Towing Company Behind Racism Lawsuit Against Memphis Now Accused of Racketeering

A towing company that sued the City of Memphis last year over racism allegations is now a defendant in a lawsuit which asserts it is engaged in a racketeering scheme to squeeze owners 18-wheelers with excessive, duplicative and illegal fees for parking. The plaintiffs also claim the company engages in illegal towing, booting or impounding of vehicles.

The lawsuit claims the owner of A1’s Towing and Hauling of Memphis, Colton Ahmad Cathey, is the co-creator of an illegal network of towing and booting companies that lure unsuspecting drivers to their lots then charge excessive fees to remediate illegal booting and towing of their vehicles.

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Georgia Senate Committees to Explore Truck Driver Shortage

A series of Georgia Senate study committees will explore various issues, ranging from recruiting medical professionals in rural communities to exploring the shortage of truck drivers to potential changes to local option sales tax agreements.

“Each of these study committees will review current policies and practices within their specific topics,” Lt. Governor Burt Jones said in an announcement.

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Virginia DMV Refunding 2,700 Drivers After Excess Charges

People at windows of DMV

The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles is refunding drivers after a misreading of the law led the agency to wrongly charge more than 2,700 truck drivers with highway use fees.

“[The] DMV discovered that an interpretation of the 2020 highway use fee legislation led to the system being programmed in a way that included some lighter trucks in a category with cars that are subject to the highway use fee,” Jessica Cowardin, a spokesperson for the Virginia DMV told The Center Square.

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New Requirements for Commercial Truck Drivers Take Effect Amid Supply Chain Crisis

Tennessee Star

New federal regulations aimed to ”improve highway safety” by “ensuring that entry-level commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers complete training required by the new entry-level driver training (ELDT) regulations” are now in effect, according to a press release by the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security.

On Monday, entry-level CMV drivers will not be eligible to take their commercial driver license (CDL) test until successfully completing a specific program of theory and behind-the-wheel instruction provided by a school or other entity listed on Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) new Training Provider Registry (TPR), according to the press release.

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Groups Warn of Supply Chain System Collapse, as California Ports Face Record Backlogs

Seaport

The International Chamber of Shipping, a coalition of truck drivers, seafarers, and airline workers, recently warned heads of state at the United Nations General Assembly that if restrictive COVID policies don’t change and freedom of movement isn’t restored to transportation workers, a supply-chain collapse is imminent.

Industry leaders representing some 65 million transport workers asked the United Nations and heads of government to “take meaningful and swift action to resolve the crisis now.”

“Global supply chains are beginning to buckle as two years’ worth of strain on transport workers take their toll,” they wrote in an open letter signed by the International Air Transport Association, the International Road Transport Union and the International Transport Workers’ Federation.

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