 |
EMERGENCY HOURS OF SERVICE WAIVER GRANTED FOR OHIO
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Eastern Service Center and Midwestern Service Center declared a Regional Emergency in anticipation of severe winter weather events expected to directly affect multiple states, including Ohio. The emergency declaration waives hours-of-service requirements for those providing assistance to the affected states, including the delivery of propane, natural gas, fuel oil, and gasoline. The states included in the FMCSA Regional Declaration are: Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
The emergency declaration is linked here for your reference (PDF).
The waiver is effective immediately and until 11:59 pm Saturday, February 2, 2019. The OPGA encourages all drivers operating under the terms of the FMCSA Regional Declaration to keep a copy of the declaration in their vehicle.
The latest guidance on emergency declarations and waivers by the National Association of State Energy Officials is available here (PDF).
|
FMCSA EXTENDS REGIONAL
HOURS OF SERVICE RELIEF
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has provided hours of service relief and extensions since late December. The most recent hours of service relief was to expire on February 8, 2018.
The FMCSA has extended the hours of service relief until February 28, 2018. The extension of the hours of service relief is granted to motor carriers and drivers transporting propane and fuel oil.
Please note the waiver addresses questions on record keeping (ELD use) during the emergency by calling for use of paper record of duty status (RODS) and maintaining a copy of the emergency declaration. Click here for your copy of the waiver.
The OPGA reminds all members that an hours of service relief does not change safety practices. ALL drivers should continue to follow and operate in the safest manner possible. The OPGA remains firmly committed to keeping the Ohio propane industry safe.
|
TEMPORARY HOURS OF SERVICE WAIVERS GRANTED IN OHIO
Due to logistical concerns and the colder than normal temperatures, both the State of Ohio and the federal government have granted temporary hours of service waivers to propane transporters in the state of Ohio.
The OPGA reminds all members that an hours of service relief does not change safety practices. ALL drivers should continue to follow and operate in the safest manner possible. The OPGA remains firmly committed to keeping the Ohio propane industry safe. The OPGA hopes that this temporary waiver will allow all members time to catch up and meet the increased demand. The OPGA hopes that this temporary waiver will help avoid any further concerns for an emergency within the Ohio propane industry.
|
OPGA PRESENTS LEGISLATORS OF THE YEAR
AWARDS
Among the many highlights of the 2017 Annual
OPGA Summer Convention was the presentation
of the first OPGA Legislators of the Year
Awards. The awards were presented to State
Senator Troy Balderson (R-Zanesville) and
State Senator Sean O'Brien (D-Youngstown)
for their leadership and assistance to the
Ohio propane industry. The awards were
presented by OPGA Government Affairs
Committee Chairman Chris Buschur and
Immediate Past President Brian Buschur.
"I am truly honored and humbled
to receive this distinction,"
said Senator Balderson. "It is
critical that we continue to
make wise investments and work
to protect our state's natural
resources."
Senator O'Brien agreed and
added, "It has been an honor to
have led the fight to expand
alternative fuel use - like
propane autogas - here in
Ohio."
|
ICOM INVITES YOU TO THE 100 BEST
FLEETS EVENT
ICOM North America invites all
MPGA members to a special autogas
event: The 100 Best Fleets being
hosted at Icom North America on
August 24, 2017. Contact
Ronny Martinez, Autogas Fleet
Development Specialist with ICOM
North America to reserve your spot by
email or call him at (248)
493-2059
The event will include
interactive round-table discussions
facilitated by managers of The 100
Best Fleets in Michigan and Ohio.
Rochester Hills has been
nationally recognized for their
shared services with 21 other
agencies to identify cost savings
while maintaining the same levels of
service to include purchasing of
equipment at significant discounts
with no RFPs required.
In-sourcing is one of the
biggest trends in the country and
provides job security. Allan Schneck,
Public Services Director will also
discuss "outsourcing;" when does it
make economic sense?
George Survant is considered
one of the best informed fleet minds
in America. He was the Fleet Manager
for Florida Power and Light when
they were in the top 100 Fleets. He
successfully supervised 20,483
vehicles at Time Warner Cable, was
named AF Fleet Manager of the Year
in 2016 along with receiving 5 other
major national awards for excellence
in fleet management during his 40
year career. George is now the
Senior Director of Fleet Relations
for NTEA, the Association for the
work truck industry representing
1900 companies. This is a rare
opportunity to hear from one of the
thought leaders in the industry
including many strategies and
insights you can implement the next
day. He has keynoted many national
fleet conferences and is considered
one of the best presenters in the
industry.
