Hours of service under fire
The American Trucking Assocations have filed a petition with the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia asking the court to review the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s latest final rule for hours of service for commercial motor vehicle drivers. Read the complete press release here.
Driving jobs in the oilfield
We’re now official guest contributors to the blog at EagleFordShale.com. Check out our first post http://www.eaglefordshale.com/blog/get-a-cdl-in-10-easy-steps-start-a-career-in-the-eagle-ford-oilfield/ and all the resources at this site.
New HOS
Looks like the latest final rule for new Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations on hours of service may stick. Landline Magazine reports that parties in the most recent lawsuit challenging the regulation have agreed to dismiss the lawsuit. However, that doesn’t mean that a new lawsuit won’t be filed, and it might. Numerous parties are still not happy with the 11th hour of driving.
Hours of service
The anticipated final rule on the hours of service has been published in the Federal Register. Read all about it here.
Cell phone ban update
The Federal Motor Ccarrier Safety Administration and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration are amending the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) and the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) to restrict the use of hand-held mobile telephones by drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs). This rulemaking will improve safety on the Nation’s highways by reducing the prevalence of distracted driving-related crashes, fatalities, and injuries involving drivers of CMVs. The Agencies also amend their regulations to implement new driver disqualification sanctions for drivers of CMVs who fail to comply with this Federal restriction and new driver disqualification sanctions for commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders who have multiple convictions for violating a State or local law or ordinance on motor vehicle traffic control that restricts the use of hand-held mobile telephones. Additionally, motor carriers are prohibited from requiring or allowing drivers of CMVs to use hand-held mobile telephones. This rule is effective Jan. 3, 2012. For details, go to http://www.regulations.gov and search for the terms “FMCSA-2010-0096” or “PHMSA-2010-0227.”
HOS news
The final hours-of-service regulation is currently under review at the Office of Management and Budget. Landlinemag.com reports that in a Nov. 28 court filing, the agency states that it expects to issue the final rule within the next 30 days. The proposed HOS regs were released on Dec. 23, 2010.
Put down that phone!
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has announced a final rule specifically prohibiting interstate truck and bus drivers from using hand-held cell phones while operating their vehicles. The joint rule from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) is the latest action by the U.S. Department of Transportation to end distracted driving…click here for details.
CSA
The American Transportation Research Institute has released a report on the impacts of CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability) on the daily operations of motor carriers. Download it here. And be sure to view the presentation on CSA offered by David Saunders of Compliance Safety Systems. Find the link in our Nov. 16 post about the recent NAPFTDS regional conference.
Lots learned at NAPFTDS Regional conference
The National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools Regional Conference, held Nov. 10th and 11th at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas, was well worth attending. All the presenters brought valuable information to share, from advice on contract training and industry partnerships to regulatory and funding issues for truck driver training, to commercial vehicle crime prevention. For example, check out American Association of Motor Vehicles’ Kevin Lewis’s presentation on DOT testing regulations DOT Testing Regulations and Compliance Safety Systems’ David Saunders’s presentation on CSA. For more information about NAPFTDS, visit the Web site at www.napftds.org.
Hours of service proposed rule moves forward
Landlinemag.com reported yesterday that the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has submitted the proposed new hours of service rule to the Office of Management and Budget.
