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Charles Laurence Amorosi, age 77, of Cape Coral, Florida passed away on Wednesday, February 9, 2022. Charles was born February 13, 1944 in Newark, New Jersey. Charles graduated from Bloomfield High School and earned his B.S. from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey. He was married to Lois Amorosi on July 4, 2004. Charles had a nearly 40 year career in food distribution working for Wakefern Food Corp (ShopRite Supermarkets). During the span of his career he also served as President of the New Jersey Motor Truck Association (2005-2007).

He was an avid boat lover and pilot of high performance powerboats. He was a member of the New Jersey Performance Powerboat Club (NJPPC) and combined with his position with Wakefern, he was able to arrange to donate food to the annual Shore Dreams charity boat event in Seaside Heights NJ which provided a day of boating and fun for disabled children and their families. He also belonged to the Florida Powerboat Club and was a Hall of Fame member of Poker Runs America.

He was survived by his wife Lois, son Chris (wife Andrea), daughter Patty (husband Carl), son Glen (wife Teresa) and his grandchildren Joseph, Dante, Olivia, Thomas, Carly and great-granddaughter Aubree. He was also a wonderful stepfather to Michelle (husband Tom), Angela (husband Andrew) and Anthony (wife Shellean) and grandfather to their children Nicholas, Thomas, Brianna, Kaila, Anthony, Givanna, Angelina, Dominic, Kaila, Evangeline and Thomas, and a great-grandfather to Raelynne and Theodore.

The American Transportation Research Institute today released its annual list highlighting the most congested bottlenecks for trucks in America.

The 2022 Top Truck Bottleneck List measures the level of truck-involved congestion at over 300 locations on the national highway system.  The analysis, based on truck GPS data from over 1 million freight trucks uses several customized software applications and analysis methods, along with terabytes of data from trucking operations to produce a congestion impact ranking for each location.  ATRI’s truck GPS data is also used to support the U.S. DOT’s Freight Mobility Initiative.  The bottleneck locations detailed in this latest ATRI list represent the top 100 congested locations, although ATRI continuously monitors more than 300 freight-critical locations.

For the fourth year in a row, the intersection of I-95 and SR 4 in Fort Lee, New Jersey is once again the Number One freight bottleneck in the country.  The rest of the Top 10 includes:

• Cincinnati: I-71 at I-75
• Houston: I-45 at I-69/US 59
• Atlanta: I-285 at I-85 (North)
• Atlanta: I-20 at I-285 (West)
• Chicago: I-290 at I-90/I-94
• Los Angeles: SR 60 at SR 57
• Dallas: I-45 at I-30
• San Bernardino, California: I-10 at I-15
• Chattanooga, Tennessee: I-75 at I-24

ATRI’s analysis, which utilized data from 2021, found traffic levels rebounded across the country as more Americans returned to work and consumer demand for goods and services continued to grow.  Consequently, supply chain bottlenecks occurred throughout the country.  Average rush hour truck speeds were 38.6 MPH, down more than 11 percent from the previous year.

“ATRI’s bottleneck list is a roadmap for federal and state administrators responsible for prioritizing infrastructure investments throughout the country. Every year, ATRI’s list highlights the dire needs for modernizing and improving our roads and bridges,” said American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear.  “We have seen, most recently in Pittsburgh, that the cost of doing nothing could also cost lives.  It’s time to fund these projects and get our supply chains moving again.”

For access to the full report, including detailed information on each of the 100 top congested locations, please visit ATRI’s website here.  ATRI is also providing animations created with truck GPS data for select bottleneck locations, all available on the website.

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Myron "Mike" P. Shevell, who rose from driving a pickle truck to leading one the most profitable family-owned trucking companies in the United States, died surrounded by his family on January 24th in Palm Beach, Florida. He was 87 years old.

Mr. Shevell began his career working for his father, Nathan, who owned a small trucking fleet in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, that transported seafood from the New Jersey shore and, on occasion, liquor during Prohibition. When the younger Mr. Shevell was 14 years old, he spent nights doing deliveries, and the fact that he lacked a driver's license seemed a mere technicality. He ferried groceries to warehouses and restaurants from Baltimore to New Jersey, then returned home for breakfast before jumping on the bus to school.

