Motion & Purpose 2025 Q2

In the 2025 Nevada Legislative session, Governor Joe Lombardo set a new state record by vetoing 87 bills, surpassing his previous record of 75 vetoes from 2023. This brings his total vetoes to 162, the highest for any Nevada governor in a single term, outpacing former Governor Brian Sandoval’s 97 vetoes over four sessions. Despite this, Lombardo signed 518 of the 605 bills passed during the 120-day session, which adjourned on June 2, 2025. His actions reflect a strategic approach to legislation, balancing economic priorities with regulatory caution, particularly in a state where the Democratic-controlled Assembly and Senate lack the two-thirds supermajority needed to override vetoes.

AB 414: Large Hybrid Environment Facility Safety Programs

Sponsored by Assemblywoman Cinthia Moore (D-North Las Vegas), AB 414 mandated heat mitigation plans for employers at large hybrid environmental facilities. The bill required measures like monitoring heat and air quality every 4 hours and banning truck idling. It passed along party lines, with Democrats in support.

Governor Lombardo vetoed AB 414 on June 11, 2025, criticizing its requirements as overly broad and burdensome. He argued that the mandates, particularly for industries like trucking, could impose significant compliance costs, diverting resources from operational needs. The NTA opposed the bill, noting that smaller trucking companies might struggle to meet these regulations, potentially impacting their competitiveness.

AB 213: Public Works Projects and Prevailing Wages

Introduced by Assemblywoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno (D-North Las Vegas), AB 213 aimed to require prevailing wages for workers on public works projects, extending higher wage rates to custom fabrication work, even for smaller projects, such as signs. It passed along party lines, with Democrats in favor.

AB 388: Paid Sick Family Leave Program

Sponsored by Assemblywoman Selena La Rue Hatch (D-Reno), AB 388 proposed extending paid family leave from 8 to 12 weeks for employers with 50 or more workers. Initially including public employees, amendments narrowed its scope to the private sector. The bill passed mostly along party lines, with some opposition, reflecting its contentious nature.

Lombardo vetoed AB 388 on June 11, 2025, arguing that it imposed broad, burdensome mandates that could disrupt Nevada’s business-friendly environment, particularly for small and mid-sized businesses. He emphasized that such policies could exacerbate staffing shortages in industries like trucking, where employee availability is critical. The NTA and NMA opposed the bill, citing increased costs and operational challenges (Nevada Legislature).

These vetoes reflect Lombardo’s broader philosophy of limiting government expansion and protecting economic interests.

Legislative Dynamics and Future Outlook

The 2025 session highlighted the tension between Nevada’s Democratic legislature and Republican governor. With Democrats one vote shy of a Senate supermajority, Lombardo’s veto power remains a significant check on legislative priorities. His vetoes, particularly of labor-focused bills like AB 388, have sparked debate over balancing worker protections with economic growth. Industry groups like the NTA & NMA have actively engaged lawmakers to highlight the potential impacts of such legislation, influencing veto decisions.

Looking ahead, the record 87 vetoes may prompt lawmakers to craft more bipartisan or narrowly tailored bills to avoid future rejections. Some vetoed bills, such as those addressing labor and health care, are expected to return in future sessions, potentially with revisions to address Lombardo’s concerns.

The Nevada Trucking Association has seated two new board members. Werdco BC president Brent Conrad, and Rich Casci, Operations Manager of Sierra Rental and Transport, are officially on the job.

Both men credit family matriarchs with helping to build family-run companies. Conrad started Werdco BC in 1982 with his late mother, Werdna Conrad. She also sat on the NTA board as a founder of the association, which was initially called the Nevada Motor Transport Association.

Casci’s father, Alvin Casci, started the business in 1972, and his mother soon joined the team. Rich Casci recalls that his grandmother was “running the operation” when he started washing trucks at age 7. Later, young Rich took on tire-changing, then dispatching and driving. When illness forced his grandmother off the job, he took over her tasks.

The new board members say their focus will be policy advisory. NTA tackles tough problems from permitting to the potentially industry-crushing insurance bill at this year’s legislature. Conrad and Casci have more than 80 years combined trucking experience, including the latter’s grade-school years.

Werdco BC, which Conrad started with his mom, works on critical infrastructure and road projects with 50 power units, multiple street sweepers, vac trucks, and water trucks. While 80 percent of the company’s business is in Southern Nevada, it has a strong presence at USA Parkway and is active in Southern California and Utah.

