Thursday, February 25, 2010
LoadTrek releases GPS White Paper
Ever wonder how GPS really works, what it will and will not do? This white paper describes GPS in an understandable way, without all the sales hype.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Canada looks to build EOBR rule with trucker comments
OTTAWA -- Hoping to solicit feedback from the trucking industry, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators has authored a discussion paper on electronic on-board recorders (EOBRs).
In preparation for a possible Canadian rule on EOBR usage, the paper highlights issues of compliance, data requirements and implementation, and how they apply to carriers' business.
Following a "project charter" drafted last fall, this paper includes a brief discussion on each issue associated with EOBR compliance and concludes with questions to guide carriers' input.
Harmonization with the U.S., is perhaps the most critical point for discussion. Arguably, impending EOBR legislation is driving a Canadian mandate and with close to ten million truck trips a year across the border, Canadian authorities want to be careful of not drafting a rule in isolation of how U.S. authorities approach the issue.
CCMTA acknowledges that the U.S.'s final is expected to be broader in scope than originally proposed, and a subsequent rule is expected later in 2010 that would capture a wider population of carriers.
In preparation for a possible Canadian rule on EOBR usage, the paper highlights issues of compliance, data requirements and implementation, and how they apply to carriers' business.
Following a "project charter" drafted last fall, this paper includes a brief discussion on each issue associated with EOBR compliance and concludes with questions to guide carriers' input.
Harmonization with the U.S., is perhaps the most critical point for discussion. Arguably, impending EOBR legislation is driving a Canadian mandate and with close to ten million truck trips a year across the border, Canadian authorities want to be careful of not drafting a rule in isolation of how U.S. authorities approach the issue.
CCMTA acknowledges that the U.S.'s final is expected to be broader in scope than originally proposed, and a subsequent rule is expected later in 2010 that would capture a wider population of carriers.
Monday, February 22, 2010
EOBR's Make the NTSB's "Most Wanted List"
The National Transportation Safety Board released their "Most Wanted" list for 2010. On the list of recommendations for highway safety, they advise the FMCSA should "require electronic onboard data recorders to maintain accurate carrier records on driver hours of service."
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Paperless Logs Webinar February 18 at 1 PM
LoadTrek will be presenting a short webinar on paperless D.O.T. paperless logging for commercial drivers. The webinar will begin promptly at 1:00 PM CST, and will last 30 minutes.
Topics covered include the regulatory overview, what changes for drivers, what changes for managers/supervisors, auditing and compliance, and an open question and answer period.
To participate, go to https://www1.gotomeeting.com/pjoin/503890401/105012293.
You can either listen using your computer, or you may use your telephone to call 916-233-3088, Access Code: 503-890-401.
Joel Beal will be the presenter. He has been involved with paperless logs since 1990, and has served on numerous committees, conferences, and panels concerning this subject. He has designed systems, and has implemented and trained hundreds of fleets for 20 years - as a fleet manager and as a technology supplier.
Topics covered include the regulatory overview, what changes for drivers, what changes for managers/supervisors, auditing and compliance, and an open question and answer period.
To participate, go to https://www1.gotomeeting.com/pjoin/503890401/105012293.
You can either listen using your computer, or you may use your telephone to call 916-233-3088, Access Code: 503-890-401.
Joel Beal will be the presenter. He has been involved with paperless logs since 1990, and has served on numerous committees, conferences, and panels concerning this subject. He has designed systems, and has implemented and trained hundreds of fleets for 20 years - as a fleet manager and as a technology supplier.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Paperless Logs White Paper
Free white paper explaining what paperless logs are, how they work, and applicable regulations.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Former FMCSA Administrator Gives Inside Look Into Trucking Regs
TruckingInfo.com; Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Byline: Diana Britton, Managing Editor
During a conference call hosted by Stifel Nicolaus Friday morning, Annette Sandberg, Esq., the former administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, provided an insider's thoughts on some of the most influential and pressing regulatory issues facing the trucking industry.
During the discussion, Sandberg, a principal at TransSafe Consulting, told listeners she would encourage officials at the FMCSA to provide carriers with a mechanism for seeing what their safety scores would look like under the Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010. Sandberg said fleets need at least three to four months before CSA 2010 goes live to clean up their data.
"If they're not in a pilot state, they have no idea what they look like," she said.
While the FMCSA has been focused on the safety impacts of CSA 2010, it has not really been concerned about the financial impacts on fleets, Sandberg said. Particularly, there's the issue of whether brokers or shippers are going to be comfortable loading with a carrier that has a high score.
