2JanBy: Steve Vaughn, vice president of field operations, PrePass Safety Alliance Mother Nature is somewhat predictable, we have these things called “seasons,” after all. But the exact time, location and amounts of temperature change, precipitation, high winds and road closures is not. For example, Eastern Washington, northern Idaho, and large
5DecNo one – no motor carrier, no professional driver, and no law enforcement officer – wants someone with a history of drug or alcohol abuse driving a commercial motor vehicle on the highways. Except for those who have completed return-to-duty counseling and testing, it is illegal and clearly unsafe. Beginning
26NovIf truck accident trials were like the court cases you see on television, they would typically be conducted in no more than an hour or two. And, those who did nothing wrong would be on the winning side of justice. However, in the real world, the outcome can be much
11NovUp ahead is a weigh station and a seemingly endless string of red taillights from trucks backed out onto the highway. You are mentally calculating the time this is going to add to your journey. Surely the troopers will understand if you pull out into the left lane and pass
15Oct“I’m from the government and I’m here to help you.” We’ve all heard that punch line. Today, though, there is change in the air. Regulatory agencies, like the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), must still carry out their Congressionally-mandated missions. When FMCSA, for example, proposes new regulations, it does
7OctThe federal deadline for truckers using automatic on-board recording devices (AOBRD) to switch to electronic logging devices (ELD) is Dec. 16, 2019. But if you wait too close to the deadline to comply, you may find your trucks will be unable to hit the road and out of compliance with
4SepBy: Steve Vaughn, vice president of field operations, PrePass Safety Alliance This blog originally appeared on the FleetOwner.com IdeaXchange. We’ve all felt the jolt of seeing flashing lights in our rearview mirror. Immediate thoughts are often “Me?” “What did I do?” “I’m late already, and now this.” Many drivers stopped
21AugThe Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has added “personal safety” to its statutory focus on highway safety. In a Federal Register notice published in July, the agency announced a survey to be conducted by Battelle, a major research organization, on crimes against female and minority truck drivers. The public
15AugThe Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced its long-awaited proposal for changes in the hours-of-service (HOS) regulations affecting commercial motor vehicle drivers. The 129-page Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) can be read on the Federal Register website, where you can also file your comments about the plan. FMCSA
7AugIn a Federal Register notice earlier this summer, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) asked seven questions about capturing reliable data on driver detention at shipper/consignee facilities. Comments are due by September 9. But what FMCSA has essentially done is post a sign that reads “Help Wanted.” There is
2AugEditor’s note: On Feb. 4, 2020 the FMCSA announced a full two-year delay of its entry-level truck driver training rules. You can read about this in a more recent blog post. When it comes to things mechanical, electrical or even information technology (IT), for something to work properly, everyone must
25JulThe old law professor eyed his class and stated, “The law is not about what is right or wrong, fair or just. The law is about what passes the legislature.” Where one might read this as a distorted view of the law, it is actually what we all learned in
