Tag: #commercialdrivers

Login changes coming for users of DOT’s drug-testing database

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
truck-driver-with-laptop.jpg
Photo: shotbydave/iStockphoto

Washington — The Department of Transportation is changing how users access the Drug and Alcohol Testing Management Information System.

Starting Jan. 1, employers required to submit annual drug/alcohol testing information will need to set up a free Login.gov account. Login.gov uses authentication methods, such as text or voice messages, to safeguard account access.

If an employer already has an account, they can simply sign into the MIS website. Employers who don’t have an account will receive an email or letter from DOT with a 32-digit code to enter on the MIS website.

“Then employers will be directed to the Login.gov webpage to create an account and verify their email address.” DOT says. “After Login.gov has verified your email address, employers will be asked to create a Login.gov password and to choose at least one authentication method (such as a one-time code that is sent to your phone).”

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 driver resource on the return-to-duty process

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

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.

Operation Safe Driver Week Is July 9-15

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The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has announced July 9-15 as this year’s Operation Safe Driver Week. Throughout that week, law enforcement officers in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. will be on the lookout for commercial motor vehicle drivers and passenger vehicle drivers engaging in unsafe driving behaviors. Those exhibiting unsafe driving behaviors will be pulled over and given a warning and/or issued a ticket/citation by law enforcement.

Safe Driver Week

Photo: CVSA

This weeklong driver safety traffic enforcement and awareness campaign aims to identify unsafe drivers, deter dangerous driving behaviors and prompt positive driving habits through officer interactions with drivers.  shows that traffic stops and interactions with law enforcement help reduce problematic driving behaviors.

Examples of unsafe driver behaviors are speeding; improper lane changes, passing or turns; driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol; using a handheld device; failure to wear a seat belt, etc.

Each year, Operation Safe Driver Week focuses on a specific unsafe driving behavior to call attention to the dangers of that behavior. This year, the focus will be on . CVSA has continued to focus on speeding because it remains a persistent problem on our roadways. Speeding increases the frequency and severity of crashes, and unsafe speeds are a well-documented factor in fatalities and injuries.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Transportation launched its , a comprehensive approach to significantly reducing serious injuries and deaths on highways, roads and streets. Part of the department’s Safe System Approach is to promote  in all roadway environments through targeted education, outreach campaigns and enforcement. CVSA’s  supports this strategy through its focus on speeding, and other unsafe driving behaviors, during the weeklong traffic enforcement initiative and its continued commitment to improving roadway safety through driver safety education and interactions with law enforcement. Operation Safe Driver Week aims to improve roadway safety by reminding drivers via driver safety communication and education to manage their speeds, and by addressing speeding via responsive traffic enforcement.

In addition to traffic enforcement, driver safety education and awareness is a key component of the Operation Safe Driver Program. CVSA is offering Operation Safe Driver Week postcards at no cost to its industry and enforcement members. The postcards are available in English, French and Spanish. 

Operation Safe Driver is a CVSA program aimed at reducing unsafe driver behaviors through traffic enforcement and by educating all drivers about ways to safely share the roads.

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 CVSA

FMCSA may soon remove certified medical examiners (CME) from the National Registry

Posted on by McCraren Compliance
Original article published by J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.
Drivers must take action to avoid disqualification

In July 2022, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced that five-year refresher training was available. CMEs who were due or overdue for the five-year refresher had until December 31, 2022, to complete the training. Although FMCSA has not yet removed any CMEs from the National Registry for Certified Medical Examiners (NRCME) for failure to meet the extended five-year periodic training deadline, removals will start on June 9, 2023.

Interstate commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers must be medically certified by a CME active on the NRCME on the exam date.

How does this affect drivers and carriers?

To avoid drivers being medically disqualified due to the CME not being on the NRCME on the exam date, drivers, or their carriers, must check the Registry site (FMCSA National Registry (dot.gov)) before booking an appointment. If a particular CME is inactive on the NRCME, they must choose another active CME for the exam.

There have been issues with CMEs incorrectly not showing up in the NRCME. The following email and phone number are available to confirm a CMEs status if there are any concerns:

  • National Registry Technical Support Help Desk at fmctechsup@dot.gov, or
  • Call (617) 494-3003.

Removal warnings

FMCSA will issue warnings to CMEs via the email noted in the CME’s Registry account. The notice will state that the CME:

  • Is overdue for five-year refresher training, and
  • Must complete training by June 9, 2023, or FMCSA will initiate removal action.

