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August
17, 2004
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Headline
News
PTDI Products, Apparel, Now Available on Website
PTDI
is proud to announce that the new Professional Truck Driver Institute
apparel line is now available through www.ptdi.org under the “products”
section. Watch your e-mail for more information on PTDI apparel, which
includes shirts, hats, patches and decals, or click
here to order immediately. Show your PTDI pride and treat your drivers
with the new apparel line!
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Truck Fatalities Below 5,000 for Second Year
The latest national highway
fatality figures, issued last week by the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) show the trucking industry remaining relatively
stable in regard to highway safety. While the NHTSA report shows a very
slight increase in truck-related fatalities – from 4,939 in 2002
4,986 in 2003 – the toll remains below 5,000 for the second consecutive
year. NHTSA defines large trucks as those that are 10,000 pounds or
over Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR).
As far as overall transportation
statistics, a total of 42,643 individuals died, and 2.89 million were
injured in the year 2003. The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle
miles traveled (VMT) was 1.48 in 2003, down from 1.51 in the year 2002.
Alcohol-related fatalities also dropped significantly in 2003, the first
such decline since 1999. It is also worth noting that the fatality rate
on the nation’s highways in 2003 was the lowest since record keeping
began 29 years ago according to Transportation Secretary Mineta. “America’s
roads and highways are safer than ever… The decreasing number
of traffic fatalities and record low death rate on our roads shows that
we are headed down the right road – one that leads to a safer
America,” said Secretary Mineta.
Mineta specifically pointed
to NHTSA’s efforts that contributed to the reduction in the fatal
accident rate, including campaigns to encourage safety belt use and
discourage impaired driving, work with state legislatures to pass tougher
safety belt and drunk driving laws, and rulemaking efforts to improve
vehicle safety standards. In addition, the industry remains hopeful
final truck mileage data for 2003, when released later this year, will
indicate that truck-related crash rates remain at a historic low.
NHTSA annually collects
crash statistics from 50 states and the District of Columbia to produce
the annual report on traffic fatality trends. Summaries of the 2003
report are available on the NHTSA website by clicking
here.
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New Guidelines for Agricultural Transporters Coming Soon, FDA Bioterrorism Act Recordkeeping Rules Also on the Way
The Agricultural
and Food Transporters Conference recently announced that they would
soon be introducing the new “Guide for Security Practices in Transporting
Agricultural Commodities,” which was developed in a partnership
with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). This new manual
will contain security checklists and tips for commercial agricultural
transporters, and a vulnerability and threat assessment tool and security
planning guide companies can use in developing and implementing effective
security plans. The Manual should be ready for distribution sometime
around early October. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) just announced in the August 6, 2004, Register, the availability
of a revised guidance entitled “Questions and Answers Regarding
the Interim Final Rule on Registration of Food Facilities (Edition 4).”
TCA also recently
learned that the one remaining section of the FDA Bioterrorism Act rules
--Section 306 –Recordkeeping -- which will cover the establishment
and maintenance of records to allow for the identification of immediate
previous sources and immediate subsequent recipients of food to assist
the agency track food implicated in future emergencies, should be issued
prior to October of this year as well. The other three primary sections
of the Act – Administrative Detention (Section 303), Registration
of Food Facilities (Section 305), and Prior Notice of Imported Food
Shipments (Section 307) have already been issued in final rule form
earlier this year. If you have any questions or comments about any of
this information on the FDA regulations or the aforementioned guidance
manuals, please contact Rich Clemente at (703) 838-8847 or email: rclemente@truckload.org
.
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Technical Amendments to HM Regulations to Ease Burden on Industry
The Research and
Special Programs Administration (RSPA) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
in the August 12, Federal Register that proposes to make miscellaneous
amendments to the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) based on petitions
for rulemaking that the agency has received, along with RSPA initiatives.
The purpose of the proposed amendments is to update, clarify or provide
relief from certain regulatory requirements.
The NPRM is primarily designed
to reduce regulatory burdens on the industry by incorporating changes
into the HMR based on RSPA’s own initiatives and petitions for
rulemaking submitted in accordance with 49 CFR 106.95. In a continuing
effort to review the HMR for necessary revisions, the agency is also
proposing to eliminate, revise, clarify and relax certain other regulatory
requirements. The NPRM proposes specific technical amendments to the
following sections of the HMR: 49 CFR Parts 171-173, and Parts 178-180.
Industry comments
on the proposed rule must be received by RSPA by no later than October
12, 2004. A copy of the August 12 NPRM is also available by clicking
here for an HTML and here
for a PDF. For further questions or comments, please contact TCA’s
Rich Clemente, at (703) 838-8847 or by email: rclemente@truckload.org.
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