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High-Volume International Roadcheck Scheduled for May

March 1, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

automobile mechanic checking truck in the garage, selective focus

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has scheduled its International Roadcheck for 2020–a high-visibility event.

International Roadcheck is the world’s largest targeted commercial motor vehicle requirement enforcement program, with 17 trucks and buses inspected every single minute throughout North America during its annual 3-day period.

On January 27th, the group announced that its 72-hour, re-vamped roadcheck will take place between May 5th and 7th. During that period, commercial motor vehicle inspectors throughout the country will inspect CMVs and their drivers, with an emphasis on driver requirements.

Every year, the roadcheck chooses a particular focus of violation–this year’s is the driver requirements category of a roadside inspection. In 2019, the FMCSA found that 944,794 driver violations occurred out of 3.36 million total inspections. 195,545 of those were out-of-service conditions.

“With last year’s federal electronic logging device full-compliance mandate in the U.S., the Alliance decided that this year’s International Roadcheck would be the perfect opportunity to revisit all aspects of roadside inspection driver requirements,” said Sgt. John Sarnis of the Delaware State Police, CVSA’s president.

Some common violations found last year included: failure to show proof of medical qualifications, lack of insurance and vehicle registration, detected drug or alcohol use, failure to wear a seat belt, and showing a false record-of-duty status.

During a roadcheck, inspectors typically conduct the North American Standard Level I Inspection. This procedure includes 37 different steps with two main categories: an examination of driver operating requirements, and an examination of vehicle mechanical fitness. Hazardous materials and dangerous goods is a third category that could also be included in the inspection.

Inspectors may also decide to conduct Level II Walk-Around Driver/Vehicle Inspections, Level III Driver/Credential/Administrative Inspections, or Level V Vehicle-Only Inspections, depending on weather conditions or available resources.

To begin an inspection, an inspector will interview and prepare the driver, collect his or her documents, identify the motor carrier, verify the driver’s license or commercial driver’s license, check record of duty status, and review periodic inspections reports. Additionally, the inspector may check the Medical Examiner’s Certificate, Skill Performance Evaluation Certificate, and the driver’s daily vehicle inspection report.

Drivers will be checked for:

-Seat belt usage

-Illness

-Fatigue

-Apparent alcohol possession or impairment

-Apparent drug possession or impairment

Vehicles will be inspected for the proper use of:

-Brake systems

-Cargo security

-Coupling devices

-Driveline/driveshaft components

-Driver’s seat

-Exhaust systems

-Frames

-Fuel Systems

-Lighting Devices

-Steering mechanisms

-Suspensions

-Tires

-Van and open-top trailer bodies

-Wheels

-Rims and hubs

-Windshield wipers

For buses, passenger vans, passenger-carrying vehicles, and motorcoaches, other items under inspection include:

-Emergency exits

-Electrical cables and systems in engine/battery compartments

-Temporary seating

-Aisle seating

If there are no critical violations found in a Level I or Level V inspection, the vehicle will receive a CVSA decal. However, if a required impact guard is inspected during one of these efforts and violations are discovered, a CVSA decal will not be issued and an inspector may render the vehicle out of service.

If the driver and/or vehicle meets the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria, the vehicle will not be able to be operated until the violation(s) are corrected.

International Roadchecks previously occurred throughout the first week of June. The event was moved up by one month this year, as the weather will likely be more favorable in many areas, according to the CVSA.

“Announcing the dates of the International Roadcheck has always been a deliberate, thoughtful, and purposeful decision by the Alliance,” said Sgt. Samis. By announcing the dates in advance, we hope to remind motor carriers of the importance of proactive vehicle maintenance and remind drivers to be prepared for inspections and to always conduct pre= and post-trip inspections. We want every vehicle and driver inspected during this initiative to pass inspection with no violations.”

