Trucking Industry

Trucking Companies Turn to Apps to Help Keep Employees Safe From COVID-19

January 9, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Modern technology has become a staple for trucking companies navigating the challenges of operating during the coronavirus pandemic–namely, software applications.

Specific apps have been helping employers and employees alike better understand the risks of COVID-19 that may occur while at work, and can also allow companies to track employee health, address fears around the virus, and help employers properly respond to a worker contracting the virus.

“While many communities across North America and the world are declaring a state of emergency and are mandating the closure of nonessential businesses, trucking logistics companies are continuing to deliver the goods that we rely on every single day,” said Geotab CEO, Neil Cawse.

Because truckers are still at the frontlines, coronavirus-focused trucking apps need to become readily available for workers across all trucking companies, especially apps with consistent updates on which areas are most affected.

“For instance, if the number of infected [people] has been going up in Charlotte, North Carolina, I might want to take a few extra precautions if I’m going there,” said trucker Todd McCann, who also noted that many truckers have been using word-of-mouth to share COVID-related updates within the industry.

“I work for an LTL company and we often have city drivers from all over the map drive our trucks while we are sleeping at the hotel,” he continued. “It would be extremely important to know if the driver who drove my truck that day showed symptoms of COVID-19.”

However, getting this kind of app usage to become widespread across trucking companies may be more difficult than one might think, McCann said.

“You’d be shocked [by] how many drivers out here are still rocking flip phones–seriously.”

Truck driver training firm CarriersEdge co-founder, Jane Jazrawy, agreed, also saying truckers must be able to stay in constant communication with their companies while on the road. Jazrawy believes the need for a workplace coronavirus management app is of the utmost importance right now.

“[Employees] need to be able to connect to someone at the office if they need help, and they need to know what resources they have if they have symptoms on the road or find themselves in a situation where there is potential exposure,” she explained.

To bring common usage of an app like this would require slow buy-ins and proper testing, though, Jazrawy said.

“The best way to make sure that any technology adoption is successful is through a pilot rollout,” she explained. “Choose a small group of drivers and ask them to be part of the test and ask them to use the system. Ask the drivers who you think will be the most resistant–if they are included in the decision process and they like it, it will be much easier to persuade others to adopt the technology. The pilot doesn’t have to take very long if you want to get started quickly.”

So far, bigger companies like Ryder System Inc. have been able to create their own custom company apps for purposes like these.

“Our approach has been to utilize our existing tools and data analytics capabilities, while augmenting with outside technology partners to solve for a particular use case,” said Ryder Supply Chain Solutions vice president of supply chain excellence, Gary Allen. “As an example, Ryder already has safety solutions–Internet of Things devices–to track personnel and material-handling equipment, and an analytics platform to monitor performance across our business. Our business analytics team built our own app to help with monitoring external hot spots, internal case status, attendance issues, and business interruptions across our Ryder network.”

Still, companies without the capacity for custom app creation can utilize already-made apps for protecting employees from the virus–some that only focus on workplace COVID contact tracing, and others with management solution tools to use during the pandemic. Some of these apps are (often free) software packages, and some are add-ons to other more extensive management packages.

For example, SafetyTek COVID-19 Workforce Health Analysis is a free, stand-alone tool with cloud-based software and the capacity to monitor at-work safety.

“We’re making this solution free because we strongly believe that every company should have access to all the tools available to ensure their team’s health and safety,” said Ryan Quiring, CEO of SafetyTek.

Employees can update their COVID status daily on the app, while companies can offer updated insight on work-from-home situations, human resources, and other safety information.

Kokomo24/7 COVID19Tracker is also free software that consists of a contact tracing tool allowing companies to track their employee’s health and to alert employees that may have recently been in contact with another worker who has contracted the virus. The software uses artificial intelligence to determine the probability of reported COVID cases that need “proactive intervention” from company officials or public health authorities.

Other apps include the stand-alone PwC Check-In and Apian Workforce Safety and Readiness, as well as add on modules like Ceridian Dayforce Employee Safety Monitoring and Pega COVID-19 Employee Safety and Business Continuity Tracker.

