In 2019 the LLA was responsible for amendments made to State House Bill HB369. The amendments proposed by Senator Mizell of Washington Parish updated the language of the Bill to include the LLA which according to Toni McAllister, Executive Director of the LLA, “gave us a seat at the table and will allow us to have access to the governor in order to better represent our industry’s issues.” HB369 creates the Louisiana Trucking Research and Education Council (Council). The purpose of the Council is to promote education, training, research, and development for enhanced safety and efficiency within the industry. The Council will be composed of thirteen members to serve concurrent with the governor. Eight members will be appointed by the governor and they will serve alongside the superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, or his designee, the state superintendent of education, or his designee, the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, or his designee, the president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, or his designee, and the secretary of the Louisiana Workforce Commission, or his designee. To provide funding for the Council a surcharge of $15 will be collected on truck registrations on all Class 1 and Class 2 trucks and trailers over 23,999 pounds.

In addition, during the 2019 Regular Session, State House Bill HB217 was signed by the governor. HB217 states that an applicant for a timber harvest season permit shall have the option to pay a one-time fee of $100 for each harvest year for the issuance of a permit. Any vehicle or combination of vehicles owned or operated by a timber harvest season permittee who paid $100 for the permit shall; be equipped with weight scales for purposes of weight regulation, not be assessed a penalty for exceeding its maximum permissible axle weight, as determined by law, provided the total excess gross weight is 10% or less of the vehicle’s maximum permissible gross weight, and not exceed the posted maximum speed limit on the public highways of Louisiana. According to the LLA’s Executive Director, Toni McAllister, Secretary of the Department of Transportation Shawn Wilson finalized the Bill with a maximum weight of 88,000 lbs. However, the Bill will be re-introduced to the legislature in the first part of the 2020 session to update the language of the bill to state a maximum weight to 90,000 lbs. The permits are available on the DOTD website perba.dotd.louisiana.gov. Louisiana State Police and the DOTD will give a one-week grace period for purchase and placement in the trucks.

For more information regarding the Louisiana Loggers Association and PAC you can contact Toni McAllister (318) 729-1726 or lla_pac@laloggers.com