Samis said the CVSA is aware some drivers may try to find loopholes. “We’re aware that some drivers opt to stay off roadways during the three days of International Roadcheck,” he explained. “Although there is certainly an increase in the number of inspections conducted during International Roadcheck, it’s important to remember that inspections are conducted every day of the year. Inspectors will be inspecting commercial motor vehicles the day before International Road check starts, the day after it ends, as well as any other day of the year.”

As Technology Advances, Disruptions Could be Detrimental for Fleets

February 29, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Digital Truck. The concept of digital technology in the delivery industry. 3D Illustration

After last year’s GPS rollover on April 6th, the extent to which many carriers lean on technology became evident. The GPS update event, which takes place around every 20 years, brought to light the trucking industry’s possibility of experiencing widespread tech malfunctions–and the large problems those can easily cause for businesses.

The update connects to the system’s 10-digit format. Once it runs out of 10 binary digits, it must undergo a large-scale update.

“We don’t hear many questions from fleets that we work with on the concern of a network-wide outage,” said Deryk Powell, president of Velociti. “The GPS rollover event heightened the awareness of that for some fleets–it’s absolutely a concern.”

Smaller tech interruptions can be just as disruptive.

“Systems go down occasionally,” said founder of C.J. Driscoll & Associations, Clem Driscoll. “A particular telematics provider may have its servers go down. It doesn’t happen often..but it does happen from time to time. That can be an issue.”

Geotab commercial vehicle solutions vice president Scott Sutarik agrees. He said technology progression is vital in regards to safety improvement, even at the risk of systems going down. This is true, he explained, across all tech use–from electronic logging device compliance, safety camera systems, and radio frequency identification to fuel tax reporting, cargo sensors, and electronic door locks.

These updates will only continue across all technology, said Greentree Advisors LLC founder Ken Davis. As we see more manufacturers entering the industry with electric or hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles, he believes that 25 percent of the global vehicle market will be electric by 2030–a trend we will see among commercial vehicles as Class 5 to 6 vehicles lean toward electric operation as well.

“Trucking does depend on GPS a lot, but it is generally a very reliable system,” said Driscoll. “The U.S. military depends on it. It’s used for all kinds of commercial and government applications. There can be problems, but they are not very common.”

Supporters of electric commercial vehicles note that current trucks with internal combustion engines cost 30% more than those electrically powered. There are, however, worries around charging infrastructure development and grid capability, as electric vehicle demand is pushed forward by regulation and subsidies.

Although this tech brings innovative benefits to the industry, Powell also explained that disruptions to service can impact the bottom line of a carrier, thus negatively affecting its business overall.

“When you’re talking about drivers having to revert back to paper logs [in the event of a disruption], as an example, it’s a real issue for the industry,” he said “There is a mandate around the repair of ELDs. You have eight days to get a broken ELD repaired. That’s a real issue for fleets.” He also explained that many drivers–especially those new to the industry–could possibly have zero paper log experience.

It would, however, be much easier for truckers to revert temporarily to logging manually than it would be for smaller fleets using TMS systems to have to fall back on manual processes, noted McLeod Software marketing vice president Mark Cubine.

“Those examples are good wake-up calls for the vulnerability of technology,” he said. “Fortunately, in the case of driver’s logs, there is a paper paradigm that an individual driver could go back to.”

Currently, asset managers include mobility providers, said Davis. As services move toward digital reliance, mobility services take the place of financing, maintenance, storage, parking, and ownership. Availability is extremely vital with this mobility, he explained.

“I think the danger is more–in terms of losing functionality of ELDs and fleet management–it’s more [about] individual systems that could have hardware or software failures,” said Driscoll. “I think it’s more in the area of specific devices and specific solutions.”

The way to best combat these large-scale issues? Researching while investing in new carrier technology, said Sutarik.

“Companies that do not share a similar focus on engineering and continuous innovation, and instead accumulate legacy IT debt by focusing their efforts on keeping old and outdated systems working, are made more vulnerable to threats such as downtime,” he explained.

