Category: Transportation

Should transit workers have standards for hours of service and fatigue?

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
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Photo: vanbeets/iStockphoto

Washington — Citing high-profile transit incidents in which worker fatigue played a role, the Federal Transit Administration is considering minimum standards for hours of service and fatigue risk management programs for the industry.

In an advance notice of proposed rulemaking published Oct. 30, FTA notes that public transit is the only mode of transportation without these measures.

The agency doesn’t offer specific proposals for HOS or fatigue risk management programs, but it asks for public input on each issue.

The notice details HOS and fatigue risk management program recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board and FTA’s Transit Advisory Committee for Safety. Additionally, it includes information on American Public Transportation Association consensus standards and other relevant federal regulations.

APTA’s consensus standard for train operator HOS is 12 hours, with a “maximum duty day” of 16 hours. It also includes a minimum off-duty time of 10 hours and a max of seven consecutive workdays.

The deadline to comment is Dec. 29.

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

IFTA changes final for ELD/GPS electronic records

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Systems using ELDs and GPS must comply beginning January 1, 2024

The International Fuel Tax Agreement (IFTA) has finalized changes to requirements for electronic records to tightly define what data elements are required and what formats are acceptable.

For distance records produced by a vehicle tracking system that utilizes latitudes and longitudes (ELDs and GPS), a record must be created and maintained at a minimum every 10 minutes when the vehicle’s engine is on. This action is even more stringent than recent changes for electronic records under the International Registration Plan (IRP), which require a minimum record creation rate of every 15 minutes while the engine is on.

Mirroring changes under IRP, electronic records under IFTA must be accessible in an electronic spreadsheet format such as XLS, XLSX, CSV, or delimited text file. Formats from a vehicle tracking system that provides a static image such as PDF, JPEG, PNG, or Word are not acceptable.

The effective date for the changes – January 1, 2024 – also aligns with changes recently finalized by IRP.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

Original article published by J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

Trucking industry’s top concerns include safe parking and driver distraction

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
truck-stop.jpg
Photo: Bim/iStockphoto

Austin, TX — Multiple safety-related issues are spotlighted in the American Transportation Research Institute’s annual list of top trucking industry concerns.

ATRI – the research arm of the American Trucking Associations – surveyed more than 4,000 trucking industry stakeholders, including drivers, motor carriers, suppliers, driver trainers and law enforcement.

A lack of safe places for truckers to park ranks second on the list, while driver distraction is seventh – returning to the top 10 for the first time since 2018. Driver detention/delay at customer facilities is ninth.

“Thankfully, ATRI’s analysis doesn’t just tell us what the issues are, it spells out a number of data-driven strategies that the industry can pursue to address them,” ATA Chair Dan Van Alstine said in a press release.

For safe truck parking, ranking behind only the economy, the top proposed solutions from respondents in order:

  • Advocate for a dedicated federal funding program to increase truck parking capacity at freight-central locations.
  • Encourage local and regional governments to reduce the regulatory burdens limiting the construction and expansion of truck parking facilities.
  • Research the relationship between truck parking availability and highway safety.

Fuel prices and a shortage of drivers, the leading industry concerns in 2022, fell to third and fourth, respectively. Making its first appearance in the top 10, zero-emission vehicles came in at No. 10.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

California Trucking Association Sues to Block CARB Rule

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Transition to Zero-Emission Vehicles Would Begin as Soon as Next Year
Volvo VNRs charging

Some truckers think that there might not be an adequate electric charging infrastructure ready in time. (Volvo Trucks North America)

The California Trucking Association has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to block enforcement of the California Air Resources Board’s Advanced Clean Fleets regulation that would require motor carriers operating in the state to transition their trucks to zero-emission vehicles beginning as soon as next year.

The lawsuit asks the federal court to grant a preliminary and permanent injunction barring CARB from implementing or enforcing the regulation “in any way.”

In a note to its members, CTA CEO Eric Sauer said the lawsuit is aimed at federal law violations, including conflicts with the Federal Clean Air Act and the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994.

“Litigation was not our desired path concerning the industry’s transition to zero emissions, but conflict was inevitable once it became clear that CARB embraced a make-believe view of what could be accomplished with today’s technology and infrastructure,” CTA said. “In doing so, the agency violated multiple state and federal laws and, accordingly, these issues will be brought before the courts by CTA and multiple other entities.”

The lawsuit, filed Oct. 16 with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, seeks to “permanently enjoin enforcement of the ACF regulation.”