“Today, more than ever, it’s critical that employers prioritize employee wellness by engaging and caring for their people,” said Ceridian Chairman and CEO, David Ossip.

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.”

UPS Asks Again for Driver Instructor Requirement Exemption

January 6, 2021 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration originally denied UPS Inc.’s request for exemption from driver training requirements. These requirements mandate an instructor have at least two years’ training experience, and UPS is now asking for reconsideration of this request once again.

FMCSA turned down the major shipping company’s request for exemption on the basis that it hadn’t given sufficient data on how the exemption may affect driver and road safety. FMCSA also stated that UPS’ request failed to detail how the requested exemption would allow for safety levels that would be equal to or greater than those achievable by complying with the driver training rule as is.

UPS believes that its fleet–the largest in the country–needs this particular exemption so that it can continue its proper highway and public safety training for its drivers, claiming that it needs to be able to surpass current requirements, as it has been doing thus far.

In its second exemption request, UPS gave FMCSA the necessary new information mentioned in the agency’s original notice of denial, specifically noting that many UPS locations have seen large amounts of fast turnover with driver trainers.

“UPS stated that it has had to hire 100 candidates to attempt to net the 50 driver trainer positions necessary across the U.S.,” said FMCSA in its notice. “Of the 100 hired, UPS has been able to retain only 38 trainers for the reasons explained in the request for reconsideration.”

Additionally, UPS claimed in its original request that its driver training programs have successfully trained hundreds of instructors, even though many of them had not had any previous commercial driver’s license experience beforehand.

“UPS driver training school instructors have, on average, 20 years of UPS experience, hold a CDL of the same or higher class, and all the endorsements necessary to operate a CMV for which training is required,” said the Federal Register announcement from FMCSA. “Additionally, all UPS driver instructors are required to be re-certified every 90 days to demonstrate the same skill level shown for their original driver training school certification. UPS further performs internal quality assessments to validate that instructor skill sets are maintained throughout the organization.”

FMCSA accepted public comments regarding UPS’s secondary request for one month after it was published in the Federal Register at the end of September.

“UPS believes that its current process of preparing driver trainers exceeds any skill set gained merely by operating a tractor-trailer for two years,” said the carrier in a statement. “The company also believes that a two-year experience requirement doesn’t automatically equate to success as a commercial motor vehicle driver trainer.”

In its previous request, UPS saw 112 comments, with 58 in support, before FMCSA’s original decision. The rest of the comments were either in opposition or had no particular position, according to FMCSA.

The original exemption request also explained that the proposed flexibility was necessary in order for union contractual requirements to be met. Six current employees of UPS must have a promotion opportunity for each new hire that is on-boarded, according to the company’s collective bargaining agreement with the Teamsters union.

This request for reconsideration comes during a time when many safety-related regulations are in the midst of change, such as hours-of-service rules and commercial driver’s license obtainment requirements. Various driver and road safety advocacy groups have been fighting against these relaxed regulations, especially because they seem to be aiming to meet a desperate attempt to fill driver seats during a nationwide driver shortage and to keep drivers on the road longer when delivery demand is high.

These more flexible rules are sure to bring more inexperienced and fatigued drivers to America’s roadways for longer periods of time, and many safety-focused groups and organizations say this is detrimental to the country’s overall road safety. To loosen driver training instructor requirements for UPS, America’s largest delivery fleet, could possibly bring even more major safety concerns than we already have.

In regards to this case, “FMCSA will also continue to file, in the public docket, relevant information that becomes available after the comment closing data,” said the agency in the Federal Register. “Interested persons should continue to examine the public docket for new material.”

New Commercial Driver Panel Launched to Advise FMCSA

December 28, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

A new commercial driver panel has been implemented by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety administration as part of its Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee.

Members of MCSAC come from various safety enforcement groups, trucking companies, and labor organizations. The new panel, which was announced in mid-September, will work to advise leaders within FMCSA on safety topics and current issues surrounding things like driver training, parking challenges, and hours-of-service regulation changes.