The potential for progress and success will always outweigh the risks, though. Industry professionals like Davis reiterate that staying up-to-date as new technologies grow in development is the best way to stay ahead of important opportunities as they arise throughout the industry.

TMC Meeting Focuses on Industry Tech, Advancing Careers

February 28, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

“If you’re all about technical stuff, we’re the place to be,” said Executive Director of American Trucking Associations’ Technology & Maintenance Council, Robert Braswell.

TMC is currently taking place at the Georgia World Congress Center, an annual meeting in Atlanta for trucking industry professionals focusing on technology and equipment to gather, tackle current industry issues, and find ways to work together toward improvement.

“This event is one of the few times that key industry decision makers and technology providers come together to review the latest developments in truck technology–including safety, fuel efficiency, and more,” said Braswell. “It is an event that ATA and TMC’s members should take pride in.”

The TMC website explains the meeting and transportation exhibition as “home to trucking’s leading fleet professionals, vehicle manufacturers, and component suppliers.” It says the conference will include the industry’s most innovative sessions that are “planned by fleets, for fleets,” and that it covers all aspects of maintenance and design for trucking vehicles.

“Now in our seventh decade, TMC continues to promote professionals and develop technical standards for the trucking industry,” said Altec Industries’ fleet optimization manager, Kenneth Calhoun. “The annual meeting and exhibition is a critical part of these efforts. Being able to see the technology in practice on the exhibit hall floor and to discuss and learn about the latest advances in truck technology in our myriad of task forces and educational sessions.”

TMC’S theme is “Advancing Careers in Maintenance Management,” which will aim at addressing the largest maintenance issues across the industry. It will bring together almost 5,000 representatives from across the board–manufacturers, suppliers, government officials and more. Among the service providers present will include some of the largest corporations in the industry, such as Wabco Holdings Inc., CIE Manufacturing, Eaton Corp., Dana Inc., and Mack Trucks.

The exhibit began with around 350 exhibitors on its first day, and will continue hosting displays of innovative technology progression, equipment, and maintenance methods.

“In terms of fleet-driven, member-driven, [and] best practices-driven organizations, that’s what we do,” said Braswell.

The electrical study group will discuss its battery tech while the engine study group will dive into diesel fuel issues. There are also sessions focusing on in-cab systems, wheel maintenance, and trailer repairs.

According to Braswell, these study groups are permanent committees that research and analyze current issues, while task forces are more transient and work to solve certain problems more quickly and then disperse.

One major issue the conference is tackling is that of a shortage of technicians. Currently, the demand for diesel technicians is likely to hit 25,655 by 2021, according to TMC and TechForce Foundation’s research.

During the conference, a three-session track dedicated to career development and management will cover time management for supervisors, causes of waste within fleet maintenance, and company communication skills.

According to Calhoun, the career development session will work to support new careers for employees entering the trucking industry while simultaneously allowing current employees to find help in “building their [benches].”

“I would encourage those members that are coming to look around to say, ‘Where are those individuals in my organization that have shown that spark and that initiative?’ And, ‘How do I get them here to take advantage of professional development opportunities?’” said Calhoun.

In addition, the council has a program dubbed “Leaders of Tomorrow” for fleet maintenance professionals gaining traction in the industry who are in their early 40s or younger, or who have at least five years’ experience.

The Be Pro Be Proud initiative will also take precedence–an effort that works to introduce students to careers in the industry through various presentation methods, including virtual- and augmented-reality technology.

This program has its own trailer equipped with interactive demonstrations, such as how to work with a diesel technician and how to maintain utility poles, and will have locomotive and excavator simulations.

“That’s very rewarding when you can share a vision like that and it actually produces something tangible,” said Calhoun. “As I look at the ability to produce something like [the simulations], where we can begin to engage young people while they’re still in middle and high school to think about the opportunities that are out there, [and] that will be around hopefully long after I’m gone–that’s a big deal.”