Hayes Smith, CST Fleet
Services, Winston-Salem, NC was
responsible for the fleet turnaround
in Detroit after the biggest
financial bankruptcy in history.
Detroit Fleet is now even
"in-sourcing" work. Learn from the
practices implemented immediately
for this only-in-America success
story. Hayes also worked with Dallas
Fleet who they consider, their best
run fleet in 40 years making The 100
Best Fleets for the first time ever.
Clean Cities will present an
update on the $4.7 billion dollar
Volkswagen payout to public fleets
virtually giving you FREE vehicles.
For those needing overnight
accommodations, there is a group
rate discount available for this
event under G-ICOM. Individual
attendees can make reservations for
the event directly with the Hyatt
Place at the Suburban Collection
Showplace reservations at
1-800-233-1234. Click
here to make overnight reservations
online. Use the Group Code:
G-ICOM to receive your discounted
group rate of $129.00. Once the
arrival and departure date have been
entered, click on special rates and
then enter the Group Code in the
Group Code Box (make sure to include
the G when entering the code).
|
YOU'RE INVITED: LPGAS MAGAZINE
GROWTH SUMMIT
LPGas Magazine would like to extend
a special invitation to you for its
annual LP Gas Growth Summit.
The Summit is scheduled for Sept.
18-20 at Reunion Resort in Orlando,
Florida. Click
here for the agenda.
This is an exclusive buyer/seller
networking event where propane
marketer members are able to meet
one-on-one with top propane vendor
partners and learn new ways to grow
gallons and improve operational
efficiencies.
You should also know that LP Gas
Magazine covers all expenses at the
event, including lodging, meals,
beverages and golf. All you
have to do is get to Orlando,
Florida!
If you are interested, LPGas
Magazine asks that complete
the short online application
at the link below. They will
follow up with you afterward with
more information.
Online application
https://northcoast.wufoo.com/forms/z1n2meiv1qcl0y1/
To hear what past retailer attendees
have said about the event, click
here to see a video.
|
NPGA ACTION ALERT
Click here to Ask Congress to Exempt the Propane
Industry from OSHA's Crane Rule.
Background:
A rule from the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration would require the operators of
cranes for propane tank deliveries to undergo a
third-party certification every five years.
This onerous rule has been delayed repeatedly
since 2010; however, we want a permanent
exemption.
Action Requested:
Together, we can gather a bipartisan coalition
of U.S. House Members to send a letter to OSHA
urging for a complete exemption.
Click here to contact your Member of Congress.
Details:
This request will take less than two minutes to
complete.
The deadline for Members of Congress to sign on
to the letter to OSHA is Friday, August 18.
|
OHIO WORK COMP UPDATES
The summer is going by like
lightning, and everyone at
CareWorksComp hopse you are able to
enjoy great family time and maybe a
summer adventure or two...it's not
over yet! As we approach the fall
and the fourth quarter of the year,
it is time to begin planning for a
successful and profitable 2018.
There are only a few notable
deadlines in August and September,
but the True-Up deadline is very
important and there are only a few
days left to do it. (If you have a
large true-up credit, please note
that BWC will credit this to any
outstanding premium installment
payments unless you specifically
request a live check back from
them.)
Upcoming important dates and
deadlines:
- August 15, 2017-
yesterday marked the due date
for the policy year 2016 payroll
true-up report! This report
must be on file with BWC by that
date, or your participation in
discount and rating programs may
be in jeopardy. Click
here for more details.
- August 30, 2017- due date
for the DFSP action plan
(DFSP-5) for a 7/1 program start
date. Please note this is for
advanced level only.
- September 30,
2017- "snapshot date" that BWC
uses to capture costs in claims
for the 2018 experience
calculation.
Future Dating of BWC Premium
Payments: As of June 30,
BWC began allowing for future dating
of premium payments, available
through their website, www.bwc.ohio.gov.
You can now schedule future payments
to avoid missed or late payments and
for true-up reconciliation.
