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Hello, Fellow Drivers, Today’s trucking industry news is about driver fatigue. Here is the buzz from Washington. The FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) is redoing their regs on HOS. The bottom line is to remember to get as much rest as your run allows and don’t stretch that log book too much! Enjoy the read and remember to be safe out there!
NTSB: Fatigue endangers across all transportation modes
Hersman highlighted a number of accident investigations across all transportation modes that included fatigue as the probable cause or a contributing factor to accidents.
The Trucker News Services
3/8/2010
WASHINGTON — National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman March 5 encouraged the sleep research and healthcare community to continue their efforts to educate transportation policy makers of the dangers of fatigue in all modes of transportation. Speaking before the annual conference of the National Sleep Foundation in Washington, Chairman Hersman remarked that fatigue has been a concern for the board since the creation of the agency in 1967 and it has been an issue on the Board’s Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements since the list was established in 1990. “The work of the National Sleep Foundation and other organizations and individuals is critical to improving transportation safety policy,” said Chairman Hersman. “The NTSB is interested and willing to partner with you in developing a greater awareness of fatigue.” Hersman highlighted a number of accident investigations across all transportation modes that included fatigue as the probable cause or a contributing factor to accidents. As a result, the board has made safety recommendations that range from deploying fatigue detection systems to reduce the occurrence of accidents to installing electronic on-board recorders that collect and maintain hours of service data on vehicle operators. “We can’t always prove fatigue as a cause of an accident, but the frequency with which we now routinely document the presence of fatigue-related factors in transportation operations is alarming,” Hersman stated. Hersman remarked that while there are still no definitive tools to conclusively identify the degree to which a person is fatigued, the major challenge is to ensure that all those in transportation report to work rested and fit for duty — for their own safety and for the safety of those they are transporting.
Barb Kampbell of The Trucker staff can be reached for comment at barbkampbell@thetrucker.com.
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Hello, Fellow Drivers, On 3/3/2010 I published an article about the FMCSA that they had temporarily closed their doors. This article comes straight from the FMCSA website to update that report. If you have trucking authority or want to get trucking authority, this is trucking industry news you will want to take note of. Enjoy the short read and remember to be safe out there!
Trucking Authority – The FMCSA To Be Shut Down 3-2-10
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
posted by 18 Wheeler 9:58 AM
Hello, Fellow Drivers, After taking a sabbatical from blogging I am back to keep you informed on the latest developments and information to get trucking authority or to have a successful trucking business. Land Line Magazine recently published this article about the FMCSA. It greatly affects the trucking industry. Enjoy the read and remember to be safe out there!
SPECIAL REPORT: DOT to shut down on Tuesday
Friday, Feb. 26, 2010 – As of Tuesday, March 2, a big chunk of the U.S. Department of Transportation will be shut down temporarily because of a lack of funding. Just how long it lasts will depend on Congress.
The stunning news came Friday after the Senate adjourned without passing legislation to extend surface transportation programs that were set to expire Sunday, Feb. 28.
As a result, 4,000 DOT employees will be at home without pay starting Tuesday, leaving only a skeleton crew to deal with matters of immediate safety.
Affected agencies include the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Federal Transit Authority and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
For truckers, the shutdown will bring business such as audits, authority applications, MCS-150 updates and other paperwork issues to a grinding halt.
The shutdown will not immediately affect scale houses, which are run by state law enforcement agencies. However, because FMCSA provides funding to state agencies for commercial vehicle enforcement, the furlough will put reimbursements in jeopardy.
U.S. Rep. James Oberstar, D-MN, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, called an emergency press conference on Friday to shed light on the rare occurrence. The last government shutdown happened in 1995 and 1996 over disagreements about appropriations.
“The shutdown of the federal highway program means that the Federal Highway Administration won’t be able to reimburse states for highway or transit funds,” Oberstar told reporters.
The furlough and lack of funding mean no money from FMCSA to fund state commercial vehicle enforcement.
“None of that will happen because there will be no funding for it, and if there is a furlough on Tuesday there won’t be any personnel available for enforcement action,” Oberstar told Land Line.
Oberstar said the shutdown also affects the stimulus funds to states because there won’t be people in federal offices to process grants. He said some states could lose out because of the inaction.
The Highway Trust Fund has been surviving on a series of short-term extensions since the surface transportation law known as SAFETEA-LU technically expired in September 2009.
The U.S. House and Senate have been under tremendous pressure to extend the provisions of SAFETEA-LU beyond Sunday’s deadline.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, asked his colleagues on Friday to lend unanimous consent to a 30-day extension for highway programs offered by the House, but Sen. Jim Bunning, R-KY, did not consent, citing the fiscal ramifications of the $10 billion cost. Bunning’s threat of filibuster caused Reid to adjourn the Senate on Friday for the weekend. Senators are scheduled to return Tuesday with the matter only baby steps closer to resolution.
Oberstar said Friday that in order to get the DOT back to work as soon as possible, he would lend his support in the House to passing the $15 billion Senate version of jobs legislation, HR2847.