After graduating from George Washington University and New York University, Mr. Shevell assumed executive roles at Apex Express, the family-owned business. He went from there to Royal Motor Lines, which later merged with Eastern Freight Ways. During the 1970s, Mr. Shevell and his brother, Daniel, increased revenues dramatically, turning the company into the gold standard of the trucking business, and taking the company public. The brothers acquired Associated Transport, making it the third-largest trucking company in America. But the fuel crisis, along with other complications of the merger, resulted in the collapse of both companies. In 1977, Mr. Shevell acquired New England Motor Freight where he became the chairman and chief executive officer.

Mike Shevell loved trucks, he lived and breathed trucks, and he passed along his enthusiasm to his three children. On weekends, he brought Nancy, Jon, and Susan with him to truck terminals, giving each of them a quarter for every one of his trucks they spotted along the way. Collecting antique trucks was his only hobby.

He ran his businesses with characteristic warmth, greeting the drivers by name, and beginning his annual addresses with a blast of Frank Sinatra's "My Way."

Despite his enormous passion for the business, Mr. Shevell did not look the part. He dressed in bespoke Oxxford suits and lavished himself with Pucci aftershave, leaving the scent in his wake. Yet he didn't hesitate, if needed, to poke beneath the hood or crawl under a vehicle. He started each morning in the maintenance shop, ate a deli sandwich at his desk every day, and dined at a restaurant, usually Il Mulino, Elio's, Fresco, or the Friars Club in Manhattan, every evening.

At its peak, NEMF had 4,200 employees and operated 10,000 pieces of equipment with 40 terminals throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwestern United States. Mr. Shevell believed in the importance of unions and their support of the labor force, but was unintimidated by the power of the Teamsters and eventually replaced them with the Machinists union in the late 1970s. In 2019, one year after its 100th anniversary, New England Motor Freight filed for bankruptcy protection. It closed operations in 2020.

Mr. Shevell's career soared to great heights and fell to deep lows. He was named Master Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young and served as the vice-chairman of the New Jersey Transit Corporation and president of the New Jersey Trucker's Association. He received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. He also served on the board of the Ronald McDonald House Charities for over a decade.

Myron Shevell is survived by his daughter, Nancy McCartney and son-in-law Sir Paul McCartney, daughter Susan Shevell, and grandchildren Arlen Walters Blakeman, Merissa Leigh Simon and her husband David T. Simon, Zachary Walters Cohen and his wife Arielle T. Cohen, and great-grandchildren Arley, Logan and Charlotte. He is predeceased by his wife of 34 years, Arlene Walters Shevell, and his son Jon Shevell.

In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Arlene Walters Shevell Scholarship Foundation, c/o Parents Support Group—Karol Sullivan, at 31 Hathaway Lane, Essex Fells, NJ 07021.

N.J. Trucking Leader Myron ‘Mike’ Shevell Dies at 87 | Transport Topics (ttnews.com)

Myron “Mike” P. Shevell Obituary - The Palm Beach Post

John Tashian of Nick's Towing Service Photo Credit: Nick Testa (Nick's Towing Service)

Our operator, John Jay "JJ" Tashjian was traveling northbound on the NJ Turnpike, returning from delivering a truck to Newark, NJ in the early morning hours of Sunday, January 23, 2022, when he noticed a vehicle that crashed off the roadway and came to rest in a tall grassy area approximately 50 feet into the meadows beginning to burn. He was the first person on the scene and immediately contacted Nick's Towing dispatch who in turn contacted NJ Turnpike Operations and informed them of the situation. John Jay ran to the burning car and rescued the driver from the vehicle by pulling him out and getting him to safety and warmth inside his tow truck. Once they were clear of the vehicle, it became fully engulfed in flames. Turnpike Operations were updated as to the severity of the situation as the tall grass around the vehicle was beginning to catch fire. The NJ State Police, Kearny Fire Department as well as EMS were expedited to the scene. Once the fire was extinguished and the owner of the vehicle was being administered assistance by the EMS, the Nick's Towing team recovered the vehicle back onto the roadway, where it was safely loaded onto a flatbed and transported to Nick's Towing Service. 

