Weapons of Mass Destruction…Homeland Security…Terrorism
How do these terms relate to the trucking industry?
According to Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano, “One of the most striking elements of today's threat picture is that plots to attack America increasingly involve American residents and citizens…individuals prepared to carry out terrorist attacks and acts of violence might be in the United States, and they could carry out acts of violence with little or no warning.”
In February 2011, a Saudi national was arrested in Texas and charged with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction after shipping explosive chemicals through domestic trucking networks in an alleged terror attack plot.
FBI Transportation Security Awareness & Strategic Outreach Seminar
The Indiana Motor Truck Association and the Indianapolis Traffic Club have partnered with the FBI for a special morning seminar on April 7, 2011 to promote the FBI’s strategic outreach efforts to the transportation industry.
We’ll hear from Indiana Senator Tom Wyss, Chairman of Homeland Security, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs, as well as two highly respected officials from the FBI. The security awareness topics highlighted include counter-terrorism, hazardous materials, information sharing and unclassified intelligence, as well as the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis.
The partnership between the community and law enforcement is essential to the success of a safer future for the transportation industry.
Take advantage of the opportunity to respond to the FBI’s strategic outreach efforts and attend this special event!
Seminar Details
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Registration & Breakfast 8am-9am
Seminar 9am-Noon
Indianapolis Marriott East
Cost:
$30 per person - IMTA & ITC Members
$45 per person - Non-members
This early bird rate is good through April 1, 2011.
After April 1, 2011:
$40 per person - IMTA & ITC Members
$55 per person - Non-members
Be part of the solution - Register Now!
Speakers:
- Senator Thomas Wyss (IN-R) – Chairman of Homeland Security, Transportation and Veterans Affairs
- Kevin Johnson – FBI Sr. Hazmat Officer (Quantico, VA)
- Courtney Tscherne – FBI Field Intelligence Group (Indianapolis, IN)
Driving Ambition is a premier CDL truck driver staffing company serving Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, 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 continues to have their hands full as they juggle several major issues that will have a significant impact on the trucking industry in the weeks, months, and years ahead.
Compliance, Safety, and Accountability (CSA), the FMCSA’s newest safety measurement program, was officially launched late in 2010. Carriers’ CSA scores are now being monitored for safety compliance.
As the first step in the intervention and enforcement process, the FMCSA has begun sending out warning letters to carriers it has identified as needing to improve safety performance in one or more of the BASIC categories that CSA tracks. The warning letter provides instructions for accessing motor carrier safety data in the Safety Measurement System (SMS). The FMCSA has provided a Factsheet, which includes a sample warning letter and FAQs, as well as a “Tip- sheet” about how to respond to a warning letter online. Carriers can use these documents to more effectively resolve FMCSA concerns and prevent escalated enforcement, such as an on-site compliance review.
Hours of Service: Friday, March 4 was the last day for stakeholders to comment on the FMCSA’s new Hours of Service (HOS) proposal. Since the proposed rule was announced in late December, the industry has mobilized to fight against the change and defend the current HOS rules. Many argue that the proposed rule rivals the U.S. tax code in complexity. To gather further industry input, the FMCSA hosted a listening session on Feb. 17th. Within days of the listening session, the FMCSA indicated their preference to reduce the number of hours a driver can legally drive per day from eleven to ten. Since 2004, the HOS rules have been the center of ongoing legal battles. Regardless of what the FMCSA’s final rule looks like, the legal battles will surely continue. We should know soon since, under a settlement agreement reached in October 2009, a final rule would be published by July 26, 2011.
Electronic Onboard Recorders (EOBRs): While busy with CSA and the HOS debate, the FMCSA in late January also proposed a rule that greatly expands the current rule put out less than a year ago. The newly proposed rule, which will go into effect three years after it is made final, would require all interstate commercial truck and bus companies to install EOBRs to systematically monitor their drivers’ HOS compliance.
The rule would apply to all carriers now required to maintain driver logs, which affects approximately 500,000 interstate carriers. Violators of the EOBR requirement would face penalties of up to $11,000 per offense and impact the carrier’s CSA rating and DOT operating authority.