The jobs bill contains a provision for shoring up the Highway Trust Fund through the end of 2010. The House originally wanted the highway extension to last only through Sept. 30 as lawmakers work on a five- or six-year highway bill.
Tune in to Land Line and Land Line Now on Monday for continuing coverage of the shutdown and what it means for other agencies.
– By David Tanner, associate editor
david_tanner@landlinemag.com
Trucking Authority – UCR Fees For 2010 Not Finalized; Enforcement Delayed
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
posted by 18 Wheeler 7:34 PM
Hello, Fellow Drivers, I found an interesting article from Land Line Magazine, February 2010. For those of you with trucking authority, or want to get trucking authority, this article will be of interest to you. Enjoy the read and remember to be safe out there.
By Jami Jones
senior editor
With the start of a new year, truckers wanting to clear out their fee obligations are left without a clear answer on what they owe in Unified Carrier Registration fees for 2010.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration posted a notice to the Federal Register in September 2009 outlining new proposed fees. The extended comment period closed later that month.
FMCSA officials reported during the rulemaking process that states have been unable to effectively collect the UCR revenue they are entitled to by law during the 2007-2009 registration years. They believe the proposed new fee levels will both encourage states to aggressively enforce the UCR fees rule and generate the necessary revenue to execute state motor carrier safety programs.
The fee structure proposed in the rulemaking for 2010 is:
0-1 trucks………………………. $83
2-5 trucks…………………….. $166
6-20 trucks…………………… $497
21-100 trucks……………… $1,741
101-1,000 trucks…………. $8,373
1,001 or more trucks….. $82,983
Brokers and leasing companies will still be subject to the same fee paid by truckers in the 0-1 truck category.
However, as of mid-December 2009, the agency still had not published a final determination on the fees.
“There is an enforcement memo going out telling roadside law enforcement after the first of the year to not write tickets for not having your credentials in place in the cab because there simply isn’t going to be anything in place yet,” OOIDA Director of Regulatory Affairs Joe Rajkovacz told Land Line.
“That is not to say they will not be enforcing the payment of previous years’ UCR fees,” he added.Rajkovacz said truckers really need to make sure they have their proof of payment on
2009 UCR fees.
“Some jurisdictions are writing $1,000 tickets,” he said.
Rajkovacz said he expects the 2010 UCR fees to be settled sometime in the first quarter of 2010. LL
Hello Fellow Drivers,
Let’s talk about the changes that the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) is putting into place for those in the trucking business. If you have trucking authority or want to get trucking authority, then this article is a MUST read. The article came from a quarterly supplement from J.J. Keller & Associates. Remember to be safe out there.
WHAT’S ALL THE BUZZ ABOUT CSA 2010?
If you have not yet heard about CSA 2010, it’s time to lend an ear to the buzz! This is a new enforcement initiative planned for rollout in mid-2010. CSA – Comprehensive Safety Analysis – is about the FMCSA taking a closer look at more motor carrier data and bringing a problem area to the carrier’s attention sooner than under the old system. If the carrier doesn’t respond to initial interventions, more serious interventions will result.
KEY PHRASES TO PAY ATTENTION TO IN THE ABOVE PARAGRAPH ARE closer look…more data…carrier’s attention sooner. FMCSA’s objective with this approach is to become more proactive with lowering crash risk.
A CLOSER LOOK
The closer look phrase means carrier and driver data will be categorized more narrowly – into seven Behavioral Analysis Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs) instead of the four broad Safety Evaluation Areas (SEAs) under the current system. More of the data will come to the surface under seven categories than under four categories.
MORE DATE
A big difference between the current data measuring system (SafeStat) and the new Safety Measurement System, or SMS, is that ALL safety-based violations will be entered into the system – not just out-of-service violations. This, of course, results in more data becoming subject to review. All safety violations listed on a Roadside Inspection Report will become part of the carrier’s data, and be weighted according to the seventy of the violation and the currency of the inspection (violations from more recent inspections will be weighted more heavily).
Carriers’ data will stay in the SMS for 24 months and drivers’ date will stay for 36 months.
CARRIER’S ATTENTION SOON
Under the new initiative, enforcement will have more methods than just the compliance review for dealing with a motor carrier. Poor performance in any one of the BASIC areas could result in an intervention from law enforcement – ranging from a warning letter to a rquest for documents, to getting an appointment to discuss the problem area at a DOT office, to getting a compliance visit froom the DOT. More intervention options will allow enforcement to bring a problem area to a carrier’s attention sooner.
HOW CAN YOU PREPARE FOR CSA 2010?
There are some things you can do now to help assure a good outcome for your company under CSA 2010.
* Review your Carrier Profile information,(MCS-150 on the FMCSA website), monitor crash and inspection report data that get attributed to your company. Keep your profile information up to date and challenge crash and inspection data that is incorrect. Us the FMCSA’s “DataQ’s” tool to have incorrect data fixed so it doesn;t negatively affect you.
* Educate your drivers on the CSA 2010 initiative. Emphasize the greater impact that roadside inspection results will have, not only on your record, but on your drivers’ records too. Driver violations and crash data will also be scored in a driver database.
