Tag: truck driver

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Trucker News

FMCSA sets rules calendar

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a new schedule of pending rulemaking, which includes anticipating publishing a Dec. 9 final rule establishing a national medical examiner registry.

Some rulemaking has been delayed for reasons that include a need for further analysis, insufficient resources or staffing and more pressing priorities. Explanations are not always provided for postponing publication and some schedule information is incomplete.

The Dec. 9 final rule will establish training, testing and certification standards for medical examiners; provide a medical examiner database; and require medical examiners to identify drivers they have examined to the FMCSA

The agency anticipates publishing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for safety auditor certification May 29, 2012. It would require safety inspections or audits and compliance reviews be conducted by a certified inspector, auditor or investigator.

The agency did not provide publication dates for new rules regarding Mexican carriers to operate in the U.S. and distracted driving.

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Lifestyle Trucker News

FMCSA seeks comments on medical rule

Medical ethics is a system of moral principles that apply values and judgments to the practice of medicine. As a scholarly discipline, medical ethics encompasses its practical application in clinical settings as well as work on its history, philosophy, theology, and sociology.

As a car driver, you are required to meet certain medical standards in order to legally drive. As well as the initial eyesight test that forms part of the driving test.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is asking for public review and comments for the core curriculum that could be used by training providers in implementing the proposed National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners.

On Dec. 1, 2008, the agency published a proposal to implement the registry, which included minimum training requirements for medical examiners.

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Newbies Trucker News

Trucking Software ? Efficiency in Transportation

Transportation of freight has been the most tough job since the time of industrial revolution. Company logistics system has transformed and evolved a lot since the onset of modern industrial era. This evolution was actually possible simply because of the induction of technology in this system. Out of the quite a few technological changes adopted by the logistics system, the modern trucking software technologies has turn out to be the most effective instrument of transformation. Trucking software has brought out a significant improvement in the functioning of the overall transportation system. With the help of this advanced software technology, the trucking industry has been providing a substantial contribution in the development and evolution of the company logistics system.

Trucking software has significantly contributed in the improvement of the functioning of freight transportation system. This software is created in a extremely organized manner, in-order to allow the trucking firms to efficiently manage their business operations. Trucking software contains a variety of vital features to manage practically all the critical processes involved in handling the trucking company. There are specially designed features to maintain invoice, pay reports and accounts related to the trucking organization. Moreover, all the trading and documentation records can also be maintained via this software. This newly found efficiency in the trucking organization is not only enhancing the revenues of the numerous trucking organizations, but has also led to an overall growth and development of the whole transportation system.

Trucking software has induced a systematic arrangement in the operations of the transportation system for the growth and development of industries, within the economic framework of a nation. All the organization operations of the trucking business could now be effectively carried out with the help of this new technology. Increased efficiency in the system of transportation would not only lead to the growth and development of numerous economies across the globe, but will also incorporate new innovations in the functioning of overall trucking industry.

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Newbies

FMCSA issues CDL amendments

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on May 5 issued its final rule amending the commercial driver’s license knowledge and skills testing standards and establishing new minimum federal standards for states to issue a commercial learner’s permit. The final rule requires a permit holder meet virtually the same requirements as those for a license holder, including driver disqualification penalties. The rule also specifically prohibits a motor carrier from using a driver who does not hold a current and appropriate permit or CDL to operate a commercial motor vehicle. The final rule implements relevant sections of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) and the Security and Accountability For Every Port Act of 2006. Many of the program areas and issues dealt with in this rule are also addressed in the Department of Homeland Security’s final rule implementing the REAL ID Act. FMCSA says it has coordinated efforts with DHS to write regulations that neither overlap nor conflict.

Successful completion of a knowledge test, currently a prerequisite for the CDL, now will be required for a permit. The rule requires states to use driver and examiner reference materials, state testing questions and exercises, and state testing methodologies that FMCSA has preapproved. It includes prohibiting use of foreign language interpreters in the administration of the knowledge and skills tests to reduce the potential for fraud. The final rule also strengthens the legal presence requirements and increases the documentation required for permit and CDL applicants to demonstrate their legal presence in the United States. The rule also addresses applicants who wish to attend a driver training school in a state other than the applicant’s state of domicile; states are required to recognize permits issued by other states for training purposes.

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Trucker News

Trucking adds 4,500 jobs

Trucking companies hired 4,500 workers as part of 244,000 nonfarm jobs added on a seasonally adjusted basis during April, according to the preliminary estimates released May 6 by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In addition, BLS revised its original estimate for March upward by 1,200 jobs. Compared to April 2010, the number of jobs in for-hire trucking was up 41,600, or 3.4 percent.

Total employment in trucking in April was more than 1.27 million – down 180,300, or 12.4 percent, from peak trucking employment in January 2007. The BLS numbers reflect all payroll employment in for-hire trucking, but they don’t include trucking-related jobs in other industries, such as a truck driver for a private fleet. Nor do the numbers reflect the total amount of hiring since they only include new jobs, not replacements for existing positions.

Although the economy added 244,000 jobs in April, the unemployment actually rose slightly to 9 percent as workers entered or reentered the job market at a faster rate than the number of jobs being created.

