There's still time to register for the Ohio Trucking Association’s (OTA) Annual Convention, which will be held September 12-14 at the Cherry Valley Lodge in Newark, OH.
You don’t have to be a member of the OTA to attend this annual event. In fact, non-members are encouraged to attend since there is so much valuable information that’s imparted during each annual convention.
This year, more than ever, it’s critical to be on the forefront of what’s going on in the trucking industry. One of the most affordable ways to do that this year is to attend the OTA’s Annual Convention. Click here for registration information. The deadline for registration is Friday, September 10th.
As a Co-chair of this year’s convention, I’m excited to announce some of the important guest speakers and the topics that they’ll be discussing:
Monday, September 13:
- We’ll first hear from the FMCSA’s Director of Enforcement and Compliance, Jack Van Steenberg. He’ll discuss all the “goings on” at the FMCSA including a pending change to the current Hours of Service rule, the launch of CSA 2010, and driver medical qualification changes.
- We’ll hear from Barbara Windsor, President and CEO of Hahn Transportation, Inc. As the American Trucking Assn.’s First Vice Chair, Barbara will deliver this year’s Washington Report.
- Chris Felger and Mark Flinchum, Manager and Partner respectively of Katz, Sapper & Miller, LLP, will present “Creating a Profit Focused Culture in Your Company”. Their presentation will demonstrate how small changes to a key performance indicator can have a huge impact on your cash flow, profitability, and financial statements.
- As if that’s not enough for Monday, we’ll wrap up the educational portion of the day with former FMCSA Administrator John Hill as he discusses CSA 2010 and what to expect from the FMCSA. Mr. Hill is an exceptional speaker who is certainly an expert on the subject of CSA 2010.
Tuesday, September 14:
- We’ll begin with one of the Mid-Atlantic region’s most recognizable economists. Mr. Anirban Basu, Chairman and CEO of Sage Policy Group, will offer a fresh look at the economy ahead.
- Since 2010 is going to be an interesting year at the voting booths across Ohio, both gubernatorial candidates (Ohio Governor Ted Strickland – D and John Kasich – R) will have an opportunity to address those in attendance. This is a great opportunity to hear first-hand how both candidates present themselves and how they view the trucking industry.
- We’ll also be able to sit down and talk with key leaders of the Ohio General Assembly during the popular “Legislative Roundtables”. Bring your tough questions and take advantage of this opportunity to hear what really happens in Ohio’s legislative branch of government – the Ohio House and Senate.
- A perfect Convention wouldn’t be complete without great meals and entertainment, great networking opportunities, and some great golf!
For more information on this year’s Annual Convention, please click here.
You can also contact the Ohio Trucking Association at: Toll free (888) 382-1574 or via email at info@ohiotruckingassn.org.
It’s not too late - I hope to see you there!
It's time to celebrate the professional truck driver! National Truck Driver Appreciation Week, held September 19-25, 2010, is a chance to extend a special “thank you” for all their hard work.
During National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (NTDAW), America and the trucking industry honors and recognizes the true knights of the road for their hard work and commitment to the vital role they play in the economic growth of North America. Companies and industry associations across the U.S. and Canada will host special events and promotions in honor of professional truck drivers.
It’s no secret that the backbone of this dynamic industry is its drivers. Driving a truck is one of the country’s most demanding and essential jobs. Millions of these dedicated men and women travel the roads every day, sacrificing a lot personally to deliver the freight that keeps the country moving. They miss birthdays, anniversaries, family dinners, school plays and many other special moments that most of us take for granted.
NTDAW allows the rest of us to recognize and appreciate the sacrifices that our drivers make every day out there. Be sure to let the men and women driving those trucks down the highway know it’s appreciated. Sometimes a little gratitude goes a long way.
Thank you drivers for a job well done!
Valuable links:
The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), the trucking industry’s not-for-profit research organization, has launched the 2010 Top Industry Issues Survey. Continuing a process begun in 2005, the annual survey asks trucking industry stakeholders to rank the top issues of concern for the industry along with appropriate strategies for addressing each issue.
Commissioned by the American Trucking Association (ATA), the ATRI survey asks respondents to rank items such as CSA 2010, Hours-of-Service, the driver shortage, onboard truck technology, the economy, transportation infrastructure funding, environmental issues, truck size and weight, fuel issues, and government regulation. Strategies for addressing each issue are also proposed, and survey participants are asked for their preferences.
Industry stakeholders are encouraged to complete the survey online. Alternately a paper copy is available on ATRI’s website at www.atri-online.org.