Sierra Rental and Transport has 80 trucks. SRT transports sand, gravel and heavy equipment. The heavy haul business reaches into 11 western states, Casci said.

Both firms are still family affairs.

“I’d have been out of business years ago if it wasn’t for my boys,” Conrad confided. “They have the aptitude for it. My daughter works for us too.”

No involvement yet for Casci’s kids, who are still young and fully engaged in youth sports.

“But my mom still handles payroll and accounting. My brother runs the shop. Dad still drives a truck,” he said.

The 2025 NV Truck Driving Championship was held on Saturday, May 3rd at the Washoe Regional Public Safety Training Center in Reno. Thank you to everyone who showed up to cheer on our competitors!

In all, we had 81 drivers, 68 volunteers and over 250 family members, friends and company supporters attend.

Our Raffle and Duck sale raised $1,000 for Battle Born Guardians – THANK YOU!

We could not hold this event without all the support from our sponsors, donors, volunteers and others – a huge THANK YOU to all!

Financial Sponsors

Advertisers:
Oak Harbor Freight
US Drug Test Centers
GeoTab/USA Fleet Solutions

Equipment Sponsors:
FedEx Freight
Full Tilt Logistics
Hunt & Sons
Oak Harbor Freight
Old Dominion
Freight Lines
Penske
UPS
Walmart
XPO

Rookie of the Year: Robbie Maus, UPS
Team Trophy: UPS
Grand Champion: Tim Stanga, FedEx Freight

Check out our webpage at https://nevadatrucking.com/truck-driving-championships/ for a full list of winners, photos and more news.

Nevada has more than its share of truck driving champions. The list now includes Tim Stanga from FedEx Freight who was crowned Grand Champion at the Truck Driving Championships in May.

“These guys in Nevada are top competitors,” said Tim Stanga, about his decision to compete in the NTA 2025 Truck Driving Championship. “So I had to step it up.”

Then there’s FedEx Freight, where he’s spent two decades fulfilling the Purple Promise. The company has its own share of top-drawer drivers.

Stanga studied for the written exam, but any champ will tell you, there’s no winning without prep time behind the wheel.

“In my free time I practiced,” he said. “Any chance I got I was practicing.”

Stanga found a great place to train – the FedEx Freight yard at the other end of his Las Vegas-to-San Bernardino run is large enough to accommodate his 4-Axle drill.

“There’s open area,” he said. “And they have equipment that I can take and practice.

“I know people were watching me, and thinking, ‘What is this guy doing?’ I did have a couple of guys come up to me and ask.”

Stanga’s big win this spring was his first in Nevada, after two previous wins in Arizona. Last year, he took a break to volunteer on the TDC course in Las Vegas.

“That was a good experience. It’s good to see the other side, being the score keeper.”

Now it’s off to Minneapolis for this summer’s ATA competition.

“The course is different every year, and they don’t let you know until the day-of,” he said. The drills will continue, while Nevada and FedEx cheer him on.

On Thursday, May 8th, the Nevada Trucking Association and its Board of Directors enjoyed a highly successful Day at the Legislature in Carson City. The day was marked by productive meetings with key state legislators, where members had the opportunity to advocate for the industry, discuss important transportation policy issues, and share the vital role trucking plays in Nevada’s economy.

The Association also hosted a well-attended luncheon that fostered valuable conversations between lawmakers and industry leaders. The event highlighted the Association’s strong presence and influence in the state’s legislative process, reaffirming its commitment to advancing the interests of Nevada’s trucking community.

In addition, NTA hosted the ATA Interstate One truck and a trio of America’s Road Team Captains. The truck, which housed a top-of-the line truck simulator, hosted legislators, legislative staff and NTA Board Members throughout the day.

Remember the fallen. Honor those who serve.

Teach the next generation the value of freedom. It’s the mission of Wreaths Across America.

You can join us by sponsoring a wreath, volunteering or partnering with us on National Wreaths Across America Day and every day.

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The Nevada Trucking Association is again partnering with Wreaths Across America to fill (virtually) one trailer load of sponsored veterans’ wreaths to send to local veteran’s cemeteries.

On December 13, 2025, Wreaths Across America donors and volunteers will Remember and Honor our veterans by laying veterans’ wreaths on the graves of our country’s fallen heroes. Please help us honor and remember as many fallen heroes as possible by sponsoring a wreath(s), volunteering on Wreaths Day, or inviting your family & friends to attend events across the country.

