driver safety

Trucker Training Faces the New Realities of the Pandemic

January 8, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Trucking operations across the country have had to adapt their protocol and day-to-day business practices to the realities brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. These changes included everything from technology use to sanitation routines, but some major changes that have come about are those regarding new driver orientation and training methods.

“We’ve done quite a few things,” said Roadmaster Drivers School president, Brad Ball. “We stopped training on the weekends and enhanced our cleaning efforts. We started handing out protective gear to the students. We’re requiring masks on campus and 6-foot distancing.”

The biggest difference, Ball said, is the change in driving student numbers allowed at a time.

“We reduced the number of students we have in school because of social distancing, and we actually took out chairs and computers so the students are sitting 6 feet apart. All of our schools across the country have a lower maximum number of students in the classroom.”

Additionally, at Roadmaster, students now must be informed of all potential coronavirus risks during any training process. Informative signs have been posted throughout training facilities, and an additional class has been added that is dedicated specifically to a trucker’s coronavirus risks while on the job.

“The first thing that we did was we met with our physician and outlined a questionnaire to make sure that anybody we were bringing in did not have an extra risk in contracting COVID,” said Prime Inc. manager of driver recruiting, Travis Bacon. “We required everyone to pass that questionnaire.”

Springfield, Missouri-based Prime Inc. has been keeping students as separated as possible with more options of class times, and has implemented virtual training classes–something not often considered in the world of new truck driver training and onboarding processes.

“We also started going to a virtual orientation,” said Bacon. “Basically, we were having them complete their interview virtually, [and] all the classes that they are able to do virtually.”

C.R. England’s vice president of driver recruiting and schools, Wayne Cederholm, agreed that the virtual aspects of the new reality of training have been a major shift within the industry, and that there are some hefty limits to remote truck driver training in general.

“It has been the most unique challenge I have faced in my career, personally, when it comes to training truck drivers, and even recruiting them,” Cederholm explained. “[Out of] a couple of big changes that we have made, one is that we do have a remote orientation. We provide masks to every single employee, driver, [and] applicant that comes through our facility. We have spread out how many people can go on a truck at any given time. We have completely reduced our rations.”

In terms of new driver training technology, Schneider National unveiled its completely-remote driver orientation program in September, which will work to help incoming truckers social distance and still receive proper orientation and onboarding experiences.

“The remote course that is covered in hotel conference rooms is the same curriculum that is being presented at Schneider training academies,” said Schenider’s vice president of safety, driver training, and compliance, Tom DiSalvi. “It’s just being broadcasted remotely to allow for even greater social distancing.”

DiSalvi also explained that remote orientation has the capacity to be provided to the same number–or to even more–students than would regularly be training in a traditional in-person class, and all orientations are conducted from designated hotels located close to Schneider training facilities.

“Very little change was required, other than [that] all of our students are now issued Chromebooks,” said DiSalvi. “We have coordinated remote training classes for our office and shop associates in the past, but this is the first time we’ve done remote training for our driver associates.”

Not all trucking companies have fully embraced virtual orientation and training, yet, though, and understandably so, when truck driving is, of course, a career with duties that must be executed in-person.

“We have dabbled in [remote training], we’ve tested it, and we’re not there yet,” said Roadmaster’s Ball. “We’re not convinced virtual training is an efficient method of training people who are learning how to drive a truck. It’s a very hands-on thing that we’re teaching here, and we just found that being in the classroom is just the right way to teach this curriculum at this time.”

2020’s Safety Enforcement Event Brings 71,000 Warnings and Citations to Drivers

November 11, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

After last month’s Operation Safe Driver Week, rescheduled from earlier in the year due to the pandemic, inspectors, along with law enforcement, found at least 66,000 drivers operating with less-than-safe behavior across North American roadways.

The boosted enforcement event brought 71,000 warnings and citations issued to drivers between July 12th and 18th, and was Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s first safety enforcement campaign of 2020.

“Despite the challenges associated with the pandemic, 3,681 enforcement officers from 55 Canadian and U.S. jurisdictions interacting with 29,921 commercial motor vehicle drivers and 36,500 passenger vehicle drivers during this year’s special enforcement event,” said the CVSA.

The most common citations given to truckers specifically included: speeding and driving too fast for the conditions, failure to wear a seat belt while operating a commercial motor vehicle, failure to obey traffic control, texting or otherwise using a hand-held phone while driving, and improper lane change.

