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"We appreciate all of the UMA volunteers who traveled to Washington, DC to participate in the meeting or joined the conversation via the live web broadcast. UMA members Elizabeth Kamalakis, Marcia Milton, Frank Smith, Rob Wicklund, Rick Thielen, Larry Williams, Keith Johnson, Barry Gross, and Buddy Young, as well as others, made a tremendous contribution to the discussions on behalf of the industry," said Victor Parra, President & CEO of United Motorcoach Association (UMA).
Many conveyed the tremendous financial strain that the new rule would place on their businesses, particularly small fleet operators, while others commented they would cease to charter or subcontract other passenger motor carriers.
"Ultimately, there was a gap that that made it difficult for roadside enforcement to determine who to assign vehicle and/or driver inspections,” said Ken Presley, UMA’s Vice President of Industry Relations & COO. “Any carrier operating under charter, regardless of whether that charter is from a typical consumer or another bus company, should either have active operating authority or a properly executed lease demonstrating the authorized carrier for which they are operating. If the carrier cannot produce either, the carrier is out-of-service until such time as they produce active authority. It really is that simple."
In the end, "Requiring a lease between two or more passenger carriers with active operating authority is unnecessary, burdensome, and ultimately harms the consumer. Small and large carriers alike demonstrated that in the discussion."
With members of the Virginia Limousine Association also on hand to speak on behalf of the luxury ground transportation industry, Barry Gross of Reston Limousine was among the many who felt the ruling was needlessly complicated and punished above-board operators.
“On the whole, it would be difficult for FMCSA to leave the current rule intact,” Gross said in an email. “As my colleague Keith Johnson remarked, they will need to make a hard differentiation between subcontracting and leasing. As such, it would seem that sub-contracting between two authorized operators in good standing should remain unchanged, while the Lease Interchange rule should apply solely to operators WITHOUT an existing authority who are engaged by operators WITH an authority, specifically for work under the authorized party’s authority.”
Also according to Gross: “Holes were punched in the argument for minimum 24-hour notice of subcontracting, with operators stressing the fact that contact numbers are not always provided in a timely manner or at all. The examples of schools and government offices were cited as examples of entities who may not be reachable in such instances.”
He went on to say that insurance representatives from National Interstate and Lancer made it clear “in no uncertain terms” that the ruling created an increased potential for the denial of claims issues, as well as “expressed that coverage for operators who engaged in subcontracting would be prohibitively expensive, provided that operators could find coverage at all.”
To view the two sessions in their entirety, the morning sessions can be viewed at fmcsa.dot.gov/event/bus-leasing-roundtable-discussion-morning-session, while the afternoon sessions are available at fmcsa.dot.gov/event/bus-leasing-roundtable-discussion-afternoon-session.
Visit uma.org for more information about the UMA.
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“Chrysler is working hard to get more involved in the chauffeured ground transportation industry,” said Springfield Vice President Kevin West, “And we’re working to get them even more involved. This extended warranty is their first major step in that direction.”
The extended factory warranty is in effect for vehicles with the 2016 factory year or later. Springfield’s Dodge Durango and Chrysler 300 limousines are among those covered. West said that this was a smart decision for Chrysler as it has given operators another choice in the market.
"I would say one of the biggest advantages with the Chrysler 300 limousine in this program is that it gives buyers a traditional limousine look. Other manufacturers have moved away from offering this type of vehicle. It’s a great car to service the industry: it’s big inside, has rear wheel drive for an exceptional ride, and now has a 100K mile warranty.”
Visit limoland.com for more information.
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Nearly 80 members were in attendance and enjoyed appetizers while they got an in-person and up-close look at the new Lincoln Continental and Cadillac new CT-6. That was followed by a sit-down dinner, cooler bags as gifts, and door prizes.
The OLOA welcomed GM, Ford, Cowan Insurance, Dalton Timmis Insurance, Inkas, Peplinski Leasing, Fleetmatics, and A-Lease as returning sponsors. The association also introduced three new sponsors: Restor-FX, which had a new automotive coating on display; Ad Impact, a supplier of driver uniforms and company-branded items; and Limo Anywhere, tracking software for luxury ground transportation companies.
The Greater Toronto Airport Authority had a speaker presenting on the new procedures for pre-arranged bookings at the airport. As OLOA members had voiced their concerns and complications with the new procedure, so additional industry discussions will be held.
OLOA President John Dahdaly of Cullitons Limousine Service gave an industry speech on the discussions that have been held with the Ministry of Finance and the City of Toronto regarding Uber and its operations in the city.
The association would like to extend a special thank you to Northbridge Insurance for its presentation on distracted driving, which was of great interest and provided much-needed insight to those in attendance.
Visit oloa.ca for more information.
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