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International Roadcheck to focus on driver requirements in September

Drivers and/or vehicles found in violation may be rendered out of service and any vehicles found in violation will be restricted from traveling until those violations are corrected.

On March 25, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) postponed its 2020 International Roadcheck due to the growing novel coronavirus pandemic. CVSA has now rescheduled the 72-hour event for Sept. 9-11. This year’s enforcement initiative will focus on the driver requirements component of a roadside inspection.

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OOIDA calls on FMCSA to ‘listen to real truckers’

Truck driver safety, inadequate truck driver parking and training, and overall “poor working conditions” for truckers were some of the top concerns broached by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association during the FMCSA’s Trucking Safety Summit.

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Trucking pressures Congress to suspend two truck taxes

Trucking industry lobbyists are pushing legislators to temporarily halt the federal excise tax on new truck purchases and the annual Heavy Vehicle Use Tax levied against most Class 8 vehicles in the U.S. They say a suspension would help boost the economy.

Two long-standing truck taxes are in the industry’s cross-hairs for suspensions that would provide temporary relief to independent drivers and carriers during the COVID-19 recession that has put extra strain on the trucking industry.

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Second shutdown is worst economic scenario, says ATA’s top economist

Bob Costello, chief economist and senior vice president of the American Trucking Associations, expressed his concern that PPP money for smaller fleets is running out.

Bob Costello, chief economist and senior vice president of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), has seen a lot in his 25 years of forecasting, and one thing he keeps repeating is that no matter how bad the economic numbers look, we didn’t get here because of economic conditions.

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Trucker health is key to passing DOT re-certifications

Commercial truck drivers are at higher risk for developing adverse health conditions due to the sedentary nature of the job and unhealthy eating habits on the road. And poor health can make passing their CDL re-certification exams quite challenging.

In response to the COVID-19 national health emergency, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a waiver granting an extension for re-certifications for commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders through Sept. 30. Come Oct. 1, that could mean an influx of commercial truck drivers up for recertification. The main concern, however, is whether drivers will be able to pass these exams.   
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Tips to prep for Operation Safe Driver Week

Despite there being far fewer vehicles on the road due to COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, many jurisdictions are seeing a severe spike in speeding.

Law enforcement officers will be on the lookout next week, July 12 through 18, for commercial vehicle drivers and passenger vehicle drivers engaging in dangerous driver behaviors as part of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Operation Safe Driver Week. Such dangerous behaviors include speeding, distracted driving, failure to use a seatbelt, following too closely, reckless driving, drunk or drugged driving, and more.

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Truckers hope for continued efficiency post-COVID-19

With workflows going from 30 minutes down to 15, drivers urge companies to keep processes streamlined, maintaining efficient and effective productivity as the year continues.

This year has changed exponentially since the novel coronavirus entered the country. What started out with stampedes for toilet paper has since escalated to civil unrest and protests for change.

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FMCSA: Off-site audits to become the new norm for fleets

“While FMCSA did not have COVID-19 in mind when they launched the off-site auditing program, the success of the program to determine carrier safety was quickly realized,” J.J. Keller senior editor Daren Hansen said.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced in May that it would begin the use of off-site compliance reviews for motor carriers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This action was not unexpected because the FMCSA’s use of off-site audits had increased over 300% between 2018 and 2019. As the number of fleets that are audited remotely grows, so does the need for guidance on how to prepare and successfully pass an off-site audit.

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FMCSA extends some COVID-19 relief exemptions to July

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has extended its pandemic-related emergency exemption through July 14.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has extended its pandemic-related emergency exemption by another month. This is the third extension of the order, which will now last through July 14.

In its latest extension, however, FMCSA condensed its definition of motor carriers and drivers providing direct assistance in support of relief efforts related to COVID-19. FMCSA has extended emergency relief for the following categories only:

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Blinking lights cut tanker truck crashes by nearly 34%

When Groendyke Transport began testing strobe lights on the back of its trailers, it noticed a significant reduction in rear-end collisions over almost three years. The carrier did, however, have to overcome one regulatory hurdle.

A tanker truck fleet that installed $150 blinking amber lights to the back of their trucks reported a 33.7% drop in rear-end collisions over a 31-month period, according to company officials. In addition, there were zero rear-end collisions at railroad crossing during a test period of one year and seven months.

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