The FMCSA has extended the comment period on this proposal until May 23, 2011. The FMCSA will consider all comments and material received during the comment period and may change this proposal based on those comments. The rule will likely be published prior to the June 2012 compliance date for the current EOBR rule. It will enforce the current rule during the period between the 2012 compliance date and the compliance date of the new rule.
Fuel: As if these safety and regulatory concerns weren't enough for the trucking industry, the rising price of fuel is having an impact that is putting carriers at risk – even as the nation slowly begins to roll to an economic recovery. In the wake of escalating unrest in the Middle East, diesel prices have continued to skyrocket in all regions of the U.S. Fuel is a significant expense for trucking companies that is often felt twice - first by increasing their operating costs and then by reducing freight volumes as consumers spend more on energy and are forced to reduce their spending on other consumer goods.
The U.S. Department of Energy Information Administration (EIA) tracks diesel prices and provides complete diesel price information on the EIA website. The national average price of on-highway diesel is currently at its highest level since early October 2008. Since the end of September, diesel prices have surged more than 76 cents — or 26 percent — and have declined in only three of 22 weeks.
Driving Ambition is a premier CDL truck driver staffing company serving Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, 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.
FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro conducted a brief video interview in which she defines the FMCSA’s broad safety strategy. The interview, which took place at the February 17 Hours-of-Service listening session, describes the three significant motor carrier safety initiatives that make up the interlocking pieces of the FMCSA’s overall safety strategy.
Those three initiatives - Compliance, Safety and Accountability or CSA program, truck driver Hours-of-Service (HOS) reform, and Electronic Logging, or EOBRs - designed to drive truck accident fatalities lower, focus squarely on driver behavior.
"It's all about the driver. It comes down to how the driver behaves and how well the company is supporting that driver's focus on safety," said Ferro. "It's a whole network of interlocking pieces that impact how the driver behaves…and that includes car drivers.”
Although fatalities in crashes involving large trucks dropped 36 percent from 2005 to 2009, the FMCSA's mandate is to reduce those fatalities even further.
Driving Ambition is a premier CDL truck driver staffing company serving Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, 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.
Beware of Fraudulent Letters Requesting Company Financial Information
There has been another round of fraudulent letters issued to DOT contractors and potential contractors purporting to be issued by DOT.
These fraudulent letters are requesting the submission of company financial information on a release form entitled, "Authorization to release financial information".
The DOT does NOT require any financial information to be submitted in order to be eligible for procurement.
All letters were signed as the Senior Procurement Officer.
If you receive this fraudulent letter, DO NOT complete the release form which is attached to the letter and DO NOT release any information to the fax number cited in the letter.
Click here for an example of the latest fraudulent letters being sent out. Since 2005, over 30 various fraudulent letters have circulated via fax throughout the trucking industry.
Contact the DOT Office of the Inspector General Hotline at 1-800-424-9071 for any matters relating to these fraudulent letters.
Driving Ambition is a premier CDL truck driver staffing company serving Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, 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 would like to officially invite you to join us at the 40th Mid-America Trucking Show at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, KY March 31, 2011 – April 2, 2011. The Mid-America Trucking Show (MATS) is an annual forum for the trucking industry providing face-to-face interaction between industry representatives and over 70,000 trucking professionals. Thousands of exhibitors participate in MATS each year to effectively introduce new offerings, promote products, and share knowledge.
We will be exhibiting at booth 67029 located in the Driver Recruitment Center in the West Wing. Qualified CDL drivers can visit us and complete a Driver Profile for the chance to win a 42 inch flat screen tv!
If you plan to attend the biggest trucking event of the year, email marketing@da-drivers.com to receive a free pass (registration costs $10 after 3/1/11). Make sure to hurry as we only have a limited amount!
For directions and parking information, click here. For directions to the booth, click here.
We hope to see you there!
Show Hours
Thursday, March 31st
1:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Friday, April 1st
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday, April 2nd
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
For more information on MATS,
go to http://truckingshow.com/
Driving Ambition is a premier CDL truck driver staffing company serving Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, 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.