State and local driver violations were also given for certain observations made by officers during a traffic stop, like expired license plate tags, inoperative lamps, and mirror equipment violations.

In regard to speeding, which was the focus of this year’s efforts, inspectors gave 14,378 citations and 11,456 warnings to passenger vehicle drivers, and 2,339 citations and 3,423 warnings to commercial motor vehicle drivers. Therefore, 56.3% of all warnings and 50.2% of all citations given to commercial motor vehicle drivers were for speeding alone. This hyper-focused approach to speeding comes after 2017’s data showing one driver-related factor caused 32% of all large truck-related fatal crashes, and 54% of passenger vehicle-related fatal crashes.

The second-most identified traffic enforcement offense, failure to use a seat belt, accounted for 12.5% of all warnings and 21.4% of all citations. “Safety belt use remains one of the cheapest, easiest, and most important means to protect commercial motor vehicle drivers,” CVSA said. In 2017, 13% of big rig occupants in all fatal crashes failed to wear a safety belt, and 45% of those people were killed in the respective crash. Still, CVSA said overall seat belt use by CMV drivers continues to rise, with a record high of seat belt use rates for medium and heavy-duty trucks and buses found to be at 86%.

Thirdly, hand-held phone use made up 4.35% of all issued warnings and citations, and was the fourth-highest on the top violations list. “The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration restricts the use of all hand-held mobile devices by drivers of commercial motor vehicles,” CVSA noted. FMCSA has found that involvement in a crash or near-crash rises by six times as much for CMV drivers who use a hand-held mobile phone while driving as compared to those who don’t. “Penalties [of hand-held phone use] can be up to $2,750 for drivers and $11,000 for employers who allow or require drivers to use a hand-held communications device while driving,” CVSA said.

Additionally, even though CMV drivers are completely prohibited from using any hand-held communications device while operating their vehicles, it was the fourth-ranked citation for the truckers with 269 overall citations, while only ranking 12th for passenger vehicle drivers, with 58 citations.

According to CVSA, passenger vehicle drivers were cited for speeding more than six times as much as CMV drivers, and were given three times as many warnings and citations as CMV drivers for all infractions.

Because this safety enforcement effort took place in the midst of a national pandemic, CVSA found that nearly 700 fewer interactions occurred between law enforcement and CMV drivers than during the safety enforcement operation of 2019. Last year, officers issued more than 17,000 citations for speeding across North American highways, and 92% of those citations were given to passenger vehicle drivers alone. Officers also interacted with 30,619 drivers in July of 2019, and 29,921 this year.

“When commercial motor vehicles and passenger vehicles collide, no matter who was at fault, the results can be catastrophic, especially for the smaller and lighter passenger vehicle,” said John Samis, Delaware State Police sergeant and CVSA President. “Preventing crashes from happening requires every driver–commercial and personal–to be aware of how to safely share the road with other types of vehicles.”

Pilot Program Aims to Bring 18- to 20-Year-Old Drivers to Interstate Commerce

November 4, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced its intent to allow young drivers between the ages of 18 and 20 to operate commercial motor vehicles through a new pilot program.

As of early September, FMCSA will push for drivers in this age group with commercial driver licenses to be able to operate CMVs in interstate commerce efforts. Those drivers would, however, be subject to a 120-hour probationary period and 280-hour apprenticeship period.

Eligible drivers also include those of 19 or 20 years of age who have operated commercial motor vehicles within intrastate commerce for at least one year over 25,000 miles.

“The study group drivers would not be allowed to operate vehicles hauling passengers, hazardous materials, or special configuration vehicles,” FMCSA clarified in its announcement.

Study group participants will have their vehicles set up to include driver-assisting technology, such as speed limiters set at 65 miles per hour, active braking collision-mitigation systems, and forward-facing video capture capabilities.

“This action will allow the agency to carefully examine the safety, feasibility, and possible economic benefits of allowing 18- to 20-year-old drivers to operate in interstate commerce,” said Wiley Deck, Deputy Administrator for FMCSA. “Safety is always FMCSA’s top priority, so we encourage drivers, motor carriers, and interested citizens to review this proposed new pilot program and share their thoughts and opinions.”

This particular program aligns with the efforts of the DRIVE Safe Act, which worked to allow younger truckers to enter interstate commerce. American Trucking Associations and other industry groups have backed the legislation, which is also currently sponsored by 144 congresspeople and 34 senators.