The top two issues identified by the industry in 2009 were the economy and government regulation. The results of the 2010 survey will be released at ATA’s Annual Management Conference and Exhibition to be held this October in Phoenix, AZ.
ATRI is the trucking industry’s 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research organization. It is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation’s essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system.
During the 2nd annual two-week long drug and alcohol strike force sweep, which took place between June 21 and July 2, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) took 109 bus and truck drivers off the roads. The drug and alcohol strike force also levied charges against more than 175 carriers.
The strike force, consisting of FMCSA investigators as well as state truck and bus safety officials, examined the drug and alcohol safety records of commercial drivers employed by bus and truck companies, including school bus drivers, interstate passenger carriers, hazardous material transporters and general freight long-haul trucking companies. Their goals were to identify motor carriers in violation of federal drug and alcohol testing requirements and to remove from the road commercial truck and bus drivers who jump from carrier to carrier to evade federal drug and alcohol testing and reporting requirements.
"FMCSA is committed to ensuring that only safe commercial drivers and carriers are allowed to operate," said FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro. "Our annual drug and alcohol strike force is just one of the ways we weed out those 'bad actors' and make our roads safer for everyone."
The 109 commercial drivers identified in the sweep may face a monetary fine and risk being barred from operating a commercial motor vehicle for failing to adhere to federal drug and alcohol regulations. In addition, the 175 commercial carriers face pending enforcement actions for violations, such as using a driver who has tested positive for illegal drugs and for not instituting a drug and alcohol testing program. Both drivers and carriers will have an opportunity to contest the alleged violations and the amount of the civil penalties.
Although the success of the drug and alcohol task force is commendable, this is symptomatic of a larger problem: the lack of a National Drug & Alcohol Testing Clearinghouse. This Clearinghouse would make it possible for employers to check a database to determine whether or not a prospective employee has either failed or refused to take a DOT drug test. As of now, there is no “sure-fire” way for carriers to verify whether or not an employee has failed a pre-employment drug test from another carrier.
From a regulatory standpoint, a driver must be removed safety-sensitive duty if he/she has a positive DOT drug test result. A driver cannot be returned to safety-sensitive duties until he/she has been evaluated by a substance abuse professional, has complied with recommended rehabilitation, and has a negative result on a return-to-duty drug test. Not being able to adequately verify this information puts the carrier, as well as the motoring public, at risk.
The concept of a National Drug & Alcohol Testing Clearinghouse has been supported in the trucking industry for over 10 years. Its creation is currently written into the new Highway Reauthorization Bill, which has been delayed for over a year due to the concern over the increased cost of the new bill.
Unless that bill is passed, or unless a National Drug & Alcohol Testing Clearinghouse is created separately, the motoring public will have to be satisfied with the successes of the annual drug and alcohol strike force.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will hold a public listening session on September 8th in Washington, D.C. to collect input from the trucking industry on the FMCSA’s five-year strategic plan.
The public meeting will consist of three consecutive listening sessions: safety partners (8am-10am); industry partners (10am-Noon); and enforcement partners (12pm-2pm).
The listening session asks participants to address the following questions/subjects in an effort to help guide the agency through its next five-year plan:
1. How should we strengthen FMCSA’s role/mission of improving the safety of commercial motor vehicles and saving lives as it relates to some of FMCSA’s core program: commercial motor vehicle compliance and enforcement, commercial driver licensing, household goods protection, safe and secure transportation of hazardous materials?
2. How can FMCSA have a greater impact in the reduction of injury and loss of life on the nation’s highways?
3. How can FMCSA improve the way it does business, provides customer service, and interacts with all road user groups? What are some of the challenges you have in interacting with FMCSA that prevent you from conducting your business effectively? What actions should FMCSA take to improve interactions between CMV drivers and drivers of private vehicles? Please identify possible improvements or ideas for doing better.
4. How might FMCSA improve or strengthen its partnership with stakeholders representing State enforcement agencies, safety advocacy groups, the motor carrier industry, and the general public to achieve its safety mission?
5. How should FMCSA balance driver-focused, vehicle-focused, and motor carrier-focused compliance, interventions, and enforcement to achieve its safety mission?
6. How will advanced vehicle technologies (such as crash avoidance, electronic on-board recorders [EOBRs], and global positioning systems [GPS]) impact the future of driver behavior, vehicle safety, and motor carrier safety?
7. How will changes in the following areas impact the industry, your organization, and/or FMCSA’s ability to achieve its mission in the future?