The lawsuit said that the Advanced Clean Fleets rule comprises four principal regulatory provisions: regulations designed to phase in zero-emission vehicles to fleets for state and local governments, regulations designed to phase in zero-emission vehicles for high-priority fleets, regulations designed to phase them in for drayage fleets, and a 100% zero-emission vehicle sales mandate effective in 2036.

“Because the ACF regulation is aimed at transforming not only the vehicles sold within California’s borders, but virtually any vehicle that enters those borders, CARB has disregarded what the United States Supreme Court has declared to be Congress’s carefully calibrated regulatory scheme,” the lawsuit said.

The regulation was approved by the CARB board April 28, despite concerns expressed by some truckers that battery or fuel-cell electric trucks may not be available as soon as required, or that there might not be an adequate electric charging infrastructure ready in time.

CARB’s goal is to have fleets operating in the state be 100% electric by 2035, 2040 or 2045, depending on size and type of truck.

“Since 2020, our nation has realized the essential role that the logistics industry plays in supplying the lifeblood of our nation’s economy and that this industry becomes pressured in the face of uncertainty,” the lawsuit said. “Instead of providing an assurance of clear and compliant regulations, the California Air Resources Board has promulgated the Advanced Clean Fleets regulation, which expands California’s regulatory authority well beyond its borders and establishes such untenable mandates that CARB itself has already been compelled to informally promise certain provisions will not be enforced.”

The lawsuit said the adoption of the Advanced Clean Fleets regulation represents a direct regulation of the trucking industry with acute impacts on “prices, routes and services in direct conflict with congressional policy.”

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

Original article published by Transport Topics 

ATRI Commences Research on Challenges Faced by Women Truck Drivers

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ATRI Commences Research on Challenges Faced by Women Truck DriversWashington, DC – The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) is initiating research on the challenges facing women truck drivers as well as barriers that discourage women from considering a career as a truck driver.  The comprehensive study will also identify strategies for overcoming industry issues faced by women.  Previous ATRI research has confirmed that women make up only 8.1 percent of all U.S. truck drivers, and only 2.7 percent of over-the-road truck drivers.  In response, the ATRI Research Advisory Committee prioritized this new women-focused research initiative at its 2023 Annual Meeting.

Key components of the research will include:

  • National surveys and focus groups with women who are veteran truck drivers, new entrants, and women who are former truck drivers.  In addition, the researchers will engage different groups of women to identify both issues and motivators for women considering careers in trucking.
  • Recognizing that certain fleets have substantially more women drivers than typical fleets, motor carriers will be surveyed and interviewed to identify best practices in recruiting and retaining women truck drivers.  Additional outreach will focus on women executives at motor carriers in order to understand issues and opportunities beyond truck driving.
  • Collaborating with truck driver training schools to identify recruitment and training issues unique to women.

Research Analyst Abbigail Huffman, who will lead the multi-faceted research for ATRI, invites industry stakeholders who would like to be involved in the research to contact her at AHuffman@trucking.org

ATRI is the trucking industry’s 501c3 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.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

Original article published by ATRI

House hearing explores concerns related to driverless trucks

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
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Photo: House Highways and Transit Subcommittee

Washington — A centralized framework that emphasizes safety and lets innovation “thrive” is crucial for the federal regulation of autonomous trucks, American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear says.

Speaking during a Sept. 13 hearing before the House Highways and Transit Subcommittee, Spear called on Congress to establish firm federal oversight to avoid a “patchwork” of state and local regulations that could “stifle the innovation” of automation “before it even has a chance to prove its worth.”

In Spear’s view, that includes “knee-jerk reactions” such as A.B. 316 – a proposed AV law in California that would have prohibited autonomous trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds from operating on state roadways without a person on board. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) vetoed the bill on Sept. 22.

In his opening remarks, Rep. Rick Crawford (R-AR), who chairs the subcommittee, said a potential federal framework “should not be overly prescriptive, but instead create guardrails for the industry to grow with safety at the forefront.” He cited National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates showing that 94% of serious crashes can be attributed to driver-related factors such as speeding, fatigue, impairment and distraction.

Crawford said autonomous trucks can increase safety “by anticipating road dangers and mitigating or removing human error from the chain of events that lead to a crash.”

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), the subcommittee’s ranking member, cautioned that the technology’s potential benefits “must be carefully weighed against risks, especially when public roads are being used as testing grounds for new technologies.”

Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL), a former truck driver, said that although he isn’t opposed to autonomous trucking, he still has concerns related to its potential impact on issues such as cybersecurity and a perceived driver shortage.