"I couldn't be more proud of John Jay's efforts." remarks Nicholas F. Testa, owner. "He is a courageous young man. In this day and age when most people would simply drive by a scenario like this, he instead jumped into action and put himself in jeopardy to save another person. Towing operators don't get nearly the respect they deserve for coming to the aid of the motoring public day or night, 24/7 no matter what the weather or scenario, oftentimes in precarious situations. John Jay took what he does every day and stepped it up even more by coming to the aid of a complete stranger. I would like to remind everyone to please follow the law and Slow Down and Move Over when you see one of my people, or any tower, police officer, EMS, fire department personnel or construction worker, working on the side of the road. They all deserve to stay safe too." 

CLOSE CALL: Hero Tow Truck Driver Rescues Motorist From Burning Sedan On NJ Turnpike | Rutherford Daily Voice

ATA has obtained the latest information on the cross-border COVID-19 vaccine requirements. The U.S. is about to impose a vaccine mandate on foreign national drivers (not U.S. drivers) crossing the border into the U.S. at land ports of entry that we have confirmed will become effective on January 22, 2022. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) just released the specifics of the mandate that will apply to those of you that have Canadian or Mexican drivers that haul freight into the U.S. Commercial truck drivers will be subject to the mandate, unless they qualify for a very narrow exception.  CBP advised us that very few, if any would qualify for the exceptions. Those of you that partner with fleets in Mexico or Canada that send their drivers into the U.S. should share this information with your partners as well. (As a reminder, the Canadian COVID-19 vaccine mandate has been in effect for nearly a week.) 
 
Foreign national drivers will be required to demonstrate proof of being fully vaccinated as outlined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Fully vaccinated means having two doses of an acceptable vaccine two weeks prior to entry into the U.S. or one dose of an acceptable vaccine that only requires a single dose (e.g., Johnson & Johnson) two weeks prior to entry.  There is no testing requirement to enter the U.S., however, those who have symptoms may be referred to the CDC for a medical evaluation. CBP has confirmed that the requirements will be implemented in an identical manner as the vaccine requirements for foreign nationals entering the U.S. for non-essential travel that went into effect on November 8, 2021. 
 
For more details on the U.S. requirements for foreign nationals, please see the following resources:  
 

• DHS/CBP Vaccine Requirements Announcement  
• U.S. Cross Border Vaccine Fact Sheet 
• U.S. Cross Border Vaccine FAQs 
• CDC Guidance for Travelers 

Despite our best efforts for a delay, we expect Canada’s vaccine mandate for essential workers crossing the border, including truck drivers, will go into effect as scheduled on January 15, 2022. This requirement will apply to all truck drivers entering Canada, regardless of nationality (e.g. U.S. drivers and Canadian drivers returning to Canada). Please be advised that for entry into Canada, use of the ArriveCAN app is required. In other words, starting this Saturday, any truck drivers trying to enter Canada must be fully vaccinated with two shots of an accepted COVID-19 vaccine in Canada (except for the Johnson & Johnson single does shot) and must use the ArriveCAN app. It is our understanding that if a driver does not meet both requirements, he/she will be turned away starting January 15^th.

The Biden Administration's mandate on foreign drivers entering the U.S. goes into effect on January 22, 2022. 

ATA worked with our partners at the Canadian Trucking Alliance to seek relief from these mandates. While we had hoped the U.S. and Canadian governments would heed our concerns on the impact this policy will have on the supply chain, neither government has changed their position on this matter.

Starting this weekend, if you are aware of freight delays and supply chain problems specifically due to the border vaccine requirements as these mandates go into effect, please send me the information. This information might be critical as we go forward.

For more details on the requirements for entry into Canada, please see the following resources:
Canada Vaccine Requirements
Canada Travel Requirements
ArriveCAN App Requirements
Accepted Vaccines in Canada

For more details on the U.S. requirements for foreign nationals, please see the following resources:
DHS Vaccine Requirements Announcement
U.S. Cross Border Vaccine Fact Sheet
U.S. Cross Border Vaccine FAQs

Bob Costello

SVP, International Trade & Cross-Border Operations

American Trucking Associations has taken its legal challenge to the Biden Administration’s COVID vaccine-or-test mandate to the U.S. Supreme Court. ATA appealed to the high court for a stay on the mandate immediately after the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the stay on Friday.
 
“It’s evident that OSHA overstepped its statutory authority with this Emergency Temporary Standard, so make no mistake: ATA will not stop fighting this misguided policy until our members and industry are fully relieved from its harmful impact on our ability to keep America’s supply chain moving,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear.
 
“That includes the movement of food, fuel, medical supplies, test kits, and the vaccine itself. Our workforce has served on the frontlines of this pandemic since Day One, safely delivering on behalf of the American people,” said Spear. “This mandate threatens to further disrupt our industry and its essential role in the nation’s COVID response efforts, and we will fight it until it’s defeated through any and all means necessary.”
 
On November 10, ATA, joined by the Louisiana Motor Truck Association, Mississippi Trucking Association, Texas Trucking Association and others, filed suit in the Fifth Circuit to overturn the mandate. That lawsuit was then consolidated in the Sixth Circuit along with other similar challenges filed nationwide.

By Dan Horwath, Vice President of Safety Policy - American Trucking Association

New federal Entry-Level Driver Training requirements will go into effect February 7, 2022, establishing a single, national standard for obtaining a commercial driver’s license. The revised ELDT regs apply only to drivers seeking to:

1. Obtain a CDL for the first time;
2. Upgrade their existing CDL from Class B to Class A; or 
3. Obtain a new hazmat, passenger or school bus endorsement.

In other words: current CDL holders are not affected by and large. 

This has been a long-time coming. The new ELDT was first mandated by Congress back in 2012, before the rulemaking process and IT issues at the state and federal levels caused successive years of delay. We do not anticipate any further delays beyond February 7.

So what’s actually changing? For organizations that have a structured program in place today, the truth is – not much. 

Despite false rumors spreading on social media, the process for obtaining a CDL will not markedly differ from what takes place today. Prospective drivers will be required to pass a theory / knowledge test and a road / skills test. 

The new ELDT simply means everyone will be using the same curriculum nationwide. In fact, FMCSA estimates that 85% of entry-level drivers already receive training curricula that meet the ELDT requirements. 

There are no minimum training hours required nor new exorbitant costs associated with the ELDT. Prospective drivers do not have to go to a truck driver training school and can still receive training from the same places: educational institutions, motor carriers, rural cooperatives, school districts, joint labor-management programs, CMV schools and other venues. Meaning, if a carrier conducts in-house training today, they’ll be able to do so after the new ELDT rule becomes effective. 

The ELDT will require training providers to register with the national Training Provider Registry, making it easier for prospective drivers to find training centers.

Visit FMCSA at Training Provider Registry (dot.gov).

Today the American Transportation Research Institute released the results of its analysis examining the differing motivators for why truck drivers choose to be a Company Driver or an Owner-Operator/Independent Contractor (OO/IC). This analysis was prioritized by ATRI’s Research Advisory Committee to better understand the role of OO/IC in the trucking industry, and how legislative attempts to reclassify OO/IC as Company Drivers would impact those individuals and supply chains in general. 

ATRI’s research includes respondent data from over 2,000 professional truck drivers, of whom more than 2/3rds are OO/IC. When presented with identical factors that motivated their decision to be a Company Driver or OO/IC, Company Drivers indicated their top three motivators were Job Security/Stability, Income, and Healthcare/Retirement Savings. Among OO/IC, the top three motivating factors were Independence/Ability to Set Hours, Schedule/Flexibility, and Choice of Routes/Length of Haul. 

The analysis also examined the various compensation models used with Company Drivers and OO/IC and driver satisfaction levels with each. Both Company Drivers and OO/IC ranked Income as an important motivator and in terms of satisfaction, 68.9 percent of Company Drivers and 80.1 percent of OO/IC indicated being Very Satisfied/Satisfied with their income. Over 50 percent of OO/IC in ATRI’s dataset reported net incomes of over $75,000 in the previous year while nearly 70 percent of Company Drivers indicated their annual wages fell in the $50,000 to $100,000 range. A large percentage of OO/IC expected they would experience significant decreases in their job satisfaction (73.0%) and annual income (68.3%) if they were reclassified as a Company Driver. 

“ATRI’s analysis validates what we know to be true with our professional truck drivers – those who choose to be owner/operators are often motivated by the desire to be in charge of their schedule and work environment,” said Eric Fuller, president & CEO of U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. “Understanding what motivates our company drivers and owner/operators allows us to better tailor offerings as we continue to focus on recruitment and retention.” 

In addition to examining the differences between Company Drivers and OO/IC, ATRI’s analysis also offers insight into the different motivating factors for female truck drivers versus their male counterparts. 

A copy of the full report is available from ATRI's website here.