Are you prepared?
Vertical Alliance Group is hosting a special webinar on the New HOS Regulations
Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 3:00 PM Central Time
Featuring special guest Mike Lamm, Assistant Division Administrator for FMCSA
Mike will be discussing the new HOS regulations, including:
- Mandatory Breaks
- 34 Hour Restart
- On-Duty Time
- Egregious Penalties
- Changes and special provisions for Oil Field
- Electronic Logging Devices (ELD)
CLICK HERE to register today!
Mike Lamm has worked for 7 years as an Investigator, Hazardous Materials Specialist. In 2001, he returned to FMCSA headquarters to work in the Office of Enforcement and Compliance and spent 18 months working in the House of Representatives during the drafting of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equity Act. While in headquarters, Mike also worked as the Chief of the Passenger Carrier Safety Division, and the State Programs Division, with oversight of the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program.
Vertical Alliance Group is an expert in the truck transport industry and has been offering a complete library of training materials on trucking rules and regulations for over ten years.
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Driving Ambition is a premier CDL truck driver staffing company serving Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee. Since 2001, we have specialized in matching safe, experienced CDL drivers for our customers and great job opportunities for our professional truck drivers.
Our commitment to safety and building solid working relationships with both customers and CDL drivers has allowed us to earn an unparalleled reputation with our Proven Drivers and Exceptional Service.
This year, Roadcheck will take place June 4-6th. On average, 14 trucks or buses will be inspected every minute from Canada to Mexico during the 72-hour period in June. The Commerical Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) says roughly 10,000 inspectors from state, local and federal enforcement agencies will be stationed at 1,500 inspection points across the U.S. to do the roadside inspections.
Why should you take Roadcheck 2013 seriously?
Results of Roadcheck 2012:
- 74,072 inspections were conducted (over 4,000 more than 2011)
- Of the vehicles inspected, 20.9% were placed out of service for mechanical problems (2% more than 2011)
- The driver out-of-service rate was 4.6% (.6% more than 2011)
Top 10 Roadside Vehicle Inspection Violations for 2012:
- Operating Vehicle Not Having The Required Operable Lamps
- No/Defective Lighting Devices/Reflective Devices/Projected
- Tire—Other Tread Depth Less Than 2/32 Of Inch
- Oil And/Or Grease Leak
- Clamp/Roto-Chamber Type Brake(S) Out Of Adjustment
- Inspection/Repair And Maintenance Parts And Accessories
- Operating A Cmv Without Periodic Inspection
- No/Discharged/Unsecured Fire Extinguisher
- Failing To Secure Brake Hose/Tubing Against Mechanical Damage
- Inoperative Turn Signal
Roadcheck is the largest targeted enforcement program on commercial vehicles in the world. Since its inception in 1988, roadside inspections conducted during Roadcheck have numbered more than 1 million resulting in more than 220 lives saved and 4,045 injuries avoided.
CVSA has also provided for the distribution of countless pieces of educational literature and safety events to educate industry and the general public about the importance of safe commercial vehicle operations and the roadside inspection program.
Below are some Roadcheck 2013 resources for Drivers and Fleets:
Roadcheck 2013 Tip Sheet For Drivers
Get to the Point/ In the Inspector’s Seat – A Roadcheck Roadmap
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Driving Ambition is a premier CDL truck driver staffing company serving Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee. Since 2001, we have specialized in matching safe, experienced CDL drivers for our customers and great job opportunities for our professional truck drivers.
Our commitment to safety and building solid working relationships with both customers and CDL drivers has allowed us to earn an unparalleled reputation with our Proven Drivers and Exceptional Service.
Hours-of-service compliance is centered on two areas, limits and logs. Both drivers and carriers are held responsible for compliance with these regulations. Here's a back-to-basics rundown:
Limits
The limits are actually fairly straightforward. These include no driving once you reach:
- The end of the 14th hour after coming on duty for the day
- 11 hours of driving
- 60 hours in 7 days, or 70 hours in 8 days, depending on whether the company operates vehicles 7 days a week
The hours that count toward the 14 and 11 hour limits are started and stopped by a break of 10 hours or more.
