January 19, 2012
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program’s BASIC categories may seem anything but, well, basic. BASIC stands for Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category. There are seven BASIC categories – vehicle maintenance, unsafe driving, crash indicator, fatigued driving (hours-of-service), controlled substance/alcohol abuse, driver fitness and cargo related. The BASIC categories allow CSA to determine how a motor carrier ranks relative to other carriers with a similar number of safety events (i.e., inspections, violations, or crashes). Motor carriers can see how they stand in each category by logging into the SMS website. To help you better […]
December 9, 2011
USDOT says 2010 had the lowest highway deaths since 1949. We believe this is due to truck drivers following the rules and regulations and being better professional drivers. Problem is 2011 is showing an increase in highway deaths as we get closer to years end. Driving the highways of America is never more dangerous than the holiday so you need to pay extra attention and be safe. We also want to bring to your attention a music video “Highway Angel” by Lindsay Lawler now on YouTube. This video tells all drivers about the help and assistance truck drivers offer every […]
November 18, 2011
Amid the political tug-of-war over hours of service, the American Trucking Associations wants to enlist the involvement of the Office of Management and Budget. In a Nov. 15 letter to the OMB, ATA president and CEO Bill Graves asked the agency to determine if there is a “legitimate reason” for the Obama Administration’s push for a stricter hours-of-service-rule. Specifically, Graves points to recently unveiled data that reveals historically low rates of truck-related crashes. “”This data, in terms of both numbers and rates, is overwhelmingly positive, is a clear indication how well trucking is performing while operating under the current HOS […]
November 4, 2011
Concerns over CSA are nothing new to the trucking industry, but it appears mainstream media is starting to grasp the initiative’simpact on the driver shortage. A recentstory in the Memphis Daily Newspointed out how the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration enforcement program – otherwise known asCompliance, Safety, Accountability– is making it tougher to fill driver spots. Critics say the crackdown on driver safety records is forcing too many truckers out of the business and simultaneously dissuading other potential recruits. “There’s a shortage of drivers,” a trucking executive explained to theMemphis publication. “CSA has affected us greatly. A lot of drivers […]
October 20, 2011
Things just keep getting more and more interesting with the political tug o’ war over the proposed Hours of Service rules. This week, Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire offered an amendment to the transportation funding bill that would effectively gut the would-be HOS rewrite. Her moves comes on the heels of efforts by House Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor and other GOP leaders to keep the Obama Administration from advancing the tighter rules, which opponents say are unnecessary and would place burdensome costs on the trucking industry. The senator’s amendment had prompted a plea from U.S. […]
October 7, 2011
The battle over the proposed hours-of-service changes is heating up — and it was already pretty darn hot to begin with. While the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration continues to push for tighter HOS restrictions that it says will reduce driver fatigue, House Republican leaders back a trucking industry that insists the regulations will be a $1 billion burden and force more inexperienced drivers on the roads. In a letter House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor sent to President Obama earlier this week, the Republican lawmakers urged FMCSA to withdraw the proposed changes. “These costs will affect […]
September 23, 2011
To borrow a phrase from an old advertising campaign, when is it not OK to reach out and touch someone? The National Transportation Safety Board is proposing regulations to ban truckers from using cellular phones. In pushing the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to implement the change, NTSB officials would prohibit commercial truckers from using cell phones while driving, even if it’s a hands-free phone. The would-be requirement stems from a 2010 crash that killed 11 people in Kentucky. The accident, determined an NTSB investigation, resulted from a tractor-trailer driver distracted by using his cell phone. Truckers are divided on […]
September 9, 2011
National Truck Driver Appreciation Week kicks off Sunday, Sept. 11, to honor our nation’s professional truck drivers for their hard work and steadfast commitment to excellence. As noted by the American Trucking Associations, celebrations can take a variety of forms, from safe driving awards to windshield cleaning at travel plazas. However that recognition is shown, the important thing is that motor carriers, state trucking associations, highway patrols and other organizations and agencies let our nation’s 3.2 million truckers know that they are truly appreciated and not taken for granted. At any hour of the day, on roads and highways across […]
August 26, 2011
Truckers in New Jersey and New York are none too happy about a recently announced plan increasingly tolls at tunnels and bridges leading into New York City. Approved by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the plan will raise tolls in September and continue to climb to 2015. Truckers using the E-ZPass will shell out $2 per axle next month, plus an additional $2 per axle increase each year from 2012 through 2015. Truckers paying in cash will have to pay a $3 per axle penalty. The hikes are less for automobile drivers. Some truckers are hopping […]
August 12, 2011
New federal fuel-efficiency standards for commercial vehicles have won nearly across-the-board praise. From environmental groups to trucking organizations, word has been mainly positive for the recently announced rules governing mpg standards and greenhouse gas emissions on medium- and heavy-duty trucks. “While it is too early to know all the potential effects of this rule, we do know it sets us on the path to a future where we depend less on foreign oil, spend less on fuel and contribute less to climate change,” said American Trucking Associations president Bill Graves. Announced earlier this week by President Obama, the rules to […]