If removal action is taken, FMCSA will send another notice. Medical examiners subject to a removal action cannot request reinstatement for 30 days and must correct the issue for FMCSA to consider reinstatement.

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.

CVSA’s 2023 Out-of-Service Criteria Now in Effect

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Original article published by CVSA

Starting today, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) 2023 North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria are now in effect. The 2023 out-of-service criteria replace and supersede all previous versions.

CVSA’s North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria ensure uniformity, consistency and reciprocity among the states, provinces, territories and countries and determine whether or not drivers or vehicles present an imminent hazard and should be placed out of service. The federal regulations, together with CVSA’s out-of-service criteria, provide the standards that drivers, motor carriers and law enforcement personnel use to ensure the commercial motor vehicles and drivers operating on North America’s roadways are safe and compliant.

The voting members of the Alliance approved nine changes to the out-of-service criteria, which are now in effect. In accordance with the CVSA Bylaws, the proposed changes were communicated to the voting members of the Alliance on Oct. 10, 2022, and ratified on Oct. 21, 2022. The out-of-service criteria are updated annually, effective April 1 of each year.

The following changes were made to the out-of-service criteria:

  1. A section of the paragraph in Part I, Item 4. DRIVER MEDICAL/PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS – b. Medical Certificate (4) was removed to provide more clarity.
  2. Part I, Item 7. DRUGS AND OTHER SUBSTANCES – b. Shall Not be Under the Influence was amended to add language for use within the previous 24 hours.
  3. Part I, Item 9. U.S./Item 10. CANADA/Item 11. MEXICO – DRIVER’S RECORD OF DUTY STATUS was amended to clarify the out-of-service condition for a false record of duty status.
  4. Part I, Item 9. DRIVER’S RECORD OF DUTY STATUS – U.S. – Footnote 10 was amended to clarify that a driver is not out of service for not being able to print or sign their record of duty status.
  5. The severity of rust required on a rotor to be included in the 20% brake criterion was clarified in Part II, Item 1. BRAKE SYSTEMS – a. Defective Brakes, (6) Air Disc Brakes (d), (7) Hydraulic and Electric Brakes (e) and b. Front Steering Axle(s) Brakes, (3) Air Disc Brakes (e), (4) Hydraulic Brakes (e).
  6. Part II, Item 2. CARGO SECUREMENT – e. (3) and f. NOTE was amended to clarify that there is nothing in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations or National Safety Code Standard 10 dictating the placement of tiedowns on cargo.
  7. “To Be On” was added to the title of Part II, Item 9. LIGHTING DEVICES (Headlamps, Tail Lamps, Stop Lamps, Turn Signals and Lamp/Flags on Projecting Loads), a. When Lights are Required.
  8. Clarifying language for spring hangers and equalizers was added to Part II, Item 11. SUSPENSION – d. Suspension Connecting Rod and Tracking Component Assembly.
  9. A diagram was added to Part II, Item 11. SUSPENSION – d. Suspension Connecting Rod and Tracking Component Assembly for further clarification of parts and how they apply to the out-of-service criteria.

These changes have been incorporated into North American Standard Inspection Program training materials, along with updated inspection bulletins, inspection procedures, operational policies and training videos.

There are several versions (e.g., print, electronic, other languages, etc.) of the 2023 out-of-service criteria available for purchase through the . The 2023 out-of-service criteria are also available for purchase in CVSA’s app by searching “CVSA Out-of-Service Criteria” in the  or .

Important Note: There is an error on page 8 of the spiral-bound “North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria Handbook and Pictorial.” The affected section is Part I, Section 9. DRIVER’S RECORD OF DUTY STATUS – U.S., a. PROPERTY-CARRYING VEHICLES, (6) False Record of Duty Status – Qualifying Rest Break. To correct this misprint, all copies of the handbook will be shipped with a letter outlining the error along with a sticker with corrected language that may be placed over the error. The handbook is the only version affected; all other versions of the out-of-service criteria, including the app, are correct. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

CVSA hosted a webinar in January outlining the changes to the out-of-service criteria. The webinar is available to CVSA members through their . Once logged in, click on the CVSA Learning tab, then click on “Roadside” to view the webinar.

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.

CVSA Opens Nominations for 2023 International Driver Excellence Award

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by CVSA

Photo: IDEA

Washington, D.C. (March 8, 2023) – The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is now accepting nominations for its International Driver Excellence Award (IDEA), an annual award that recognizes an extraordinary professional commercial motor vehicle driver and their commitment to public safety.

