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August 30, 2005
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News
Distance Learning for In-Classroom Truck Driver Training
PTDI's Certification Committee and Board of Directors recently approved a new standard - - Standard 9.3 – Distance Learning. This Standard would be listed under the options part of the Standards, which means this is not a mandatory Standard, but an optional way of delivering your in-class room instruction. Distance learning is defined as: educational or instructional activity that is delivered electronically to students at a distance. This would include interactive instructional models such as audio or video computer conferencing, or Internet-based instruction. The use of home-based learning using only a workbook as a study guide is not accepted.
PTDI Chairman, Ray Haight of MacKinnon Transport applauds the Certification Committee and the Board for approving this Standard, as it will help in possibly recruiting new sources of drivers to the industry and potentially help more students receive certified course training. Please click here to view the full Standard.
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Florida Truck Driving School Shut Down
The Florida State Attorney's Office and the Florida Highway Patrol shut down a Jacksonville commercial licensing school known as Truck Driver Placement on Wednesday, Aug. 25, arresting businessmen David Luck and Arthur Hammonds for unlawful driver's license issuance and organized scheme to defraud.
Instead of testing potential drivers by having them drive a "technically challenging course," the men had students drive the equivalent of a city block, the State Attorney's Office told the Jacksonville Times-Union.
Assistant State Attorney Steve Siegel said that some 1,200 truckers could have fraudulent commercial licenses, which will require them to be retested in order to remain on the roads. The drivers should receive letters from the Highway Patrol or state Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles telling them they need to be retested, according to the Times-Union.
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Share Your Fuel Price Concerns with ATA
TCA is aware that many of our member companies are facing financial crises due to the incredible increase in fuel costs we've seen this year. The industry is on pace to spend an unprecedented $80 billion on diesel fuel, which is $18 billion more than we spent in 2004. This is in addition to a $10 billion increase we saw in 2004 over 2003.
To better address the issue and work toward a solution, ATA has developed the “National Fuel Price Crisis Watch” and has created a webpage at http://www.truckline.com/fuelpricecrisis . The webpage contains regional and national fuel prices updated weekly, ATA communications on the subject, action items that you and your members can take, as well as numerous resources that will help explain the issue and strategies to help improve fuel efficiency.
Additionally, on September 8, the Senate Energy Committee is holding a hearing on fuel prices and factors contributing to current high prices, such as global oil demand, constraints on refinery capacity and increased speculation in the futures market. ATA will provide testimony but needs to hear from carriers the problems they are facing and how they are coping with the impact of rising fuel costs on their business. Your stories of the effects of this fuel price crisis are important. Please e - mail them to ATA's National Fuel Price Crisis Watch at fuelcrisis@trucking.org.
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DOT Launches You Drink & Drive. You Lose. - Labor Day National Crackdown
On August 22 federal transportation officials joined New York City metropolitan area traffic safety officials to kick off the largest ever You Drink & Drive. You Lose. national enforcement crackdown. Nationwide, a record number of 11,500 law enforcement agencies are participating in the coast-to-coast crackdown.
"We encourage anyone planning on drinking alcohol to be responsible and designate a sober driver", said National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Administrator Jeffrey Runge, M.D. "With checkpoints, roving patrols, undercover officers and concerned citizens, chances are if you drive impaired this holiday you will be arrested, booked and prosecuted."
Impaired driving is one of America 's most often committed and deadliest crimes. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Report, more than 1.4 million people nationwide were arrested in 2003 for driving under the influence.
Dr. Runge released NHTSA's 2004 state alcohol-related fatalities statistics. Nationally, nearly 13,000 people died in highway crashes involving at least a driver or motorcycle rider with an illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of 0.08 or higher.
Overall, alcohol-related fatalities declined by 2.4 percent in 2004 from 2003, the second consecutive year in which alcohol-related fatalities have declined. A total of 32 States and the District of Columbia showed a decline in alcohol-related fatalities in 2004 from 2003.
NHTSA projects that 510 people will die in automobile crashes during the Labor Day holiday and about half (260) will be alcohol-related.
The crackdown is complemented by a $13.9 million national advertising campaign that puts drivers on notice that if they drive impaired they will be caught and prosecuted. "Where better to unveil our new national advertisement than Times Square ", said Administrator Jeffrey Runge, M.D. "In the midst of so many logos and ads, the most valuable message anyone can take away is You Drink & Drive. You Lose ".
