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Your Feb. 19 Pre-Trip: Truckers oppose tougher speed limits in Georgia

Feb. 19, 2016

Here are five things worth knowing today.

Here are five things worth knowing today: 1. Trucking industry representatives are opposing proposed tougher limits on highway speeds in Georgia, Savannah Morning News reports. Rep. Ron Stephens introduced the restrictions in response to last year’s I-16 crash that killed five nursing students in Savannah. The bill would make truck drivers subject to $200 speeding penalties that are on top of local fines when caught going 10 mph over the speed limit on interstate highways, according to the report. Savannah Morning News has more.2. Truckers beware: According to a Fox News Health report, more than one out of three Americans are not getting enough sleep. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society say that at least seven hours of sleep is considered healthy for adults aged 18 to 60. According to the report, getting less than seven hours of sleep a night is associated with an increased risk of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and frequent mental distress. 3. Covenant Transportation Group has appointed Joey B. Hogan as its new president, the Times Free Press reports. Hogan, who succeeds David Parker, previously served as senior executive vice president at Covenant and was president of CTG’s Covenant Transport subsidiary, according to the report. Parker will continue to serve as the company’s chairman and CEO, the Free Press said.4. Connecticut trucking companies will soon receive bills totaling $73,000 due to a previous calculation error by state contractor Xerox, Hartford Business reports. According to the report, the fees are related to a commercial vehicle registration program that assesses miles driven. There were similar errors in a dozen other states, the report states. Hartford Business has more.5. Nearly 59,000 bridges in the U.S. are deemed structurally deficient, The Day reports. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s 2015 bridge inventory database suggests the bridges are in danger of falling down, putting drivers who cross them at risk. The Day has more.