Do you have what it takes to be a truck driving champion? The Idaho Trucking Association (ITA) is hosting The Idaho Truck Driving Championships (TDC) on May 3 and 4 at the Idaho State Police Training Facility (POST), 700 S. Stratford, Meridian, ID 83642.
Drivers compete for the top positions in Idaho and for the right to compete at the National Truck Driving Championship that will be held in Indianapolis in August.
The TDC is a family-friendly event. The ITA encourages drivers’ families to attend and watch the competition from designated viewing areas.
Is your Commercial Driver Medical Examiner’s Certificate (Form MCSA-5876) coming from an FMCSA-registered medical examiner? As of February, medical examiners are required to register with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Using a medical provider who is not on FMCSA’s national registry could lead to a downgrade of your commercial driver’s license (CDL) if it is not fixed within 45 days.
The Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) has received a few Medical Examiner’s Certificates from providers that have been removed from the registry. Those drivers who didn’t use a registered provider will need to book new appointments with someone on the registry and submit a new Form MCSA-5876 to ITD.
Tires wearing out early on commercial vehicles can be dangerous for the driver and other vehicles on the road. Conventional wisdom is to inflate a truck’s inside and outside tires to the same pressure. However, when the tires have equal pressure, it puts more weight on the inside tire leading to uneven wear and issues with braking, fuel mileage, and handling.
The Idaho Transportation Department’s (ITD) Port of Entry (POE) team has six new split platform portable scales that will be used to demonstrate the weight difference between the inside and outside dual tires. They’ll demonstrate this issue to industry members in ITD’s six districts and to ITD’s teams. This can save companies and the state money on tire replacements, fuel, brakes, and suspension parts. The POE will start reaching out to industry partners in April.
Check out this video for a demonstration of the split scales and the effect of tire pressure on weight distribution.
Starting February 1, 2024, Idaho Motor Carrier Services will no longer accept the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 2290 Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax Returns (HVUT) filings for forwarding to the IRS. This includes in-person locations, by mail, by drop box, or e-mail.
Instead, carriers must file directly with the IRS either by mail or online.
If filing by mail, the address is provided on the 2290 instructions. The IRS estimates 6 weeks of processing time, so please plan accordingly.
Once filing of the 2290 form is complete, the IRS will email a watermarked Schedule 1. This is the proof of HVUT filing. Federal rules require that carriers provide it when applying for vehicle registration that reflects a gross weight of 55,000 pounds or more.
Motor Carrier Services cannot accept the receipt-stamped or e-filed Schedule 1 if there are errors, or if it is filed for the wrong tax year. To ensure the right tax year is selected, use the online HVUT filing period tool.
If you have any questions please contact Motor Carrier Services at 208-334-8611
Idaho commercial vehicle customers can now renew annual special permits in bulk online at permits4idaho.com and save money in the process.
Customers can save $5 per permit when renewing online at permits4idaho.com. Bulk renewals also save time over renewing annual permits individually.
Permits4idaho.com also has a new Company Dashboard to easily manage your permits. Now customers can renew and pay for annual permits online in bulk, order special permits for overweight and/or over-dimensional loads, and remove annual permits that they no longer need. The site displays a notification when permits are 30 days from expiring.
Find the link to the Instructions for Annual Renewal ProcessTrucking.idaho.gov/permits/. The website is the central location for all commercial vehicle and motor carrier information. From permits and registrations to taxes and safety information Trucking.idaho.gov is the greatest resource for Idaho’s trucking industry.
Update: Both Declo Ports of Entry (POE) are now open.
Original story Dec 13, 2023:
10-months after the Declo westbound Port of Entry (POE) opened, the eastbound side is nearing completion. Staff moved in at the end of November to set up the building and test the electronic screening equipment before full operations begin. The hope is to have the newest port completely open by December 21, 2023.
The eastbound Declo port will have a state-of-the-art commercial registration office with a customer service window for appointments.
The Declo POE also has a Tire Anomaly Classification System (known as TAC) which screens tire conditions at highway speeds. Catching damaged tires before they blow out helps keep highway users safe.
The current Cotterel Port of Entry, eastbound location, will be decommissioned and only the rest area will remain.
For more information about commercial vehicle services in Idaho visit Trucking.idaho.gov. The site is the central location for all commercial vehicle and motor carrier information. From permits and registrations to taxes and safety information Trucking.idaho.gov is the greatest resource for Idaho’s trucking industry.
There are about 4,000 commercial vehicle customers with full fee (Idaho registered only) commercial registrations that expire on December 31 and 500 that expire on January 31.