“We can’t guarantee what hackers might be able to get into and put autonomous trucks at risk to our people,” Bost said. “I think we can put a lot of safety in there, but we’ve got to be very, very, very careful.”

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

Teamsters call for strong federal oversight of driverless trucks

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Washington — Federal regulation of autonomous trucks must “prioritize both workers and safety,” the International Brotherhood of Teamsters says.
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Photo: gorodenkoff/iStockphoto

In a recently released framework document, the Teamsters list suggestions Congress and federal regulators should consider when forming federal policy on autonomous trucks. Among them: Include a requirement for human operators and don’t issue rules that override any on the state level that have “greater protections.”

The labor union provides five principles to guide policy: regulating the vehicle, regulating the operator, regulating operations, interaction with other laws and workforce impacts.

Mandating that autonomous trucks be operated by humans subject to DOT requirements governing commercial driver’s licenses and hours-of-service regulations is among the Teamsters’ top objectives. The union also wants to uphold state regulations that might require more human operators and monitors or greater licensing standards and restrictions on autonomous vehicle use than a federal policy might stipulate.

Other proposed provisions:

  • Authorize the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to revoke operating authority for the use of AVs by any operator at its discretion because of safety issues.
  • Require motor carriers that want to deploy AVs to report the location and function of vehicles in use.
  • Ensure Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards – not a waiver – regulate the design, construction and performance of highly automated vehicles and automated driving systems.
  • Require any recipient of federal funding, federal transit funding or holder of FMCSA operating authority to publicly disclose planned AV use and its expected workforce impacts.

“Strong federal AV policies must prioritize both workers and safety,” Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said in a press release. “Any legislation that puts workers and the general public at risk will be met with aggressive opposition by the Teamsters and our allies.”

A developing AV law in California holds the Teamsters’ backing. On Sept. 11, the California Senate and Assembly passed A.B. 316, which would prohibit autonomous trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds from operating on state roadways without human drivers.

The legislation also would keep the California Highway Patrol and Department of Motor Vehicles from considering permits for AVs until 2029.

O’Brien, in a separate release, affirmed the Teamsters’ backing of the bill while calling on California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to sign it. Neglecting to do so would put “the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of truck drivers at risk, while jeopardizing public safety.”

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

New survey asks: What are the trucking industry’s top concerns?

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What are the trucking industry’s top concerns?

Photo: FMCSA

Arlington, VA — Wanted: input from trucking industry stakeholders on the most critical issues facing the industry.

An annual survey conducted by the American Transportation Research Institute – the research arm of the American Trucking Associations – asks respondents to rank their top three issues from a selection of 26. The list includes:

Respondents can also submit concerns not included on the list.

“The annual Top Industry Issue Survey has long been a crucial part of understanding the challenges facing our country’s supply chain,” ATA Chair Dan Van Alstine said in a press release. “ATRI’s research provides an opportunity for thousands of trucking industry professionals, from drivers to executives, to weigh in on the most important topics that affect trucking and collectively decide on the best strategies for addressing each.”

The deadline to complete the survey is Sept. 29. The results are set to be released Oct. 14 during the 2023 ATA Management Conference and Exhibition in Austin, TX.

Fuel prices and a shortage of drivers were the top two concerns on the 2022 list. Multiple safety-related issues followed, including a lack of safe places for truckers to park (third) and detention/delay at customer facilities (sixth).

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

Winners of ADOT’s Safety Message Contest revealed

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Traffic safety messages focus on buckling up, using turn signals

PHOENIX – The votes are in and the winners of the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Safety Message Contest have been selected!

Thousands of votes were cast by the public last month for 10 message finalists. The two winning traffic safety messages are:

SEATBELTS

ALWAYS PASS

THE VIBE CHECK

 

I’M JUST A SIGN

ASKING A DRIVER TO

USE TURN SIGNALS

“Seeing thousands of Arizonans participate in our Safety Message Contest, from creating their own messages to voting for other safety messages, is exciting and a positive for all of us,” ADOT Director Jennifer Toth said. “The purpose of the contest is to kick-start conversations about making better decisions behind the wheel, so everyone can reach their destination safely.”

Winners of ADOT’s Safety Message Contest revealedDuring the first phase of the contest, 3,700 entries were submitted. Those entries were whittled down to 10 finalists, and a public vote last month determined the winners. Today, authors of the two winning messages were invited to ADOT’s Traffic Operations Center in Phoenix to type their traffic safety message into the Dynamic Message Sign system and see them go live via highway cameras. Both winning messages will appear on overhead message boards statewide through the weekend.

