CVSA to Take Phased-In Approach to ELD Mandate

The nation's commercial vehicle enforcement officials say there's no reason to delay the December start date for the electronic logging device mandate – but they will delay implementing out-of-service criteria related to ELDs until April 1, 2018, and say each jurisdiction will have discretion as to whether they actually issue citations in the beginning.

On Dec. 18, inspectors and roadside enforcement personnel will begin documenting violations on roadside inspection reports, according to an Aug. 28 announcement from the according to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance. At the jurisdiction's discretion, inspectors will issue citations to commercial motor vehicle drivers operating vehicles without a compliant ELD.

Beginning April 1, 2018, inspectors will start placing commercial motor vehicle drivers out of service if their vehicle is not equipped with the required device.

Delaying the out-of-service aspects of the rule will “provide the motor carrier industry, shippers and the roadside enforcement community with time to adjust to the new requirement before vehicles are placed out of service for ELD violations,” CVSA said.

CVSA noted that member jurisdictions have used this phased-in approach in the past when implementing a significant change in regulatory requirements.

Opponents of the ELD rule, most notably the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, have been lobbying Congress to try to get a delay in the rule's implementation, at least for smaller carriers.

“Motor carriers have had two full years to prepare for the requirement and obtain devices for their vehicles,” wrote CVSA Executive Director Collin B. Mooney in a letter to FMCSA. “FMCSA's own research has found that the use of ELDs results in a reduction in a motor carrier's crash rate and hours-of-service violations. It is time to move forward with this regulation.”

One of the arguments for delay has been that enforcement officials are not ready. And at CVSA's recent North American Inspectors Championship, one ...Read the rest of this story

Building an apprenticeship program

The technician shortage has caused many fleets and service providers to come up with creative solutions to ensuring that their bays are staffed with qualified technicians.

Chris Disantis, director of training and field technical support at Aim NationaLease, developed a program to grow the company's own diesel technicians. He shared details of the program at a recent NationaLease member meeting.

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Help your drivers ensure a smooth weigh station inspection process

Professional drivers encounter law enforcement personnel when they are pulled into a weigh station for weighing and inspections. The driver plays a large role in how pleasant — or unpleasant — that interaction will be. Setting a professional, respectful tone right from the start will go a long way toward making any inspection faster and less stressful.

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CVSA commits to phased-in ELD enforcement process

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) said it will start “phasing-in” enforcement of the electronic logging device (ELD) mandate requirements on December 18 this year, with plans to begin using the out-of-service criteria (OOSC) associated with the ELD mandate starting April 1 next year.

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Fleet Complete appoints Sandeep Kar as new CSO

Fleet Complete announced that Sandeep Kar has joined the company as chief strategy officer. With more than 250,000 subscribers across North America, Europe and Australia, Fleet Complete said its corporate strategy is at the next phase of expansion with the new CSO spearheading its global growth acceleration.

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Full extent of damage from Hurricane Harvey remains unclear

With forecasts calling for several more days of heavy rain for the Gulf Coast of Texas, the full extent of the damage from Hurricane Harvey will not known for some time.

But there are already numerous signs that Harvey will leave a lasting reminder to the freight transportation community in Houston and other surrounding areas.

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Harvey Causing Historic Flooding in South Texas

“This event is unprecedented & all impacts are unknown & beyond anything experienced.”

That was the tweet heard round the world from the National Weather Service at 10:44 CDT Sunday morning, describing the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Houston an other areas of south Texas.

As of Sunday, hundreds of roads were closed and thousands had been rescued from unprecedented flooding, as what was now a tropical storm stalled over the Lone Star state, dumping band after band of torrential rain. Some spots are expected to get more than 50 inches – that's more than 4 feet of water.

Sunday morning, as local TV station KHOU 11 News was flooding and had to evacuate, KHOU reporter Brandi Smith and photographer Mario Sandoval remained out in the field, transmitting live feeds from the north side of Houston. There they flagged down a rescue for a truck driver trapped in the rising waters. Smith remained broadcasting as they waited for the sheriff's rescue boat to reach the truck and pull the driver from the window to safety.

Five reported killed by Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston area, US National Weather Service says https://t.co/jTNzijU3ZQ

H-E-B, a Texas-based grocery chain, announced it will donate $100,000 toward Hurricane Harvey relief efforts and already dispatched a 15-vehicle convoy that includes two mobile kitchens, water and fuel tankers, portable generators, emergency grocery supplies and equipment.

Convoy of @HEB disaster relief trucks staged near Goliad, TX today. #Harvey @NBCDFW pic.twitter.com/rOfCnUF0JX

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has suspended certain commercial regulations in Texas and Louisiana, including hours of service, for drivers providing “direct assistance” for ...Read the rest of this story