Regulations & Laws – Blog Archive

CLD, CLP Waivers Granted for Drivers

roberts on May 15, 2020

Category: News, Regulations & Laws

Keeping the supply chain moving in the midst of a pandemic has been a significant challenge for businesses. With local and regional travel restrictions, essential supplies in short supply, and backups and decreased availability of freight capacity, the trucking industry is stretching for ways to keep goods moving.

“The volume of goods that are being transported, particularly to grocery stores right now is unfathomable, its 2-3 times the Christmas rush, Black Friday type volume,” said Tom Crawford, President and CEO of the Missouri Trucking Association.

Drug and Alcohol Testing Requirements for Carriers Modified in Face of COVID-19 Pandemic

roberts on April 21, 2020

Category: Regulations & Laws, Safety, Trucking Accidents

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a tidal wave of regulatory changes in the trucking industry that are intended to help carriers meet the demands of the supply chain amidst increasing public health restraints.

One responsibility carriers have is to ensure their drivers stay in compliance with the Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requirements. These requirements cover everything from licensing to health screening to vehicle maintenance. But what do drivers and carriers do when they are unable to meet these requirements because the necessary service providers are closed or unable to book appointments?

FMCSA Lifts Hours-Of-Service Requirements to Aid Essential Goods Delivery

roberts on March 27, 2020

Category: News, Regulations & Laws, Safety

Across the country, Americans are feeling the effects of scarcity as anxious buyers snatch up large quantities of household essentials like toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and dry goods. This has caused rising concern not just among consumers, but also among pharmacies and medical providers who are struggling to keep up with the very real and serious needs of the critically ill.

To alleviate the pressure of empty shelves and supply cabinets, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a national emergency declaration on March 13 to help ensure that supplies are delivered quickly so stores and clinics can be restocked.

Training Delays for Entry-Level Truck Drivers Poses Risks

roberts on February 21, 2020

Category: Legal Developments, Regulations & Laws, Safety, Trucking Accidents

Although it had planned to institute universal training standards for entry-level truck drivers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced that it will be delaying the training requirements for two years.

The Entry-Level Driver Training (ELDT) guidelines were intended to take effect on February 7, 2020, but the compliance date has been pushed back to February 7, 2022. According to the FMCSA, the delay will help establish important IT infrastructure that will act as a registry of compliant programs. However, the delay will also result in a continuance of under-trained entry-level truck drivers on the road, creating risk for travelers.

California’s Meal and Rest Break Rules

roberts on December 3, 2018

Category: Legal Developments, News, Regulations & Laws

The trucking industry, through the American Trucking Association (ATA), submitted a petition to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), requesting a determination that the state of California’s meal and rest break rules are pre-empted by federal law. In response, 19 Democratic members of the House of Representatives and the Senate have “strongly” urged the DOT to deny said petition.

American Association for Justice Sends FMCSA Comments in Response to Hours of Service Proposed Rule

roberts on November 6, 2018

Category: Regulations & Laws, Safety, Trucking Accidents

The American Association for Justice (AAJ) has submitted comments in response to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) advance notice of proposed rulemaking for hours-of-service (HOS) for commercial truck drivers. The rulemaking process was first announced at the end of August 2018, when the FMCSA declared that they would be reviewing the existing HOS regulations which limit the total operating hours a commercial truck driver works on duty.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Slow to Make Changes as Deadly Truck Crashes Increase

roberts on October 17, 2018

Category: Legal Developments, Regulations & Laws, Safety, Trucking Accidents

According to the U.S. federal government statistics, over 4,300 people have been killed in crashes involving tractor-trailers and other large trucks in 2016, which is a 28 percent increase over 2009. Fatal truck crashes are growing at almost three times the rate of deadly crashes overall in the U.S. For years, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has supported life-saving legislation that would require all heavy trucks to be equipped with crash-avoidance technology.

Agriculture Industry Truckers Granted Second 90-Day ELD Reprieve

sstark on March 29, 2018

Category: Legal Developments, Regulations & Laws

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) passed a new rule which requires truckers to install an electronic logging device (ELD) to record the number of hours they are on or off the road. These ELDs must be installed by April 1, 2018. Ahead of this deadline, the FMSCA granted agricultural truckers a second 90-day extension on ELD compliance.

Trucking Industry Calls On Federal Government to Clarify Automated Truck Rules

roberts on December 4, 2017

Category: Regulations & Laws, Trucking Accidents

Due in part to concerns about potential implementation of conflicting state rules governing automated and connected trucks, the American Trucking Association (ATA) recently endorsed its first comprehensive policy on automated trucks and related emerging technologies. The ATA’s new policy discusses safety, the respective roles of the federal and state governments, uniformity across state lines, infrastructure, and education.

Truck Drivers’ Drug Arrests Often Overlooked

roberts on November 27, 2017

Category: Regulations & Laws, Trucking Accidents

Trucking companies are not always notified when a driver is arrested for drugs.

For example, recently, a truck driver was arrested after police found him unconscious in his rig. He admitted that he had used heroin. Because he was not in the cab with the keys in the ignition, he was not charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Although he was charged with disorderly conduct while intoxicated, the trucking company that employed him was not informed of the charge, nor was the state that issued his commercial driver’s license.

Ten days later, he renewed his CDL. A couple of weeks after that, he jackknifed his rig, after overdosing on heroin. Emergency workers used naloxone to revive him.

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