International Conference on Commercial Driver Health and Wellness

November 8–10, 2010, in Baltimore, Maryland.

Shortages of trucks and truck drivers stall product deliveries

Trucking Among the Most Dangerous Jobs

Truck drivers have a fatality rate in the US of 18.3 per 100,000. You always have to pay attention, watch your rest and your health, think ahead, and anticipate. From CNNMoney.com.

Meeting the USPS Requirement for GPS

Does this stuff actually pay for itself?

Our clients have been getting hit by mandates left and right lately; a GPS requirement from the USPS for some of their contracts, the new EOBR rule, and CSA's impact. I have been using onboard truck technology since 1990, many of our clients have been with us for a long time. Why do they use it?

Fuel Savings:
Controlling Engine Idle. According to the Argonne National Laboratories, the average truck wastes 2196 gallons per year idling. A large diesel engine idling under no load will burn approximately 1 gallon/hour.

Controlling Speed. According to multiple tests by Kenworth, Firestone, and the American Trucking Association, fuel consumption increases by 2.2% for every 1 MPH increase over 55 MPH. If your trucks are averaging 6.6 MPH while running 65 MPH, that will increase to 7.5 MPH if they slow down to 55 MPH.

Controlling shifting and stopping habits. Hard braking is one of the largest contributors to excessive fuel consumption on "governed" trucks where speed is kept lower than normal using the ECM.

Driving Efficiency:
You are able to pay drivers for all work they do, cutting waste and overlapping tasks when possible.

Maintenance Savings:
I was talking to one of our clients last week, who runs his trucks 1 million miles before trading with no major maintenance. The reason, those habits that contribute to fuel economy also help your maintenance costs. Increase in speed from 55 MPH to 65 MPH increases tire wear 5% to 16%, depending on GVW. Increase in speed from 55 MPH to 65 MPH decreases miles to overhaul by 10% to 15%. Increase in speed from 55 MPH to 65 MPH increases oil consumption 15%. Idling for 6 hours = 42 miles of engine wear.

Dispatch Efficiency and Vehicle Utilization:
Each company is different. However, up to 42% of an average fleet's total costs are in vehicle depreciation acquisition costs. A recent Aberdeen Group survey found that reporting fleets averaged an increase in vehicle utilization of 13%

Insight from the new ATA Chairman; from the Dallas Truck Show

Hodges' view of EOBR's is accurate, although his cost estimate is high. He does not understand the cost benefits of EOBR's - or at least did not discuss them. His view of CSA2010 is right on - and he is the first person I have heard to articulate the benefit of CSA2010 to good drivers.

Click on the link for the entire article.

Simple Route Tracking

LoadTrek.net releases GPS phone based simple route tracking, which also complies with the USPS GPS requirement.

New Edition of FMCSA's Office of Analysis, Research, and Analysis "Insights"

Free CSA 2010 Resources

Carriers In CSA Pilot States to Share Experiences

Motor carriers from five pilot states for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's CSA 2010 will share their experiences during a webinar Sept. 8, from 1 to 4 p.m. CDT.

FMCSA Releases Safety Measurement System to Motor Carriers

Commercial motor vehicle carriers may now view their individual safety assessments on the Data Preview Website. This updated Website provides motor carriers with information on where they stand in each Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) based on roadside data and investigation findings. Each motor carrier’s BASIC assessments are visible only to them (and to enforcement staff) until December of 2010. In December, assessments will be made available to the public. Also, enforcement agencies will use these assessments to prioritize the Agency’s enforcement and compliance assistance workload. By providing carriers with this information now, FMCSA’s approach gives carriers the earliest possible opportunity to improve compliance.

Making Roads Safe - A Decade of Action to Combat the Road Safety Crisis

Click on this link to gain an understanding of the UN's plan to encourage/help nations enhance safety on the roadways. The oilfield services industry has been notable for coordinating road safety efforts across the globe, and now we have have some coordinated government involvement as well.

Stakeholders Await Review of new Hours of Service Regulations

Weekend Entertainment - Tanker Rollover Video

CSA 2010: SMS Improvements

Good news regarding CSA for our clients - who tend to utilize their vehicles more than most companies:

1. The measure of exposure will be changed to a combination of power units and Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) in the Unsafe Driving BASIC and Crash Indicator.

2. The measure of exposure will change from power units to the number of relevant inspections in the Controlled Substances/Alcohol BASIC.

3. Severity weights for some roadside inspection violations will be updated.

News from the National Star Route Mail Convention

The GPS requirement will begin on selected contracts October 1. If you have not received notification and think you might be on the list, please click the link and contact us for a list of eligible contracts.

A full report will be in the next issue of the Star Carrier. You may also contact us for an update on USPS business issues, regulatory news, and other items from the convention.

Thank you to all of our clients for visiting with us - we always learn new ideas for upcoming releases to LoadTrek.net.

Fleet Owner Magazine: Paper logbooks will soon be virtually obsolete

The new CSA 2010 safety-scoring process and the pending EOBR (electronic onboard recorder) regulation will make paper drivers’ logbooks virtually obsolete, according to Fleet Owner.

Proposed new HOS Rule is at the White House

The long anticipated new Hours of Service rule is at the Office of Management and Budget. However, we still do not know what is in the new rule. The target date for letting us know the contents of the new rule is November 4.

FMCSA Policy Concerning Supporting Documentation

Understanding the USPS GPS Requirements

The United States Postal Service has announced the new GPS data requirement that will be incorporated into the postal network highway contract routes. The requirement may be retroactively applied to existing contracts as an addendum. The USPS is targeting October 1st, 2010 for network wide implementation across all affected contracts.

Click on the link to learn more about these changes, which contracts are affected, and what your options are.