FMCSA: Not able to meet today's deadline for new HOS

The FMCSA issued a statement this morning which said: 

“The petitioners have agreed to extend the October 28, 2011, deadline for publication of a final Hours of Service rule. FMCSA will continue to work toward publishing a final rule as quickly as possible. The parties to the settlement agreement will file their next status report with the Court on November 28, 2011.”

FMCSA will miss HOS deadline

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will not finish the final hours-of-service rule by the Oct. 28 deadline set by a U.S. court.  The final rule had not been sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget, which is required to review it before the rule can be published.  FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro said they continue to work toward the Oct. 28 date,  but “we have to be realistic.”

Dave Osiecki, ATA senior vice president, said that while there probably have been informal discussions between OMB and the Department of Transportation leadership, the formal OMB review has not begun. 

FMCSA said in December it was leaning toward cutting back driving hours to 10 from 11 and modifying the 34-hour reset provision.  ATA has threatened to file a lawsuit if FMCSA reduces driving hours. 

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Legislative pushback over hours-of-service reform intensifies

Legislative pushback over hours-of-service reform intensifies

Thank You for Helping Comment on the new HOS Rules

Thank you to our customers and friends who took the time and effort to comment to the Federal Register concerning proposed changes to the Hours of Service requirements for commercial truck drivers.  A special thanks goes to the National Star Route Mail Contractors Association for their comments.  And, the ATA has lead the way with legal and advisory resources. 

The deadline for the new rule is next week - October 28.  The rule has not even made it to the White House's OMB - and they have up to 90 days to review the proposed rule.  It's obvious that the deadline will be missed.  The collective efforts of industry have guided our political representatives to question this rule, normally matters such as this go unnoticed. 

Using LoadTrek.net to analyze data supplied by customers, it was clear that the economic impact is negative, and the safety impact is at best neutral - and in some cases negative as well.  A copy of LoadTrek's comments can be found here. 

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October 21; 0800 to 1615.  At the Renaissance Chicago Downtown; 1 West Wacker Drive, Chicago IL  60601

Are you collecting all possible revenue?

LoadTrek.net clients are reporting to me that they are charging (and collecting) more accessorial charges than before.  Virtually all freight and bulk shippers agree to pay some accessorial charges other than fuel surcharge; detention, demurrage, extra stops, extra services, etc.  You just have to prove it and document it.  An article in the Journal of Commerce tells us the same thing. 

In LoadTrek's billing validation; make sure you are charging (or at least attempting to charge) for actual miles instead of book miles. 

Are you using "Tasks"?  These can be anything related to loading or unloading; extra hoses, pump charges, mall deliveries, hand-sort and stack, etc.  You'll make certain you are paying the driver correctly, monitor driver productivity, and correctly bill the customer. 

When you use the Analyzer to look at the profitability of loads and customers, add and remove distance and time to reflect the nature of these extra services you provide.  You'll clearly see what these extra services cost. 

I am not running a fleet any more.  But if I was, maximizing collection of accessorials would be a top priority. 

Trucking Industry Mobility and Technology Coalition Annual Meeting

LoadTrek will be participating in the Trucking Industry Mobility and Technology Coalition annual meeting, held in conjunction with the American Trucking Association's annual conference in Grapevine, TX.  The TIMTC annual meeting will be October 17-18 at the Gaylord Texas Resort. 

If you are a fleet that is an active participant in fleet technology, we invite you to attend.

Contact us for more information. 

Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee to Review EOBR Tech Specs

Next meeting of the Motor Carrier Safety Committee (MCSAC) will be October 24-27.  They are going to review the technical specifications of the EOBR regulation; 395.16. 

Why review a regulation that is pending publication?  We are fairly certain that 395.16 will be delayed from its June 2012 date.

If you are waiting for the FMCSA to clarify things before you implement an EOBR system, you're going to wait for a while.  However, we are certain that the basic framework of the EOBR technical specification will remain in tact, so a reasonably modern system (such as LoadTrek) will meet both the current (395.15) regulation and the new (395.16) regulation.  

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