Posted on Thu, Sep 02, 2010 @ 11:13 AM
The next step in the rollout of CSA 2010 is underway. Carriers can now see how they are being scored in the pending Safety Measurement System. Also as planned, CSA 2010 will stick to its schedule to implement the program state-by-state throughout 2011. Once all the states are up to speed on implementating CSA 2010, the new method for determining safety fitness will be put into effect. All of this is part of CSA 2010’s mission to increase truck driving safety and decrease trucking accidents and trucking-related fatalities. This next phase will hopefully be a major step to ultimately completing these goals.
“This early look gives motor carriers an opportunity to understand and address their safety compliance issues right away," the FMCSA said in an official announcement. The early warnings give carriers an opportunity to assess concerns before they get penalized under the new system. Not everyone is familiar yet with the new standards so this sort of “dry run” is great for carriers who may be committing violations without knowing it. Those who are not yet familiar with the new standards are urged by the FMCSA to visit their website to learn more about how they will be scored according to the seven Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories, or BASICs. Additional information on CSA 2010 can be found here on the ADS Logistics Blog.
“Taking heed of industry concerns 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 to one based on a combination of power units and vehicle miles traveled,” said by Oliver B. Patton, Washington Editor for Trucking Info. His complete article on the new phase of CSA 2010 can be found here. This small change in these 2 categories will make it easier for larger carriers because they are no longer going to be scored based solely on how many power units they have, which has hurt some larger carriers in the past. In the old system larger carriers were view as more dangerous because they had more accidents. This is only because they have more trucks and therefore more chances for an accident. With CSA 2010, that miles traveled are taken into account, their score in those two categories will come down and the scores of smaller carriers go up.
In its announcement yesterday, the agency took note of a preliminary report that researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute have found that while most of the BASICs are good indicators of future crash risk, two of them are not. UMTRI is analyzing the data from the agency's 30-month field test of CSA 2010. Its final report is due by the end of December. The field test is working with small test groups within certain states to see if any improvements will need to be made to CSA 2010 or the BASIC categories. As of Mid-June, over 11,000 carriers have visited the CSA 2010 website to see their preliminary score. This is good news however, the several hundred thousand that haven’t may be in for a surprise come December, when the system goes live. Be prepared, and get your preliminary score today! Also subscribe to the ADS blog to stay on top of all the important CSA 2010 changes that will be happening in the future.
Posted on Tue, Aug 31, 2010 @ 09:01 AM
The Department of Transportation has made several changes to its rules for drug and alcohol testing. The changes are not related to the pending rule to create a national database for drug testing among drivers (a database would allow for employers to look up any trucker and see his or her drug testing history). However, this FMCSA rule is not linked to the DOT’s new changes to the drug testing standards.
“The new rule will add several amphetamine-type drugs to the required list: MDA, MDMA, and MDEA. Also, there will be a 6-AM test, a marker for heroin use,” according to truckigninfo.com. The Department will also lower the acceptable positive threshold for cocaine and amphetamine levels in hopes to see an increase in the number of positives for cocaine use.
The DOT originally proposed giving employers a choice between using a full-service drug testing facility or an Instrumental Initial Test Facility (ITIF), but ITIF’s only provide initial testing and not confirmation testing so all employers must use full-service testing facilities. Also, DOT will heighten it standards for Medical Review Officers and require them to be re-qualified every five years.
A full summary of the Safe Act of 2010 can be found here. In brief however, the Bill can be broken down into 8 main points:
1) The DOT is required by the Omnibus Transportation Employees Testing Act (Omnibus Act) to follow the HHS requirements for the testing procedures/protocols and drugs for which are tested.
2) Primary laboratory requirements in this final rule include: Testing for MDMA (aka. Ecstasy);
Lowering cutoff levels for cocaine and amphetamines;
Conducting mandatory initial testing for heroin;
3) The Department has brought several testing definitions in-line with those of HHS.
4) Each Medical Review Officer (MRO) will need to be re-qualified – including passing an examination given by an MRO training organization - every five years. The Final Rule eliminated the requirement for each MRO to take 12 hours of continuing education every three years.
5) An MRO will not need to be trained by an HHS-approved MRO training organization as long as the MRO meets DOT’s qualification and requalification training requirements.