The You Drink & Drive. You Lose. National Crackdown, launched in December 1999, is a comprehensive impaired driving prevention effort focused on conducting highly visible criminal justice-related efforts to deter impaired driving. For more information about the campaign, visit www.StopImpaireddriving.org. Top
Customs and Border Protection Plans Voluntary Test Program for Electronic FTZ Submissions, Trucking to be Affected Next
On August 19 the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced plans to conduct a voluntary test program to allow the submission of electronic Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) admission applications. Pursuant to the terms of the test, an application for FTZ admission (CBP Form 214--``FTZ Admission and/or Status Designation'') may be filed electronically with CBP via the Automated Broker Interface (ABI). Parties not participating in the test may continue to file the CBP Form 214 in a paper format pursuant to existing FTZ procedures. The test program is limited to electronic FTZ admission applications for merchandise reported to CBP via air, sea, and rail manifest. CBP intends to implement a future phase of this test that will allow electronic FTZ admission applications for merchandise reported to CBP via truck manifest as soon as a CBP-approved electronic data interchange system exists for these transmissions. The full Federal Register notice is available, HTML and PDF.
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President Bush Acknowledges NTDAW
President Bush has written a letter to congratulate truck drivers and fleets during National Truck Driver Appreciation Week.
"Across America , professional truck drivers keep our country moving and support our citizens as they conduct business," Bush wrote. "Our nation relies on the men and women of our transportation industry to sustain critical networks of commerce and advance our economy.
"I applaud professional truck drivers and their motor carrier employers for your hard work and dedication to promoting high standards of safety," the president continued. "Your commitment to excellence increases efficiency and production across our nation and advances American prosperity. Your efforts also reflect the values that make our country strong."
National Truck Driver Appreciation Week was observed Aug. 21-27. During the week, the nation's motor carriers, state trucking associations and trucking industry manufacturers and suppliers honored drivers in various ways -- million-mile and safety awards, cash bonuses or gifts, an extra paid day off, a cup of coffee, even a simple windshield cleaning.
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FMCSA Issues Hours of Service Rules, TCA Works to Clarify Changes
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) last week released the Hours of Service rules for commercial truck drivers. The maximum driving times (11 hrs.), on duty times (14 hrs.) and mandatory rest periods (10 hrs.), including the 34-hour restart provision have been retained. The two major changes are with respect to the use of sleeper-berths and the application of the rules to local drivers.
The new rules will require drivers who use sleeper-berths to rest for eight consecutive hours and will no longer permit the use of shorter rest periods that were allowed under the previous rules. CMV drivers using the sleeper berth provision must take at least 8 consecutive hours in the sleeper berth, plus 2 consecutive hours either in the sleeper berth, off duty, or any combination of the two.
The new rule allows short-haul operators not required to hold a commercial drivers license such as delivery drivers who work within a 150-mile radius of their starting point to extend their work day twice a week. Short-haul drivers may drive a maximum of 11 hours after coming on duty following 10 or more consecutive hours off duty. They are not required to keep records-of-duty status and they may not drive after the 14 th hour after coming on duty 5 days a week or after the 16 th hour after coming on duty 2 days a week.
Click here to view a comparison chart of the old and new Hours of Service rules compiled by Dave Osiecki of ATA.
The new rules go into effect on October 1, 2005. The entire final rule can be viewed by clicking here.
For further information you may go to the FMCSA website and if you are in need of assistance with respect to any aspect of the new rules you may contact TCA at 703-838-1950. Top
FMCSA Requests Information on New Commercial Vehicle Safety Inspection Concepts
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issued a request for information [FMCSA-2005-22097] to invite comments, suggestions and creative ideas on new operational concepts that will improve commercial vehicle safety inspections through more thorough performance-based inspections.
Commercial vehicle roadside safety inspections represent one of the most effective tools for monitoring and regulating the condition of the in-use commercial vehicle fleet, as well as for auditing and enforcing driver and operational-related safety practices, including hours of service, proper driver credentialing, and other safety aspects of commercial vehicle equipment and operations.
Statistics show there are 8 million trucks and buses that travel 208 billion miles on our nation's highways each year, and commercial vehicle miles traveled are forecasted to grow approximately 2 percent annually. In addition, truck traffic will increase approximately 25 percent over the next 10 years. Therefore, FMCSA is attempting to develop feasible operational concepts for partially or fully automating the commercial vehicle inspection process, which would be consistent with their Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 initiative.
Comments should be identified by the FMCSA Docket Number 2005-22097 and should be sent on or before October 17, 2005. For further information contact Jeff Loftus, FMCSA, 202-3825-2363 or jeff.loftus@fmcsa.dot.gov or to click here to review the RFI.
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ATA: CRASH preparing attack on trucking
According to the American Trucking Associations the CRASH Foundation is preparing for another attack on trucking's improving safety record. The safety organization has issued a request for accident information that will likely be used to misrepresent the role of fatigue in car-truck-related accidents.