Thank you so much for supporting the Nevada Trucking Association and Wreaths Across America!

Use the QR code above or click this link to sponsor wreaths or to volunteer.

www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/nevadatrucking

Feel free to contact Patti@NevadaTrucking.com if you have any questions.

Bot Auto
C & S Companies
Kodiak Robotics
Lake Tahoe Celebrity Transportation
Meramec Solutions
Waabi Innovation US

Nevada’s tourist traffic and its logistics hub require about 5 million gallons of gasoline and diesel daily—3.8 million in Clark County alone. But we’re in a precarious position, with our reliance on California for fuel. A whopping 88 percent of our fuel supply comes from the Golden State. Its dwindling refinery network, stringent regulations, and recent pipeline disruptions are an ongoing threat to Nevada’s economic vitality.

Gov. Joe Lombardo tried to reason with his California counterpart last year, as Gavin Newsom threw another predictably damaging energy policy into the mix. Gov. Newsom was not persuaded.
Nevada must find new fuel sources. I appreciate State Senator Robin Titus and Assemblyman Gregory Hafen for sponsoring Senate Bill 505 (SB 505) this legislative session. The bill stalled, as the Senate Democrat Majority did not give it a hearing. SB 505 would have set Nevada on the path to explore new sources. Fully executed, it had potential to spawn a game plan for Nevada’s energy future. Some of the options contemplated in the bill are outlined below. Further discussion should not be abandoned.
Embed this link to the bill written as Senate Bill 505 above:
https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/83rd2025/Bill/12963/Overview

The Problem: A Fragile Fuel Lifeline
Nevada’s reliance on California is increasingly untenable. In 1985, California had around 50 refineries; by 2025, only 14 remain, with 36 closed or converted. Notable closures include Marathon’s Martinez refinery in 2020, Phillips 66’s Santa Maria in 2023, and the planned Wilmington shutdown in 2025. Three refineries—Marathon Martinez, Phillips 66 Rodeo, and Bakersfield (GCEH)—now produce low-carbon fuels solely for California’s market, driven by its Low Carbon Fuel Standard. These facilities, with a combined capacity of nearly 8 million gallons daily, no longer supply the gasoline and diesel Nevada requires, tightening our supply chain.

This vulnerability is not hypothetical. In February 2023, a 205-gallon gasoline leak in Long Beach forced a shutdown of the Kinder Morgan CalNev pipeline, which delivers 90% of Las Vegas’s fuel across 566 miles. Clark County declared a fuel emergency, and while operations resumed within 48 hours, the incident laid bare our fragility. In January 2025, Los Angeles wildfires disrupted the CalNev and SFPP West pipelines, halting fuel flow for up to 48 hours. A 1989 CalNev rupture caused by a train derailment sparked an explosion, underscoring the stakes. With Nevada’s storage capacity at 63 million gallons statewide (50.4 million in Clark County), we have just 12.5 to 13.3 days of supply—a disruption lasting beyond 10 days could grind our economy to a halt.

A Vision for Diversification
A promising solution is a pipeline tapping the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico, which produces 210 million gallons of crude daily. This pipeline, extending 600 to 800 miles from Arizona’s existing infrastructure to Las Vegas, could match the CalNev’s 5-million-gallon daily capacity.

Unlike California’s supply, constrained by regulations like the 2035 gas vehicle ban, the Permian Basin offers stability and abundance. Trucking or rail from Arizona, requiring 625 tankers daily at $0.05 per gallon compared to $0.01 for pipelines, is a short-term fix at best. A pipeline is the sustainable, cost-efficient path forward.

Building a fuel pipeline from Utah or Wyoming to Northern Nevada offers a strategic solution to diversify the state’s energy supply and reduce reliance on California’s vulnerable fuel network. Tapping into refineries in Salt Lake City or Wyoming’s robust oil and gas infrastructure, the pipeline could deliver a stable flow of gasoline and diesel to Northern Nevada, supporting regions like Reno and Sparks. Spanning approximately 300 to 500 miles, the project could leverage existing pipeline corridors and connect to Nevada’s distribution hubs, enhancing resilience against disruptions like those seen in recent CalNev pipeline outages. This initiative would bolster economic stability and energy security for Nevada’s northern communities.