14-hour rule
Once you reach the end of the 14th consecutive hour since coming on duty from your 10-hour or more break, you cannot drive a commercial vehicle. You can work, but you cannot drive. If you started your day at 7 a.m.., you cannot drive a commercial vehicle any more as of 9:00 p.m. Waiting to load or unload, meals, other breaks, breakdowns, etc., do not impact the 14-hour limit.
There are only a couple of exceptions to the 14-hour limit, but they are fairly narrow exceptions requiring certain conditions be met. The first exception applies only to drivers of vehicles that do not require a CDL to operate and stay within 150 air-miles of, and return to, the work reporting location. This exception allows the driver to drive up to the 16th hour twice during every seven days.
The other exception allows a driver that has returned to his or her work reporting location the last five working days to drive through the 16th hour once every seven days, or once since the driver’s last 34-hour restart. One requirement that is unique to this exception is that the driver must be released for a 10-hour break after the 16th hour, not just “stop driving.”
11 hours driving
Within the 14 hours, you can drive a total of 11 hours. Any time at the controls of a commercial vehicle while on the roadway counts as driving.
There is only one exception to the 11-hour driving limit, and that is the “adverse driving conditions” exception at §395.1(b). This allows a driver to complete his or her run or reach a place of safety using up to an extra two hours of driving time if delayed by adverse conditions that could not have been known at the time of dispatch. However, this exception does not allow the driver to go over his or her 14-hour limit.
Please note that drivers driving in Alaska and passenger-carrying drivers (bus and motor coach drivers) have different daily hours-of-service limits.
60/70-hour rule
To offset the effects of cumulative fatigue, drivers are not allowed to drive if they have been on duty for 60 hours over the last 7 days, or 70 hours over the last 8 days. Companies that operate vehicles seven days a week are allowed to use the 70-hour limit, if they choose to.
Much like the other limits, the driver can continue to work once the 60- or 70-hour limit is reached, but the driver cannot drive.
Any break of 34 hours or more will allow the driver to “restart” the 7 or 8 day days. In effect, once the driver has 34 consecutive hours off, the driver’s total hours for the last 7 or 8 days go to “zero.”
New for July
As of July 1, drivers can only take a restart if the driver has not had a restart in the last 7 days (168 hours) and if the 34 hours include two 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. periods. If the 34 hours did not include these two periods, it is not a restart even if it is 34 hours long (§395.3(c) and (d)).
Also new for July is that a driver cannot drive if it has been 8 hours since the driver’s last off-duty break of 30 minutes or more. Basically, a driver will need to stop and take a 30-minute break if it has been 8 hours since the last break of 30 minutes or more and the driver wants to continue or start driving (§395.3(a)(3)(ii)).
The ‘records’
The main record that is used to show compliance with these limits is the driver’s daily log, officially known as the “driver’s record of duty status” (see §395.8). The driver’s log must account for all activities based on the four “duty lines” on the “grid graph.” These duty lines are:
- Off duty: Driver has no responsibility to the carrier, the vehicle, or the cargo, is performing no work for the carrier (or anyone else), and is free to pursue activities of his/her choosing.
- Sleeper berth: Time spent is the “bunk” (sleeper berth) on the truck.
- Driving: Time spent at the controls of a commercial vehicle on the road.
- On duty: The driver is performing any work for, or has any responsibility to the carrier. Waiting to load or unload, loading and unloading, inspecting the vehicle, fueling the vehicle, standing by, and taking a drug test (including driving to and from) would all be examples of on-duty time.
As well as the grid graph accounting for the time, the log must contain other information. This includes the date, miles driven, driver’s signature, co-driver’s name (if there is one), shipment number (or shipper and cargo), starting time, carrier’s name and address, total hours on each duty line, and the remarks section where the location of any duty change is recorded. A duty change is any time the driver changes duty lines.