6) MRO recordkeeping requirements did not change from the five years for non-negatives and one year for negatives.
7) The Final Rule does not allow the use of HHS-Certified Instrumented Initial Testing Facilities (IITFs) to conduct initial drug testing because the Omnibus Act requires laboratories to be able to perform both initial and confirmation testing but IITFs cannot conduct confirmation testing.
8) The Final Rule is effective October 1, 2010.
Posted on Fri, Aug 27, 2010 @ 08:39 AM
Vigillo has updated their CSA 2010 Scorecard. The changes will be effective immediately and will be taken into account even for companies that want to preview their score before the August 16th deadline. The 16th was going to be the original viewing date that the FMCSA had set, but due to the changes in the scoring companies can see their score earlier than expected. The scorecard is the main method of how the FMCSA is going to rate companies’ safety levels when CSA 2010 is put into full effect.
The way the scorecard works is that each company will be given a color coded rating that pertains to each of the 7 BASIC categories: driver fitness, unsafe driving, fatigued driving, controlled substance and alcohol, crash indicator, vehicle maintenance, and improper landing and cargo securing. The fleets will be given a score for each category and their score will determine whether or not intervention will occur. Here is the way companies will be rated:
• RED – Deficient (90% to 100%)
• YELLOW – Warning (75% to 90%)
• GREY – Under Threshold (0% to 75%)
Also, you can view a sample of this driver scorecard, offered by Vigillo to see if intervention will be required.
There are a few changes made, but the scoring will still be strict as the CSA 2010 is cracking down on driver-related violations. For example, under that CSA 2010 Severity and Point System Safety Rating for Truck Drivers, a driver caught with a leaky tire will receive a rating of 8, which is only two points under a DUI.
Other Examples of changes to the Scorecard are:
•31 new violation codes not in the previous methodology
•300 violations removed
•260 weight severity changes
•88 violation description changes
•335 violation code changes
Specific examples of how these new changes will take effect include cargo securement. Violations in the old methodology weighted cargo securement at 1 point, where with the changes such a violation is now weighted at 5 points.
Speeding violations are now tiered based on the number of miles over the limit. Previously a speeding violation was ranked at 5 points, regardless of speed. The new methodology gives 1 point for 1-5 miles over the limited, 4 points for 6-10 miles over, 7 points for 11-14 miles over, and 10 points for 15 or more miles over, and 10 points for any speeding in a construction zone. 18 of the possible 21 intervention thresholds, depending on carrier type, have been modified.
As you can see the changes to the Scorecard have created stricter guidelines toward the drivers, since 4 or 5 (depending on what type of carrier and trucker you are) of the violations are driver-related. However, the new CSA 2010 Scorecard changes do not necessarily mean that drivers will now be more likely to fall over the intervention threshold. In one testing example, a fleet had two BASICs over the intervention threshold (Drug & Alcohol & Vehicle Maintenance). Under the new methodology it had 0 BASICs over the threshold. In fact, this carrier’s Drug & Alcohol BASIC went from 91.9 to 5.9 under the new methodology.
Vigillo says that they will continue to analyze more real numbers and will be posting them on the Vigillo website. Stay tuned to this blog by subscribing in the tab on the right or check back with Vigillio frequently to keep on top of any future changes.
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Posted on Wed, Aug 25, 2010 @ 01:30 PM
Recruit a new driver to ADS Logistics and you could be on your way to owning a 2010 Harley Davidson Road King!
ADS Logistics (Area Transportation) has announced an exciting new recruitment campaign for current Drivers who work for ADS. The driver (company or Independent Contractor) who recruits the most new hires from September 1st, 2010 to March 31st, 2011 will win the Harley. Simple as that!
The Rules
- Driver's First and Last Name must appear on the Recruit's application when submitted
- New driver(s) must complete orientation by March 31st, 2011
- New driver(s) must be still actively working for Area Transportation when the challenge ends
Get the word out among your fellow flatbed drivers who are looking for work and ride in style come next Spring!
Submit any questions you may have about the program by clicking here.
Posted on Tue, Aug 17, 2010 @ 09:57 AM
The Department of Transportation (DOT) sent its proposed Hours of Service (HOS) changes to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Monday (7/26) to settle yet another challenge to the rules drivers and trucking companies must follow.
