Dear Members,

Welcome to your new MMTA website. I hope you find the information contained on these pages helpful in your daily business. While we have tried to include every item the Board of Directors listed as important, there may be other informational items you need that are not currently provided. Please contact us with your suggestions and we will accommodate them right away. One of the benefits of the new website is that we have the ability to internally edit and add anything to the site. This will allow us to give you breaking news regarding routes, congestion, legislative and regulatory matters.

While some information provided will be in the Members Only section, general information will be available to the entire transportation community. As we launch this effort, we will be providing renewing members, with a password to access the member information section. This will contain more in-depth analysis of the legislative agenda for the association, our participation with state agencies and law enforcement and additional mapping tools to name a few. Again, we welcome your suggestions regarding any additional information you may require.

Our biweekly newsletter will be back in full swing, posted both to this site and sent by email or mail to our members, at their choice. In addition, one of the programs that we will be launching in conjunction with the site is a job bank. This will allow member trucking companies and drivers to find each other when seeking employment. As you may recall, we had attempted to do this in our newsletter but found the information was not timely enough to be helpful. Now we can post jobs available and drivers seeking employment as soon as received. Please check our site frequently for updates to this information.

We have also been working with some of our state agencies to provide accurate and useful information regarding the roads and bridges you travel in Massachusetts. For example, the Massachusetts Highway Department completed a project this summer to identify and outline every bridge in the state with its weight limit. From this effort a “bridge map” of the entire state was created which lists the location and weight limit of every bridge, allowing you to create your routes more efficiently.

We also work closely with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to keep you informed on all changes and efforts regarding federal regulations, such as the recent modifications made to the Hours of Service Rules. As you may know, the new rule on split time in the sleeper berth was put into place this past summer, with an effective date of October 1, 2005. Through the efforts of MMTA and in cooperation with the Massachusetts State Police Truck Team, enforcement of this rule was delayed to December 31, 2005, to allow the trucking industry an opportunity to prepare for this significant change.

Local, state and federal -- the MMTA is actively involved at all levels to facilitate the efficient and timely transportation of goods. In Massachusetts 93.17% of all goods delivered are moved by truck. That makes transportation the single most important element of commerce in our state, if you cannot move it, you cannot sell it. Without trucking, everyone would be homeless, hungry and naked, think about the truth in that statement. I am proud to serve this essential profession, and MMTA is ready to meet the challenges the transportation community faces every day. We thank you for your continued support and involvement.

Sincerely,
Anne Lynch