March 4, 2025 – The Treasury Department has suspended enforcement, indefinitely, and will propose a narrowed rule to permanently address the issue. On March 2, the Treasury Department announced that, with respect to the Corporate Transparency Act, not only will it not enforce any penalties or fines associated with the beneficial ownership information reporting rule...…
DECEMBER 27, 2024 – This time of year, it is always important to keep your receipts in the event there is a needed return. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has just returned to their previous ruling and have reinstated the nationwide injunction against the enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act’s Beneficial Ownership Information filing....…
UPDATE NOVEMBER 15, 2024 – The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas just issued its ruling invalidating the entirety of DOL’s overtime final rule. In his ruling, Judge Jordan stated that while DOL has the authority to define and delimit the terms of the overtime exemption, “that authority ‘is not unbounded.’” He...…
[Source: EndDD (End Distracted Driving), 2017 | Keywords: Regulatory Compliance, Distracted Driving] How serious are the dangers? Deadly serious. Look at the facts: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a division of the U.S. Transportation Department, distracted driving is “any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task...…
[2012; R-2017 | Keywords: Regulatory Compliance, Distracted Driving, Phone Use] The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), jointly with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), issued a final rule that restricts the use of hand-held mobile telephones by interstate commercial motor vehicle drivers (CMV) and intrastate hazmat drivers. The rule does not restrict...…
[Source: American Petroleum Institute, 2017 | Keywords: Regulatory Compliance, Diesel, Oil] The American Petroleum Institute (API) announced that it has approved two new diesel engine oil standards, API Service Categories CK-4 and FA-4. These new categories resulted from years of collaborative effort between API’s Lubricants Group, the Truck & Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA) and the...…
[2012; R-2017 | Keywords: Regulatory Compliance, Trucking Regulations] Are your trucks in compliance with state and federal laws? It might be worth your time and effort to do a quick review of your equipment to make sure they are. With the 2010 introduction of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA), more...…
[2011; R-2017 | Keywords: Regulatory Compliance, Oversized Loads] If you are hauling equipment, over-dimension loads are a common part of that business model and confusion with regulations is a common issue within the industry. To add to the confusion, there is no consistency between Nebraska and Iowa when it comes to the transportation of farm...…
[2010; R-2013 | Keywords: Regulatory Compliance, Commercial Vehicle Inspections] Commercial motor vehicles must pass a thorough inspection by a qualified inspector at least once every 12 months in accordance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations found in Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations 396.17. A commercial motor vehicle is any self-propelled or towed motor...…
[2013 | Keywords: Regulatory Compliance, Drugs & Alcohol] http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/fmcsr/fmcsrruletext.aspx?reg=382.401 (a) General requirement. Each employer shall maintain records of its alcohol misuse and controlled substances use prevention programs as provided in this section. The records shall be maintained in a secure location with controlled access. Code of Federal Regulations182 (b) Period of retention. Each employer shall...…
[2013 | Keywords: Regulatory Compliance, OSHA] According to Ralph Nader (consumer advocate) there are no such things as “accidents.” Every “incident” can be traced back to a cause. I’m not sure whether I agree with Ralph entirely, but he does make a good point. Looking around your plant, warehouse or office, how many “incidents” do...…
[2013 | Keywords: Regulatory Compliance, Engine Oil, Oil] As of July 1, 2013, new standards regarding engine oil will take effect that may impact your business. The National Conference on Weights and Measures adopted new standards in 2012 that require equipment dealers and service providers to disclose the following information on invoices or receipts when...…
[2013 | Keywords: Regulatory Compliance, OSHA] The following are selected OSHA requirements that apply to many general industry employers. Hazard Communication Standard. This standard is designed to ensure that employers and employees know about hazardous chemicals in the workplace and how to protect themselves. Employers with employees who may be exposed to hazardous chemicals in...…
[2013 | Keywords: Regulatory Compliance, OSHA] Under the OSHA Recordkeeping regulation (29 CFR 1904), covered employers are required to prepare and maintain records of serious occupational injuries and illnesses, using the OSHA 300 Log. This information is important for employers, workers and OSHA in evaluating the safety of a workplace, understanding industry hazards, and implementing...…
[2013 | Keywords: Regulatory Compliance, OSHA] We have had a few clients call recently because OSHA is there visiting, had just stopped by to visit, or will be returning in the next few days to visit when the manager is back in town. Many reasons for the visits were due to a random selection, but...…
[2013 | Keywords: Regulatory Compliance, OSHA] In addition to the OSHA requirements covered in Steps 1, a number of other OSHA standards may apply to your workplace. The following checklist can help you identify other key OSHA standards that may apply and point you to information to help you comply with those standards. 1) If...…
[2010; R-2013 | Keywords: Regulatory Compliance, Waste Reduction Center] Recently we received a letter from the Iowa Waste Reduction Center (IWRC) at the University of Northern Iowa reminding us of their services that they can provide to Iowa members of the Iowa-Nebraska Equipment Dealers Association. Earlier this summer, I had a member contact the IWRC...…
[Author: Tom Junge, Iowa Field Director, 2015 | Keywords: Regulatory Compliance, Department of Labor, DOL] Recently, three consumer product (CP) dealers reported that they were audited by the Department of Labor. As a result of these audits, two dealers discovered they were not adjusting commissions for overtime for their technicians and parts personnel. According to one dealer,...…
[2012; R-2013 | Keywords: Regulatory Compliance, SPCC] For almost four decades, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has used the Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan as the primary resource of preventing oil spills from contaminating surface waters. A SPCC Plan is a preventive measure to assure that a spill from an Aboveground Storage Tank...…