Meanwhile, Transport Topics reported this week that 20% of truckload fleets increased driver pay in the second quarter of 2010 citing Gordon Klemp, principal of the National Transportation Institute in Kansas City, MO.
Continuing difficulties in attracting new drivers, a situation that will only be exacerbated by expected reductions in work and driving hours contained in the proposed HOS regulations, are contributing to this perfect storm.
Any reduction in driver working and/or driving hours will further reduce already strained capacity and require more drivers and trucks to move the same amount of freight.
Flatbed carriers led trucking with more than 30% of such companies raising driver pay, while 20% of refrigerated carriers and 11% of dry van operators did so in the second quarter according to Klemp. He also predicted significant increases in the third quarter.
With carrier margins already depressed as a result of market pressures during the recession, shippers can expect sizeable rate increases to fund these long overdue pay increases.
In a related story, transportation and logistics professionals predicted major changes and increased costs associated with any reductions in driver HOS. Shippers claim they’ve already adjusted their operations as much as possible and any HOS changes would require them to reevaluate their supply chain.
Reduced HOS = reduced capacity = increased need for drivers = increased pay rates = increased freight rates = increased end user costs.
As the economy rebounds and freight levels increase the pressures on the supply chain will increase as well. Shippers would be well advised to truly partner with shippers to tweak their operations and maximize driver/truck utilization. The alternatives are even more expensive than rate increases.
The perfect storm is churning on the horizon.
Written by Kevin Mullen, Directory: Safety
Posted on Mon, Aug 16, 2010 @ 01:25 PM
The FREIGHT Act is short for the Focusing Resources, Economic Investment and Guidance to Help Transportation Act. It is an act presented by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) that aims to create a voice for freight interests within the U.S. government. As it currently stands there is no real place in the Department of Transportation (DOT) for freight planning. This bill is set to address these problems and give the freight industry some recognition within our nation’s government. Freight advocates said, “The bill as the most far-reaching attempt Congress had made to give freight a place at the infrastructure table.” The FREIGHT Act is within Bill S.3629 (the progress of the Bill can be tracked at this site) and is set to accomplish three main objectives: develop a National Freight Strategic Plan, create a Freight office within the DOT, and initiate the National Freight Infrastructure Grants program.
What the FREIGHT Act Will Accomplish
To put the bill in a broad sense, it will create, “a national freight transportation program for identifying and funding federal, state, and metropolitan efforts to ensure adequate capacity, reduce congestion, and increase throughput.” said Janet L. Kavinoky, head of the transportation infrastructure programs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Ms. Kavinoky believes the bill meets what was asked for by the Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s largest business trade group. She went on to say that, "the key to the grant portion's success is in finding additional dedicated revenues so that other federal transportation priorities aren't diluted." Basically the Bill will seek additional funding so that other DOT programs are not compromised.
The Goals of the FREIGHT Act
There are six main goals highlighted in the bill:
1. Target investment in freight transportation projects
2. Improve energy conservation and the environmental sustainability of freight movements
3. Assist and enhance the health and safety of the public
4. Provide efficient and balanced investment to improve the overall performance of the national transportation system.
5. Promote partnerships between Federal, State, and local governments, the private sector, and other stake holders.
6. Encourage adoption of operational policies
How The FREIGHT Act Will Get Approved
The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. The committee has twenty-five ranking members and is currently considering about one hundred different bills. However, they are usually only one of many committees that are reporting on the same bill. The bill is currently assigned to several committees but so far none have issued a report on it. Once the bill goes through the Senate committees it will go through House committees. If both Houses decide that bill should be voted on then it will go to the Senate first and then to the House. If the bill passes then it will be signed by the President and it will be enacted.
This bill has a long way to go before it makes it to the President’s desk; however it seems to already have major support behind it. An article by Mark B. Solomon on DC Velocity.com concludes, “Advocates of the Lautenberg Bill said today the senator's staff has been in contact with key lawmakers in both chambers to discuss the legislation. The bill was co-sponsored by Sens. Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray, both Democrats from the state of Washington.”
