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FMCSA Update: Emergency Declaration Expansion and Extension
Courtesy ATA
FMCSA announced that they have expanded and extended the Emergency Declaration that was set to expire on December 31st. 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 September 11th modified and extended declaration. The primary change with this current declaration is the inclusion of vaccine transportation.
Please note, this expanded declaration became effective at 12:00 A.M. December 1st and expires on February 28th, 2021. We encourage everyone to review the applicability, restrictions, and limitations which are included in the exemption posted on FMCSA’s website. |
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LAST CHANCE to Join Us December 8th for CMCA’s Virtual Safety Conference!
Topics Include: Top Industry Issues * The Defensible Driver * Managing Stress in the Workplace * Normalization of Deviance * New CO Labor Issues and Regulations * Workplace Injury Trends * Compliance Reviews in an ELD World
View Agenda
Cost: $30 members / $60 non-members
Sponsored by:
Pinnacol Assurance |
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TODAY is the last day to Join Us for the CMC Foundation
Virtual Auction
Items Include: Signed Avs Jersey, Wine Pairings, Artwork, Jewelry, Crystal and Excursions!
100% of your Charitable Giving to the Colorado Motor Carriers Foundation
is Tax Deductible!
Schedule your Colorado Gives Day gift now and it will be boosted by our $20,000 matching fund and the Colorado Incentive Fund while funds are still available! Read More...
All proceeds are used for scholarships, professional development, industry safety and image campaigns. |
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I-25 South Gap Project
Southbound I-25 Chain-Up Station Near Larkspur
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Colorado Department of Transportation is providing a temporary chain-up station along southbound I-25, about halfway between Castle Rock and Monument, in the I-25 South Gap construction zone. This 1,000-foot area will be protected by concrete safety barrier and provide room for up to 8 semi-trucks to chain up at one time, before heading over Monument Hill toward Colorado Springs. This area is designed as a temporary chain-up opportunity only. Long-term or overnight parking is not permitted. Full Details - HERE. |
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New Labor Rules Take Effect January 1st
The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment will be enacting new rules taking effect January 1, 2021, as well as new published guidance and workplace posters on those rules, and on various new laws they implement.
The Department’s rules website lists links to each set of rules, a redlined copy of each, and the explanatory rulemaking filing accompanying each (the statement of basis). For ease of reference, below is a direct link to, and summary of, each set of rules, with links to the statutes they implement as well.
- Equal Pay Transparency Rules, 7 CCR 1103-13: a new set of rules implementing the job and promotion posting transparency requirements of the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, SB 19-085.
- State Labor Relations Rules, 7 CCR 1103-12: a new set of rules implementing the state employee union law, the Colorado Partnership for Quality Jobs and Services Act, HB 20-1153.
- Colorado WARNING Rules (
Whistleblower,
Anti-
Retaliation,
Non-
Interference, and
Notice-
Giving), 7 CCR 1103-11: a new set of rules implementing various laws, including (A) the whistleblower and worker PPE rights law, the Public Health Emergency Whistleblower Act (“PHEW”), HB 20-1415, and (B) the notice-of-rights requirements, and the bans on retaliation and interference with rights, in both PHEW and the Healthy Families and Workplaces Act (“HFWA”), SB 20-205.
- Wage Protection Rules, 7 CCR 1103-7: an existing set of rules, with new sections (mainly new rule 3.5) implementing the paid sick days requirements of HFWA, since that law declares paid sick days to be “wages” within existing Colorado wage statutes and rules.
- COMPS (
Colorado
Overtime and
Minimum
Pay
Standards) Order #37, 7 CCR 1103-1: annual inflation-updating of the Colorado minimum wage, plus a modest number of amendments based on stakeholder feedback.
- Direct Investigation Rules, 7 CCR 1103-8: an existing set of rules, amended to conform to the new statutes and other recent developments.
Following the November rule adoptions and approvals, DLSS updated its published guidance and resources to reflect these new laws and rules, and posted updated versions of the following on December 1, 2020.
1) DLSS’s official published labor law guidance, our INFOs – Interpretive Notices and Formal Opinions, each a 2-5 page publication on a key labor law topic of interest, including updated versions of INFO #1 (on the COMPS Order), INFO #5 (on PHEW), and INFO #6B (on HFWA’s 2021 requirements, which are distinct from the 2020 HFWA requirements covered in INFO #6A).
2) The 2021 versions of workplace posters and notices that covered employers must post and distribute:
a) The “Colorado Overtime and Minimum Pay Standards” (“COMPS”) poster and notice, covering wage and hour law — see COMPS Rule 7.4, Posting and Distribution Requirements, unchanged from the 2020 COMPS Order, which requires employers to display the annually revised poster (and send it to off-site employees), plus include either the poster or COMPS itself in any handbook or manual the employer has.
b) The “Colorado Workplace Public Health Rights Poster: Paid Leave, Whistleblowing, & Protective Equipment” poster and notice, covering HFWA and PHEW since their enactment in July 2020 — see Colorado WARNING Rule 4, Notice and Posting Rights and Responsibilities, unchanged from the temporary WARNING Rules in effect since September 21, 2020, which requires employers to post and give employees notice of these rights.
c) Translations of posters and INFOs — to implement requirements for employers to provide posters and notices to non-English-fluent workers, DLSS in 2020 posted translations of its posters in 12 languages and Spanish translations of INFOs (on the same pages as the English posters and INFOs), with new translations of the 2021-updated posters to be posted later this month, and translations of INFOs coming thereafter.
All of the above resources on these laws and rules are available at www.ColoradoLaborLaw.gov,. Employers and employees should review these resources carefully, to understand how their rights and responsibilities have changed under all of the above recently enacted laws and rules. Any follow-up questions, or questions about an employer’s or employee’s specific situation, can be asked of DLSS at cdle_labor_standards@state.co.us or at 303-318-8441.
NOTE: These issues will be discussed at length during the Virtual Safety Conference on Dec. 8th, and also we will have a short presentation at the Board of Directors meeting on Dec. 16th.
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2020 SmartWay Carrier Awardees Share Effective Strategies
Curious about how Partners attain environmental performance levels which warrant recognition by EPA SmartWay? Join EPA for a candid discussion with our Award-winning Carrier Partners and one Logistics Partner where they readily share insights about freight efficiency strategies that garnered top performance for their companies!
December 9, 2020
11:30 AM (PT)/ 1:30 PM (CT)/ 2:30 PM (ET)
Click here to register
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Grant application period extended to Dec. 31, 2020
The Colorado Clean Diesel Program will now be accepting grant applications through the end of 2020.
After initially closing the first round on Oct. 30, we received feedback from multiple potential applicants about COVID-19 and wildfires disrupting their operations and ability to submit an application in time. While we've already received several applications that we plan on awarding, we want to ensure impacted organizations have a fair chance to apply before the end of the year to best align with their 2021 budgets and financial planning. The Colorado Clean Diesel Program offers competitive grants for companies and organizations to replace existing diesel vehicles and equipment with newer, cleaner technology solutions. Eligible technologies include bucket trucks, material handlers and transport refrigeration units (TRUs). Colorado-based companies and organizations are eligible for reimbursement grants between 25-45% of the cost of eligible equipment and vehicles.
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Safety Essentials for Truck Drivers
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