This month it’s all about time: less time sitting behind the wheel or waiting at a border crossing which leaves you more time to read our newsletter! Take a few minutes to stay informed (or even look for a new job):

• Utah Increases Rural Speed Limit to 80 MPH

• U.S and Canada Make Trucking Across Border Easier

Utah Raises Speed to 80 MPH

If you’re driving through Utah any time soon your route may be a bit faster now that they’ve increased the speed limit from 75 mph to 80 mph on some parts of interstates 15 80 and 84. Enjoy the faster drive but ease up in urban areas because it only applies to the rural parts of those highways.
For those concerned about safety collisions actually decreased and there was only one major injury during the test period. They also found that most drivers only went 1 mph faster than they did before. Maybe now they are more focused on the road and not looking for the highway patrol.

Utah is one of several states making a push to increase speed limits on their highways so hopefully this move will help other states get approval once they see the advantages and the actual safety data outweighs the perception of risks.

Faster speed limits mean quicker hauls and more profits for truckers and with proof that it doesn’t automatically mean reckless driving hopefully more bills will pass like this one. With Texas and now Utah taking the first step who do you think is next?

U.S and Canada Announce Pre-Inspection for Truck Cargo

For truckers hauling freight across the border from Canada into the United States life will get a lot easier due to a joint trade initiative called Beyond the Border. The Canadian Border Patrol (CBP) is setting up a truck cargo pre-inspection pilot program that will create designated preclearance areas in Canada for CBP officers to conduct inspections of truck traffic seeking to enter the United States.

What does this mean for you? Having designated areas for inspecting truckloads will reduce the amount of time sitting at the border so those hauls from up north will look a lot more attractive with reduced border crossing delays.

Pre-inspection areas will be setup in major ports and other locations starting with cargo inspection stations on the Pacific Highway crossing between Surrey British Columbia and Blaine Washington.

The second phase will include pre-inspections at the Peace Bridge crossing between Fort Erie Ontario and Buffalo New York.

U.S. and Canadian officials are equally excited about the program. The pilot announced today will test the concept of conducting primary inspection of U.S.-bound truck cargo in Canada to better manage our shared border and improve economic opportunities for Canadian manufacturers and their U.S.-based supply chain partners” stated Canada’s Prime Minister Toews.

This is all part of the Beyond the Border Action Plan between the U.S and Canada to speed up the economic flow between the two countries.