500 (Premier event signage AND 2 Complimentary Tickets) - Seafood Gala Dessert Sponsor: $500 (Premier event signage)
Tickets: Please follow this LMTA Store Link to purchase tickets.
Room Block: To book rooms at the Hilton Capitol Center in our room block, please follow this link.
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2025 Annual Convention | Registration & Room Block Open! |
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The Louisiana Motor Transport Association (LMTA) invites you to join us for the 2025 LMTA Annual Convention, taking place July 30 – August 2, 2025, at the beautiful Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, AL. This annual event brings together trucking professionals, industry leaders, and policymakers for a weekend filled with insightful discussions, networking opportunities, and fun. Event Highlights
VENUE & BOOKING This year's Annual Convention will be held at Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach, AL. Perdido Beach Resort LMTA has secured a special room block at the Perdido Beach Resort for convention attendees. The exclusive room block booking link is only available in the confirmation email sent after registering for the event. Be sure to register early to secure your accommodations. |
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Trucking Day at the Capitol | Apr. 28 |
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The Louisiana Motor Transport Association and Louisiana Loggers Association invite you to join us for Trucking Day at the Capitol, an essential event dedicated to advocating for the future of the trucking industry.
This is your chance to meet directly with lawmakers, discuss the challenges facing our industry, and promote solutions that will ensure its continued growth and success. Your voice is critical in shaping policies that impact trucking, logging, and transportation across Louisiana. Let’s work together to drive meaningful change for our industry!
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INDUSTRY UPDATES |
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ATRI Releases Annual List for Top 100 Truck Bottlenecks - Louisiana Area Ranked #24 |
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Since 2002, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) has collected and processed truck GPS data in support of the U.S. Department of Transportation Freight Mobility Initiative. Utilizing an extensive database of freight truck GPS data, ATRI develops and monitors a series of key performance measures on the nation’s freight transportation system. Among its many GPS analyses, ATRI converts its truck GPS dataset into an ongoing truck bottleneck analysis that is used to quantify the impact of traffic congestion on truck-borne freight at over 325 specific locations. While other outside analyses may identify congested corridors, no dataset available today specifically identifies granular chokepoints in the nation’s truck freight transportation system. States with one or more of the top 100 truck bottlenecks are shown in blue on this map.
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FREE "Litigation Checklist" for Trucking Companies |
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As of the date this newsletter was written, the requirement for businesses to file a Beneficial Below is a free "Litigation Checklist" from LMTA members Perkins & Associates. Their team wanted to share this information, providing a litigation checklist that may help your company to keep track of what should be done along the way in the unfortunate event of a suit against your company. While we hope your team never has to use this resource, we encourage you to review it and keep it on file. |
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Emergency Declarations |
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FMCSA EMERGENCY DECLARATION NO. 2025-003:
This Declaration is in response to the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) resulting in the widespread loss of chicken flocks in affected areas impacting populations and the national food supply including the supply of eggs, and its effects on people and property, including immediate threats to human life, public safety, and public welfare. Between December 18, 2024, and January 2, 2025, the Governors of the States of California, Iowa, and Louisiana issued emergency declarations related to HPAI; each of these declarations resulted in up to 14 days of emergency relief from 49 CFR §§ 395.3 and 395.5. Because emergency conditions related to HPAI have not abated and have arisen in other states. In accordance with 49 CFR §§ 390.23 and 390.25, this Declaration is effective immediately and shall remain in effect until the end of the emergency (as defined in 49 CFR § 390.5T) or until 11:59 P.M. (ET), March 10, 2025, whichever is earlier.
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Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development Offer Safety Talks for Carriers and Drivers |
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The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) remains committed to engaging with the industry at all levels beyond enforcement efforts. As part of this proactive approach, LADOTD offers its team as a resource for training, discussions, and industry collaboration, whether through formal sessions or informal meetings.
Organizations across the state are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. LADOTD leadership is available to visit facilities, conduct walkthroughs, and engage directly with staff to foster stronger connections and support industry needs. Strengthening these relationships is a priority, and LADOTD is dedicated to facilitating meaningful engagement throughout Louisiana.
For more information or to schedule a visit, please contact: Chief Jeffery C. Melchior Jeffery C. Melchior, Chief of Police - DOTD Police 225-377-7185 |
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Louisiana State Police Offer Safety and Compliance Services for Carriers and Drivers |
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Louisiana State Police (LSP) are offering safety and compliance services for carriers and professional drivers. This is a great opportunity for truckers and their drivers to understand what LSP are looking for on the highway. LSP will come to your facility and train your crew. Please note: this is not a class. Contact Brady Johnson at brady.johnson@la.gov if you would like LSP to perform one of these services for you. Services are provided across the state and are open to fleets of all sizes. No fleet is too big or too small!
Take advantage of the following services to improve safety and compliance:
Sgt. Brady Johnson Louisiana State Police Compliance Review Division CVE Training Coordinator |
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MEMBER PROGRAMS - Save Money |
LMTA Member Exclusive Affinity Programs
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The LMTA currently offers a variety of exclusive business partnerships and services to members of the association. Special member-only offers for our partners are listed below and can be found through your LMTA Info Hub under the "Resources" tab.
APP EMBARK App Embark specializes in creating mobile apps for companies that allow employers to organize and communicate with their employees more efficiently and effectively. As part of our partnership with App Embark, LMTA members save $500 on the cost of the build fee!
LMTA INSURANCE SERVICES- MENGEL FINANCIAL GROUP Mengel Financial Group is committed to providing the best and most affordable Voluntary Employee Benefits based on employers’ specific needs. As part of our partnership with Mengel Financial Group, LMTA members are offered group benefits at no cost!
TO LEARN MORE OR SCHEDULE A DEMO, SELECT THE LINK BELOW IN YOUR MEMBER PORTAL.
Please note: Since these are exclusive member only offers, you will be directed to log into your Info Hub to view the details. |
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