Under the new CSA 2010 system, carriers will be scored with additional scrutiny and under much more refined buckets, the seven Behavioral Analysis Safety Improvement Categories, or BASICs. As a result, carriers that had good scores under SafeStat are going to find themselves "deficient" in areas under CSA 2010.
The big question is, Sandberg said, "would [brokers and shippers] still load a carrier that has a deficient BASIC?"
EOBRs
Another regulation she commented on was the issue of electronic on-board recorders. A rule is currently in the White House, and Sandberg expects there to be a final rule on EOBRs this spring, if not summer. This rule would require recorders for carriers that fail to meet hours of service standards. It also will encourage voluntary use of recorders by various incentives, and will spell out new performance standards for the devices, taking into account the myriad technological developments that have occurred since the current voluntary rule was established in 1988.
For all carriers, "I believe that EOBRs will probably be mandated in the next five years, if not sooner," she said.
Sandberg said some owner-operators don't like EOBRs because they're expensive and they don't want to be monitored. However, she said so many in the industry already have GPS on their vehicles, and it's such a small step from GPS to EOBRs.
"It's going to be the minority that doesn't want them on," she said.
Hours of Service
Sandberg also touched on the controversial hours-of-service rule, something she joked as being a regulation that never ends. "I don't think we'll ever see hours of service end or finalized in my lifetime."
She believes the HOS rule won't be changed much, except for the split sleeper birth and rest breaks provisions. If the FMCSA mandates rest breaks, the question will be whether the break is inserted into the 14-hour allotment or whether the 14 hours is extended.
During "The Changing Regulatory Landscape and its Direct Impact on Trucking Industry Capacity" conference call, Sandberg tackled other regulatory concerns facing the trucking industry, including the reauthorization of the surface transportation bill, truck size and weight, the U.S.-Mexico border dispute, and driver health and drug testing. These are all issues that have been delayed or put on the back burner because of other legislative priorities.
Byline: Diana Britton, Managing Editor
During a conference call hosted by Stifel Nicolaus Friday morning, Annette Sandberg, Esq., the former administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, provided an insider's thoughts on some of the most influential and pressing regulatory issues facing the trucking industry.
During the discussion, Sandberg, a principal at TransSafe Consulting, told listeners she would encourage officials at the FMCSA to provide carriers with a mechanism for seeing what their safety scores would look like under the Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010. Sandberg said fleets need at least three to four months before CSA 2010 goes live to clean up their data.
"If they're not in a pilot state, they have no idea what they look like," she said.
While the FMCSA has been focused on the safety impacts of CSA 2010, it has not really been concerned about the financial impacts on fleets, Sandberg said. Particularly, there's the issue of whether brokers or shippers are going to be comfortable loading with a carrier that has a high score.
Under the new CSA 2010 system, carriers will be scored with additional scrutiny and under much more refined buckets, the seven Behavioral Analysis Safety Improvement Categories, or BASICs. As a result, carriers that had good scores under SafeStat are going to find themselves "deficient" in areas under CSA 2010.
The big question is, Sandberg said, "would [brokers and shippers] still load a carrier that has a deficient BASIC?"
EOBRs
Another regulation she commented on was the issue of electronic on-board recorders. A rule is currently in the White House, and Sandberg expects there to be a final rule on EOBRs this spring, if not summer. This rule would require recorders for carriers that fail to meet hours of service standards. It also will encourage voluntary use of recorders by various incentives, and will spell out new performance standards for the devices, taking into account the myriad technological developments that have occurred since the current voluntary rule was established in 1988.
For all carriers, "I believe that EOBRs will probably be mandated in the next five years, if not sooner," she said.
Sandberg said some owner-operators don't like EOBRs because they're expensive and they don't want to be monitored. However, she said so many in the industry already have GPS on their vehicles, and it's such a small step from GPS to EOBRs.
"It's going to be the minority that doesn't want them on," she said.
Hours of Service
Sandberg also touched on the controversial hours-of-service rule, something she joked as being a regulation that never ends. "I don't think we'll ever see hours of service end or finalized in my lifetime."
She believes the HOS rule won't be changed much, except for the split sleeper birth and rest breaks provisions. If the FMCSA mandates rest breaks, the question will be whether the break is inserted into the 14-hour allotment or whether the 14 hours is extended.
During "The Changing Regulatory Landscape and its Direct Impact on Trucking Industry Capacity" conference call, Sandberg tackled other regulatory concerns facing the trucking industry, including the reauthorization of the surface transportation bill, truck size and weight, the U.S.-Mexico border dispute, and driver health and drug testing. These are all issues that have been delayed or put on the back burner because of other legislative priorities.
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