8. Demographics
9. Economics
10. New policies in environment, energy, and other areas
11. What technological changes could positively impact highway safety?
12. How will technology affect driver behavior? What issues related to vehicle/driver interaction could affect safety performance?
Those who would like to share ideas about how the FMCSA can improve its regulation of the trucking industry, but are unable to attend, will be able to submit comments electronically, by mail, or by fax up to September 30th. The comments are being collected under docket No. FMCSA-2010-0242.
To file comments electronically, visit:
http://www.regulations.gov/search/Regs/home.html#documentDetail?R=0900006480b3e95e
To fax comments, fax to (202) 493-2251.
To mail comments, mail to:
Docket Management Facility
U.S. Department of Transportation
Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE.
Washington, DC 20590-0001
As a result of input from enforcement personnel, industry representatives, and safety experts, as well as findings from an extensive 30-month field test, the FMCSA is implementing several updates to the Safety Measurement System (SMS) methodology within CSA 2010 that will make it more effective in identifying high risk and other carriers with safety compliance problems.
Taking heed of industry concern about its approach to measuring exposure in two of the BASICs, Unsafe Driving and the Crash Indicator, the FMCSA is changing from a calculation based just on the number of power units (PUs) to one based on a combination of power units and vehicle miles traveled (VMT).
The FMCSA also said that these two categories will no longer use PUs to establish the group the carrier is in. The Crash Indicator category will use the number of crashes, and the Unsafe Driving category will use the number of inspections with a violation.
The PU count also will be dropped from the Controlled Substances/Alcohol category, instead using the number of relevant inspections as the exposure measurement.
In addition, severity weightings for some roadside inspection violations will be updated, and the FMCSA said it will change its approach to carriers with a history of size and weight violations. Rather than counting these violations in the Cargo-Related category, the FMCSA will send alerts to roadside inspectors when carriers have a history of these violations.
These enhancements will allow the FMCSA to more effectively identify motor carriers with safety performance and compliance problems, thereby raising the bar for safety on the nations highways.
Beginning August 16th, by accessing the CSA 2010 Data Preview Website, carriers will be able to view their percentile rankings in each BASIC based on the improved SMS methodology. This is part of the next phase in the rollout of CSA 2010.
For more information from FMCSA on the data preview and the SMS changes, click here.
In April 2010, the FMCSA launched the CSA 2010 Data Preview Website, which allowed commercial motor vehicle carriers to view an inventory of their safety performance data by the new Safety Measurement System’s (SMS) Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs) based on roadside data and investigation findings.
The FMCSA recently announced the next step in the phased rollout of CSA 2010 – an update to the CSA 2010 Data Preview Website which will allow carriers a glimpse at how they stack up compared to industry peers in the new SMS BASICs. Beginning August 16th, carriers will be able to view their current position in each of the SMSs seven BASICs based on newly improved methodology.
The BASICs will replace SafeStat’s Safety Evaluation Areas (SEAs), and this early look gives motor carriers an opportunity to understand and address their safety compliance issues right away, before the FMCSA’s new system goes live in December.
The FMCSA said that before the end of the year, warning letters will go to carriers that do not make the grade and roadside inspectors will start using the new data system to identify carriers for inspection. The rollout of CSA 2010 will be implemented state-by-state throughout 2011 as the states get up to speed. The FMCSA indicated that their proposal for a new method of determining safety fitness (Safety Fitness Determination, or SFD) is on track for publication next year.
As of mid-June, only 11,000-plus carriers had logged into the CSA 2010 website to review their safety performance data – meaning several hundred thousand carriers have not. Former FMCSA Administrator John Hill, in a recent CSA 2010 Seminar in Indianapolis, stressed the importance of carriers to review their data regularly. He noted that the FMCSA is able to see which carriers are viewing their data – those who aren’t can be viewed as showing a lack of concern for safety.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) recently announced that they’ll be hosting a second National Distracted Driving Summit on September 21 in Washington, DC. To build on the growing momentum sparked by the first summit last fall, DOT Secretary Ray LaHood will convene leading transportation officials, safety advocates, law enforcement, industry representatives, researchers, and victims affected by distraction-related crashes to address challenges and identify opportunities for national anti-distracted driving efforts.
Last fall, Secretary LaHood sparked a national conversation on distracted driving when he held a Distracted Driving Summit in Washington, DC. In the year since that Summit, efforts to curb distracted driving have grown exponentially. President Obama enacted an Executive Order banning all text messaging by four million federal employees, dozens of state and local governments enacted anti-distracted driving legislation, and the federal government established a texting ban for commercial truck and bus drivers. In addition, Secretary LaHood launched a new government website – www.distraction.gov – to provide the public with a comprehensive resource about how to get involved.