The commercial driver panel will consist of up to 25 drivers within various industry sectors, including tractor-trailer operators, motorcoach drivers, hazardous material-haulers, and transporters of agricultural goods.

“Truck drivers and other commercial vehicle operators are American heroes who have stepped up during the current public health emergency to keep our economy moving,” said Elaine Chao, U.S. Transportation Secretary. “So, their input is essential to strengthening safety on the roads.”

FMCSA said that over the last few years, it has worked diligently to listen to the concerns and opinions of commercial truck drivers across the country and to implement those comments into further safety initiatives.

“The Department of Transportation and this Administration believe in listening to our drivers and hearing their concerns directly,” said Wiley Deck, FMCSA Deputy Administrator. “We know that many of the solutions to the challenges we face don’t come from Washington–they come from the hard-working men and women who are behind the wheel all over our nation. This new subcommittee to MCSAC will further help us hear from America’s commercial drivers.”

Longtime MCSAC member and vice president of Clark Freight Lines, inc., Danny Schnautz, explained that panelists come from a multitude of regions across the country and will hopefully bring a wider variety of perspectives to the discussions and ideas brought to light through MCSAC’s efforts. Schnautz said personal experiences and stories from drivers can unveil the realities that many drivers across the trucking industry face on a day-to-day basis.

Schnautz, who has 180 drivers operating CMVs within his company, said he works to communicate with his drivers each day and to hear their concerns–and that listening to these first-hand accounts of daily driver life is what helps him really understand the goings on of the industry as a whole.

“Some driver says, ‘One time, I was going through Florida…’ [and] whenever you realize that there’s thousands of those stories that say, ‘One time this happened…’ then, you can put together a pretty good pattern, and you can see what’s good and what’s bad in the way we’re regulating trucks,” Schnautz explained. “These are differences that don’t come out unless you’re talking to a driver, because management really can’t tell those stories.”

The experiences he hears about show Schnautz the kinds of worries drivers have that others throughout the industry may not be paying much attention to, such as parking availability, waiting times, hours-of-service regulations, and factors of FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety, and Accountability program. Then, Schnautz is able to bring these concerns straight to the panel.

Going straight to the source and into the trucking field is the best way for government officials to learn about what truckers really want for their jobs and livelihoods, Schnautz said. Government officials like Deck, who has been working as deputy administrator for only a couple of months, would be able to gain deeper insight into the realities of the industry by going on ride-alongs or visiting loading docks.

“Don’t discount what you can gain by investing that time to get out,” he said. “Really, we’ve got to prioritize that.”

Right now, the FMCSA is seeking nominations for MCSAC membership from those with particularly beneficial experience, training, and education regarding commercial motor vehicle issues and industry initiatives. A nominee needs to represent at least one of the four membership sectors, which include: safety advocacy, labor, industry, or safety enforcement.

Additionally, members of the committee will need to be able to attend at least two or three meetings each year, either in person or virtually. Nominations are due by November 30th and interested parties can find more information on applicant requirements and eligibility here.

Additionally, FMCSA said it will continue to host discussions and listening sessions with members of the motor carrier industry and the public in order to gain further insight and opinion in the priorities and efforts of the agency.

Levinson and Stefani Discuss Current Safety Issues Within Trucking Industry

December 26, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

Throughout 2020, as truck drivers’ responsibilities have become more vital (and focused upon) than ever, the need for major road and driver safety improvements has never been more important. This also comes at a time where trucking regulations have seen many changes–and pushback.

As the firm’s own Ken Levinson and Jay Stefani have seen first-hand the effects of current safety issues on America’s roadways, they decided to weigh in on what potential changes are needed for truckers right now–and what decisions they think are doing more harm than good.

“It seems like any time there’s a need for more deliveries and more drivers, especially during things like COVID, the trucking industry and trucking companies use that need as an opportunity to skirt safety,” explained Levinson. “Whether it’s hours of service or requirements of drivers and commercial drivers’ licenses–even letting younger drivers drive 80,000 pounds. We’re all for efficiency getting supplies, food, and necessary resources to people–but not at the expense of highway safety.”