If your registration expires in December or January, you can change the expiration date to a different time. Idaho Motor Carrier Services offers this option to all full fee (Idaho registered only) commercial vehicles.
Customer benefits:
Pay renewal fees during the time of year that works best for your finances.
For seasonal operations, you can choose the latest month of the year you will operate and then wait to renew until you start operating. This reduces the registration fees by the number of months you are not operating.
Faster renewals. Moving your renewal to a less busy month evens out the workload for the DMV’s commercial vehicle staff and leads to quicker service.
How to change your expiration date:
Every customer with full fee registered vehicles receives an Expiration Date Change form in the mail with their renewal packet.
If there is a more convenient month for your commercial vehicle registration(s) to expire, please complete the form and return it with your renewal.
For registrations that expire December 31 you will receive the renewal packet in early November. If your registration expires January 31 you will receive the packet in early December.
If you have already renewed for the 2024 calendar year, we can’t change it now, however you will receive the option again next year.
Motor Carrier Services’ goal is to transition at least 50% of December and January renewals to a different month. This will greatly improve department efficiency and turn-around time for all customers.
If you have any questions, contact a registration specialist at 208-334-8611, Monday – Friday, 9 am to 4 pm Mountain Time, e-mail us at cvs@itd.idaho.gov, or go to Trucking.idaho.gov where you may find the answer you’re seeking.
Trucking.idaho.gov is the central location for all commercial vehicle and motor carrier information. From permits and registrations to taxes and safety information Trucking.idaho.gov is the greatest resource for Idaho’s trucking industry.
With a winter storm forecasted for the weekend, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) wants to remind drivers to share the road with snowplows.
Snowplows push snow off the road and deploy a variety of salt products to keep roadways bare and wet most of the time during storms. Drivers also need to do their part to keep everyone safe on the road.
“Slow down in snowy conditions, and give yourself extra time to get where you need to go this weekend,” Foreman Chuck Sharp said.
Aside from leaving early and using caution when driving in the snow, here are five tips to help share the road with snowplows:
Don’t crowd the plow. Stay back around 50 feet.
A snowplow has a 12-foot front plow and 10-foot wing plow and takes up the entire lane. Don’t crowd the centerline.
The safest spot is behind the plow. Only pass when safe to do so.
Never pass on the right.
Before traveling, check 511.idaho.gov for road conditions that are updated 24/7.
While operators work in the worst weather, often the biggest threat to their safety is other drivers. Last winter, 17 plows were hit in Idaho.
“Plows weigh around 58,000 pounds fully loaded,” Sharp said. “Drivers who run into this heavy equipment trying to pass are risking their own safety, and the safety of others on the road when the plow isn’t able to continue working due to damage.”
BOISE– The Idaho Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has removed the convenience fee for online driver’s license reinstatement payments.
Now customers with a suspended license will be able to pay for a license reinstatement online at www.DMV.idaho.gov without paying extra convenience fees. These savings are passed along to DMV customers. Drivers with a suspended license will still need to satisfy all other conditions and wait the appropriate amount of time to get their driving privileges back.
“This is great news for drivers in Idaho who have had their license suspended,” explained DMV Administrator Lisa McClellan. “The removal of the convenience fee for online driver’s license reinstatement payments makes getting your license back more affordable.”
DMV.idaho.gov is a one-stop-shop for everything DMV. Over a dozen transactions can be completed online, from a change of address to registration renewals. Customers searching the web should be wary of imitation and scam websites claiming to offer DMV services. The safest option is always to type DMV.idaho.gov directly into your browser bar. Skip the Trip, save time, and go online to DMV.idaho.gov.
BOISE—The Idaho Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is expanding online services for Idaho’s commercial drivers. Beginning July 1, Idahoans will be able to renew a commercial driver’s license (CDL) online, an option already available for many non-CDL drivers.
“Idaho’s commercial drivers could be anywhere in the country when it is time to renew their license, so expanding online services to them just makes sense,” said DMV administrator Lisa McClellan. “Now they can renew from their phone and get back on the road.”
Starting July 1, CDL customers will be able to renew their licenses, if eligible, at DMV.idaho.gov. At this time, hazmat endorsements will not be available for online renewal due to testing requirements. The DMV is exploring hazmat testing solutions for the future.
Did you know that customers, including commercial drivers, have the option to receive DMV renewal notices through text or email? This is a convenient alternative to traditional mail delivery, especially for those who frequently travel or prefer digital communication. Customers can opt-in at DMV.idaho.gov.
DMV.idaho.gov is a one-stop-shop for everything DMV. Over a dozen transactions can be completed online, from a change of address to registration renewals. Skip the Trip, save time, and go online to DMV.idaho.gov.
