December 23, 2015

Dear NJGCA Member:

Thank you for reading this week's NJGCA Road Warrior!

Here is what you will find in this edition:

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS MADE PUBLIC FOR "NEXT GENERATION" OF NJ EMISSIONS INSPECTION PROGRAM

The long-awaited request for proposals (RFP) is finally here! As you know, I've been talking about the "new" inspection program for about six years (since a new program should have been in place five years ago). The RFP released yesterday uses the terminology "next generation" so everything you see from the State moving forward is going to be preceded by the letters "NG."

Although the RFP has some benefits over the present program, it is a far cry from what NJGCA has been advocating for, and what I expected to happen. For the moment, I will say that I'm disappointed, and at certain intervals in my day, I even find myself very angry. I'll discuss what derailed my expectations for a totally private inspection system at a later date, as things become more clear. Since the text of the RFP has only been available for less than 24 hours and is over 150 pages of materials, the three of us here in the office are each reviewing the proposal and making our own notes... there is still a lot to get through, but I'll start with the big items:

1. The central inspection lanes are NOT going to be closed as I had hoped.
2. Tail pipe emissions tests are being eliminated. You will no longer need to purchase equipment to perform these tests. Yes, new equipment will have to be purchased for the new program, the cost of which is unknown, as this is part of what the various contractors will be bidding on in the coming months. All bids must be submitted by February 22, 2016.

There were two small victories, which should add about 350,000 more vehicles into your shops:

1. All re-inspections must be performed at PIFs and will no longer be permitted to be performed at the CIFs.
2. Commercial vehicles, which must pass annual emissions (and safety) inspections, will not be permitted to have their inspections done at the CIFs, and they must have their inspections done at the PIF.

Although this does increase the number of vehicles that have to visit private shops, my intent was to put 2 million more vehicles more in your shops by closing the central lanes, and that has not happened...

Because we knew that this RFP was imminent, I mentioned last week that we began the final planning for our February 10, 2016 Auto Repair and Tire Shop Summit. The Summit will include the head of the Motor Vehicle Commission, Chief Administrator Ray Martinez, who will be featured as our keynote luncheon speaker. More details will follow in the mail.. you should be receiving THIS postcard shortly after the first of the year, but registration is open online by clicking HERE!

Finally, I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! There probably won't be a message next week, so I want to extend my best wishes to you and your families for a prosperous, healthy and happy New Year. We certainly have a lot to accomplish in 2016 and I look forward to a very exciting year. All the best!

Sal Risalvato
Executive Director

All classes held at NJGCA HQ -- 4900 Route 33 West, Wall Township, NJ 07753

**NEW** Emission Repair Technician Re-Certification Class
Four (4) Full Days -- 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM -- December 9, 15, 22 & 29

Section 8 – Advanced Gasoline Technologies (Wednesday, December 9)
Section 9 – Advanced Light Duty Diesel (Tuesday, December 15 & 22)
Section 10 – Hybrid/Electric Technologies (Tuesday, December 29)

Cost = $635 Member
$765 Non-Member

Emission Repair Technician Re-Certification Class
Four (4) Full Days or Eight (8) Evenings

Days: 9AM - 5PM on Tuesdays -- February 23, March 1, 8, 15
Nights: 6 PM - 10 PM on Tuesdays & Thursdays -- Jan 12, 14, 19, 21, 26, 28 and February 2 and 4.

Emission Repair Technician ENTIRE Training Course
Eleven (11) Full Days -- 9 AM to 5 PM
January 5, 12, 19, 26 ... February 2, 9, 16, 23 ... March 1, 8, 15

For more details on all of these classes, click HERE.
For a registration form for any of these classes, click HERE.

FUTURE CLASSES WILL BE ADDED UPON REQUEST AND ACCORDING TO DEMAND. CONTACT DEBBIE at 732-256-9646 or DEBBIE@NJGCA.ORG TO LET HER KNOW YOU ARE INTERESTED IN TAKING A SPECIFIC CLASS. THIS WILL ALLOW US TO GAUGE YOUR NEEDS AND KEEP TRACK OF THOSE WISHING TO PARTICIPATE!!

CLASSIFIEDS! -- FOR SALE & HELP WANTED ADS

NJGCA MEMBER BENEFIT PARTNER GILL ENERGY LOOKING TO HIRE FOR (3) DIFFERENT POSITIONS!

For more information about these positions, and to submit a resume for consideration, please contact: ravigill@gillenergy.com.

12/22/2015:
Ford and Google Partnering on Autonomous Vehicles
Ford Motor Co. and Google are expected to announce a new alliance that will include joint development of autonomous vehicles. Several sources have confirmed reports that were circulating indicating the announcement will be made two weeks from now when Ford CEO Mark Fields serves as keynote speaker at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The move could help jump-start the self-driving vehicle program at Ford which was planning to begin testing an autonomous version of its Fusion Hybrid sedan on public roads near its high-tech center in Silicon Valley next month. Ford is generally considered a follower in the emerging field while Google is generally seen as leading the field in autonomous vehicle development.

