Tag: #driver

AutoZone Driver Wayne Hayes Is CVSA’s 2023 International Driver Excellence Award Winner

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) is pleased to announce that professional driver Henry “Wayne” Hayes, with AutoZone, has been named this year’s International Driver Excellence Award (IDEA) winner. Hayes has driven 4.1 million safe miles during his 38-year professional driving career.

Hayes is an AutoZone regional driver who carefully navigates tight loading docks and parking lots in business districts to safely deliver auto parts to company stores. He drives, on average, hundreds of miles per day, thousands of miles a week, making deliveries in the southeast region. Hayes has made thousands of store deliveries without ever having a preventable collision, safety violation or even a speeding ticket.

“It is such an honor to receive CVSA’s International Driver Excellence Award,” said Hayes. “I realize there are many deserving drivers out there with great career records – drivers who prove their excellence in safety each and every day out on the road. I was honored to be a nominee and truly overwhelmed to be the recipient of this year’s award.”

Hayes added, “This means so much to me and my family. What an honor it is, and I am truly grateful and humbled for this opportunity.”

Hayes began his career 38 years ago when he went to work for Turner Dairy Company hauling milk and ice cream. This is where he received the driving handle, “Milkman.” Ten years later, in 1994, Hayes joined AutoZone, where he has been ever since, achieving more than 3 million safe-driving miles hauling auto parts to stores.

Continue reading “AutoZone Driver Wayne Hayes Is CVSA’s 2023 International Driver Excellence Award Winner”

Driver Fatigue on the Job

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by NIOSH

No amount of desire to drive or stay awake/alert or experience can help workers to escape the effects of fatigue on their driving performance.

Fatigue is broadly described as “a feeling of weariness, tiredness or lack of energy.” Whatever the source – inadequate or poor-quality sleep, long hours of work or driving, physical exertion, shift work, stress, or sleep disorders such as sleep apnea – fatigue affects the ability to drive safely. Employers and workers share the responsibility for managing fatigue and preventing fatigue-related motor vehicle crashes.

NIOSH conducts research and makes recommendations to help employers and workers prevent motor vehicle crashes caused by fatigued driving. Longer daily commutes, nonstandard shift work, less sleep, and lack of employer driving safety policies were associated with one or more risky driving-related outcomes such as drowsy driving, falling asleep, or experience a near miss crash event while driving. Maintaining good sleep habits is important to your health and safety, on and off the job.

Causes

  • Being awake for many consecutive hours
  • Not getting enough sleep over multiple days
  • Time of day: Your body has a sleep/wake cycle that tells you when to be alert and when it’s time to sleep. The urge to sleep is the most intense in the early morning hours.
  • Monotonous tasks or long periods of inactivity
  • Health factors such as sleep disorders or medications that cause drowsiness

Effects

  • Nodding off
  • Reacting more slowly to changing road conditions, other drivers, or pedestrians
  • Making poor decisions
  • Drifting from your lane
  • Experiencing “tunnel vision” (when you lose sense of what’s going on in the periphery)
  • Experiencing “microsleeps” (brief sleep episodes lasting from a fraction of a second up to 30 seconds)
  • Forgetting the last few miles you drove

What Employers Can Do

  • Set policies for maximum numbers of overtime hours and consecutive shifts.
  • Monitor compliance with federal hours-of-service regulations for drivers covered by them.
  • Ensure sufficient staffing levels across operations, factoring in the inevitable absences that occur due to vacation days, sickness, turnover, etc.
  • Provide worker training on sleep health and fatigue management.
  • Where staffing and work tasks allow it, allow for rest breaks and napping during extended work shifts.
  • Give supervisors and workers fatigue-symptom checklists and encourage self-reporting.
  • Encourage workers to monitor fatigue symptoms among co-workers.
  • Consider choosing the “right” fatigue monitoring and detection technology to identify potential sources of fatigue that might help in mitigating fatigue risk while driving.
  • During incident investigations, collect data on sleep history of workers involved, hours worked leading up to the incident, time of day, hours of driving, etc.

What Workers Can Do:

  • Get enough sleep (7-9 hours each day). If fatigue continue to persist after adequate sleep, speak to a healthcare professional to get help identifying the cause of fatigue.
  • Follow company policies and any applicable regulations that set maximum work hours or driving hours.
  • Plan your off-duty activities to allow enough time for rest and recovery.
  • Create a sleeping environment that helps you sleep well (a dark, quiet, cool room with no electronics).
  • If you feel fatigued while driving: pull over where safe, drink a cup of coffee, and take a 15-30 minute nap before continuing.
  • Watch yourself and your peers for fatigue-related symptoms. If possible, postpone travel until you are well-rested and recovered. If you are driving with co-workers, take turns driving.
  • Tell your supervisor if you are too tired to drive. If a co-worker appears too tired to drive, take your concerns to a supervisor.

The bottom line:

No amount of experience, motivation, or professionalism can overcome your body’s biological need to sleep. Employers and workers can take steps to prevent the chain of events that could lead to a fatigue-related crash. Employers, learn more about starting a fatigue risk management 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.

FMCSA Pre-employment Requirement Will Go Into Effect January 6, 2023

Posted on by McCraren Compliance

Original article published FMCSA

Photo: FMCSA

On November 4, 2022, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse published information titled “Pre-employment Investigations for Drug and Alcohol Program Violations.”  The Clearinghouse notice (re-posted below) is a reminder to certain employers regarding a change requirement that will go into effect January 6, 2023.  On that date, three years of violation data will become available in the Clearinghouse and a pre-employment Clearinghouse query will satisfy the requirement to investigate whether a prospective driver had previous drug and alcohol program violations, as required by 49 CFR 391.23(e).  This query will also satisfy the requirements of 49 CFR 40.25.

Please be aware the Clearinghouse contains only information about a driver’s drug/alcohol testing history when employed by FMCSA-regulated employers.  If an employer is considering an applicant who was employed by an employer regulated by a DOT agency other than FMCSA (such as the Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Transit Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, etc.), that applicant’s information would not be reported to the Clearinghouse.  In these situations, the employer still is required to directly request drug and alcohol violation information from those DOT-regulated employers in accordance with 391.23(e)(4)(ii) and 40.25. Read More»

For any questions, please contact FMCSA’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse at clearinghouse@dot.gov

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.

Passenger drivers believe CMV operators are more risky, survey finds

Posted on by Sarah

Overhead view highway

Atlanta — Drivers of passenger vehicles have a considerable misunderstanding of the safety performance of commercial motor vehicle operators, results of a recent survey show.

An online survey commissioned by Verizon Connect and Wakefield Research asked 1,000 U.S. adults about CMV road safety. In addition, researchers analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Survey results show that 83% of the respondents believe they are safer behind the wheel than commercial drivers. That contrasts with the data, which, according to a press release from Verizon Connect, shows that only 3% of severe crashes nationwide involve commercial drivers.

Other findings:

  • 81% of the respondents said they have witnessed a commercial vehicle operator driving dangerously. Of them, 54% reported witnessing a traffic incident involving a CMV.
  • 69% of the respondents said they’ve seen commercial drivers speeding. The next most common unsafe driving behaviors observed were abrupt lane changes (55%), erratic driving (46%) and turning too quickly (37%).

FMCSA reminds passenger vehicle drivers that CMVs “have large blind spots, long stopping distances and limited maneuverability that make it vital for other drivers to focus on safety.” The agency offers a number of tips, including:

  • Don’t drive in a CMV’s blind spot.
  • Pass safely.
  • Anticipate wide turns.
  • Remain focused and be patient.