Mar 01, 2017 • Community

Nebraska Troopers Ride With Truckers to Spot Unsafe Drivers

Tired of truck drivers wrongfully receiving blame from the public regarding safe driving? Well, Nebraska’s “Trooper in a Truck” is sure to help change that misconception.

Nebraska Trooper in a Truck Program

According to the Nebraska Trucking Association, Nebraska State Troopers will ride along in the cabs of commercial motor vehicles while looking for unsafe driving behavior from nearby automobiles. When a trooper spots someone committing a violation or driving recklessly, they will radio a nearby trooper to assess a citation.

“Having eyes in commercial motor vehicles allows us to see things we wouldn’t normally see from a marked patrol unit,” said Lieutenant Kurt Von Minden. “It’s also an invaluable tool to work with truckers to help tackle the issue of public safety on our roadways. We’re very grateful for the relationship we have with the trucking industry and value their help.”

80 Percent of Accidents are Caused by Cars, Not Trucks

34-Hour Restart Bill Signed by Congress [p]The Senate and House passed a bill addressing the 34-hour restart for truck drivers. It now awaits The President's signature of approval.[/p] [h2]How Does 34-Hour Restart Bill Affect Truck Drivers?[/h2] [p]The new bill prevents the 2013 requirements of breaks from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. on consecutive days in a 34-hour restart with a once-per-week limit.[/p] [p][a href="http://m.onelink.me/d5890481"]Truck drivers[/a] now have the ability to use the 34-hour restart as they wish without the weekly limit and will not be required to take consecutive breaks.[/p] [giphy]<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/Wq6DnHvHchrTG" width="480" height="269" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>[/giphy] [p]Congress enacted the hours of service provision to include the consecutive breaks and restart limit in 2013. It also required a study by the FMCSA to determine if the proposed regulations of 34-hour restarts would be beneficial to drivers or not.[/p] [quote]“Drivers have little control over their schedules and the flexibility of the 34-hour restart is necessary to make sure they get needed rest and avoid driving under the worst conditions such as congestion and bad weather,” explained Todd Spencer, OOIDA Executive Vice President.[/quote] [h2]34-Hour Restarts Almost Eliminated by Congress[/h2] [p]This fix to the legislation prevented the elimination of the 34-hour restart which could have been the case because of a mistake in the language of the 2015 bill.[/p] [p]This is an inherent win for the trucking industry as the 2013 HOS provision was widely opposed by many, including the American Trucking Association.[/p] [quote]“Thanks to hard work by congressional leaders of both parties and in both chambers, we are one step closer to having an hours-of-service restart rule that makes sense and puts safety first,” said ATA President Chris Spear in a statement.[/quote] [p]The House passed the bill by a 326-96 vote and will require President Trump's approval after January 20 in order to last through the new year.[/p]

Dec 12, 2016 • Community

CDL Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse [p]The Federal Motor Carrier Administration is establishing the Commercial Driver’s License Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse to track and evaluate truck driver's with violations.[/p] [p][a href="https://app.appsflyer.com/com.truckerpath.truckloads"]The Clearinghouse[/a] will be implemented on January 6, 2020, and will accumulate a database of DOT drug and alcohol violations.[/p] [p]According to the FMCSA, “The Clearinghouse rule requires FMCSA-regulated employers, Medical Review Officers, Substance Abuse Professionals, third party administrators and other service agents to report to the Clearinghouse information related to violations of the drug and alcohol regulations by current and prospective employees.”[/p] [h2]Other CDL Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse Requirements[/h2] [ul][li]Employers will be required to query the Clearinghouse for current and prospective employees' drug and alcohol violations before permitting those employees to operate a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) on public roads.[/li] [li]Employers will be required to annually query the Clearinghouse for each driver they currently employ.[/li] [li]State Driver Licensing Agencies will be required to query the Clearinghouse whenever a CDL is issued, renewed, transferred, or upgraded.[/li][/ul] [giphy]<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/3orif1VQas10DXIYWk" width="480" height="269" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>[/giphy] [p]The Clearinghouse aims to prohibit a [a href="http://m.onelink.me/1d1d0cff"]truck driver[/a] who has violated the drug and alcohol program, from driving a CMV. Truckers with violations are required to be evaluated and treated before taking to the road again.[/p] [h2]FAQs[/h2] [p][b]Will violations that occurred before the Clearinghouse Rule be included?[/b][/p] [p]No. Only violations that occur on or after January 6, 2020.[/p] [p][b]Can drivers access their own information in the Clearinghouse?[/b][/p] [p]Yes. Drivers will be able to electronically access their Clearinghouse records or determine the status of information in their record at no cost. Drivers will need to register in the Clearinghouse in order to access their information.[/p] [p][b]How long will driver violation records be made available?[/b][/p] [p]Driver violation records will be available in the Clearinghouse to authorized employers for 5 years from the date of the violation determination, or until the driver completes the return-to-duty process, whichever is later. There are limited exceptions which could result in earlier removal.[/p] [p][b]What personal information will be used for searching driver violations?[/b][/p] [p]A truck driver's CDL number and the issuing state will be used to identify.[/p] [button-white href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/commercial-drivers-license-drug-and-alcohol-clearinghouse"]Full Story[/button-white]

Dec 06, 2016

Nikola Hydrogen-Powered Semi-Truck

Dec 02, 2016