This year, regulations regarding driver service hours have been made more flexible, as have age and training requirements for new drivers entering the industry.

“It seems like at every turn, whenever there’s an opportunity, the trucking industry does everything it can to maximize profits at the expense of public safety, and there’s just too much risking involved in the skirting of rules and regulations that are there to protect the public,” Levinson said.

These kinds of safety regulation relaxations have led to many more cases of crashes, injuries, and even deaths on the road, causing many safety advocacy groups to oppose these rule changes.

“Frankly, we see the devastating effects of a lack of driver training, lack of driver attentiveness, and lack of adherence to safety rules. We see it all the time, and it just leaves families devastated.”

Even before the coronavirus pandemic’s stay-at-home orders caused many Americans to have food and household items delivered more frequently, as well as many hospitals and clinics ordering more resources and personal protective equipment, there was already a major shortage of truck drivers across the country on top of issues surrounding driver retention rates–a shortage that tempted the industry to loosen CDL requirements and regulations.

“To me, one of the biggest issues out there is that the industry is talking a lot about how it needs more drivers, and that’s one of the reasons they’re pushing to lower the driving age for CDL holders,” said Stefani. “I think the issue is more about paying drivers a fairer wage. For a lot of the drivers, at first blush, it looks like they’re getting paid a decent amount. But more often than not, gas is coming out of their pockets–these trucks burn through a lot of gas–and drivers are paying for the lease on the truck.”

Often, experienced truckers get tired of this mistreatment, so they end up leaving the industry altogether–and now, trucking companies have become desperate to fill those spots.

“The industry is looking to add more drivers by turning toward younger, less-experienced, cheaper drivers,” Stefani explained. “They’re trying to add 18, 19, 20-year-olds. Not only are they younger, they’re less experienced driving cars, let alone driving these massive tractor-trailers that are sometimes hauling hazardous materials. It’s unfortunate that, oftentimes, the industry’s first turn is to cut safety tools and to cut regulations that are there to protect everyone on the roadway.”

The truckers Levinson and Stefani work with in their cases typically bring up the importance of driver experience–the number of miles and the number of years behind the wheel–which often plays a big role in trucking-involved accidents.

“Lack of driving experience is a major factor that often comes into play in what we see in our cases all the time,” said Stefani. “Oftentimes, these are less-experienced drivers, or they’re drivers that are being pushed beyond the limits of their hours of service. They’re driving tired–they’re exhausted. And a lot of that is because they’re getting pressured to stay on the road.”

This driver fatigue is a more prevalent problem than many people realize. In 2006, 13% of all truck crashes were associated with exhausted drivers. Relaxing hours-of-service regulations is clearly only going to worsen that issue, Stefani says.

“There’s a significant percentage of these crashes that we see out there that are caused by drivers that are tired, and that’s with the already-existing hours-of-service regulations,” Stefani explained. “Letting truck drivers drive when they’re even more tired is not the solution. Add more drivers. Spread out deliveries. There are some places that will do what’s called ‘tandem drivers’ or ‘co-drivers,’ so that there are split shifts within a truck. There are a lot of options out there other than forcing drivers to drive when they’re tired.”

Supporters of hours-of-service regulation flexibility argue that many drivers don’t want to be made to rest when they would rather be working–but Stefani said this is not what will come of this change.

“There’s no question that this isn’t going to be a situation where they let drivers drive more hours if they want to,” he said. “It’s absolutely going to be a situation where the truck companies and the shippers are telling them, ‘No, you’re now legally allowed to drive 12, 13, 14 hours a day, so we expect you to do that.’”

Is Trucking Technology Really Boosting Driver Safety? Levinson and Stefani Weigh In

December 26, 2020 by Levinson and Stefani Leave a Comment

As many carriers struggle with driver shortages during the surge in demand that arose from 2020’s events, hours-of-service and Commercial Driver’s License regulations are being loosened. Although some argue that the influx of innovative trucking technology, such as in-cab monitoring systems and various radar sensors, are making trucking safer than ever, Ken Levinson and Jay Stefani say it’s not going to be a big help for current trucking safety issues.