“This is a significant step toward improving safety on our nation’s roads, setting a standard for these drivers that is well beyond what 49 states currently require,” said ATA President Chris Spear. “This is an amazing block of talent with unlimited potential.”

These 49 states allow CDL holders in this young age group to operate CMVs within state borders, and the new proposed pilot follows the 2018 announcement of the Military Commercial Driver Pilot Program, which would allow 18- to 20-year-old drivers with a military background to drive CMVs within interstate commerce. The pilot also comes after 2019’s notice by the Federal Register seeking public commentary regarding where and how a young driver pilot program could take place, including comments about training, limitations, operational requirements, insurance, research, and vehicle safety systems.

“As an industry, we need to find new ways to connect with potential new drivers,” said Randy Guillot, Chairman of ATA and president of Triple G Express and Southeastern Motor Freight. “By providing young people the opportunity to fully participate in the financially-rewarding and dynamic world of trucking, we will be in a better position to bring in a new generation of valuable talent to our industry.”

This month’s notice also requests public comment for a period of 60 days, and also approaches the 1,118 comments from 2019’s notice, which includes a nearly 50/50 split between those favoring and opposing the pilot program. More than 95 organizations and 1,000 total people commented.

Of these, 750 commenters submitted personal opinions, while the remaining pushed for a program focusing on shorthaul drivers instead. Those opposing the program included organizations such as Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways, Governors Highway Safety Association, Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, Parents Against Tired Truckers, Trucking Alliance, and other private carriers and citizens.

Supporters of the program include ATA, Commercial Vehicle Training Association, DriverReach, National Propane Gas Association, National Interstate Insurance, National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools, National Retail Federation, and Towing and Recovery Association of America.

The announcement for this pilot program comes as the country has long-faced a driver shortage, which worsened with the high demand brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Although the program’s supporters promise a focus on highway safety for these young drivers, it is difficult to ignore the fact that the trucking world just wants more drivers entering the industry, regardless of age or experience. Does allowing truckers still in their teen years to begin operating in interstate commerce bring more safety to trucking as a whole, or does it just allow more trucks to hit the road?

FMCSA Requests Survey Permission for Exemplary Trucking Safety Methods

October 15, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

This month, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced its intent to study technologies and policies across the trucking industry in an effort to reward carriers exceeding safety guidelines. Regulators are currently seeking approval from the White House to begin this survey, in which they will choose a number of carrier operational managers overseeing companies that are going above and beyond safety requirements and that are boosting regulations regarding driver fitness.

2015’s FAST Act implemented a “Beyond Compliance program,” which works to recognize motor carriers surpassing safety regulations by giving them boosted scores within the Safety Measurement System, and is the inspiration for these surveys.

FMCSA originally released a notification in 2016 meant to meet the 18-month post-FAST Act congressional deadline, which consisted of program restructuring ideas. The agency published an additional request earlier this year, saying the primary notice was an effort to create public knowledge around the program itself.

The original notification urged for a widespread recognition mechanism for choosing to install innovative safety technology, including boosted driver fitness programs and improved safety-management tools for fleets, through the Compliance, Safety, and Accountability program.

“After a review of the comments received and conducting a small-scale study, it was determined additional information was needed to ascertain the best approach moving forward,” said an FMCSA official. “For that step, the agency is required to conduct an information collection request resulting in the additional Federal Register notices.”

In 2016, FMCSA stated that its Beyond Compliance program would let motor carriers sign up for the program once measures were initiated, even before enrollment was mandated. Now, the recent announcement requests survey-conducting permission from the Office of Management and Budget.

“The study does not attempt to conduct a full survey of the motor carrier population,” said FMCSA. “Instead, it relies on expert opinion from carriers that are objectively determined to exhibit safe operations that exceed industry averages as indicated by driver out-of-service rates, vehicle out-of-service rates, and crash rates. To identify these carriers, the study will utilize existing data from the Motor Carrier Management Information System database.”

FMCSA’s plan will require online surveys to be done by around 112 participating carrier operational managers and 113 non-participating managers. Through these answers, the agency believes it will be able to better understand just how influential modern safety technologies and programs have been for the highest-performing carriers.