The driver’s log must be current at all times to the “last duty change.” If the driver changes duty from on duty to driving at 3 p.m. at Toledo, Ohio, and the driver’s log is checked at 6 p.m. by an officer, the log will need to show the driver driving since 3 p.m. starting at Toledo, Ohio.
Electronic options
There are electronic versions of logs available. These fall into two general categories, automatic on-board recording devices (AOBRDs), and electronic logging applications (apps) and programs.
AOBRDs are connected to the vehicle and automatically determine when the driver is driving. If the driver is using an AOBRD, the officers will only ask to see the screen, smartphone, or tablet that is used to display the data the AOBRD has recorded. These are discussed in the regulations at §395.2 and §395.15.
Electronic logging apps and programs that are not getting movement data from the vehicle to determine when the driver is driving are basically an electronic version of a paper log, and are regulated under the “regular” log requirements in §395.8. One key point to using such electronic logging apps and programs is that the driver must be able to print his/her logs on demand during a roadside inspection.
Exceptions
There are a couple of exceptions in the regulations that allow the driver to keep time records rather than having to complete a log. These apply to drivers that stay within 100 or 150 air-miles of their work reporting location and return nightly. There are other requirements, so if you think one of these exceptions might apply, check §395.1(e).
There are other “specialized” exceptions as well. These apply to driver-salespeople, drivers involved exclusively in oilfield operations, drivers specializing in transporting construction materials and supplies, and certain drivers transporting agricultural products. Each of these exceptions has certain requirements that must be met to use them, and they only exempt the driver from specific hours-of-service regulations (see §395.1).
Who is responsible for what?
The driver is always responsible for compliance with the limits and logging requirements. The driver can be written a violation on a roadside inspection report and fined (and maybe even placed out of service), if:
- The driver is not able to present a log or an acceptable electronic record from an AOBRD for today and the previous seven days at the time of the inspection.
- The driver’s log is not current to the last change in duty status at the time of the inspection.
- The driver is operating over a limit or has operated over a limit in the past seven days.
- The driver has falsified a log entry.
The company (the carrier whose DOT number the driver was operating for) is responsible for making sure that:
- Drivers submit the completed logs within 13 days.
- Drivers are operating within the limits.
- Drivers are submitting logs that are true and correct (not false and containing all information).
- The logs are retained for 6 months.
To verify that drivers are obeying the hours-of-service regulations, the company must have a mechanism in place to verify compliance, and catch and prevent violations. This is referred to as a “safety management control.” The safety management control must at least be able to make sure that drivers are obeying the limits and not submitting false logs.
During the six months that the company must keep logs on file, the logs are subject to investigation by FMCSA safety investigators. The investigation involves:
- Checking form and manner (all required information is on all logs),
- Checking for compliance with the 11, 14, and 60/70 hour limits, and
- Comparing the logs to supporting documents (such as fuel receipts, toll receipts, inspection reports, accident reports, etc.) to verify that the logs have not been falsified.
Any violations discovered can result in the company being fined. In some cases, the driver may be fined for violations discovered during an investigation as well. If the violations are frequent and serious enough, the company may end up with a lowered safety rating, or worse, ordered out of service.
The company is also responsible for making sure that any assignment given to the driver can be completed legally. As the hours-of-service limits are what determine how many miles a driver can drive and how much work a driver can do, it is something that must be considered with every work assignment.
This great article was written by Tom Bray, editor in the Transportation Publishing Department of the Editorial Resource Unit at J.J. Keller & Associates, Inc, specializing in motor carrier safety and operations management. The article was originally posted on Truckinginfo.com.
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Driving Ambition is a premier CDL truck driver staffing company serving Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee. Since 2001, we have specialized in matching safe, experienced CDL drivers for our customers and great job opportunities for our professional truck drivers.