“Trucking companies are putting some of this technology in the trucks, but are they actually using it?” asked Stefani. “We had a case recently where all of a trucking company’s trucks had a device that was essentially like a black box tracking speed, acceleration, and deceleration. It notices if a truck driver is making a sudden stop–because typically, if you’re making a sudden stop, it means you’re not managing the space in front of you. You’re not paying attention, and you’re having to slam on the brakes. So, this trucking company did well to have this device in their trucks, and they knew that this particular truck driver had at least two sudden stop issues before the crash that we’re now dealing with. But the problem is, they didn’t do anything about it. There wasn’t any additional training.”

Stefani explained that there are many ways trucking companies can use the data recorded from this technology to improve driver performance–but too often, nothing is done.

“There wasn’t any disciplinary action taken, and they didn’t have anything to show that they actually sat down with this driver and said, ‘Hey, you had these two near-misses. Let’s walk through and work on how you can avoid these in the future.’ They didn’t do that, and one of our clients was rear ended by this truck driver who wasn’t paying attention and slammed on the brakes way too late.”

Still, Levinson wants to make it clear that the role of a personal injury lawyer isn’t to fight against all truckers–but to make sure drivers are able to stay as safe as possible and held accountable when they’re at the cause of a safety issue.

“We’re not anti-truck driver. We’re not an anti-truck company or transportation. We’re just anti-unsafe ones, if you will,” Levinson explained. “Certain companies have a culture of safety and they do a fine job. But we need to be diligent and make sure the safety rules aren’t so relaxed that it’s just too dangerous.”

Levinson explained that it appears the new flexibility of so many safety regulations is only the tip of the iceberg.

“A lot if the industry in general is just getting to that line–trying to move that marker–further and further away from what is really reasonably safe,” he said. “A lot of truckers and employees just don’t have the power to make sure it’s safe for them. They’re under a lot of pressure to drive a lot of hours and make deliveries on time. If the industry isn’t going to keep things safe, you have to have some governmental regulations and, unfortunately, lawyers that will hold them accountable when they cause harm. That’s what we do. Frankly, we represent a lot of truck drivers that were injured because fellow truck drivers were unsafe and caused a lot of danger.”

As innovative trucking technology progresses and improves, its potential is impressive–but anyone on the road should know that this technology, even automated vehicle technology, can’t replace the benefits of a driver being alert, rested, and attentive.

“The truck technology is excellent. It needs to be out there, it needs to be expanded, it needs to be put in every truck,” Stefani said. “But things like where we’re facing crash deterrent detectors or automatic braking blind spot detectors–that’s really a poor substitute for a tired and exhausted truck driver. Technology should be there, but that doesn’t mean that it’s then okay to let a sleepy truck driver stay behind the wheel.”

Levinson explained further that even companies that are using safety technology properly may still have no methods of proper training in place that would truly make a difference among their drivers’ on-road behavior.

“We have cases where we ask for documentation that shows the safety training and the safety policies companies have, and we currently have a significant injury case where the company said, ‘We don’t have any safety policies, internal safety handbooks, or training,’” said Levinson. “And so, the company’s office has been doing nothing on their own, and they need some guidance from elsewhere because they’re not taking the initiative. They’ve proven time and again that they’re not taking safety seriously enough, and so someone needs to make those decisions for them.”

According to Stefani, the biggest problem amongst trucking companies right now isn’t that they pay no attention to safety standards, but that they put the least amount of effort possible into keeping their truckers–and other drivers on the road–safe.

“It’s important to note that these federal and state regulations are minimum safety standards,” Stefani explained. “They’re the bare minimum that trucking companies have to abide by. There are a lot of companies out there that do a very good job of having additional rules for their drivers, and they do additional training and have additional support for those drivers, and those, unsurprisingly, tend to be the trucking companies that have lower rates of incidents. They tend to do a better job of protecting their drivers and protecting the general public. It’s not always an issue of these companies skirting or ignoring safety regulations, it’s them doing the bare minimum.”