Please note the following:
- BWC only accepts ACH
transactions for future dating
- BWC does not allow future
credit card payments
- Since you select the payment
date, be certain you have the
correct premium installment
deadlines for reference
- Payment may be blocked by
your bank; be sure to confirm
the transaction was
authorized
- In case your bank requires
it, the BWC debit blocker code
is: #3311334187. It is your
responsibility to provide this
to your bank if necessary
If you would like to schedule
multiple installment payments, you
can do so through the "Accounts
Receivable" screen by choosing
different dates for each one. All
payments must be ACH.
2018 Group Programs: Group
Rating renewals have been sent out
to our current clients, and Group
Rating and Group Retro invitations
are being sent now through the end
of summer. Businesses may have
eligibility for multiple programs,
or dual eligibility, in which case
they have or will receive both a
Group Rating invitation and a Group
Retro invitation. We are eager to
discuss what looks best financially,
and in form and function. Here's to
another tremendous year of
administrating successful workers'
comp savings programs for our
clients!
New Payroll Reporting Caps: For the
2017 policy year (7/1/17-6/30/18),
BWC has updated the payroll
reporting caps for corporate
officers. The minimum reportable
wage per person/per week is $451,
and $1353 is the maximum.
Those affected by the payroll
reporting limitation are defined by
BWC as such:
Active executive officers of a
corporation
Note: Officers are considered active
if they are engaged in any work on
behalf of the corporation.
Employers listed below who choose
elective coverage (because they are not
required to carry workers' compensation
insurance).
- Sole proprietors
- Partnership
- Family farm corporate officers
- Limited liability company acting as a
partnership
- Limited liability company acting as a
sole proprietor
- Individual incorporated as a
corporation (with no employees)
Non-officer board members are not
subject to the officer
minimum/maximum rules.
Incident checklist: Click
here for the updated Incident
Reporting Checklist that our
safety department, RiskControl360°,
created for our clients. You
probably (hopefully) already have
something similar in place but
please look this over in case there
areas you didn't think about. It
also ties in when to contact your
MCO, and when to contact us, your
TPA, as this is always a bit of a
gray area.
|
DIESEL GRANT OPPORTUNITIES
Following are updates on three grant
opportunities for projects to replace or
reduce pollution from diesel vehicles.
Information on all three programs is
posted on the Ohio EPA Office
of Environmental Education website -
look for the grey tabs in the middle of
the page.
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Grants
(AFV)
DRAFT application guidelines and forms
are now posted on the AFV
program webpage for review. Ohio
EPA considered seven comments received
from Interested Parties in June, and has
tried to clarify how applicants can
demonstrate that proposed vehicle
conversions are compliant with US EPA
requirements. Please send questions
about these draft documents to derg@epa.ohio.gov.
Ohio EPA is now preparing to file the
rules, and hopes to issue a Request for
Grant Proposals late this fall, once the
rules are approved and in effect.
Diesel Emission Reduction Grants
(DERG)
A number of projects that received
grants in December, 2016, are on hold
awaiting Buy America waivers required
from the Federal Highway
Administration. FHWA has provided no
explanation or indication of whether the
delay is temporary or permanent. Ohio
EPA and ODOT will not issue another DERG
Request for Proposals without assurance
from FHWA that the federal funds that
support the program will be
forthcoming.
Volkswagen Mitigation Trust Fund
(VW)
There has been some slippage in the
schedule for this program as the Trustee
continues to negotiate with the court
and parties to the settlement. The
Trust Effective Date is now expected
sometime in August or September, to
start the process for states to become
certified as beneficiaries. Ohio EPA is
drafting a mitigation plan that we
expect to circulate for formal public
comment sometime this fall. During
early stakeholder outreach in late 2016,
the most requested uses for the VW funds
in Ohio were school bus replacements,
transit bus replacements, and electric
vehicle charging stations. Ohio EPA is
drafting a plan that includes all ten
allowable uses of the funds. We expect
to release the first Request for Grant
Proposals sometime during the first half
of 2018.
More information on all these programs will
be posted to the Website and
shared with interested parties as it becomes
available.
|
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU THOUGHT ABOUT
LIFE INSURANCE?
Most - if not all - of us probably have
a life insurance policy. We can use
these great financial planning tools to
protect our family assets, our business
assets, for coverage on key employees,
for business transition (buy-sell)
protection, etc. Making sure your
beneficiary designations are clear,
accurate and up to date is essential.
