SafeKey offers new personal ‘Protector’ safety device for drivers

ORLANDO. SafeKey Corp. said it has launched the new SafeKey Protector, a personal safety system for drivers in the event of security, medical, and other emergencies.

“Drivers are one button from help when they need it most,” said Tom Richardson, head of business development for SafeKey. “Our technology also improves recruitment of and retention of professional drivers while helping prevent cargo theft.”

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Panel: ELDs don’t change HOS rules or enforcement

ORLANDO. As the December 18 deadline for the electronic logging devices (ELD) mandate to go into full effect, a panel discussion here at the American Trucking Associations (ATA) 2017 Management Conference & Exhibition (MC&E) sorted through a variety of issues and opportunities related to the technology.

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ELD Mandate Enforcement Highlights ATA Educational Session

If you look at the lower right-hand corner of this display of the ERODS system that will be used to read ELD data files, you will see dots that indicate the truck was moving despite the driver logging the time as sleeper berth.

ORLANDO — In a sometimes-lively educational session at the American Trucking Associations 2017 Management Conference & Exhibition Saturday, a panel of regulatory, enforcement and fleet personnel fielded questions on enforcement and other aspects of the electronic logging device mandate that goes into effect Dec. 18.

“In today's environment, you cannot pick up a periodical or go through 10 emails without someone offering a webinar about the ELD mandate,” said Jim Ward, president and CEO of D.M. Bowman Inc., a 400-truck fleet that has been on electronic logs since 2013. Pointing out that the overwhelming majority of the country's trucking operations are small fleets, “it is a huge impact on a number of small businesses.”

Joe DeLorenzo, director of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Office of Compliance and Enforcement, went over some of the common questions, such as exemptions. But much of the discussion centered around what will happen at roadside come December.

Both DeLorenzo and Colin Mooney, executive director of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, stressed several times that the ELD rules do not change the underlying hours of service rules.

“A lot of folks are tying ELDs to the hours of service rules themselves,” Mooney observed. Many of the drivers and others objecting to the ELD mandate claim it will end the “flexibility” they currently have with paper logs. But in the eyes of the law, that “flexibility” is simply cheating.

“Enforcement's ready to enforce the rules,” Mooney said. “All we're doing is moving from a paper to electronic format. However, for some it will be their first introduction to hours ...Read the rest of this story

New app from Rolling Strong designed to tackle driver health ‘epidemic’

ORLANDO, FL. Rolling Strong has launched a new mobile app aimed at helping commercial drivers improve their health and wellness while on the road.

During a press conference at 2017 American Trucking Associations Management Conference & Exhibition, Rolling Strong CEO Steve Kane called driver wellness “an epidemic.”

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FlowBelow launches dealer program, offers new aerodynamic trailer system

ORLANDO, FL. FlowBelow Aero Inc. announced the launch of its Elite Dealer Program, which the company said would bring its quick-release wheel cover and Tractor AeroKit system to more customers.

Company officials made the announcement at American Trucking Associations' annual conference. FlowBelow's products are already available for factory order on Freightliner, Kenworth, and Peterbilt trucks.

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Pay Hikes Abound as Fleets Try to Retain Drivers

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Several fleets have announced pay and benefit increases for drivers as the industry keeps trying to address the driver shortage.

Driver turnover remains at extremely high levels-- 90% at large truckload carriers, according to the latest American Trucking Associations report– and fleets are working hard to curb it. A recent report on operational costs shows that fleets currently spend more on driver wages and benefits combined than they do on fuel costs.

The push to retain drivers is evident in recent announcements from Boyd Bros. Transportation, Pride Transport, Roehl Transport, Hornady Transportation, A&R Logistics, Epes Transport System, Kenan Advantage Group, and Ozark Motor Lines. All of these fleets have focused on incentivizing drivers to sign and stay on board.

Boyd Bros. Transportation announced a 4-cent per mile pay increase for company drivers in September. The new pay package also includes a $900 per week pay guarantee.The increase is available to company drivers of all levels.

“Our drivers make much more than $900 per week,” stated Boyd Bros. CFO Dwight Bassett. “We just wanted to take away financial concerns so that drivers can focus on what they do best, drive. We are also eliminating the perceived risk that typically accompanies the start of a job with a new company.”

Pride Transport has implemented a new point-to-point pay program that pays drivers for the distance of the leg they drive and not just the total length of a load. Pay under the new program comes out to a higher per mile– up to 55 cents per mile, according to the company.

This program includes pay for deadhead miles at up to 20 cents more per mile than base pay. Company drivers at Pride Transport can also earn a $2,000 sign-on bonus, opportunities for safety and MPG bonuses, in-cab DirecTV, affordable ...Read the rest of this story

Don’t Miss This Critical Step in ELD Implementation

Photo: J.J. Keller & Associates

Unless your drivers are exempt from logging their hours of service, your fleet must transition to operating with electronic logging devices (ELDs) or automatic on-board recording devices (AOBRDs) by Dec. 18, 2017.

The path to operating with ELDs should include retraining drivers and supervisors on the hours-of-service limits, tightening up hours-of-service compliance and auditing, developing and training on ELD policies and procedures, and training on the ELD system itself. Will your new policies and procedures pass FMCSA's scrutiny as adequate safety management controls — not the least of which is detecting and correcting any cheating of the system?

A step that can't be overlooked is creating effective policies and procedures for the new operating environment. Remember, to minimize stress and uncertainty, the best policies are ones that are easily understood, provide a measurement mechanism, and have clear consequences for noncompliance. However, coming up with policies for a new way of operating and for sustaining a different culture can be hard to do.

When developing the new policies, your goal should not be to explain every possible situation. You are aligning policies with regulations, stating expectations regarding what you will and will not allow, and clearly outlining what will happen if the policy is not followed. One example of a clear policy is to state that “compliance with the hours-of-service regulations is a condition of employment.” The details and the different situations that might come up can reside in the procedures that support the policy.

To support compliance with the electronic logging-related policies, you must develop procedures. Here is a list of core procedures you would want to consider: