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December 1, 2004
Construction
Industry Advancement Fund and CDTOA
Dear Trustees
and CDTOA EC:
Following are some of
the major issues your Industry Transportation Consultant
has been dealing with to date.
Caltrans:
- Our request from June 28, 2004
to allow Maximum Chart Weight for Fix Load Vehicles
Section 305.2.1. The Annual Permit Committee Workgroup
recently had a conference call meeting with Caltrans.
We discussed and recommended the following change to
the original proposal:
This has been referred to Caltrans for their approval.
- Our request from November 08, 2003,
regarding the Caltrans practice that annuals and repetitive
permits must be an original. We are requesting that
a facsimile copy be acceptable.
This has been referred to Caltrans for their approval.
- Our request from September 29,
2004, allows Annual Permit for Fixed Loads Tridem 60,000
lbs, was sent to the Fixed Load Committee.
- Our request from November 08, 2003,
regarding Hours of Travel 24 / 7
Caltrans is working out technical issues for implementation.
How does this affect your investment
opportunity or your business?
THE LOWBED TRUCK OWNER
This implementation will allow for better economical utilization
of equipment, more productive customer service and allow
more hours for company drivers or additions to the company
work force.
For example:
Owners of a spread of 657E Cat scrapers, which are purple
weight, would have approximately 351 additional hours
of travel a month. Lowbed trucks will no longer be required
to park at sunset and then start again at 3:00 a.m. There
will no longer be weekend travel restricted to 3:00 a.m.
to 9:00 a.m, The curfew restriction will remain in curfew
areas during the week, unchanged. This will allow truck
owner to make effective choices to benefit his/her investment
opportunity.
THE CONTRACTOR
The contractor will have greater flexibility to move equipment
from job to job without encumbering transportation restrictions.
The result of this Caltrans implementation will mean additional
evening and weekend moving time with fewer restrictions.
Because of these additional options and better utilization
of equipment, projects that have costly deadlines will
not be as burdensome.
THE TRAVELING PUBLIC
Public transportation will benefit from these new regulations
because of less traffic congestion.
For example, 70 percent of freight comes through our ports,
leaves California and goes to other parts of the country.
Previously, because of restrictions, loads arriving on
a weekend might be delayed until Monday morning. Now those
loads will be on their way earlier and not contributing
to already impacted public traffic. Commerce will be able
to move more freely except for those curfew areas during
peak hours of 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a. m. and 3:00 p.m. to
6:00 p.m.
The Caltrans proposals that have been implemented:
- Tow Legal Vehicle behind Extra
Legal Fixed Load Vehicle.
- The Surface Transportation Assistance
Act (STAA) Annual Permits.
The County of Los
Angeles has been experiencing some computer system
problems and as soon as those bugs are worked out the
24 / 7 movement will be implemented.
Currently, the industry is restricted to any load or vehicle
over 10 feet wide, but less that 16 feet wide, shall not
move between the hours of 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.,
Monday through Friday and from noon Saturday until 11p.m.
Sunday. The new change will allow continuous movement
excluding curfew hours. Curfew hours will restrict travel
for loads exceeding 10' wide Monday through Sunday from
7:00 am to 9:00 am and 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm.
We had a meeting July
15, 2004 with Paul Novak of Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich's
office and Nelson Nelson of the Public Works, Transportation
Division regarding broadening the use of their new computerized
system and to offer this service to other localities.
The county currently issues permits in the behalf of 39
cities and Industry would like to see this number increased.
Donald L. Wolfe, Interim Director of Public Works for
the County of Los Angeles has recently requested Supervisor
Michael D. Antonovich to support for uniformity and encourage
other cities to utilize the service the county is providing.
The County of Riverside
We recently had a meeting with the County and The Tioga
Group, the consulting firm that has been contracted to
do a truck parking and truck route study. It was agreed
that our original truck route proposal using the Thomas
Guide primary roads is something that makes sense. The
Tioga Group will review our data and report back to the
county.
THE INCREASING COSTS OF IMPORT AND EXPORT DIRT
The City of Norco:
a member that was going
to be doing job that required 150,000 cubic yards of fill
dirt contacted me. He went to the City to let them know
of the project and what route they were going to use and
to make sure there weren't going to be any safety or unknown
problems with the route they chose. He was informed that
the city was going to charge him $5.00 a truck per day
that used city streets. He was also going to have a supply
the city a certificate of insurance naming the City of
Norco additionally insured and pay in advance approximately
$7500 in truck fees or toll.
I contacted the Public Works Director and we had the legal
misunderstanding resolved. The city will no longer require
these fees or any additional insurance for a legal vehicle.
The City of Murrieta:
A member contacted me in March regarding the City
of Murrieta requiring a haul permit that consisted of
a cash bond and numerous other costly restrictions to
transport dirt using city streets. I contacted the Public
Works Director and the City Attorney and agreed that the
city doesn't have the authority to regulate legal trucks
through their city. The city had been requiring the developer
in the past to deal with bonds and costly restrictions.
Over through the years it became the truckers' responsibility,
which opens the problem of having the authority to regulate
legal trucks. The city agreed that there was a misunderstanding
and if there are any security deposits that have been
submitted as part of the permits, they will release them
REGULATING LEGAL TRUCKS,
WHERE DOES IT STOP?
The City of Tracy
I attended two recent City of Tracy City Council meetings
in the regarding the issue of truck routing. The issues
raised by the city are similar to issues raised by municipalities
around the state.
It is apparent that many
cities wish to eliminate existing truck routes and force
commercial vehicles to use longer and less direct corridors.
The rerouting will cause an increase in air pollution,
and increase in safety concerns with additional trucking
along proposed roads, and will increase the cost of freight
to the consumer.
On May 25th, I attended
two public hearings, one for industry and the other for
residents. TJKM consulting firm, hired by the city to
study the needs for rerouting and possible alternative
routes, presented their report. TJKM's goal was to have
their report ready to submit to the city council for approval
by their July 1st council meeting. Because of the number
of trucking industry concerns voiced at the May 25th,
TJKM's final report for submission was delayed.
Evaluation of the
Industry and Hearing
It appears that the proposal to reroute truck traffic
was being fast-tracked for adoption and that the city's
main concern was to remove trucks from city streets. The
report supplied by the city consultants, TJKM Transportation
Consultants, lacked formative and pertinent information.
TJKM and the City of Tracy stated that additional information
would be supplied in their final report 72 hours prior
to the next council meeting on the matter.
City of Tracy Council
Meeting - November 3, 2004
This council meeting was held to read the recommended
adoption for the proposed Truck Routes Ordinance and to
hear public comments.
I presented several authoritative
documents addressing the city's concern with truck safety
and accidents within the city. Those documents demonstrated
that the City of Tracy was 37.9% below the national average
for truck related accidents. (The information was compiled
and supplied by the California Highway Patrol Statewide
Integrated Traffic Records System, SWITRS) This data clearly
showed that in the City of Tracy from the year 2000 to
2004, there were 3,078 reported accidents of which only
191 involved commercial trucks. Out of that same four
year period, on Corral Hollow Rd., only five of those
191 accidents were truck related. This data clearly illustrates
a very safe commercial truck driving record.
I next read and presented
from the California Vehicle Code, CVC 35701, CVC 515 and
CVC 240. These sections legally define Residence Districts.
The City of Tracy contends that Corral Hollow Rd. is a
Residence District. It is crystal clear from the code's
definition that the area the city wishes to call Residence
District does not apply. Therefore the city does not have
the legal authority to regulate legal vehicles and cannot
prohibit their use on city streets. At this meeting the
proposed Truck Route Proposal was unanimously approved.
City of Tracy Council
Meeting - November 16, 2004
This city council meeting was for the second reading of
the recommended adoption of the Truck Routes Ordinance
and for public comments.
In speaking to the council,
I emphasized that any problems with commercial trucking
along the existing truck route are enforcement issues.
I made clear to the city that moving the existing truck
route to the proposed route would only compound the very
problems they were trying to resolve.
At this meeting the proposed
Truck Route Proposal was unanimously adopted. The council
and mayor appeared to have drawn preconceived solutions
which they believe would be addressed by the proposed
Truck Routes Ordinance. They stated they would notify
the county of the new ordinance and the potential problems
that might exist because of the change. After speaking
with the county, it is interesting to note that a portion
of the new truck route lays in the jurisdiction of the
Mountain House Community who could propose new changes
and restrictions at will.
Sincerely,
Gregory D. Dineen
Industry Transportation Consultant
Cc: John Hakel, AGC Jim Burton, SCCA
Gary Futral, ECA Seth Hammond, MCOG
Richard Lambros, BIA Lee Brown, CDTOA
Aimee Shook, DCA
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