Automated Trucks Gain Higher Expectations than Self-Driving Cars

February 28, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

It seems self-driving trucks have taken over the spotlight–as was the case at CES 2020 in Las Vegas last month.

While earlier, idealistic visions of automated passenger cars have excited the industry, manufacturers and technology startups made it clear at the January conference that automated commercial vehicles were indeed the next wave of futuristic transport. 

For example, Paccar Inc. and Plus.ai showcased new tech they believe will become widely used throughout trucking in the coming years. A sensor-heavy and Level 4 automated driving-equipped truck took the stage–a commercial vehicle that can drive itself without need of a human driver in certain conditions.

Kenworth Truck Co., the brand operating under Paccar Inc., debuted this proof-of-concept truck quietly, because the company is currently working on learning as much as it can regarding automated truck driving expectations.

“We have a pretty good plan, and it’s going to take a lot of validation work once we get it to the point where it can run hands-off and we’re confident of it,” said Kenworth research and development director, Brian Lindgren. “Doing all of the validation work is going to be a couple of years to prove in different situations that you can’t always foresee when you’re designing it.”

The new conventional body T680 does not appear to the naked eye to be terribly different than its original design; however, the traditional exterior mirrors are equipped with light-detecting and ranging units (LiDar)–an important upgrade.  The truck’s global navigation satellite system gives high location accuracy–within a centimeter, to be exact–when using its inertial measurement unit in combination with a LiDar point on a high-definition map.

For the interior hardware, five computers host feedback control logic and record up to 1 terabyte of data for every hour of driving.

“We’re using this as a test bed to try out different sensors and LiDar,” said Lindgren. Three different LiDars come from two suppliers. Three radars, along with six cameras, sense surrounding road conditions and then feed fusion algorithms to track objects.

Additional modifications include a torque overlay system of redundant steering, a new high-capacity alternator, an electronically controlled air-braking system, and rear seats (instead of sleeper berths) for engineers on ride-alongs.

ZF Group, Ryder System, and Locomation also weighed in on the future of automated trucks, and many industry members view automated commercial vehicles to be more rewarding than self-driving passenger cars overall.

“At ZF, we believe that systems for Level 4 or fully automated driving and upwards right now only make sense for commercial vehicles and people-movers,” said Wolf-Henning Scheider, CEO of the company. 

ZF will focus on using Level 2 systems for passenger cars–meaning drivers are always involved. The cost of the necessary technology for widespread individual use of automated cars would make it less than sensible right now, Scheider explained.

A return on investment is much more likely for commercial transportation businesses in their use of Level 4 systems, however. Scheider said automated commercial trucks would work well in areas like logistics centers and harbors in the near future.

“First, we have to start with systems that only run on premises,” he said, “which would already reduce the number of hours that drivers are needed significantly.”

For now, highly automated trucks will still need safety drivers present during on-road operations, especially with the confusion currently surrounding legality aspects–including how such a vehicle could comply with law enforcement.

“[A] very simple question: How does a police car stop a fully autonomous truck?” asked Scheider. “But, we are working on it.”

Regardless, the day before the conference, ZF announced its plans to provide a fully autonomous commercial vehicle for an anonymous customer by 2025.

“There is a lot of development that is happening in the automotive industry overall that is accelerating some of this,” said Kenworth’s Lindgren in response. “Not of all it is really built for heavy trucks. It doesn’t have the kind of longevity and durability that we need.”

Still, Lindgren believes it is possible for autonomous trucks to enter mainstream operations by 2025–in both terminal and on-road environments.

“We’re pursuing both so they could come together at the same time,” he explained. 

In addition, Paccar’s general manager, Stephan Olsen, believes professional truck drivers will continue to be enormously important to the industry, regardless of the promise of autonomous vehicles.

We’re not in the business of taking drivers out of the truck,” he said. “We’re in the business of taking technology and applying it to make drivers’ jobs more comfortable, safer, and more efficient.”