Our commitment to safety and building solid working relationships with both customers and CDL drivers has allowed us to earn an unparalleled reputation with our Proven Drivers and Exceptional Service.
The FMCSA sent a proposal to the White House March 26th to begin the process of establishing a national drug and alcohol clearinghouse for commercial drivers. If it's established, a clearinghouse would be available for employers to check for drivers that tested positive for drugs or alcohol while on the job. The rule would eliminate a loophole that allows drivers to “job hop” by not reporting failed or refused drug tests on applications.
According to the FMCSA, the rule would require employers to report “verified positive” drug and alcohol tests as well as refusals by drivers to submit to testing to a federal database. Employers could then access the database prior to hiring drivers.
“This rulemaking is intended to increase highway safety by ensuring CDL holders, who have tested positive or have refused to submit to testing, have completed the U.S. DOT’s return-to-duty process before driving CMVs in interstate or intrastate commerce,” the agency states in the limited available public information.
“It is also intended to ensure that employers are meeting their drug and alcohol testing responsibilities.”
The American Trucking Associations also supports the bill. “We’re very excited that the rule has gone over to [the Office of Management and Budget],” said Abigail Potter, a research analyst for the American Trucking Associations’ regulatory and policy affairs department. “This is something we've been advocating for since the late '90s.”
“We’re pleased and surprised that this is coming through, and I assume the rule shouldn't be more controversial,” Potter said. “It is something that will help to improve safety.”
Carriers would need written consent from the driver and/or applicant before making the query to the clearinghouse.
A final rule is still a ways off, but the highway bill – the $105 billion Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) – requires the creation of a drug and alcohol clearinghouse by Oct. 1, 2014.
The department has 90 days to look over the proposal with a target date of May 28, 2013.
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Driving Ambition is a premier CDL truck driver staffing company serving Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee. Since 2001, we have specialized in matching safe, experienced CDL drivers for our customers and great job opportunities for our professional truck drivers.
Our commitment to safety and building solid working relationships with both customers and CDL drivers has allowed us to earn an unparalleled reputation with our Proven Drivers and Exceptional Service.
This April marks the third year for National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
Each day in the United States, more than 9 people are killed and more than 1,060 people are injured in crashes that are reported to involve a distracted driver. Distracted driving is any activity that could divert a person's attention away from the primary task of driving. All distractions endanger driver, passenger, and bystander safety. But, because text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction.
Key Facts and Statistics
- In 2011, 3,331 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver, compared to 3,267 in 2010. An additional, 387,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver, compared to 416,000 injured in 2010.
- 18% of injury crashes in 2010 were reported as distraction-affected crashes.
- In the month of June 2011, more than 196 billion text messages were sent or received in the US, up nearly 50% from June 2009.(CTIA)
- 11% of all drivers under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash. This age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted.
- 40% of all American teens say they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put people in danger.(Pew)
- Drivers who use hand-held devices are 4 times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (Monash University)
- Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted. (VTTI)
- Sending or receiving a text takes a driver's eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent-at 55 mph-of driving the length of an entire football field, blind. (VTTI)
- Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%. (Carnegie Mellon)
Here's where your state stands on distracted driving:
To learn more about the DOT's efforts to stop distracted driving, please visit http://www.distraction.gov.
Click here to read more about what the FMCSA has to say about distracted driving.
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Driving Ambition is a premier CDL truck driver staffing company serving Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee. Since 2001, we have specialized in matching safe, experienced CDL drivers for our customers and great job opportunities for our professional truck drivers.
Our commitment to safety and building solid working relationships with both customers and CDL drivers has allowed us to earn an unparalleled reputation with our Proven Drivers and Exceptional Service.
A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit heard arguments from American Trucking Associations on Friday, regarding changes the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration made to the Hours-of-Service rules in 2011.