12/18/2015:
NJGCA in the News: Electric cars await jump-start in NJ; more charging stations badly needed, drivers say
As millions of NJ drivers hit the highway this holiday season, few will be doing so in an electric car. Despite a break on sales tax and a recent push to install more charging stations on two of the state’s busiest highways, a new report showed NJ lags behind on electric vehicles, compared with some other Northeast states. There are about 2,500 electric vehicles in NJ among the 5.7 million registered vehicles in the state. NJ trails NY, which has 12,000, Mass. has 5,500, Maryland has 5,000 and CT has 3,000, according to a study by the environmental advocacy groups Conservation Law Foundation, the Sierra Club and Acadia Center. Even as electric car sales dropped this year with gas prices plummeting, many auto manufacturers are betting on electric cars and hybrids, investing billions in technology and battery storage. Audi recently announced it expects 25 percent of its sales in North America to be electric by 2025, while Ford said this month it is investing $4.5 billion to add 13 electric vehicles to its product line by the end of the decade. Click the link above to read Sal's comments on the electric-car industry and how NJGCA members are planning for the future.

12/18/2015:
Learn How A Gas Pump Nozzle Actually Works: Video
It's a daily task that most people probably take for granted. A car pulls up to the pump, you grab the nozzle, and fill up the vehicle with fuel. There's a good chance you have no idea of how that fuel goes from the pump through the nozzle and into the car. This video, produced by The Husky Corporation out of Missouri, which produces fuel pump nozzles, had its president Grenville Sutcliffe sit down and explain the ~~wizard magic~~ engineering behind it all. It all has to do with vacuum and pressure, it seems. Air works with the flow of fuel to keep the good stuff flowing into your car. There's a hole near the top of the nozzle that is eventually covered by gas when the proper fill level is reached. This shuts off the flow of air, which closes a diaphragm and stops the flow of fuel. Once you dive in and see the insides of a nozzle, it all makes a whole lot more sense. Sutcliffe goes further into detail showing how a newer nozzle handles pre-paid fill-ups as well. To watch the video, click the link above.

We have had a number of NJGCA members successfully reduce their rate per kWh signing up through our energy saving program. We know it's difficult to collect 12 months worth of previous electric bills to get an "accurate" analysis when comparing a variable rate to a fixed rate, but we now have another option available.

This new solution is a power purchase option; the other program is still in full force and has saved members thousands of dollars. If you sign up for the power purchase option, you will be grouped with other NJGCA members until the minimum KW demand is acquired. By pooling the member's usage together, you will be able to take advantage, as large energy users do, and receive a lower kWh rate.

Each member will receive their own contract. Each member is responsible to sign and return the agreement the day it is received in order to secure the price for their group.

Please do your due diligence, so when you receive the proposal and the agreement you will be able to make an intelligent decision.

If by chance, you still want us to assess you bills, to give you a price to compare, we will require 12 months of your most recent utility bills.

There are no bills required, but we would still like to have one bill per meter on file to check account #'s, meter #'s service addresses and other pertinent information incase there is a problem.

The term of the agreement is for 12 months. During this term period, you will have price protection against any energy price increases along with a low fixed kWh rate.

If you are interested in becoming part of this power purchase option, please contact Greg Cannon at the NJGCA.

Remember when you sign up your energy through the NJGCA Energy Program, TMP makes a considerable donation to the NJGCA Scholarship Fund through their proceeds. This has no affect on your rate, and costs you nothing out of pocket.

We hope to help hundreds of NJGCA members reduce their utility costs by participating in this and our other cost reduction programs. Our purpose, in the endeavor, is to help NJGCA members lower their energy costs while supporting the NJGCA Scholarship Fund.

Contact GREG CANNON at 732-256-9646 or email Greg at greg@njgca.org. Mention that you are interested in saving money on your energy bills. NJGCA & TMP Energy Solutions will handle all the rest.

POLITICAL PARTICIPATON: THE NJGCA PAC

DEFENDING OUR MEMBERS.
PROTECTING YOUR INTERESTS.
ANSWER THE CALL & CONTRIBUTE TODAY!!

Promoting our agenda in Trenton is of utmost importance to NJGCA and our members.

However, in order to truly affect the debate, we must ensure our friends in the Legislature are re-elected. It is for this reason that your Association has established the NJGCA PAC.

For too long, the weight of funding our Political Action Committee, the arm of the Association responsible for political donations, has rested upon a few. This is not only unfair to those few members who have shouldered this burden, but means we are not utilizing our full strength to affect the debate in Trenton.

To truly understand the importance of supporting our allies, consider our successes in Trenton:

We defeated BELOW COST SELLING
We made history in getting FIRST RIGHT OF REFUSAL signed into law!
We have built large support for RIGHT TO REPAIR and got it passed out of the Assembly
We defended your small business against the false accusations of Attorney General Anne Milgram
We gained wide support to move New Jersey to an all PIF Inspection System and close the CIF lanes
...and MUCH MORE!!

In each instance, we achieved these goals with the help of our friends in the Legislature!

If every member contributes just $100.00 we will be able to provide the help necessary to ensure victory for our allies.

PLEASE SEND YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS TO:
NJGCA PAC
4900 Route 33 West, Suite 100
Wall Township, NJ 07753
Please make your donation payable to NJGCA PAC

I understand that times are tough for all NJGCA members, but this is just as important as any battle we have fought in the past.

We have made great progress in Trenton. I hope that you will answer the call.

*NEW*Energy Information Agency Weekly Retail Gasoline Prices

Each week, the Energy Information Administration publishes a list of average gasoline prices for the previous three weeks. NJGCA will begin including this list with the Weekly Road Warrior. Remember, these prices are for reflective of self-serve everywhere except NJ.