10 Years Later, CSA Has Yet to Improve Trucking Safety

February 27, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration implemented its Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program in December of 2010. Its purpose was to be a method of measuring safety and regulation compliance on the road, with a goal decreasing truck-involved accidents.

The program allows commercial vehicle owner-operators to view their safety efforts because it is based upon a scoring system, which trucking professionals can view.

Scores are made by analyzing an owner-operator’s safety events and then categorizing them into Behavioral Analysis and Safety Improvements Categories (BASICs). There are seven BASICs of safety: Unsafe Driving, Crash Indicator, Hours-of-Service Compliance, Vehicle Maintenance, Controlled Substances/Alcohol, Hazardous Materials Compliance, and Driver Fitness.

After being placed into a category, an event is given a weighted score based on when it occurred and its severity. FMCSA’s Safety Management System (SMS) receives this data on a monthly basis.

If owner-operators have a score of 65 or above, they will receive a warning letter from the Motor Carrier Early Intervention protocol, which allows them to correct issues before law enforcement must intervene. The lower the score, the better an owner-operator’s overall safety is considered.

Presently, CSA is made of three components: the Safety Measurement System, interventions, and a Safety Fitness Determination Rating System.

So, 10 years later, is the system still beneficial? Currently, there are concerns about its ability to reduce fatal commercial vehicle-involved crashes.

“Despite the best of intentions, CSA has not moved the crash reduction needle in the right direction,” said Dave Osiecki, Scopelitis Transportation Consulting president. “Is it time for FMCSA to consider a new and different approach to CSA, and perhaps more generally?”

Scopelitis recently presented FMCSA’s latest data, showing that the rate of truck-involved fatal crashes per 100 million miles traveled actually grew from 1.14 in 2010 to 1.42 in 2017. The rate of truck-involved injuries per 100 million miles traveled within the same period has also risen from 19.5 to 34.4.

“When I looked at [the data], it’s pretty clear that CSA hasn’t met [its] objective,” said Osiecki.

Although 2018 and 2019’s results have yet to be released, it is clear they won’t be an improvement from years past. Because of this, Jim Mullen, Acting Administrator of FMCSA, said he is urging the agency to focus on reversing a four-year increase in the number of truck-involved fatalities.

However, the data may not be so easily comparable from year to year. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety research director, Shaun Kildare, said the trucking industry was hit by the recession in 2009 and had low numbers of miles traveled, and that between 2016 and 2017, the way FMCSA collected data changed drastically.

“What CSA can do is limited by the amount of enforcement and touches by the agency and the industry,” he explained. “There are about 560,000 carriers that FMCSA regulates. Of that total, in reality, they may only audit and touch as many as, let’s say, 50,000 carriers.”

Additionally, Steve Bryan, SambaSafety Transportation executive vice president and general manager, said there have been further changes for truckers, especially with the usage of new technology and the changes to Hours-of-Service rules. “The environment that truckers operate in–the distractions from cell phones and the fatigue–is extraordinarily worse than it was 10 or 12 years ago.”

Currently, FMCSA is working toward implementing an improved manner of evaluating CSA with a technique called Item Response Theory, a method currently used to evaluate programs in the health and airline industries.

IRT uses data to score highway and roadside inspection violations, and FMCSA said it will know by September 2020 whether or not the method is applicable to CSA.

“I believe the IRT model does a much better job of identifying those motor carriers that have a high crash rate,” Bryan explained, as he has previously run models using IRT. “I wish they’d implement the darn thing.”

American Trucking Associations vice president, Dan Horvath, is less than assured that the methodology will end up helping the industry.

“Truck crashes have gone up,” he said. “But, I don’t believe that an improved CSA program will be the single solution to reducing truck crashes. I certainly believe that an improved program can be part of the broader picture to reduce crash risk.”

ATA Endorses New Senate Bill Allowing Interstate Drivers Under 21

February 25, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

During a February Senate hearing, a new bill allowing commercial drivers below the age of 21 to drive trucks between states was met with a huge endorsement.