Posted on Wed, Aug 04, 2010 @ 10:58 AM
Finding a good truck stop while you’re on a run can be difficult. Figuring out where the best ones are makes your ride a lot easier and can also shorten your time on the road. If you know where to make your stops beforehand, you won’t get caught driving long distances between stops so it is less likely that you run low on fuel and less likely you have to go out of your way to stop somewhere. Many truck stops have websites where you can see each of their locations and some even let you plot routes around the stops. Playing it by ear can leave you out to dry sometimes; don’t let uncertainty disrupt your driving, or your safety.
Companies are making it increasingly easier to find their stations. New initiatives are intended to bring in business but also to help truckers stay safe when they are on and off the road. Companies such as AMBEST, Pioneer Fuel, and Sapp Bros put a map on their website that lists all of their locations nationwide. Sapp Bros. goes a step further by integrating Google maps, allowing you to plug in your location and destination and find the best truck stops along your route. Other big companies like Shell allow you to enter your zip code and see where the closest rest stations to you are.
Companies such as Travel Centers of America and Road Ranger provide a complete directory of their locations which can give you a pinpoint on each stop so they can be easily found or plugged into a GPS navigation system. Travel Centers of America also lists specific ammenities of every individual truck stop.
Travel Centers of America and Road Ranger are just two companies that have added the GPS download to their websites. Flying J is another one of these companies. They supply a list of exact latitude and longitude degrees for each of their locations. This makes it nearly impossible to not find where a Flying J is located. After you have found the locations that are convenient on your route, you can compare which one to go to by looking at what amenities they offer. Some stops have fast food chains and others have full restaurants. Flying J gives a brief description of each station's ammenities.
With all of this information available it is very easy to find a great truck stop almost anywhere if you just do a little research prior to making your run.
Posted on Thu, Jul 29, 2010 @ 09:14 AM
The life of a trucker can have a very adverse effect on a family. Truck drivers are away from their families for extended periods of time which can cause a family to grow apart. Over the road (OTR) truckers can be away from home for more than two weeks at a time and even regional truckers must be away for several consecutive days. The big problem with being away from their families is the lack of communication. With less time spent together comes less communicating and more misunderstandings. “You want to make sure you are communicating as effectively as possible. That means practice not taking things for granted and not placing blame.” (See article for more info).
Trucking can have a major effect on a marriage. Being away from a spouse can cause the couple to grow distant which can cause problems later on down the road. The three keys to preventing this are personality, communication, and trust. Ideally, your spouse will be somewhat independent, which will make it easier to be apart from him or her without any problems. However, if your spouse is mostly dependant you must rely on communication and trust to avoid problems. The best way to communicate more easily is to put you in the others’ shoes. Seeing a situation from your spouse’s point of view can make it easier to come to a solution. If your spouse cannot envision your situation then take him or her on the road with you for a few weeks. Not only will it give you time to spend together, but it will make relating to problems much easier. This will ultimately reduce the impact trucking has on the marriage.
Lastly, there are trust issues that come with all marriages as well as marriages affected by trucking. Having one partner away from the other for so long can raise doubts and questions in both partners’ minds about what the other is doing. These questions can be answered most easily by communicating effectively. Generally, the two best ways to eliminate problems caused by trucking are to find a spouse that is right for you and to take him or her on the road with you. The bottom line is that trucking can exist in a relationship. It comes with many difficulties, but it is possible to have a family life as well as the life of a trucker. In another article on Life as a Trucker.com explains the hardships in more detail. The article starts out by saying, “The impact of trucking on the family can be devastating.”, and continues on to say, “Life as a trucker has little room for troubled relationships.” This can deter some people from truck driving, however you do not need to be that rash. The article concludes by saying, ”The impact of trucking on the family is not always a disaster. There are plenty of good big truck drivers who have driven a lifetime with wife and kids at home doing just fine.” The author also says, “These drivers were smart in choosing their spouse. That makes the biggest difference.” If you take that into account, communicate effectively, and just trust each other, you’ll make out just fine.
Posted on Mon, Jul 26, 2010 @ 10:26 AM
There are many different programs truckers can use to make them more efficient. The most popular of the technologies are GPS, logging software, and accounting programs. GPS is very useful for plotting and following the most efficient route, and board tracking. Logging software and log calculators are used to calculate available work hours and to issue warnings of overworking and being over the allotted amount of driving hours. Accounting software usually keeps track of monthly, quarterly, and yearly pay. It makes tracking income and expenses easier and more efficient. There are many different versions of each type of software offered from different companies for different prices. The best way to find software that’s right for you is to find your price range, then find the program that you feel most comfortable with.