* Develop radside inpsection and corrective action policies. Put procedures in place for drivers to report roadside inspection results to you immediatly and for transmitting the Roadside Inspection Report. Set up procedures for correcting problem areas discovered during roadside inspections. Do the same for any kind of accident, no matter how minor.
The bottom line is that, under the new system, enforcement agencies will tract more data, have more contact with motor carrers, and will have more intervention tools available to use.
Trucking Industry News – Current Federal Legislation – Part 3 of 3
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
posted by 18 Wheeler 9:33 PM
Hello, Fellow Drivers, This is the last part of the this three part series on trucking industry news. I got this news from the Land Line Magazine online. These are important issues that affect your trucking business. Enjoy the read and remember to be safe out there!
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Trucking Industry News – Current Federal Legislation – Part 2 of 3
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
posted by 18 Wheeler 9:51 AM
Hello, Fellow Drivers, Today we’ll discuss part 2 of the new current fed legislation. Put this in with your other trucking industry news as a reminder to stay current on changes in the trucking business. Enjoy the read and remember to stay safe out there!
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Trucking Industry News – Current Federal Legislation – Part 1 of 3
Thursday, January 7, 2010
posted by 18 Wheeler 5:24 PM
Hello, Fellow Drivers, It’s always good to keep up with what the Feds are doing. In this bit of trucking industry news, you will read about the highway bill that is before Congress. If the bill passes, the trucking business will have to face the changes. Enjoy the read and remember to be safe out there. I found this in this issues of OOIDA’s Land Line Mag.
Legislative issues on the federal level can heat up and flame out in the blink of an eye. However, there are several bills – some with several different versions in both chambers, others as stand-alone bills – of interest to truckers.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association keeps close tabs on these issues on a daily basis. The following is a snapshot of some of the biggest pieces of legislation that could affect your lives on the road.
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Hello, Fellow Drivers, As if the trucking business had enough to keep up with, now the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is adding to the pile! I found this bit of trucking industry news in the OOIDA magazine, Land Line. Read on to keep abreast of the latest ways to keep you from stretchin’ your log books and other things. Remember to be safe out there!
CSA 2010: Your new company, driver safety ‘credit report’
With technology morphing the way we live our lives at warp speed, it’s no big surprise that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has decided to go high-tech with its compliance enforcement.
Currently, the odds of being hit with any substantive on-site compliance review are somewhere between slim and none. Because of lack of staffing and the cumbersome nature of plowing through mountains of paperwork, each year FMCSA officials are only able to conduct compliance reviews on less than 2 percent of the motor carriers in the U.S.
Enter the technology knight on a white horse – CSA 2010. Back in 2004, FMCSA officials started developing a data-driven system of analyzing all inspection reports on motor carriers and drivers to identify trends of noncompliance.
The mega database system, with all of its algorithms and programs, will spit out monthly safety ratings for companies and drivers. Those who crop up with numerous violations – ranging from the not-so-serious to out-of-service – will pop up on FMCSA’s compliance radar.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get a full-blown on-site compliance review. Depending on the severity of the rating, you could get anything from a letter telling you to straighten up your act to that dreaded on-site review that likens to an IRS audit.
Companies will have a chance to get their act together and report back to FMCSA to keep a good safety fitness rating. There will be three fitness rating in the 2010 program: “unfit,” “marginal” and “continue to operate.”
The overall concept is simple enough but, as with anything, the devil is in the details – and with CSA 2010, there are a ton of details.
The program can be broken down into the data, the math behind the number, enforcement, safety fitness determinations and the possible hiccups motor carriers and truckers could encounter along the way.
The following is the first in a series of articles that will explain the ins and outs of the new enforcement program bearing down on the trucking industry.
– By Jami Jones, senior editor
jami_jones@landlinemag.com
Trucking Industry News – Resolutions Next Exit! Part 3 of 3
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
posted by 18 Wheeler 12:10 AM
Hello, Fellow Drivers! This is the last part of a three-part article on New Year’s Resolutions and trucking resources. I hope you have been able to gain something useful from this article and remember to be safe out there!
DRIVER HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Quit smoking. Easier said than done! You’ll live longer, feel better and have less chance of developing heart disease, stroke, lung disease and cancer. Do it for yourself, but get the help and support you need to quit, whether it be from a family member, friend or doctor. It’s a matter of making a gut decision to do it like you made the decision to drive a truck. Success won’t come until you REALLY make up your mind that you want this.
Don’t abuse alcohol and drugs. Assistance is readily available to help people break an addiction and turn their lives around. Stay out of “party row”. Don’t trash around too much.
See a doctor. It’s cheaper to prevent a serious medical issue than to treat one. Regular doctor visits can keep you healthy and on the road. Many health plans provide benefits intended for preventative checkups. Another good way to prevent health issues is to seek out a nutritionist or a doctor that uses natural means to prevent health issues. Supplements and such things help promote good health and vitality.
Well, Drivers, this is the finish of this article. Surely there is at least one thing you can incorporate into your new year’s routine to help with your trucking business success. Happy New Year!