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:

Automotive Lift Institute Moves, Opens LiftLab

Photo of LiftLab courtesy of ALI

The Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) officially opened its new headquarters and LiftLab in Cortland, N.Y., on October 12, with a grand opening celebration attended by ALI members, lift inspectors, suppliers, and other guests from the vehicle lift and workplace safety industries.

The growth of ALI lift safety initiatives like the ALI Lift Inspector Certification Program drove the need for a larger multipurpose facility.

The new 8,500-square-foot headquarters at 3699 Luker Road is more than four times larger than the organization's previous Cortland office. It includes 3,475 square feet of renovated office and conference space, as well as a modern classroom that complies with nationally recognized examination requirements for up to 20 participants.

What really differentiates the facility is its new LiftLab. ALI member manufacturers have provided and installed 12 vehicle lifts in the expansive LiftLab area. They range from the smallest motorcycle lift to the most common two-post style, all the way up to heavy-duty inground and mobile column lifts. This is the only facility in North America that brings together such a wide range of operational lifts from various manufacturers and makes them available for hands-on industry training.

The following lifts are installed in the ALI LiftLab:

HDT’s New ELD Channel Keeps You Up to Speed

With the electronic logging device rule about to kick in, there is a lot of information out there that's vital for fleets to stay compliant. That's why Heavy Duty Trucking has launched the ELDs-Time to Comply channel on its Truckinginfo.com website. The channel presents in one handy place every news story, feature article, and video our award-winning editors produce on the electronic logging device mandate.

Covering ELDs from every level, from the legislative side in Washington D.C., to the latest offerings from technology companies, to industry reactions, to informative explanations from a fleet perspective, HDT's ELD channel contains everything our readers need to stay up to date on all aspects of the new and far-reaching rule.

As we stay on top of the latest ELD news and products, the channel will be regularly updated to remain a vital source of information for every commercial fleet.

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The Human Element, First and Foremost

Properly deployed, technolgy should make our lives easier and more productive. Photo: Mercedes-Benz

With 2017 about to go into the books, it seems likely it will be remembered as a turning point in the history of trucking and transportation– the year when “the future” stopped becoming something we all read about, talked about, and wondered about and instead became a reality to be carefully considered and prepared for.

In the course of the past year, give or a take a few months, every single Class 8 truck manufacturer serving the North American market has unveiled a new, or significantly upgraded truck. And all of these new models not only feature the latest technological breakthroughs, but are designed with the next 10 to 15 years' worth of technology in mind.

For the first time ever, fleets have the option of buying “upgradable” trucks – vehicles that will only increase in productivity and efficiency as new technologies come on line and can be uploaded into the truck's onboard computer system.

And yet, for all the futuristic tech designed into these new trucks, it is striking to note that the majority of it has been engineered with the needs of drivers and fleet managers foremost in mind. We're seeing this again and again now as OEMs and suppliers alike bring new systems online. Everything from advanced cruise control systems to active and passive collision avoidance systems to telematics “war rooms” manned by knowledgeable, friendly event managers who are there to make sure a “human touch” is present during the entire repair process.

And that's what technology is supposed to do. From the time oneof our early ancestors first picked up a sharp stone to help skin an animal he or she had just killed, tools and technologies have developed over the ages to make our lives ...Read the rest of this story

FMCSA Issues Two Commonsensical ELD Exemptions

Having decided to grant part of a United Parcel Service request for a limited 5-year exemption from some provisions of the electronic logging device mandate, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will now allow all motor carriers— not just UPS-- and drivers to make use of two new temporary exemptions from the ELD rule.

The first exemption will temporarily permit the use of portable “driver-based” ELDs to record engine data “only when the driver is in a CMV and the engine is powered." What that means in plainer English is that drivers who use smartphone- or tablet-based ELDs (as do UPS drivers) will be able to indicate a change of duty status when they are outside of and away from their truck.

The second exemption will temporarily allow carriers to configure an ELD with a “yard-move mode” that does not require a driver to re-input the truck's yard-move status every time the tractor is powered off.

The two exemptions are being granted for the 5-year period beginning on Oct. 20, 2017 and ending on Oct. 20, 2022— unless they are rescinded at any time by FMCSA.

The agency stated that the exemptions will be rescinded if:

FMSCA further stated that: “Interested parties possessing information that would demonstrate that motor carriers or drivers participating in either of the exemptions are not achieving the requisite statutory level of safety should immediately notify FMCSA.”

The agency noted that it will evaluate any such information and “if safety is being compromised or if the continuation of the exemption is not consistent ...Read the rest of this story

Intelligent Brake Interlock

WABCO, a global supplier of technologies and services that improve the safety, efficiency, and connectivity of commercial vehicles, introduced Intelligent Brake Interlock, an advanced electronic brake interlock system that improves the safety of tank trailers that haul hazardous materials or are equipped with cryogenic equipment.

WABCO's Intelligent Brake Interlock uses proprietary technologies to improve the safe operation of tank trailers by ensuring that the vehicle does not move during loading and unloading. The breakthrough system monitors vehicle speed as well as the position switch and locks the foundation brakes electronically. An electronic failsafe provides an additional layer of safety by helping to prevent inadvertent brake activation while the vehicle is in motion.

Now available for specification and retrofit, Intelligent Brake Interlock improves safety and reliability of transportation for pneumatic-braking trailers hauling gasoline, diesel and crude oil, cryogenic and compressed gases such as hydrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, argon and natural gas, food grade materials, as well as heated tanks and chemicals.

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Ryder Adds DriveCam to 4,400 Trucks

Image courtesy of Ryder and Lytx

Ryder System, Inc., a provider of commercial fleet management, dedicated transportation, and supply chain solutions, announced its partnership with Lytx and the implementation of DriveCam into 4,400 Ryder vehicles supporting its Supply Chain Solutions (SCS) and Dedicated Transportation Solutions (DTS) business divisions.

The DriveCam program addresses safety by combining data and video analytics with real-time driver feedback and coaching, resulting in reductions in injuries and collisions. The Company made the decision to incorporate DriveCam's solution as part of its operational initiatives after a six-month DriveCam pilot at various Ryder locations.

“As an industry leader in safety and security, we recognize the importance of investing in technologies like DriveCam that enable us and our professional drivers to make continuous improvements around safe practices and driving behaviors,” said Sandy Hodes, Ryder's SVP and Deputy General Counsel. “Our partnership with Lytx reinforces our commitment to our drivers and our core value of safety in the communities we serve.”

In the past 12 months, the DriveCam program has allowed Ryder to identify and target the top behaviors contributing to fleet risk. This has enabled Ryder's professional drivers to significantly improve their results, reducing well over half the number of near collisions while increasing both following distance and response time. The program has also enhanced the quality of communications between Ryder and its professional drivers, and in turn, has encouraged the Company's drivers to embrace continuous improvement and best practices adoption.

“While the DriveCam program does the heavy lifting to pinpoint risk in fleets, it's up to the Ryder team to take action on the insights DriveCam delivers,” said Lytx Executive Vice President and Chief Client Officer David Riordan. “The extent to which Ryder has improved driver behavior is a testament to the quality of its drivers, engagement of its frontline managers, ...Read the rest of this story