In addition, the Alliance is pleased to announce that it has increased the monetary award amount for the IDEA winner, doubling it from the previous amount of $2,500, to $5,000 this year.

The 2023 IDEA recipient (and a guest) will also receive complimentary airfare to Grapevine, Texas, along with a two-night, one-room hotel stay at the Gaylord Texan, to attend the CVSA Annual Conference and Exhibition awards luncheon where they will receive their check and crystal trophy.

Nominees must have:

  • At least 25 cumulative years of crash-free driving in a commercial motor vehicle with a clean driving record for the past three years
  • No felony convictions
  • No safety-related driving suspensions in the past three years
  • No driver violations in the past three years, excluding form and manner violations

CVSA’s simplified application enables individuals to easily fill out the nomination form and submit the required supporting documentation, all online. Access the 2023 IDEA online nomination submission form.

As the leading organization working to improve commercial motor vehicle safety and enforcement by providing guidance, education and advocacy for enforcement and industry across North America, CVSA recognizes the exceptional careers of professional commercial motor vehicle drivers and their commitment to public safety through this award program. Therefore, IDEA is open to the entire commercial motor vehicle industry. There are no stipulations that nominees must be a member of or affiliated with CVSA to apply.

“Commercial drivers are the backbone of North America’s supply chain, ensuring people and goods reach their destinations safely,” said CVSA President Maj. Chris Nordloh with the Texas Department of Public Safety. “IDEA is the perfect way for a motor carrier to honor and recognize drivers for their vital work.”

Check out previous IDEA winners.

This year’s International Driver Excellence Award is sponsored by PrePass Safety Alliance. PrePass Safety Alliance is a non-profit, public-private partnership of state agencies and trucking industry leaders devoted to safe, secure and efficient use of North America’s highway system.

If you have any questions about IDEA, contact CVSA Fatigue Management Specialist Rodolfo Giacoman via email or at 202-998-1830.

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.

Pre-employment Investigations for Drug and Alcohol Program Violations

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FMCSA Announces High Priority Grants to Increase Safety for Commercial Drivers

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

First published by FMCSA

Photo property of FMCSA

WASHINGTON – The Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today announced $80,714,223 in grant awards under the High Priority (HP) Grant Program. The HP Grants provide funding to strengthen commercial motor vehicle safety initiatives under the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP). Furthermore, the grant program invests in innovative technology, supports research, and funds other projects that positively impact Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) safety.

The HP Grant Program provides financial assistance to supplement motor carrier safety activities and projects, including those that:

  • improve the safe and secure movement of hazardous materials;
  • improve safe transportation of goods and persons in foreign commerce;
  • demonstrate new technologies to improve CMV safety;
  • technology advancements to enhance CMV operator awareness of roadway hazards and truck parking availability;
  • support participation in performance and registration information systems management;
  • conduct safety data improvement projects;
  • increase public awareness and education on CMV safety;
  • target unsafe driving of CMVs in areas identified as high-risk crash corridors, including roadway work zones;
  • otherwise improve CMV safety and compliance with CMV safety regulations.

HP grant funds are awarded to States, local governments, Federally recognized Native American tribes, political jurisdictions, non-profit organizations, institutions of higher education, and other eligible groups to carry out high priority activities and projects that strengthen commercial motor vehicle safety. Individuals and for-profit organizations are not eligible to apply.

High Priority activities also support the efforts outlined in the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) that makes historic investments in our nation’s infrastructure and competitiveness. In addition, the CMV safety and research investments conducted under the HP program and funded through BIL advance the Department’s National Roadway Safety Strategy (NRSS), a comprehensive approach to improve safety on our nation’s roadways.

This is one of many actions that the Administration and DOT are taking to support truck drivers – including investing in community colleges to train veterans to get CDLs, investing in improvements to CDL processing, standing up the Women of Trucking Advisory Board, studying the impacts of driver detention time, and starting the truck predatory leasing task force.

All HP applications undergo a series of reviews before award selection. See the FMCSA’s grant program page for additional information on the discretionary application announcement, review and approval process. For a full list of FY 2022 HP grant awards, click here.

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.

Truckers under 21: Registration opens for FMCSA pilot program on interstate driving

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

Photo property of FMCSA

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is accepting applications for an apprenticeship pilot program that allows commercial truck drivers younger than 21 to operate interstate.

Forty-nine states (Hawaii is the exception) and the District of Columbia allow 18- to 20-year-olds to obtain commercial driver’s licenses, but those drivers can operate only within state lines.

Established in November when President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law and announced in a notice published in the Jan. 14 Federal Register, the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program will accommodate up to 3,000 apprentices and operate for a maximum of three years. Qualified motor carriers interested in participating can apply online.

Participants in the apprenticeship program are required to complete at least 400 hours of on-duty time and 240 hours of driving time accompanied by an experienced driver. That driver may not be younger than 26, must have held a CDL for at least two years, must have driven a CMV for at least five years in interstate commerce, and must not have had any “preventable accidents” or pointed moving violations.

Additionally, an apprentice can drive only commercial motor vehicles that have an automatic or automatic manual transmission, an active braking collision mitigation system, a forward-facing video event capture system, and a governed speed of 65 mph – either at the pedal or via adaptive cruise control.

During a July 19 hearing of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said: “The question that this pilot program speaks to, of course, is: Is there a way to engage younger drivers without any kind of detriment to safety? And I think that a pilot program has provided us with a responsible way to determine that.”

Buttigieg added that the Department of Transportation will monitor the program, “watching closely, of course, to see how it unfolds and then ultimately gather the data that’ll tell us what, if any, safety impact there is.”

In July, FMCSA hosted a webinar on the pilot program.

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.

International Roadcheck

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First published by CVSA

Today is the first day of International Roadcheck, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) three-day commercial motor vehicle and driver inspection and compliance enforcement initiative. Certified inspectors in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. will conduct inspections of commercial motor vehicles and drivers over a 72-hour period. Drivers or vehicles with out-of-service violations will be prohibited from continuing their trip until the violations are resolved.

International Roadcheck started in 1988 and is a high-volume, high-visibility commercial motor vehicle inspection and enforcement initiative spotlighting the hard work and commitment to safety of certified inspectors, commercial motor vehicle drivers and motor carriers. Since International Roadcheck’s start, more than 1.8 million commercial motor vehicles have been inspected.

Each year, CVSA highlights a certain aspect of the roadside inspection. This year, the  will be on wheel ends. Violations involving wheel end components historically account for about one quarter of the vehicle out-of-service violations discovered during International Roadcheck, and past International Roadcheck data routinely found wheel end components in the top 10 of vehicle violations.

“Inspectors throughout North America will be at inspection and weigh stations, at temporary pop-up inspection sites, and patrolling our roadways during the three days of International Roadcheck as well as every other day of the year,” said CVSA President Capt. John Broers with the South Dakota Highway Patrol. “CVSA-certified inspectors will inspect commercial motor vehicles and their drivers to ensure large trucks and motorcoaches and the trained professionals who drive them are operating safely and are in full compliance with federal regulations.”

During International Roadcheck, inspectors will primarily conduct a , which is a thorough 37-step procedure to check the driver’s operating credentials and requirements and the vehicle’s mechanical fitness and regulatory compliance.

For the driver portion of an inspection, inspectors check the driver’s operating credentials, hours-of-service recording device/documentation and seat belt usage. Inspectors will also be on the lookout for alcohol and/or drug impairment. A driver will be placed out of service if an inspector discovers driver-related out-of-service conditions.

For the  of a Level I Inspection, inspectors will check the vehicle’s brake systems, cargo securement, coupling devices, driveline/driveshaft components, driver’s seat, exhaust systems, frames, fuel systems, lighting devices, steering mechanisms, suspensions, tires, van and open-top trailer bodies, wheels, rims, hubs and windshield wipers. Inspections of motorcoaches, passenger vans and other passenger-carrying vehicles also include emergency exits, electrical cables and systems in the engine and battery compartments, and seating. Vehicles with violations that meet the out-of-service criteria will be placed out of service until the violations are corrected.

Vehicles that successfully pass a Level I or Level V Inspection without any critical vehicle inspection item violations may receive a . In general, vehicles with a CVSA decal are not  during the three-month period during which the decal is valid. Instead, inspectors will focus their efforts on vehicles without a valid CVSA decal.

Instead of a Level I Inspection, inspectors may conduct a Level II Walk-Around Driver/Vehicle Inspection, Level III Driver/Credential/Administrative Inspection or Level V Vehicle-Only Inspection. Level I and V Inspections are the only inspections that may result in a CVSA decal.

 is a CVSA program with participation by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Transport Canada, and Mexico’s Ministry of Infrastructure, Communications and Transportation and the National Guard.

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.