At this year’s event, experts from around the country will explore accomplishments since the first summit, as well as the many challenges that lie ahead. Key topics will include research, technology, policy, public outreach, and best practices in enforcement.
Research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that in 2008, nearly 6,000 people died and more than half a million were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver. More than 20 percent of all crashes that same year involved some type of distraction.
State highway safety agencies are committed to addressing driver distraction through a comprehensive approach including laws, education, enforcement, employer policies and the use of technology. In July, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) released a new report detailing state distracted driving countermeasures. The report shows that states are implementing many strategies to begin to turn the tide against distraction. The report is available online at www.ghsa.org/html/publications/survey/index.html.
For a full list of state laws regulating texting and cell phone use while driving, visit: www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html.
Additional details on the 2nd National Distracted Driving Summit will be released as they become available at www.distraction.gov/2010summit.
When Ann Ferro, the current FMCSA Administrator, was sworn in last year, it was with the agreement that the FMCSA would review and consider crafting a new Hours of Service (HOS) rule to put a lawsuit by special interest groups, including Public Citizen, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, and the Teamsters union, on hold.
With this settlement, the FMCSA would be required to have a formal draft of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) by mid-July 2010, and would publish a final rule within 21 months of the date of settlement (Oct. 26, 2009), which would be July 26, 2011.
Between January and March 2010, the FMCSA held a total of 5 listening sessions across the country to get feedback from both drivers and carriers regarding current HOS rules, and any proposed changes.
Those who attended the listening sessions, both motor carriers and drivers, were primarily in favor of keeping the current HOS rules – a 14-hour workday, with a maximum 11 hours of drive time and 3 hours for loading/unloading, followed by a 10-hour off-duty period. The current rules also limit drivers to 60/70 hours on duty in 7/8 consecutive days. They then may restart their 7/8 consecutive day period after taking 34 or more consecutive hours off duty – also known as the “34-hour restart” provision.
From a safety perspective, the current HOS rules are working. "In the very real world of trucking, highway safety has improved in the past 6 years under these rules," said Dave Osiecki, ATA’s VP of Safety, Security & Operations. According to Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) figures released earlier this year, the truck-involved fatality rate in 2008 declined 12.3 percent from 2007. This decline marks the largest year-to-year drop ever and the fifth consecutive year the fatality rate has improved. Since new hours-of-service regulations took effect in 2005, the truck-involved fatality rate has come down more than 20 percent and is at its lowest since the U.S. Department of Transportation began keeping those records in 1975. The fatality rate has declined more than 66 percent since 1975.
According to research by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) on the current HOS rules, the total collision rate was down 11.7 percent and preventable collisions decreased 30.6 percent from 2004 to 2009. Another key finding from ATRI’s analysis was that, in 2009, the majority of commercial vehicle crashes (87%) occurred within the first eight hours of driving. A similar trend was found in an analysis of fatal truck collisions using the Trucks Involved in Fatal Accidents (TIFA) database. A review of 2007 TIFA data showed that 80 percent of fatal truck collisions occurred within the first eight hours of driving.
This chart displays the distribution of DOT recordable collisions for each of the 11 driving hours. The crash rate peaks during the first three hours.
However, one way to improve the rule, which was suggested by many in attendance at the 5 listening sessions, would be to allow for more flexibility in the sleeper berth provision. This flexibility would encourage circadian friendly sleep and naps, rather than constraining drivers to one, inflexible option under the current HOS rules, which overlooks the individual needs of each driver. The current HOS rules, with a 14-hour clock that doesn’t stop once started, discourages drivers from stopping for meals or to stretch their legs, actually increasing fatigue.
According to the ATA, to better address the true causes of fatigue in transportation, FMCSA should focus its resources on (1) sleep disorder awareness, training and screening, (2) promoting the use of Fatigue Risk Management Programs, (3) increasing the availability of truck parking on important freight corridors, and (4) partnering with the trucking and shipping communities to develop an educational process that identifies for drivers the location of available truck parking.
The FMCSA acknowledged the industry’s pleas for more flexibility, but stressed concern over being able to prevent abuse. FMCSA Administrator Ferro stated, "We've heard about the need for flexibility…what I haven't heard yet is how you take a rule with flexibility in it and ensure you've got sufficient structure to go after the folks that are going to abuse that flexibility. We all know it happens today, it happened before, and it will happen again."
