Supporters say the Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety Enhancement Act takes steps to ensure only the safest motor carriers and drivers are able to enter the industry, improve the safety laws governing current carriers and drivers, and increase FMCSA's enforcement tools to remove unsafe and unfit drivers and carriers from the industry. ... Read More

Recently the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) made a recommendation to ban all cell phones from commercial trucks. This includes both hand held phones and those connected to a blue tooth or hands free device. They want all cell phones turned off in all commercial vehicles. Period. ... Read More

In 2009 there were 285,987 DOT reportable accidents of which there were:

1. 2,987 Fatal accidents
2. 51,000 Injury accidents
3. 232,000 Property damage collisions

The dollar amounts associated with these accidents equals $36,788,159,418.00 (using costs from 2005) and if the inflation rate from 2005 – 2009 is added in that represents $37,387,806,416.00. That’s right, 37 billion dollars. Based on the 2005 numbers the per/accident cost are as follows ... Read More

When you enter any industry you will be overwhelmed by numerous acronyms; and the trucking industry is no different.  In addition to MPG, EOBR, GOAL and others, your carrier will add to the list of letters that will become significant to your job.

Add to these alphabet mixtures a list of governing bodies that have even more influence over your job, DOT, FMCSA, NHTSA, NTSB and your head will start to hurt trying to remember which group has authority over what parts of your daily duties.... Read More

Safety, Comfort and Convenience: The Future of Interstate Rest Areas

by Andy Warcaba

There is a national funding crisis in our Nation that is making it extremely difficult for state transportation professionals to meet the maintenance and safety needs of Rest Area Users traveling on the Federal Interstate System. Many Department's of Transportation have already responded by closing several rest areas and more are in the process of planning to make additional service cuts in the near future. These actions will impact motorist safety and will further exacerbate the ever-increasing problem of inadequate truck parking.... Read More

During a recent conversation with a long standing trucking client I learned of a recent audit he had gone through with the federal DOT in regards to CSA. This particular client was not in an "Alert" status concerning any of the BASICS; however he had been close in the past and the DOT just wanted to make sure he was in compliance. "Just a friendly visit", they assured him.... Read More

"So, round and around and around we go,
Where the world's headed, nobody knows
Oh, Great Googamooga,
Can't you hear me talking to you,
Just a ball of confusion,
That's what the world is today, hey."
-The Temptations

Background

In 1995, Congress directed the Department of Transportation to establish new Hours of Service rules which had been in place unchanged since 1939. Since that time, confusion and uncertainty has been the status quo. In 2004, the DOT published new rules which were promptly subject to a legal challenge. After a reversal by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, in August 2005, the DOT issued new rules limiting a driver's flexibility in use for the sleeper berth. Again in 2007, the rule was reversed by the courts on procedural grounds. In December, 2007 the DOT issued the rule addressing the procedural issues, which became final in November 2008. In March 2009, litigation again ensued and in October 2009, officials newly appointed by the Obama administration entered into a settlement agreement wherein the DOT agreed to reconsider and reissue the rules. As a result, in late 2010 the DOT issued a new proposed rule to be adopted, and no doubt followed by more litigation, in 2011.... Read More

About a month ago I attended a safety conference for the NPTC. It was a great conference, great speakers, and a great opportunity to see a lot of familiar faces. While attending, I had the opportunity to listen to a DOT representative state categorically that CSA 2010 will not, nor was it ever designed to, put drivers out of a job. WHEW!!! Everybody in the room was visibly relieved that all the scary stuff they'd been hearing was false and that the scoring and violations would NOT create the next big driver shortage.... Read More

For my first blog entry I'd like to share with you a recent article I wrote on how using behavioral assessments can assist carriers in preparing for CSA 2010 by helping them select drivers who are statistically less likely engage in unsafe behavior.

Take a good look... this graph can prepare you for
Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010
CSA 2010... Read More

Posted by Robert Poole originally on Reason Foundation.

At a time when it is increasingly acknowledged that the federal government is on an unsustainable fiscal course, you would think the first thing a cabinet agency's new strategic plan would do is attempt to figure out which of its historical functions are truly federal and should be continued. But that sort of prioritization is entirely absent from the U.S. DOT's draft Strategic Plan, posted online for comment at dotstrategicplan.ideascale.com.... Read More