Truckers Helper
TruckersHelper.com has several different packages that are built to fit anyone’s price range based on the number of features the buyer receives. Their programs are highlighted in a chart on their webpage. They bundle certain features together to create basic, mid-level, and advanced packages. They base their prices off of the number of trucks that are owned. Drivers need the least technology so they are given the most basic programs. Owner/operators need slightly more technology to keep track of expenses as well as income. Fleet owners and bookkeepers need the numerous programs to keep track of loads, payroll, and billing as well as everything owner/operators and drivers need to account for.
Diesel Boss
Other websites such as Diesel Boss offer each program separately so drivers can pick and choose which ones they need. They offer five types of software for owner-operators, independents, and company drivers. Services include log calculator, driver log, accounting software, fuel tax program, and route tools. Each program is explained and each feature it offers is highlighted on the website.
The driver log is one of the standard programs to have because it covers all the basic functions a driver needs to complete, such as logs and roadside inspections. Also, the software offers a GPS interface, which makes tracking that much easier. They also offer 4 other programs for owners, fleet managers, accountants, and dispatchers. The programs offered are: log auditing software, a fuel tax program, route tools, and compliance spreadsheet. Some of the programs are similar to the ones offered for owner/operators but the others, such as the compliance spreadsheet, are offered specifically for fleet managers, accountants, and dispatchers. The program allows you to track up to 1000 drivers and 1000 pieces of equipment. It covers a wide array of features, including the ability to even track maintenance and inspections.
Drivers Daily Log
There are some websites that specialize in just one program such as Drivers Daily Log. It offers 3 different versions of the same program: Lite, Full, and iTruck. All of these are versions of a drivers’ daily log software. It does everything a normal logging program can do depending on which version you choose. For example, the Lite version does not offer GPS interface, expense records, or fuel records. Drivers who want those features must upgrade to the Full Version or iTruck.
The best way to evaluate which trucking programs to purchase is to first, pin point your needs and see which company offers software that satisfies your needs. Many sites offer free trials through which you can demo the product and see if it is something you’re interested in. Be sure to conduct throughout research so you do not end up needing to buy extra software later on or end up paying more for features you won’t use.
Posted on Thu, Jul 22, 2010 @ 09:37 AM
In what can only be heralded as a historic address, FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro spoke to the National Industrial Transportation League at their Washington Freight Transportation Policy Forum in Arlington VA June 10th.
In her remarks, Administrator Ferro told attendees that wasted “down time” at loading docks was a constant complaint that drivers said negatively impacted safety at numerous public listening sessions this past winter and spring.
Ferro went on to say, “I ask you to increase your stake in motor carrier safety. Practices that leave truckers waiting at the port or terminal for hours at a time do not take account of how long drivers may drive. I ask each of you today to take responsibility in your businesses to increase your stake in motor carrier safety. Between now and the end of the year, take the time to re-examine practices that short change the driver's ability to drive safely.” (The full text of her remarks can be found here.)
Clearly, time spent waiting at shippers and consignees to get loaded or unloaded is putting severe pressure on carriers' and drivers' ability to meet customer expectations while complying with federal hours of service regulations.
Shippers who do not respect drivers' regulated hours will likely find it more difficult to attract carriers to haul their product. (Drivers are limited to 14 hours of on-duty time once they start their day. Hours spent waiting to get loaded or unloaded reduce drivers' remaining work and driving time.)
Shippers and consignees must examine their operations and procedures and work with their trucking partners to find ways to expedite loading and unloading. Failure to do so may very well result in carriers diverting their trucks to more carrier-friendly customers leaving less carrier-friendly shippers with product on their dock or in their warehouse and no trucks to haul it.
Carriers must be able to get their trucks loaded and underway in reasonable time if they are to get maximum use of the equipment and driver. This is just good business practice and necessary for any kind of reasonable return on investment (ROI) on the $100,000+ they have tied up in a tractor and trailer.
Article posted by Kevin Mullen: Director, Safety- ADS Logistics