Safety
Transportation businesses face a host of dynamic risk issues that can significantly impact their financial and operational health. The news in this category focuses on the latest safety and security initiatives, resources and regulations and addresses topics that include fleet safety, claims administration, driver hiring and retention, risk management and compliance.
FMCSA Grants Extension on Drug, Alcohol Clearinghouse Comments
The time period for commenting on the proposed rule for the national clearinghouse for driver drug and alcohol test results has been extended through May 21.
Daily Briefings from Transport Topics
Transport Topics has partnered with Spoken Layer to make one-minute daily briefings available on all your smart devices. Simply say “Alexa, play Transport Topics” or “Okay Google, talk to Transport Topics” to get the day’s biggest trucking headlines.
Editorial: Life-Saving Data
We have watched coverage of the April 10 deadly crash involving a truck and bus with a great deal of sadness. The personal stories of the young students killed have been nothing short of heartbreaking.
April 21, 2014PHMSA Seeks Comments on ATA Hazmat Petitions
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration is seeking comment on two separate American Trucking Associations’ federal preemption petitions claiming that regulatory requirements for hazardous materials hauling in Pittsburgh and New York City impose unfair burdens on hazmat carriers.
Md. Gov. O’Malley Signs ‘Jake’s Law,’ Boosting Penalty for Distracted Driving
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) signed into law a measure that increases the penalty for drivers who cause injury or death to others in a crash caused by distracted driving.
Mass. Trucking Co. Sentenced For Bribing FMCSA Inspector
A Massachusetts trucking company owner was sentenced to one year of probation and a fine of $1,000 for paying a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration safety inspector $1,000 to produce a false report.
NTSB Expects Preliminary Report on FedEx Calif. Crash in About a Month
The National Transportation Safety Board is assessing a series of questions surrounding last week’s crash of a FedEx Freight tractor-trailer and a bus in Northern California that killed 10 people and said it will have a preliminary report in about 30 days.
Execs Seek HOS Change During Capitol Hill Visit
WASHINGTON — Trucking executives from Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Ohio asked members of their congressional delegation here April 9 to help roll back provisions of a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rule that imposes limits on truckers’ work schedules.
April 14, 2014Trucking Bankruptcies Rise
Trucking fleet failures more than doubled in the first quarter from a year earlier as rising costs, regulatory burdens and inclement weather sank marginal fleets, a new report found.
April 14, 2014Opinion: Creating a Culture of Prevention
In trucking, safety means everything. Yet, when we talk about safety, our attention focuses on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program scores, historical accident data and compliance standards. These elements, while important, do little to improve safety in the here and now.
April 14, 2014Report Calls for Separate Emissions Rule for Heavy Trucks Powered by Natural Gas
Federal regulators should develop a separate standard for natural gas-powered vehicles when they finalize the second phase of the government’s emissions reduction and fuel-efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, according to a new report by the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences.
April 14, 2014