Good news

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Trucker News

Lawmakers protest cross-border trucking plan

At least 35 federal lawmakers have signed a draft of a letter to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood protesting the DOT proposal for a cross-border trucking program with Mexico. The April 27 draft written by Congressmen Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and Daniel Lipinski (D-Ill.) is signed by 35 to 40 congressional members, said Hunter spokesman Joe Kasper. The plan is “bad for American truckers and the entire commercial trucking industry,” Hunter wrote.

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“The proposal is an undue burden on taxpayers, including buying and monitoring electronic on-board recorders the department will require for Mexican trucks involved in the program,” he wrote. “The cross-border trucking program is a straight handout to Mexico at the expense of American jobs, taxpayer dollars and security,” he stated. The agency has said it is funding EOBRs to ensure it will own and control data gathered by the devices. Over a three-year period, the department estimated this program will cost $2.5 million, which includes $750,000 during the first full year of the program.

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Trucker News

Thieves pose as carriers to pick up freight

Fraudulent pickups of freight are increasing in California and other states as thieves pose as carriers, according to FreightWatch International.

Incidents of freight thefts have been reported in April in Florida, Ohio, Indiana, New York and New Jersey, FreightWatch said. About 20 incidents were reported in April, compared with 24 for all of 2010, said FreightWatch’s Dan Burges.

Thieves are going through online broker sites to find freight, impersonate legitimate carriers and pick up loads at shipper locations, FreightWatch said.

The organization is warning shippers to ensure they are only releasing freight to known and verified transportation companies.

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Lifestyle Trucker News

North Dakota bans texting

Texting while driving is the act of composing, sending, or reading text messages, email, or making other similar use of the internet on a mobile device, while operating a motor vehicle such as an automobile, truck or train. It has also been ruled as the cause of some motor vehicle accidents, and in some places has been outlawed or restricted.North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple signed a new law banning texting while driving, making it the 31st state to ban texting behind the wheel. The new law, which becomes effective Aug. 1, will impose a $100 fine on people caught texting while driving.

With North Dakota, 31 states, the District of Columbia and Guam have banned text messaging by all drivers. Eight states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands have prohibited all hand-held cell phone use while driving. In January 2010, the U.S. Department of Transportation imposed a texting-while-driving ban on commercial truck and bus drivers. Texting is fun, and it can be addictive, too. But with lives on the line, it’s important to have safe driving habits. Put in perspective, not that many text messages are really worth the risk of having a potentially fatal car accident. A ban on texting while driving, punishable by fines, may become the law of the land. Meanwhile, if drivers can muster the self discipline to ban it from their own driving repertoire (and if the parents of teens, especially, can demand there be no texting while driving) then everyone’s safety will be enhanced.

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Trucker News

FleetPride Acquires Midway Truck Parts As Industry

In its ninth acquisition in 15 months, FleetPride is buying 13 Midway Truck Parts locations in Illinois and one in St. Louis, Mo. Midway Truck Parts was founded in 1978 by Pete Pasdach, president, and Rich Murawski, vice president.

Murawski will join FleetPride in his operational role. Pasdach will lead FleetPride’s Midwest Region in his new role as regional vice president – Midwest Region.

The Midway Trailer Sales & Service division is not part of this agreement and will continue to operate as a separate company.

A major issue, said Plaxton, is that companies such as FleetPride are increasingly negotiating exclusivity performance contracts with vendors. FleetPride could potentially become the exclusive supplier of some parts. This is not likely to matter for major fleets of 1,000 or more power units because they can leverage so much purchasing power. But there may be negative implications for small- to mid-size fleets and the independent distributors they buy from.

A more immediate concern with the acquisition of Midway is Vipar, the marketing group headquartered in Crystal Lake, Ill. However, Steve Crowley, president and CEO of Vipar, said Midway was one of 118 buyers at Vipar, comprising only around 3 percent of business.

Moving forward, there is a strong possibility of more large acquisitions. Many dealers and distributors with depleted balance sheets from the recession are looking for an exit strategy.

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Lifestyle Trucker News

Driving at 18?

This article is intended to raise the concern about teen driving fatalities and what can be done to drastically reduce this alarming statistic. While this article may be sensitive to some readers in certain industries, we would like to raise the question as to what can be done to make our teens better drivers and how to alert others on the road that a new driver is behind the wheel.

Human life is precious and we must do everything reasonable to prevent deaths. Raising the driving age will cut the number of accidents on the roads. Teenage drivers are much more likely to have accidents than older drivers.

Young drivers do have more accidents, but that is because they are not very experienced, not simply because they are under 18. If we raise the driving age, it will be 18-19 year old new drivers having more accidents instead of 16-17 year old. After all, men are 77% more likely than women to kill someone while at the wheel, so if we went just by statistics we would ban all male drivers.

The age at which you can legally drive varies from country to country, but in many places it is lower than 18. In some American states it is 15 or younger. Usually you are allowed to take a driving test a year or more before you can vote or drink alcohol. As young drivers are the ones most likely to have accidents, from time to time there are calls to raise the driving age. So what do you think? Should minimum driving age be raised to 18?