“Only those carriers that perform near the top quartile across all three categories are potential participants,” said the agency. The categories being examined are those mentioned above: DOT-reportable crash rates, driver out-of-service rates at roadside inspections, and vehicle out-of-service rates at roadside inspections.

Those chosen will give their answers through an electronic survey platform, and results will later be studied to see which safety program and policy aspects are most prevalent among all participants.

“The resulting information would reveal the elements of safety programs that these motor carriers are using and their achieved results, and what these motor carriers believe to be the most effective for achieving safety and [what] should be included in a Beyond Compliance program,” said FMCSA.

American Trucking Associations has also shown its support regarding new manners of recognizing those in the trucking industry that often choose to implement safety-improving technology and programs. Additionally, the National Association of Small Trucking Companies and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association are invited to take part in the survey by surveying their own manners for collection of secondary data.

“This would enable greater participation by smaller carriers and owner-operators, and would also enable a wider perspective of responses,” FMCSA explained.

All responses collected and analyzed will be part of the overall pilot study findings report, and the agency said analytical and descriptive analyzation methods will be part of the study. All results will be implemented into a formal report overseen by FMCSA itself.

The full report will also become available to the public via FMCSA’s website. The contents of the findings will be used in the final report the agency will need to send to Congress.

FMCSA Pushes for More Driver-Assist Tech, AAA Says it is Still Unsafe

October 10, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Earlier this month, the most-discussed topic at the day-long Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration safety summit was the implementation of driver-assist technology throughout the trucking industry. Experts have been considering these innovations as being prevalent ways to decrease the number of truck-involved crashes.

“Nothing contributes greater to highway safety than the person behind the wheel,” said J.B. Hunt Transport senior vice president of safety, security, and driver personnel, Greer Woodruff. “But, I have seen drivers that have years of safe driving have a momentary lapse for a circumstance that unfolds, and this [technology] has saved them. They have been very thankful to have had these systems on their vehicles.”

Woodruff also noted that driver-assist systems are able to help carriers navigate the “increasing headwinds” of modern challenges, including everything from distracted driving to traffic congestion to the growing number of vehicle miles typically traveled.

Currently, FMCSA is suggesting voluntary use of these systems by fleets and independent owner-operators. This technology includes adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning systems, forward collision warning systems, and forward-facing camera systems.

Integration of these technologies has now reached around 45-50% of the market, according to Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems vice president of engineering and R&D, Richard Beyer.

“These systems help the driver to reduce the stress and improve the safety,” he explained. “But it’s still based on good, solid driving practices [and] drivers staying alert and being part of the solution.”

However, two tests by AAA over the last two years have shown that partially-automated driving systems do not always work as expected, and the company has recommended that vehicle manufacturers limit the use of this technology.

AAA researchers tested the systems of five different manufacturers over a distance of 4,000 miles, and cited an issue every eight miles, on average.

“AAA has repeatedly found that active driving assistance systems do not perform consistently, especially in real-world scenarios,” said AAA’s director of automotive engineering, Greg Brannon. “Automakers need to work toward more dependable technology, including improving lane-keeping assistance.”

The majority of problems encountered by researchers involved systems meant to keep vehicles in their respective lanes; however, testing showed that many vehicles failed to detect simulated broken-down cars in their path of travel. According to the study, the test vehicles hit the out-of-commission vehicles around two-thirds of the time, traveling at an average speed of 25 miles per hour.

This recent second round of testing showed little difference from similar testing by AAA of four other vehicles in 2018. Additionally, the systems that combine braking, steering, and acceleration control continued to stop working altogether without much notice to the driver.

“When we’re talking about advanced driver-assistance systems, it really is going back to the capabilities of the driver,” said Daimler Trucks North America executive manager of advanced safety systems and autonomous driving, Ritchie Huang. “What we’re building is just supplementary to them.”

Chris Spear, President of American Trucking Associations, said the main priority for ATA is highway safety, and suggested that regulators should work toward creating an environment in which these kinds of technological innovations can explore their potential.

“I think you’ve got to stick with innovation, because it’s, quite frankly, moving 10 times faster than the government,” said Spear. “Just get out of the way. Let innovation take care of it.”

Still, AAA’s Brannon said the most recent testing on automated driving systems within personal vehicles show that systems have not been improving drastically, even though they are being implemented into mainstream models more often.

He also explained that those who first purchased the systems were typically early technology adopters, but now, more and more less tech-savvy people are operating these kinds of vehicles.

