PLC Member Weekly Update Sept. 22, 2023
In this Issue
PLC Log A Load Northern Golf Tournament – $60,612 raised!
MLOFT Student Job Shadowing – Opportunities Needed Fridays!
ALC Annual Meeting Oct. 4-6 – Register Now! Donate to the Auction!
SBA Roundtables – Proposed Overtime Rule
Cost Calculators – Members Only
PLC Store – Many items for sale
Safety Resources – RSVP for Safety Committee Meeting Oct.11!
Trucking – Latest news
Classified listings – Check them out!
Member Discounts – Many to choose from
Logging News – Latest headlines
PLC Log A Load Northern Maine Golf Tournament $60,612 raised!
We had a great day last Friday for the PLC’s 2023 Log A Load for Maine Kids Northern Maine Golf Tournament at JaTo Highlands in Lincoln. We raised $60,612 for the kids!!!
Thank you to all the teams, sponsors, donors, and our partners Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center CMN Hospitals and The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical Center for making the event a success! Special thanks to everyone who signed the cutout for Brooke – she was very happy with it, and congratulations to our winning team, Thomas Logging & Forestry!
Check out pictures from the event on the PLC Facebook site here: www.facebook.com/maineloggers/
MLOFT Student Job Shadowing Opportunities Needed
PLC Members,
Students in this year’s Mechanized Logging Operations and Forest Trucking Program (MLOFT) are seeking opportunities to job shadow with contractors on Fridays this fall. This is not only a great learning opportunity for them, but also a chance for you to meet and evaluate potential future employees for your business.
You may view information on each student below. If you are interested in having one or more students job shadow with you on a Friday, please contact Vanessa Tillson at 207-688-8195 or email office@maineloggers.com.
Contractors are also welcome to visit the MLOFT program to meet students and see the program in action. If you are interested in visiting, please contact Donald Burr directly at (207) 356-1541 or email safety@maineloggers.com
ALC 2023 Annual Meeting October 4-6 in Maine!
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The American Loggers Council 2023 Annual Meeting is just around the corner! Less than two weeks from now hundreds of timber industry representatives will gather at the Sunday River Resort in Newry, Maine for this year’s Meeting – “Family Tradition”. There is still time to register at the American Loggers Council website (www.amloggers.com). Don’t miss this opportunity to meet with leading timber industry leaders from across the country to network, socialize, and learn what is happening.
We are excited to include a Log A Load For Kids fundraising auction to support the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and invite each of you to donate an item for the event. There are already many generous donations and impressive sports memorabilia items such as a;
-Steve Young autographed football
-Roger Clemens autographed collage of the four teams he played for
-Kurt Werner autographed Sports Illustrated magazine (1999) – Super Bowl CHAMPS!
Just to name a few. Bring or send something to represent your state or company. Let’s make this a record-breaking event!
Auction donations can be shipped to: Grand Summit Hotel, Sunday River Resort, 97 Summit Road, Newry, ME 04261, Attn: American Loggers Council Conference
-Scott Dane, ALC Executive Director
American Loggers Council President and long-time PLC Board Member Andy Irish and his wife Kathy look forward to hosting the event. Rooms are available to book and the preliminary agenda is available. The event packet is available HERE and links for registration and rooms are available below! *Please note, most of the rooms at the resort are reserved. There is another resort hotel, the Jordan (855-516-1090) that is a few miles from the main resort as an additional lodging option. Jordan Hotel – ReservationDesk.com
Small Business Virtual Roundtable Meetings
on the Department of Labor’s Proposed Overtime Rule
TUESDAY, September 26, 2023, 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. Eastern Time
WEDNESDAY, September 27, 2023, 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. Eastern Time
Via Microsoft Teams Meeting
The next Office of Advocacy Roundtable will meet virtually to discuss the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Proposed Overtime Rule. DOL proposes to increase the minimum salary threshold for the “white collar” exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) from $35,568 to $55,068 annually. This threshold may be increased in the final rule based on the most recent data available, possibly up to $60,209. These meeting will be held virtually using Microsoft Teams.
Send your RSVP for ONE of these meetings to Janis Reyes at Janis.Reyes@sba.gov.We anticipate a large turnout for these events.
A meeting link will be provided to you when you RSVP.
Draft Agenda
PLC Members Only!
Equipment Cost Calculators Available
Members,
With expenses rising rapidly in the industry we know you are struggling to get a handle on your costs. This is a great time to utilize the cost calculators created in 2021 for PLC Members.
These new, easy to use, logging equipment and log trucking cost calculators are available on the PLC Members Only section of our web site You may access this private section of the web site with your member login or set up a login HERE.
These calculators allow you to quickly estimate the hourly cost of operation for any piece of your equipment.
DISCLAIMER: These calculators are being made available for your business use as a member benefit. They produce equipment estimates and are not official products of the PLC nor should they be used for negotiation purposes.
PLC Online Store
Looking for great PLC items and apparel? Gifts? First Aid packs, safety items and more? You will find them at the new PLC Online Store on our web site. Ordering is easy.
CHECK IT OUT HERE
PLC Upcoming Meetings
PLC Executive Board Meeting
Nov. 9
Location TBD
Safety Resources
Please RSVP!