A recent document, filed on behalf of the Truck Safety Coalition, Public Citizen and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, and posted on www.regulations.gov, reveals that daily driving time under a new HOS rule should be reduced by 27 percent. The document calls for a maximum 12-hour work shift, with no more than eight consecutive hours of driving per shift. The document, one of over 300 documents related to the new rule, also calls for universal electronic on-board recorder (EOBR) equipment.
The coalition said it wants to see a maximum of 40 driving hours in a seven-day period and a maximum of 60 hours of work time in a seven-day period. It also wants to see a minimum 48-hour, off-duty layover, rather than the current 34-hour “restart”. Industry reports indicate that a reduction of allowable driving time from eleven to eight hours, and elimination of the 34-hour restart rule, could cost the trucking industry $3.1 billion or more annually.
In late June, the office of DOT Secretary Ray Lahood received the first draft of a new HOS rule from the FMCSA. After reviewing it and determining it was not necessary to be sent back to FMCSA for revisions, the first draft was sent to the White House (Office of Management & Budget, or OMB) for what's expected to be an additional three-month review. Currently in the NPRM stage, the proposal is by no means in a near final form.
The OMB will consider how the rules will impact the larger picture, such as how much it will cost and how it will affect national economic policy. Once OMB signs off on the regulation, it will then be published in the Federal Register. The FMCSA’s goal is to publish the NPRM on November 4.
Once published in the Federal Register, the public will, for the first time, get full disclosure of the agency’s plan on what, if any, changes will be made to the current HOS regulations.
In April, during an FMCSA oversight hearing, Senate Sub-committee Chairman Lautenberg (D-NJ) said, “The Obama administration has made the right move by initiating a new rulemaking on driver hours…but let’s be clear: When this process is over, we cannot wind up with the same flawed regulations that the last administration designed.”
If this is any indication on the direction of a new HOS rule, the industry could be in for a rude awakening.
The 2010 Indiana Truck Driving Championships was held on Father’s Day weekend, Saturday, June 19th, at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. Nearly 120 CDL drivers competed against each other in 8 different classes: Straight Truck, 3-Axle Van, 4-Axle Van, 5-Axle Van, 5-Axle Sleeper, Flatbed, Tanker, and Twin Trailer.
The competition consists of a “skills test” (obstacle course), a written test, and a pre-trip inspection test. Awards were given out on Saturday evening at the Banquet of Champions for the drivers who finished in the top 3 of each class, as well as the driver with the highest score, the Rookie of the Year award, and the Team Award for the highest scoring team. Each first place winner will be competing at the 2010 National Truck Driving Championships in Columbus, OH August 3-7.
Each year, Driving Ambition drivers and office staff serve as volunteers to help judge this event.
This year’s winners:
Straight Truck Class
1st place: Dennis Shirar from Heritage Transport
2nd place: Mike Wilson from Con-Way Freight
3rd place: Troy Davis from FedEx Express
3-Axle Van Class
1st place: William Wurz from Con-Way Freight
2nd place: Greg Weil from Con-Way Freight
3rd place: Kenneth Buntain from UPS Freight
4-Axle Van Class
1st place: Jon Marxmann from Con-Way Freight
2nd place: Marty Wilson from Heritage Transport
3rd place: James Anglin from YRC Worldwide
5-Axle Van Class:
1st place: Derrill Blandford from USF Holland
2nd place: Steve Gordon from Con-Way Freight
3rd place: Joshua Ferguson from FedEx Express
5-Axle Sleeper Class:
1st place: Ron Marker from Wal*Mart Stores
2nd place: Daniel Zemanek from Con-Way Freight
3rd place: Ernest Mehling from J.E.T. Transit
Flatbed Class:
1st place: Scott Bluhm from Con-Way Freight
2nd place: David Schraub from Heritage Transport
3rd place: Mark Serf from Con-Way Freight
Tanker Class:
1st place: J. Scott Stierwalt from Wal*Mart Stores
2nd place: Richard Coffey from Heritage Transport
3rd place: Thomas Crowe from FedEx Ground
Twin Trailer Class:
1st place: Donald Alexander from Con-Way Freight
2nd place: Richard Fiscus from UPS Freight
3rd place: Dan McCain from Con-Way Freight
Highest Score: Steve Bluhm from Con-Way Freight
Rookie of the Year: Jon Marxmann from Con-Way Freight
Team Award: Heritage Transport
Congratulations to all the winners! We’ll be rooting for you as you represent Indiana at the Nationals this year!!