Chris Spear, President of American Trucking Associations, gave the legislation his enthusiastic approval. The bill, sponsored by Republican Senator Todd Young of Indiana, would reduce the age requirement for interstate commercial driving from 21 to 18.

“It’s really not about age,” he said at the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee hearing. “It’s about training.” He explained the measure would also help the industry improve its overall truck driver shortage. “This is a step toward safety.”

If the bill is passed, it would also bring new criteria for training. One requirement would include at least 400 hours of on-duty time and 240 hours of driving time with an experienced operator. The trucks operated during these training sessions would need to be equipped with active braking systems, forward-facing video recorders, and speed governors capping speeds at 65 mph.

The DRIVE Safe Act was filed in both the Senate by Senators Todd Young (R-Indiana) and Jon Tester (D-Montana), and the House by Representatives Trey Hollingsworth (R-Indiana) and Henry Cuellar (D-Texas). The act works to fight the issue of driver shortages, and specifies that an apprentice driver would need to complete 120 hours of on-duty time, and that at least 80 hours of that must be in a commercial vehicle. 

In addition, an employer would need to deem an apprentice competent in every type of traffic, safety awareness, lane control, speed and space management, right and left turns, mirror scanning, and complying with Hours-of-Service regulations.

The ATA has been a strong supporter of the legislation and has argued that it would help the industry bring in a new pool of prospective drivers. Currently, federal law prohibits truckers under 21 from crossing state lines, although 48 states allow drivers of at least 18 years to operate Class 8 trucks within their states.

“This bill reinforces a culture of safety far and above current standards to provide the next generation of drivers with the critical skills they need to operate a truck safely on our nation’s highways,” said International Foodservice Distributor Association president, Mark Allen.

Spear argued that for drivers at age 18 to be allowed to drive long distances intrastate made it plausible to allow them to move interstate. He also explained that it makes little sense to allow military personnel between the ages of 18 and 21 to operate heavy machinery and then disallow them to truck from state to state.

“How are we willing to allow 18-year-olds to go off and do that, but we can’t teach them how to cross state lines in a Class 9 [truck]? This bill is responsible. It’s safety-minded. It’s the right thing to do,” Spear said. He continued to emphasize the bill’s outline of drivers’ training requirements.

Although bill sponsors and the ATA both brought up the new safety requisites, it seems their biggest concern is the long-reported shortage of truck drivers.

“We have this substantial driver shortage in this country,” said Young. “And, progressively this threatens the long-term economic stability of our country. We want to maintain this longest period of economic expansion in American history.”

Dawn King of the Truck Safety Coalition questioned the legislation and its main focus of solving the shortage, claiming safety didn’t seem to be a real concern.

“There is ample research showing that teen drivers have significantly higher crash rates and are much less safe than older drivers,” she said. “There is absolutely no evidence that introducing teen drivers will in any way improve safety.”

Additionally, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, Lewie Pugh, brought up the widely-believed claim that “there is no driver shortage.”

The ATA currently claims that the industry short 61,000 truck drivers, and must hire 1.1 million more within the next decade to meet industry demand. Spear also brought up the ATA’s support of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s proposed relaxation of hours-of-service rules, saying “New flexibilities should be based on sound evidence and sufficient data to ensure safety.”

There has also been strong pushback against hours-of-service regulation changes, with opposers explaining the dangers of allowing truckers to have more freedom during mandatory rest times and longer periods of driving, as fatigue is a major factor in a many fatal truck crashes.

“In Illinois, you can’t even drive a car without restrictions until you turn 18,” commented Jay Stefani, “but we’re supposed to believe those same teenaged drivers are suddenly experienced and competent enough to operate an 80,000-pound tractor-trailer at highway speeds? Driver shortfalls are certainly an issue, but perhaps the ATA should consider increasing interest by supporting higher wages for interstate truckers.”

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