Elise Riker, a Chandler resident, is a business professor at Arizona State University and submitted one of the winning traffic safety messages.

“I hope the message makes people chuckle and happy that they are wearing a seatbelt: you pass the vibe check!,” she said.

Gina Finkelstein, a software support engineer from Mesa, was inspired by the 1999 film, “Notting Hill” when she created her winning traffic safety message.

“Using turn signals before you turn makes you a total star,” she said, “just like Julia Roberts in ‘Notting Hill,’ only bigger and better!”

ADOT displays unconventional safety messages on overhead signs as part of an effort to change driver behavior and encourage motorists to make better decisions while driving. According to national statistics, driver behavior, like choosing to speed, driving distracted, impaired or reckless, plays a role in more than 90% of vehicle crashes.

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

Original article published by ADOT

Arizona to Standardize Truck-Restriction Highway Signs

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New Law Will Go Into Effect Jan. 1

Arizona has a new law mandating that vehicle weight-restriction signs can only be enforced on state highways if designed by the state transportation department.

The new truck route uniform signage law was enacted recently by Gov. Katie Hobbs when she signed Senate Bill 1098.

It was introduced Jan. 19 by state Sen. Frank Carroll, vice chair of the transportation and technology committee, during the 2023 regular session of the state Legislature.

The bill, cosponsored by Sens. David Cook, David Gowan, David Livingston, Janae Shamp and Justin Wilmeth, went through amendments in the State Senate and House before it landed on the governor’s desk June 14 and was signed six days later.

Tony Bradley
Bradley

Arizona Trucking Association President Tony Bradley testified in support of the bill. He told legislators in one hearing that ATA had identified truck route restriction signs as “woefully lacking” in Arizona for several years.

“Truck drivers don’t carry the municipal code around in their truck. They go where the GPS tells them to go. So this is simply a bill to say give us more signage, let us know where it’s restricted and how to get out so that we’re not on those roads,” he said.

One problem with truck signage was a lack of standardization on what the signs looked like and where they should be placed since some municipalities in the state can prohibit (by ordinance or resolution) truck traffic or restrict weight limits on highways under their jurisdiction. This led to truckers not knowing where they were prohibited from driving.

Starting Jan. 1, the law directs that for a highway-use restriction to be enforceable, a uniform sign informing the public about the restriction must be placed near every intersection or junction with a traffic control device along the designated highway.

In addition, truck signage restrictions must be uniform and designed by the Arizona Department of Transportation. The signs must either provide a direction to the fastest route to leave a restricted route or inform the public of the distance that the route is restricted for trucks.

Any state or local jurisdiction that fails to erect or maintain signage that meets the law’s requirements for trucking restrictions after the start of next year will be considered unenforceable.

This legislation was among several pro-trucking laws introduced in the state Legislature and enacted this year. ATA commended the passage and enactment of SB 1340 that outlaws converting taxpayer-funded roads into toll roads.

In May, Bradley thanked state lawmakers and extended “our deepest appreciation to the Arizona Legislature and Gov. Hobbs for their unwavering commitment to protecting the interests of Arizona’s taxpayers and the trucking industry.”

That month he also applauded the enactment of House Bill 2288 on roundabout safety “by establishing clear rules of the road and giving large trucks more room to navigate in a roundabout.” The law enables drivers of a vehicle or combination at least 40 feet long or 10 wide to use more than one lane if needed to drive through a roundabout.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs
Hobbs

Drivers also must give right of way to a large truck passing through a roundabout. If two large trucks are approaching/driving through a roundabout at about the same time in a situation that could lead to an immediate hazard, the truck driver on the right must yield to the truck driver on the left. The law also mandates that signs be placed at a roundabout saying large trucks have the right of way in the roundabout.

ATA noted that in Arizona, roundabouts are growing in popularity for improving traffic flows and lowering severe crashes at intersections.

In April, Hobbs enacted another law (SB 1097) favorable to the trucking industry that ATA described as ensuring trucks can operate on major arterial roads throughout Arizona without being burdened by a patchwork of restricted truck routes.

“The ability to travel from one city to the next on major arterial roads is vital to the safe and efficient movement of goods and services,” the association stated. “If a truck of legal size can safely operate on a road, it should not be unreasonably restricted to through traffic.”

McCraren Compliance can help you understand and comply with FMCSA, USDOT and ADOT and ensure your drivers and your vehicles operate safely and efficiently.

Call us Today at 888-758-4757 or email us at info@mccrarencompliance.com to schedule your free FMCSA Compliance Assessment.

Original article published by Transport Topics