MLA Secretary Joanna Fridinger of The Limo Lady and CD Editor Rob Smentek
On Tuesday, July 18, the Maryland Limousine Association held its summer membership meeting at Jimmy’s Famous Seafood in Baltimore. The lunch event attracted more than 25 members, vendors, and guests, including CD Editor Rob Smentek.
MLA President Len Joseph of On the Town Limousines kicked things off promptly at noon, welcoming the attendees and introducing guest speakers Robert King of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and Mike Blackburn of AddOns/LimoAnywhere. Joseph also took a moment to acknowledge MLA Secretary and Membership Chair Joanna Fridinger of The Limo Lady for her hard work in planning the meetings for the association.
Japneet Singh of Executive CLS
During a short but information-packed presentation, King brought attention to the fact that Maryland currently reported 301 traffic fatalities to date in 2023, calling it a “silent epidemic.” He then provided some overview of the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal that was passed in 2022, and initiatives that will affect the ground transportation industry. Fielding questions from the MLA members, King then discussed weigh station regulations, rules pertaining to crossing state lines, and unified carrier registration.
MLA President Len Joseph of On the Town Limousines (left) with Robert King of the FMCSA
Next, Blackburn spoke about the recent AddOns/LimoAnywhere merger as well as the redevelopment of the platform. He also discussed the many benefits of AddOns, and how the company can offer chargeback protection from the “epidemic of friendly fraud” that operators are currently facing. Prompted by a member’s question, Blackburn then talked about LimoAnywhere’s LQC options, calling them a “game changer.”
Mike Blackburn of AddOns/LimoAnywhere
Before lunch was served, Joseph discussed the recent joint MLA/Virginia Limousine Association meeting that was held on June 28. At the event, a six-person committee was formed to address the Clean Hands Code that requires operators to pay $750 per car to perform point-to-point transportation in Washington, D.C. Committee member Japneet Singh of Executive CLS was given the floor to discuss the committee’s lobbying plans.
Finally, Alex Church from Transportation Insurance Brokers and Holly McCulloh of Hilb Group Insurance provided an insurance update. Church confirmed that, unfortunately, rates are continuing to increase, while McCulloh encouraged operators to use analytics to help keep costs lower.
The next MLA meeting will be held at noon on September 19 at Jimmy’s Famous Seafood.
Visit mdlimoassoc.org for more information.
[07.20.23]