Page 12 - ATR 4 2015 web

News iN Brief, or simply cross the street in Texarkana,”
Continued from page 10 Graves said. “Even more illogical is that
a 20-year-old may not drive a truck in
expanding Class A CDLs for those not any state if the cargo in it originated
yet 21 beyond intrastate driving. outside the state or will eventually leave
Bill Graves, president and CEO of the state by some other means.”
the American Trucking Associations,
supports the act, “It is illogical that a i-55 BriDge TO reMain Open
20-year-old can drive the 500 miles fOr nOw
from San Francisco to San Diego, After protests from Arkansas com-
but not the 8 miles from Memphis, muters and elected officials, Tennessee
Tennessee to West Memphis, Arkansas – Dept. of Transportation cancelled plans

for a project on an Interstate 55 inter-
change in Memphis that would have
closed the I-55 Mississippi River bridge
for months.
Instead, they will conduct more-
detailed assessments of the economic
and community effects of doing
the project at the I-55/E.H. Crump
Boulevard interchange with a bridge
closure or rebuilding the interchange
It’s Time with partial lane closures. The studies

could take as long as a year to complete.
for a Checkup. The decision to delay the project
and perform the more-detailed studies
is based on public comment from meet-
We have specific experience assisting trucking companies ings held earlier this year.
with their unique employment issues. “Over the past several weeks,

From departmental organization to hiring to workplace investigations and we have heard from residents, busi-
employee discipline – and everything in between – you can’t afford ness owners, elected officials and
noncompliance. other stakeholders in Memphis and

CGWG’s HR Checkup provides a basic review of your company’s in Arkansas, and we understand there
health. For $500, set up a one-on-one meeting with CGWG is a significant level of concern over a
attorneys who will help you identify employment law full closure of the Memphis-Arkansas
compliance issues and establish a path to best practices.
Bridge,” the head of the Tennessee agen-
cy, John Schroer, said in the statement.
*Participating in the HR Checkup establishes an attorney-client relationship only “We want to take the opportunity to
to the extent of the agreed-upon services.
address those concerns before moving
Contact us today to schedule your HR Checkup. forward with construction.”
Little Rock | 501-371-9999 The announcement to close the
Northwest Arkansas | 479-725-3825 bridge prompted loud protests from the
Arkansas side of the bridge, led by state
Sen. Keith Ingram, D-West Memphis,
whose hometown of more than 25,000
people is on the bridge’s west side.
CGWG.COM Ingram began an online petition, “Keep
the Old Bridge Open,” that gathered
close to 2,800 signatures.
The bridge carries about the same
amount of traffic, 45,000 vehicles
daily, as the other crossing between

12 arkansas Trucking repOrT | issue 4 2015