PLC Safety Committee Meeting – Wednesday, Oct. 11
Please join us at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor on Wednesday, October 11 for a PLC Safety Committee (open to ALL PLC members) meeting to develop our safety training programs for 2024. You will also learn about training requirements and online training options that are available in 2023/2024.
From 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., join us, along with your local insurance agent and representatives from Acadia and MEMIC, to develop our safety plans for 2024. Following the safety committee meeting, Acadia clients and affiliated agents are invited to stay for a presentation from Acadia Insurance from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. to learn about claim trends, rates and areas of focus for 2024.
Please RSVP to: office@maineloggers.com or call 207-688-8195 ext. 1
Logging and Timber Harvesting Underwriting Update for PLC Members who are with Acadia Insurance
Webinar: Stress Control Strategies for the Forestry and Timber Workforce Sept. 27 at 1 p.m.
Summary: Stress can directly impact safety. Whether managing forestry wildfires or working long strenuous days harvesting and hauling timber, the forestry and logging workforce face unique situations that can predispose stress and challenges to mental well-being. The agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting (AgFF) industries has one of highest percentages of deaths by suicide. Key factors contributing to despair and distress include financial losses, chronic illness or pain, a sense of work-life imbalance, and lack of mental health support. And it is common to encounter circumstances beyond their control, such as unpredictable weather patterns, rapidly changing prices, and long workdays sometimes in isolation. Perceived lack of control can lead to helplessness and hopelessness, anxiety, depression, substance use and suicide. This session will explore the topic with a review of specific risk factors, and discuss ways to support this workforce in an unpredictable environment.
Intended Audience: This course is intended for workers in forestry and logging, including fallers, first-line supervisors/managers of forestry workers, logging equipment operators, sawing machine setters, operators and tenders, and truck drivers.
Objectives: At the conclusion of the training, participants will be able to…
- Identify the factors that contribute to stress overload in the forestry and timber harvesting occupations.
- Relate the effects of stress overload to the safety of the work site and personal life.
- Identify effective strategies for effective stress management to improve safety and quality of life.
This material was produced under grant number SH-39184-SH2 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Department of Labor. It does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
New Small PLC Operator/Driver First Aid Pack!
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PLC Crew First Aid Backpack
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CPR/First Aid/Bloodborne Pathogens certification: Did you know your employees are required to have this training every two years? If your employees need this training in 2023, contact Jessica at Jessica@maineloggers.com or 207-688-8195 and the PLC will schedule training in your area. THIS TRAINING IS FREE TO MEMBERS!
Communicating with Confidence
Presented by: Career Management Associates
October 12th
VIA ZOOM
9:00am – 11:00am
Trucking
FMCSA has removed four ELDs from the list of registered Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs)
Motor carriers and drivers using ALL TRUCKERS ELD, GOLDEN ELD, PRIMELD, and SECURE ELD devices have 60 days to replace the revoked devices with compliant ELDs.
On July 25, 2023, FMCSA removed the four ELDs from the list of registered ELDs due to the companies’ failure to meet the minimum requirements established in 49 CFR part 395, subpart B, appendix A.
Motor carriers and drivers who use the ELDs must take the following actions:
Discontinue using the revoked ELDs and revert to paper logs or logging software to record required hours of service data.
Replace the revoked ELDs with compliant ELDs from the Registered Devices list before September 23, 2023.
Motor carriers and drivers who continue to use the revoked ELDs listed above on or after September 23, 2023, will be in violation of 49 CFR 395.8(a)(1)—“No record of duty status” and drivers will be placed out-of-service in accordance with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) OOS Criteria.
If the ELD providers correct all identified deficiencies, FMCSA will place the ELDs back on the Registered Devices list and inform the industry and the field. However, FMCSA strongly encourages motor carriers to take the actions listed above now to avoid compliance issues in the event that these deficiencies are not addressed in time.
Questions?
Contact ELD@dot.gov.
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FMCSA has reinstated GOLDEN ELD to the list of registered Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs).
As of July 25, 2023, the following device is now listed on the list of registered ELDs. The ELD was previously revoked but has been reinstated.
ELD Name: GOLDEN ELD
ELD Model number: GRS
ELD Identifier: GRS199
ELD Provider: GOLDEN ELD
Logging News
Log A Load golf tournament raises funds for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals
LINCOLN, Maine (WABI) – Helping Maine kids in need – that’s what loggers, wood-supplying businesses, and other industry supports were doing in Lincoln Friday.
Member Discounts
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ALC Member Discounts
PLC Members, because the PLC is a member of the American Loggers Council YOU are entitled to special discounts! CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE
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Fabian Oil Discount
Wallingford’s Discounts
Maine Trailer Discounts
PLC Members get a 5% discount on culverts purchased at Treeline and Frank Martin & Sons
Hale Trailer discounts for PLC Members on new trailer purchases! Call Neal at 207-232-7969 for details!
Cross Arena Discounts for PLC!
Classifieds
PLC Classified Section
Check out the equipment and job opportunities our members have listed at the LOGGING ZONE! If you have equipment for sale, are looking to buy, are looking for employees, or
Preferred Supporting Members
Enhanced Supporting Members