ATA is calling FMCSA’s 2011 changes “arbitrary and capricious,” and would put onerous restrictions on drivers’ ability to effectively manage their schedules. That’s because the proposed rules would limit use of a restart period to once every seven days, as well as inflexibly mandating off-duty breaks during the workday. ATA contended that these changes were not supported by the data available and should be rejected.
Jonathan Levy, a Department of Justice attorney representing the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, told the court that it is “not the court’s duty to weigh in on that kind of dispute,” and that the agency acted reasonably when it wrote the December 2011 regulation requiring drivers to take rest breaks after driving eight hours and limiting use of the 34-hour restart.
“The existing rules have a proven track record, and the agency’s purported reasons for tinkering with them were baseless,” Prasad Sharma, ATA’s general counsel, said in a statement. “We’re hopeful the judges will see through the agency’s mere pleas for deference and after-the-fact explanations for a rule that was agenda-driven rather than evidence-based.”
While ATA says FMCSA is entitled to deference in its rulemaking, that deference is not unbounded. ATA argued the agency must still articulate a satisfactory explanation for its action, including a rational connection between the facts found and the choice made.
After hearing ATA attorney Erica Jones attack FMCSA’s methodology, Judge Griffith said he agreed she had made “very persuasive points.” But he was quick to note that the judges were not there to decide which truck safety study was more valid, but rather to decide whether a federal agency has authority to issue such rules.
“It may be bad policy judgment, but we’re not here to decide that,” Judge Griffith said. “We have a very slight hand in this. We’re here to decide whether the rules are arbitrary and capricious. It’s beyond (the court’s) experience to decide which expert to agree with.”
There’s no deadline for when the court must rule, but ATA is hoping for a swift decision. The agency has indicated it plans to begin enforcement as scheduled on July 1. ATA asked for a delay in enforcement, saying it would cost the industry approximately $340 million between now and July 1 to prepare for a rule that might never go into effect because of its legal challenge, but was turned down by FMCSA.
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Driving Ambition is a premier CDL truck driver staffing company serving Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee. Since 2001, we have specialized in matching safe, experienced CDL drivers for our customers and great job opportunities for our professional truck drivers.
Our commitment to safety and building solid working relationships with both customers and CDL drivers has allowed us to earn an unparalleled reputation with our Proven Drivers and Exceptional Service.
If you guessed that the Trucking Industry will be at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville for the 42nd annual Mid-America Trucking Show, you're right! In just 13 days, join 88,000 attendees at MATS and find out why this trucking industry tradeshow is the largest in the world.
In addition to all of the networking and that takes place at MATS, the Mid-America Trucking Show also provides its Attendees with informative, constructive, and trucking-oriented seminars. These seminars will provide invaluable information for companies, fleets, and individuals. All seminars take place in South Wing Conference Center Room B-104. All seminars are free-of-charge and do not require advanced registration.
Some of the seminar topics include: FMCSA Hours of Service, FMCSA Medical Programs Update, FMCSA CSA Update, and Pre/Post-Trip Inspection Planning, among others. You can see all seminar topics and times here.
Driving Ambition will again be exhibiting at MATS. We hope you stop by our booth to say hi! We’ll be in the West Wing – booth #66149.
MATS 2013 Show hours are:
- Thursday, March 21 VIP Session: 10 AM - 1 PM (VIP tickets include general admission) | General Admission: 1 PM - 6 PM
- Friday, March 22 General Admission: 10 AM - 6 PM
- Saturday, March 23 General Admission: 9 AM - 4 PM
Get your general admission MATS tickets online or at the door for $10 each.
For answers to some of MATS 2013 Frequently Asked Questions, please click here.
We hope to see you there!
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Driving Ambition is a premier CDL truck driver staffing company serving Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee. Since 2001, we have specialized in matching safe, experienced CDL drivers for our customers and great job opportunities for our professional truck drivers.
Our commitment to safety and building solid working relationships with both customers and CDL drivers has allowed us to earn an unparalleled reputation with our Proven Drivers and Exceptional Service.
