Wednesday, March 27, 2013

The USCIS has issued a new form I-9, required from all employers no later than 5/7/2013

You can find this new form here:  http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-9.pdf

Thursday, March 21, 2013

CSA Update: Spotlight on the Safety Management Cycle for the HOS Compliance BASIC



The Safety Management Cycle (SMC) is a resource for carriers and drivers as well as enforcement to help identify and address the root cause for safety and compliance issues. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently released a series of SMCs tailored to each Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC), with the end goal of helping carriers find ways to reduce or eliminate violations by establishing and improving their safety management controls.

The SMC for the Hours-of-Service (HOS) Compliance BASIC provides potential actions carriers can take to improve their HOS compliance. These actions are divided into six key process areas: roles and responsibilities, policies and procedures, qualification and hiring, training and communication, monitoring and tracking, and meaningful action. For example, during the hiring process, a carrier should make sure a driver has the necessary skills for the job, including sufficient planning skills to know when to drive and when to stop, basic mathematical skills to calculate their hours and miles, and good organizational skills to keep each Record of Duty Status up-to-date.

Explore these and other important tips in the SMC for the HOS Compliance BASIC available from the CSA Website’s SMC webpage. Also, make sure you review the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations to ensure you operate in full compliance of all current safety standards.

Thank You,
CSA Web Team
U.S. DOT/Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Friday, March 8, 2013

California reefer rule expanded to shippers, receivers

California reefer rule expanded to shippers, receivers

NEW: Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Poster Requirement

All covered employers are required to display and keep displayed a poster prepared by the Department of Labor summarizing the major provisions of The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and telling employees how to file a complaint. The poster must be displayed in a conspicuous place where employees and applicants for employment can see it. A poster must be displayed at all locations even if there are no eligible employees.
A copy of the poster prepared by the Department (WH 1420) is available for your information or for posting in the workplace.
To print a copy please follow these instructions:
  1. The file is only available in PDF format. In order to view and/or print PDF documents you must have a PDF viewer (e.g., Adobe® Acrobat® Reader® v5 or later) available on your workstation.
  2. Click on the link for the FMLA poster and wait for it to load into the viewer.

Friday, March 1, 2013

California Air Resources Board - Regulations Changes



CARB has issued numerous changes to their regulations.  CARB stated that they intend to issue fines against carriers, brokers, shippers, and receivers - no matter where they are located.  CARB contends that these regulations apply to any carrier transporting goods on California highways, as well as any entity tendering shipments on California highways. 

These regulations fall into three categories:
1.         Truck and Bus Regulations
2.         Transport Refrigeration Unit Regulations
3.         Greenhouse Gas Regulations

1.  Truck and Bus Regulations:

Particulate matter filters are required on all trucks - the exact deadline depends on the model year of the truck and engine.  

What should you do?  Make certain your trucks operating in the state meet the above requirements - inspectors are actively checking.  If you are running LoadTrek - set up a "California Compliant" equipment group. 


2.  Transport Refrigeration Unit (TRU) Regulation:

TRU regulations were effective January 1, 2013 and apply to brokers, forwarders, shippers, receivers, drivers, and carriers.  CARB has tested and certified each reefer unit that is compliant with their new regulations.  You can check your reefer units' compliance with CARB regulations at the CARB web site.

Drivers are required to provide any California law enforcement officer with complete information on the shipper, receiver, and carrier upon demand.  Shippers, receivers, and carriers are required to dispatch only compliant reefer equipment within the state.

How can you as a carrier comply?  Check your reefers and dispatch only CARB-compliant reefers to the state.  If you are running LoadTrek, use the "California Compliant" equipment group.  We are watching some exciting developments in alternative-fueled reefers.  We will keep you posted as the technology is ready for public release. 


3.  Greenhouse Gas Regulations:

Owners of 53 foot or longer box type trailers, and the owners of the trucks that pull these trailers, must use SmartWay verified low rolling resistance tires.  However, this applies only if the engine in the tractor pulling the trailer is model year 2010 or older.  You are allowed to run non-low rolling resistance tires until the end of their useful life or January 1, 2015 - whichever comes first. 

Because SmartWay-compliant tires are commonplace, you may wish to consider equipping your entire on-road fleet with these tires.

Skirmish Continues Over HOS Start Date - News - TruckingInfo.com

Skirmish Continues Over HOS Start Date - News - TruckingInfo.com