“People are really less familiar and less likely to really engage in understanding how the systems work,” Brannon said. “They just assume they do work. That could be a really dangerous assumption.”

Additionally, people easily begin to rely too heavily on the technology when frequently operating vehicles that have it in place, and Brannon said this is extremely dangerous when the systems fail in any way. AAA also explained that during real-road tests, all systems had difficulties ensuring that the vehicles remained in their lanes, and often caused the car to move too close to guardrails and other vehicles.

The issues with this current technology could, in fact, delay the adoption of entirely-autonomous vehicles, Brannon noted, because now, drivers who have operated a vehicle with the technology in place may have trouble trusting them.

New International Roadcheck Dates Set For September 9th-11th

October 5, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Like many events previously scheduled to take place this year, 2020’s International Roadcheck was postponed and rescheduled. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance announced this month that the event, originally scheduled to take place in March, is now set for September 9th through the 11th.

“Although the coronavirus pandemic understandably shifted priorities and personnel during the spring, the commercial motor vehicle law enforcement community has reasserted its focus on the roadside inspection program and enforcement duties,” said Sgt. John Samis, President of CVSA. “Jurisdictions are nearly back to their pre-pandemic capacity with a strengthened concentration on identifying and removing unfit vehicles and drivers from our roadways using federal safety standards and the out-of-service criteria.”

The International Roadcheck has occurred right on schedule every year for the past 32 years, so the decision to postpone was “thoroughly and thoughtfully discussed,” Samis explained.

“This experience is unprecedented in our modern society, and we need to do all that we can to help stop the spread of this global pandemic,” he said at the time of postponement.

2020’s Roadcheck will be a 72-hour, boosted effort focusing on the category of driver requirements. CVSA-certified inspectors across North America will conduct visibility inspection and enforcement efforts including motor vehicle and driver inspections at weigh-in stops or inspection stations, which may be part of roving mobile patrols or specific fixed locations.

Throughout the three-day event, commercial motor vehicles will be thoroughly checked for federal regulation compliance, and law enforcement personnel will inspect for any item violations with the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria.

“As we urgently respond to this time-sensitive crisis, we must remain diligent and committed to ensuring that the commercial motor vehicles and drivers providing essential goods and services to our communities are following motor carrier safety regulations,” said Samis. “Safety doesn’t take a break. It is always our top priority.”

Inspectors will collect and verify a driver’s documents during the driver portion of the inspection. They will be careful to accurately identify the motor carrier, check records-of-duty status, examine the driver’s license, and check periodic inspection reports. If needed, the inspector will also check the Medical Examiner’s Certificate, the driver’s daily vehicle inspection report, and the Skill Performance Evaluation Certificate.

Drivers will also be checked for illness, fatigue, proper seat belt usage, and any drug or alcohol possession or impairment.

Any commercial motor vehicle drivers operating without all necessary credentials, driving while ill, fatigued, or otherwise impaired, in violation of any hours-of-service rules, or under the influence of or possessing any drugs or alcohol could be placed out of service.

When placed into an out-of-service status by an inspector, the vehicle will become restricted from any travel until all violations are corrected.

The inspection portion for vehicles include thorough checks of: brake systems, cargo security, coupling devices, drive-line components, drive-shaft components, presence of the driver’s seat, exhaust systems, frames, fuel systems, lighting devices, steering mechanisms, suspensions, tires, van and open-top trailer bodies, wheels, rims, hubs, and windshield wipers.

All American commercial motor vehicle inspections are an effort to check for compliance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Canadian standards are based on many provincial and territorial mandates along with the National Safety Code, and Mexican commercial motor vehicles are checked for compliance with Normas Oficiales Mexicanas standards.

Inspectors will typically perform the North American Standard Level I Inspection during an International Roadcheck. This inspection consists of 37 steps within two main categories, along with a driver operating requirements and vehicle mechanical fitness examination. Hazardous materials and dangerous goods may also be a third category component of a Level I Inspection, if needed.

CVSA’s International Roadcheck partners with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Transport Canada, and the Ministry of Communications and Transportation of Mexico.

The International Roadcheck gives particular emphasis to one specific category of violations each year. This year’s focus on driver requirements comes after FMCSA’s data from last year’s Roadcheck showed that out of approximately 3.36 million inspections, 952,938 driver violations were found, and 199,722 of those were out-of-service conditions.