Is your life insurance beneficiary
designation up-to-date and accurate? If
not, your policy's proceeds could be
subject to unnecessary taxation or,
worse yet, end up somewhere you don't
expect.
Rarely do beneficiary problems begin
when the life insurance policy is
issued. Instead, they arise as we
change. Birth, divorce, graduation, and
even tax law changes can alter the
practical effect of your policy's
beneficiary designation. A quick review
will help make sure it correctly
reflects your true intentions and does
not expose you or your beneficiaries to
unnecessary taxation.
Your financial protection should be a
primary concern to you and your
financial planner or insurance agent.
Contact your financial planner or
insurance agent today to review your
beneficiary designations and all your
current financial needs.
|
UPDATE YOUR REFUELING STATION LOCATION
LISTING
Fleets use the Alternative
Fuels Data Center Station Locator to
find vehicle refueling stations every day.
Now is a great time for you to take a moment
and review your information on the locator.
Maintaining an accurate listing that
displays your hours of operation and address
ensures fleet customers can find you easily.
How it Works:
To get your station listed, marketers can simply
complete and submit the online form .
You will be contacted to verify the
information by the AFDC team. Once your
listing is live online, you should promote
it to area fleets. Every year, you will be
contacted to confirm you information is
still up-to-date.
If you are already listed on the locator and
have not been contacted by the AFDC team in
the past year, you should verify that your
listing is still up to date. If it is not,
you should click on the "Report a change"
link on your station listing.
The Station Locator lists stations as
"primary" or "secondary". Both types of
stations are able to refuel vehicles, but
primary stations are equipped specifically
for vehicle refueling, and offer more
amenities:
- Open to the public(fleet customers).
- Staffed duringregular business hours -
no calling ahead required.
- Accept credit andfleet cards.
- Offer a dedicatedfuel dispenser for
vehicles.
It's important that marketers understand the
differences between primary and secondary
stations, and list your stations correctly
on the locator.
|
REMINDER: REBATES AVAILABLE
OPERC reminds all Ohio propane
marketers that rebates remain
available for autogas and duty to
warn safety programs.
Under the Autogas Rebate Program,
rebates are available to propane
customers who reside in Ohio for
eligible purchases on a new propane
vehicle. Any new OEM vehicle or
lawn mower system that is approved
by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency and is registered and
operated in the state of Ohio is
eligible for a $1,000 incentive
payment. Click
here for more information. Or
you can visit
the new OPGA Autogas website.
The Duty to Warn Program is designed
to reimburse a propane dealer for
some expenses associated with
mailing duty to warn information to
their customers. Marketers that
choose to participate will purchase
the Duty to Warn materials they
need, have them shipped to their
plants, and submit a receipt or
proof of purchase to the OPGA. OPGA
staff will then reimburse up to $500
to the marketer. Click
here for more information.
|
ADD CONSUMER SAFETY VIDEOS TO YOUR
WEBSITE
To answer requests made by the
industry, members of the PERC
Safety and Training Working
Group worked diligently to
produce six new consumer safety
videos. Topics include how to
read a tank gauge, transporting
small cylinders, propane system
inspections, and what to do if
you suspect a gas leak.
Need help? Call the PERC help
desk at 202-452-8975.
|
OHIO WINS AGAIN!
As all of us in Ohio know, Ohio
is all too familiar with beating
Michigan, and the Ohio Propane
Gas Association can claim one
more Buckeye victory.
As you may recall, OPGA
Executive Director Derek Dalling
donated all four of his prized
tickets to the University of
Michigan-Ohio State University
football game to the Michigan
Propane PAC and the Ohio Propane
PAC as a fundraising challenge
for the two states. Both states
had fun with the donation, and
both state propane PACs
benefited.
The two tickets donated to the
Michigan Propane PAC raised
$355, and the winner was none
other than OHIO Past President
Bob Herron of The Energy
Cooperative. Not so
coincidentally, Bob also won the
two tickets donated to the Ohio
Propane PAC with a winning bid
of $360.
As part of the challenge, Derek
also plans to reward Bob with
Ohio State t-shirts for the Ohio
Propane Gas Association beating
the Michigan Propane Gas
Association.
|
|
