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As the country begins to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans are eager to return to regular travel—but an increase in traffic also means increased danger on U.S. roads.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is urging motorists to stay alert and drive safely as traffic begins to spike to pre-pandemic levels. Here are a few of the guidelines and best practices the FMCSA suggests to help keep the roads safe.…

Continue Reading As Travel Resumes, the FMCSA Urges Drivers to Stay Safe

Pilot program, proposed legislation may open long-haul trucking to drivers 18 to 20. Safety groups cite data concerns.

The leading cause of death among fifteen to twenty-year-olds is motor vehicle crashes. It’s the fodder of Hollywood storylines and parental worries. The stereotype of a distracted teenage driver is deeply entrenched in our culture – and the federal government is considering opening long-haul trucking to drivers as young as eighteen.…

Continue Reading Federal Regulators Consider Dropping Long-Haul Trucking Age Requirement to 18

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.…

Continue Reading Training Delays for Entry-Level Truck Drivers Poses Risks

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.
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Continue Reading California’s Meal and Rest Break Rules

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

On August 21, 2018, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA) announced that it has commenced a rulemaking process that is aimed at reforming specific areas of the current hours-of-service regulation. The hours-of-service (HOS) regulation was enacted to limit the total operating hours a commercial truck driver works on duty. The FMCSA will be examining four areas of the existing regulation. Once decided, the new rules, will be published as an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.
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Continue Reading Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Announces Potential Reform of Hours of Service Regulations

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.
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Continue Reading Agriculture Industry Truckers Granted Second 90-Day ELD Reprieve

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A USA Today Network investigation revealed that some port trucking companies have used legal loopholes, shell companies, and bankruptcies to escape judgments by labor court judges. The ongoing investigation reveals that some port trucking companies serving top retailers use such tactics to take advantage of drivers.

The investigation examined California labor commissioner and court cases filed by more than 1,100 port truck drivers. Of the almost 60 companies found to have violated the law, at least 12 have avoided the judgments against them by shifting assets into new business names. Some delayed paying and filed for bankruptcy protection or pressured drivers to accept settlements.…

Continue Reading Truck Companies Use Shell Companies and Bankruptcy to Dodge Judgments

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has withdrawn a proposed rule revising its method for determining the safety fitness of motor carriers. The notice of proposed rulemaking, issued on Jan. 21, 2016, set forth a new methodology for evaluating whether a motor carrier is not fit to operate commercial motor vehicles. The new methodology would have determined when a motor carrier is not fit to operate commercial motor vehicles in or affecting interstate commerce based on the carrier’s on-road safety data; an investigation; or a combination of on-road safety data and investigation information.

FMCSA’s proposal sought to replace its current three safety fitness ratings — “satisfactory,” “conditional,” and “unsatisfactory” — with just one rating, “unfit.” However, that idea was challenged by some industry groups, including the National School Transportation Association (NSTA). The NSTA stated that the current safety fitness rating system aligns well with the safety culture within the school transportation industry. NSTA raised concerns that the proposed new system would leave a safe carrier unrated, offering limited guidance on the safety record of the carrier and causing potential confusion among carriers, law enforcement, and the public.…

Continue Reading FMCSA Withdraws Proposal on Safety Fitness Determination

The Obama administration today is proposing training standards for entry-level commercial truck and bus operators, as mandated by Congress as part of MAP-21.

In a statement, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx called it a “major step towards ensuring that commercial vehicle drivers receive the necessary training required to safely operate a large truck or motorcoach.”

Specifically,…