Driving Ambition’s phones have been ringing off the hook! Not only are our busy customers calling needing our drivers (thankfully), but our Ohio drivers are calling in a panic. Ohio drivers are receiving their state’s “Certification Status Change Notices” in the mail. After a quick glance, the drivers fear they have done something wrong and are about to lose their CDL’s. No need to panic guys and gals….we’ll help you through the new process.
To refresh everyone’s memory, in 2008, the FMCSA issued a final rule that changes the way states must verify the medical certification for commercial truck drivers who are renewing, or applying, for a CDL.
The purpose of the changes is to link the medical certificate to the CDL and include the driver medical record in the Commercial Driver’s License Information System (CDLIS), the federal electronic database. The new rule will help prevent medically unqualified drivers from operating on the nation’s highways. The new program provides state licensing agencies a means of identifying interstate CDL holders who are unable to obtain a medical certificate. It allows the licensing agencies to take action and downgrade the CDL’s for that group of drivers.
Here’s how the program was rolled out.
Starting January 30, 2012:
- Drivers applying or renewing their CDL must certify with their State Driver License Agency (SDLA), or DMV, what interstate or intrastate driving category they fall under
- Note: Current CDL holders didn't need to have their medical certificate on file beginning on January 30, 2012, but did need to submit the first new medical certificate they receive after that date. All medical certificates must be submitted to the SDLA no later than January 30, 2014.
- New: CDL drivers must continue to retain paper copies of their medical examiner's certificate until January 30, 2014
- New: Motor carriers are also required to retain copies of their drivers' medical certificates in their driver qualification files.
CDL drivers will now need three copies of their medical certification: one on their person; one in their employer motor carrier's driver qualification file; and, one deposited at the SDLA.
Specifically in Ohio, the Ohio BMV will send a notice approximately 60 days prior to the medical card expiration to inform CDL holders that their medical card is nearing expiration. If a new medical card is not provided back to the state, the Ohio BMV will mail a notice to the CDL holder indicating the MedCard is expired.
Once the state thinks a driver’s medical card has expired, the driver is no longer eligible to operate a commercial motor vehicle. In order to again become eligible to drive a commercial motor vehicle, the operator must submit a valid medical card. If a valid medical card is not submitted within 60 days of the state’s notice of expiration, the CDL privileges will be cancelled.
Important Note: All state notices will be sent to the driver’s address on record. Please be sure to keep the address on your CDL up-to-date to ensure all notices are received.
Like many states, Ohio allows CDL drivers to self-certify at the time you get your new Medical Certificate. To self-certify, drivers must do the following:
- If you secure a new Medical Certificate (Med Cert), take your new Med Cert and a filled out copy of Ohio’s form BMV2159 and hand-deliver both to your local Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV).
- When filling out the BMV 2159 form, check the “Category 1” box. This box indicates you are a CDL driver who is allowed to cross state lines (meaning you are allowed to participate in Interstate driving).
- Add your name and CDL number to the top of the form.
- Sign your name and add the date to the bottom of the form.
- There’s a “box” to check that says you have “included a Medical Examiners Certificate” to the form.
- That’s it! Just take both, the form and a copy of your Med Cert, to your local BMV and they will get you registered. This ensures “same day” service. But, if it is easier, you can fax or email both forms to the state, also. However, if you fax or email, the state advises it will take 5 days to process.
Lastly, again, by January 30, 2014, every CDL driver in the nation will have registered their Med Cert to their state’s BMV. Once all drivers are registered in 2014, FMCSA will announce drivers will no longer need to carry their Med Cert with them. At that time, the Med Cert process will be 100% electronic and will replace the need for you to carry paper copies. It will be one less thing busy drivers will have to worry about!
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Driving Ambition is a premier CDL truck driver staffing company serving Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee. Since 2001, we have specialized in matching safe, experienced CDL drivers for our customers and great job opportunities for our professional truck drivers.