CRASH will likely ignore data from the American Transportation Research Institute indicating that motor carriers operating under the current Hours of Service rule in 2004 posted lower recordable accident rates and lower injury rates per million miles. The data showed recordable accidents per million miles fell to 0.68 in 2004 from 0.71 a year earlier. The total injury rate, meanwhile, declined to 0.94 injuries per million miles from 1.07 injuries per million miles in 2003.
ATA stated that CRASH has not asked for verification of fault in truck accidents.
“They are probably not interested as research by FMCSA and the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety continues to show that up to 75 percent of fatal car-truck accidents are not caused by trucks, but rather are initiated by non-commercial motor vehicle drivers.”
“Though the actual existence of CRASH as a reputable group is dubious, as its message and personnel closely match that of other regular truck-bashing groups, ATA members should consider the mainstream news media's tendencies to report unverified and sensationalized charges ahead of highway safety facts, and be prepared to respond if asked by local news media,” ATA stated. “Reliable, documented information on truck safety is available on Truckline.com in the Parade magazine truck package.”
The following is the text of CRASH's request for information:
“Thank you for your help and support in advancing truck safety these past few weeks. Although we were successful in keeping anti-truck safety provisions out of the recently passed transportation bill, the fight is not over yet. In fact, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the trucking industry are looking for other bills moving through Congress to attach amendments to accomplish their goal of codifying the flawed hours of service (HOS) rule unanimously overturned the U.S Court of Appeals.
In the coming weeks there will be many more attempts to enact increased HOS related amendments into law and we need to be prepared. To aid our effort, we are asking for your help in documenting fatigue related truck crashes. This will greatly assist us by clearly showing members of Congress and the media the negative safety impacts of longer driving hours on truck drivers and the motoring public. We would like each one of you to share your story about a loved one or friend who died or was injured in a fatigue-related truck crash. These stories will be documented and compiled in a book to share with key House and Senate members and the media to show the devastating personal impact and loss we suffer as a result of truck driver fatigue. We have attached a form that you can fill out and we appreciate your assistance with this project in our battle for safer highways.”
“It also may be necessary to hold a press conference in September to bring national attention to the efforts by FMCSA and the trucking industry to roll back safety by attempting to enact these amendments in other legislation. Let us know if you would be willing to participate, if needed, in a press conference. We would also like to inform you of the 2005 Sorrow to Strength Conference. This conference is specifically designed for families and friends of those who have died or been injured in trucking accidents. It will take place October 15th-18th at the Hyatt Hotel Arlington.” Top
Creating Urgency in Your Recruiting Department
Creating a sense of urgency in your recruiting department is crucial to the recruiting process. Without it, the quality and quantity of drivers hired will suffer.
Here are a few “lack of urgency” indicators:
- Recruiters visiting with others while calls go to voice mail
- Recruiters want to mail applications rather than take phone applications
- No active follow-up with potential drivers
- A stack of applications on a recruiter's desk waiting for the driver to call back
- Recruiter is often unavailable due to other responsibilities
In order to create urgency some companies implement a low salary base for recruiters with a bonus program based on hires, others set minimum weekly quotas.
This article will outline two totally free tools you can use to enhance recruiter productivity through a sense of urgency:
Technique 1: Every morning conduct a five-minute stand-up meeting with your recruiters. In this meeting each recruiter should report how many drivers they have on the list for next weeks class, how many are confirmed and how many more are possible. Then, you should share with them how many empty trucks you have, how many will be filled by orientation and based on the numbers, how many total drivers the department is working on for next week.
This gives the recruiters a clear focus on the operational numbers and their progress toward improving them.
Recruiters want to know the numbers and want to know what is going on in the company. Numerous companies have implemented this process and in every case it motivated the recruiters and increased department productivity. Conversely, some motivated departments have ceased to conduct the meeting and the result was increased empty trucks and the need for increased advertising.
Technique 2: Place a white board in the recruiting department whereupon the recruiters list the name of every driver they are working on under the date the driver wants to be in orientation.
Red McLaughlin, Vice President of Sharkey Transportation in Quincy , IL implemented this technique within his recruiting department. This coupled with recruiting techniques training has resulted in increased department productivity. Sharkey Transportation has 750 trucks.
Prior to the training and the white board Sharkeys' recruiting department would hire eight drivers on a good week. Now they are averaging eight drivers every week. Red testifies that the white board has created excitement as the list grows and recruiters work very hard not to erase names. Furthermore, it has improved accountability that has resulted in his recruiters making the most out of every lead they receive.
By Kelly Anderson, President of Impact Transportation Solutions, Inc. He can be reached at 888-429-3445 or kelly@impacttrans.com.
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