Supplementing with Alternative Fuels
Alternative fuels can strengthen Nevada’s resilience by offsetting potential shortages and stabilizing prices. With California’s regulations driving up petroleum costs, the price gap between alternative fuels and traditional gasoline or diesel could quickly narrow. Most liquid alternative fuels are compatible with existing storage and distribution systems, enabling rapid adoption to bolster our energy strategy.

A Unified Effort for Nevada’s Future
Nevada’s economy—driven by tourism, logistics, and mobility—demands a reliable fuel supply. California’s refinery losses and pipeline disruptions are a clarion call for action. Though SB 505 did not receive a hearing, the continued efforts to address this critical issue inspire confidence that Nevada can secure its energy future. By keeping this conversation alive, we can build a resilient Nevada, ensuring stability for businesses, residents, and visitors alike.

NTA continually seeks out new partners with affordable benefits for our members. Check out these services, products, and training opportunities. Identify yourself as an NTA member to receive the negotiated prices and discounts!

WORKERS’ COMPENSATION INSURANCE
ProGroup Inc. administers the Nevada Transportation Self-Insured Group for NTA. Join this group for cost savings, technical assistance and training in all areas of employee health and safety.

Contact Michelle Ferrise at ProGroup – michelleferrise@pgmnv.com – 702-805-5122

TRAINING/SEMINARS
Scopelitis Transportation Consulting (STC) is a specialized consulting and advisory business that serves the evolving safety, regulatory, compliance and business needs of the transportation industry. STC has a series of webinars focused on DOT regulatory compliance. These trainings are geared to fleet / operations managers and safety / compliance professionals. Upcoming seminars include:

Click here to learn more and to sign up for this series.

Front Range Compliance Services (FRCS) is a proven and trusted DOT compliance program manager. FRCS is a 50-state specialist in all things DOT. They offer a variety of services, including DOT Compliance Training, internal mock “audits”, file management, DOT Compliance Audit Preparation & Representation, MVR Services and Drug/Alcohol testing programs. FRCS is a full-service safety & consulting company. Training Programs currently include free informational videos and on-demand webinars via www.DOTUniversity.com.

Go to www.frontrangecompliance.com for more information.

DRUG/ALCOHOL TESTING
TSC Testing was founded for the Transportation Industry. They service all states and have thousands of collection sites to serve their clients. Through the NTA program, you receive discounted pricing on consortium fees, employee drug testing and more. Contact Levi Ochotorena, lochotorena@tsctesting.com, 916-345-5022

LEGAL ASSISTANCE
Driver’s Legal Plan is an actual national law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of truck drivers, and the interests of trucking companies. This program offers subscription-based legal assistance for drivers to correct CSA data, manage citations and if necessary, assist with crashes.

Contact Tina Hopkins, tina@driverslegalplan.com, 405-724-4219.

BUSINESS SERVICES – FREE REVIEWS
Schooley Mitchell is the largest independent cost reduction consulting firm in North America. On average, they reduce essential business service expenses by 28% and most do not require changing vendors. Services include credit card processing, ELDs, telecommunications, uniforms and more.

Contact Rodney Wead, Rodney.wead@schooleymitchell.com, 317-588-9325.

TIRES
Goodyear Tires. NTA Members receive discount pricing on all your Goodyear tires, as well as any related incentives and rebates. Available at Goodyear Tire Dealers.

Contact your local Goodyear dealer or call Roland Corona, roland_corona@goodyear.com, 209-576-6064

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE – FREE PHONE SUPPORT
Ironwood Business Consulting is a leading national compliance consulting firm. NTA members receive free telephone support for questions on DOT / OSHA / HR and more. You can also receive discounted rates on in-depth consulting for training, crisis management, crash assistance and other areas.

Contact Tammy Bailey, tammy@ironwoodbc.com, 936-537-0638.

SAFETY REPORTS / MOMENTUM DASHBOARDS – FREE
Momentum Dashboard / Bluewire Severity Reports. NTA provides these reports free-of-charge to our members. The reports include safety performance tracking and detailed data from the CSA program and other sources.

Contact Patti Gillette, patti@nevadatrucking.com, 720-560-3957

BUYERS’ GUIDE
Strategic Value Media has once again produced NTA’s online Buyer’s Guide. This guide offers our members a quick link to vendors across dozens of categories from financial services to truck parts and insurance.

Check out the guide at www.nvtruckingbuyersguide.com

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