Our commitment to safety and building solid working relationships with both customers and CDL drivers has allowed us to earn an unparalleled reputation with our Proven Drivers and Exceptional Service.
ATRI just released a survey on the potential impacts of FMCSA’s changes to the 34-hour restart rule and is asking commercial drivers to participate by providing their input. The confidential survey is available online here.
Under the new Hours-of-Service rules that are scheduled to take effect this July, changes to the 34-hour restart will include: 1) a requirement that a restart include two periods between 1 a.m. – 5 a.m., and 2) a limitation of one restart per 7-day time period.
This survey is part of a larger ATRI study quantifying real-world operational impacts on the trucking industry that may result from these revisions. ATRI’s full HOS study is expected to be released in early 2013.
If you have questions about the FMCSA’s 34-hour restart provision, you can go here to view FMCSA’s question and answer section regarding the ruling.
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Driving Ambition is a premier CDL truck driver staffing company serving Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee. Since 2001, we have specialized in matching safe, experienced CDL drivers for our customers and great job opportunities for our professional truck drivers.
Our commitment to safety and building solid working relationships with both customers and CDL drivers has allowed us to earn an unparalleled reputation with our Proven Drivers and Exceptional Service.
As we approach the end of the 2012 calendar year, naturally, our attention turns to the normal December activities. Holiday planning, ho-ho-ho’ing, family and friend get-together’ing, ugly sweatering, caroling, egg nogging, Fiscal Cliff’ing and, of course, CSA’ing. Who among us doesn’t enjoy tracking a few “end of the year” changes to our two-year old safety program?
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) revealed CSA as the #1 critical issue facing the North American trucking industry in its annual survey of more than 4,000 trucking industry executives. Obviously, CSA has our industry’s attention…as do the most recent changes announced last week by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). From a big-picture standpoint, collectively, we agree it’s a good thing CSA continues to evolve. As our industry continues to openly share thoughts, experiences and recommendations about the safety program, the evolution of CSA slowly moves toward becoming more equitable and fair product and measurement system for the majority of the nation’s carrier participants. We hope it gets better and better over time.
Last week’s news is the FMCSA has implemented a number of changes to the CSA Safety Management System under which carriers are evaluated and prioritized for regulatory enforcement. The SMS changes are intended to provide the FMCSA more precise information to assess a company’s on-the-road safety performance. The revisions, which go into effect immediately, include:
- Changing the Cargo-Related BASIC (Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category) to the Hazardous Materials (HM) Compliance BASIC to better identify HM-related safety and compliance problems. Motor carriers and law enforcement can view this new BASIC score effective immediately, but the scores will not be made public for the foreseeable future.
- Revising the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC by including cargo and load securement violations that were previously in the Cargo-Related BASIC.
- Counting intermodal equipment violations found during drivers’ pre-trip inspections.
- Aligning speeding violations to be consistent with current speedometer regulations that require speedometers to be accurate within 5 mph. The change applies to the prior 24 months of data used by the SMS and all SMS data moving forward.
- Changing the name of the Fatigued Driving BASIC to the Hours-of-Service (HOS) Compliance BASIC to more accurately reflect violations contained within the BASIC.
- Aligning the severity weight of paper and electronic logbook violations equally on the SMS for consistency purposes.
Motor carriers are encouraged to check their safety data at http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms/ to see how the SMS changes may have affected their SMS results. The FMCSA has also published a factsheet on the SMS revisions at the Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) web site at http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/
Happy holidays…happy egg noggin…happy fiscal cliff results…and a sincere Happy New Year!!
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Driving Ambition is a premier CDL truck driver staffing company serving Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee. Since 2001, we have specialized in matching safe, experienced CDL drivers for our customers and great job opportunities for our professional truck drivers.
Our commitment to safety and building solid working relationships with both customers and CDL drivers has allowed us to earn an unparalleled reputation with our Proven Drivers and Exceptional Service.