Beyond Compliance – Four ways to help create a safer work environment for your drivers

One of the most challenging workplaces is one we all interact with every day – the public streets. More and more companies are looking for ways to create a safer work environment for their employees that drive a company vehicle. Even though no one can control everything that happens on the road, here are four ways companies can take a proactive approach to workplace safety for their drivers.

Infographic: Four Best Practices for Internal DOT File Audits

Be ready for the next random Compliance and Safety Review from DOT with an internal audit process.

Click on the button below to see our latest infographic with four easy steps to creating your own internal audit process.

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Final US ELD Mandate Key Dates Published

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published the Electronic Logging Devices and Hours of Service Supporting Documents Final Rule with the effective date of February 16, 2016.

When the rule was announced on December 10, 2016, FMCSA said carriers and drivers would have two years from the effective date to comply.  In the final ELD rule the compliance date is December 18, 2017.  So technically, the compliance window is two years from December 18, 2015.

It is important to note that petitions for reconsideration can be submitted until January 15, 2016.

Final Electronic Logging Device Rule in the US is Now a Reality

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced on December 10, 2015 that the electronic logging device (ELD) regulation for hours of service (HOS) and record of duty status (RODS) is final.

The ELD Rule covers the following four key areas:

1. Mandates ELDs for drivers currently using RODS and a two-year adoption period;
2. New supporting document requirements for carriers and drivers to comply with HOS regulations;
3. Procedures and provisions to protect drivers from harassment resulting from ELD information; and
4. Technology specifications for ELD performance and design requirements to ensure manufacturers are able to produce compliant devices and systems.

FMCSA Updates ELD and HOS Proposed Final Rule Date

On February 27, 2015 the FMCSA released a supplement to their February 2015 monthly report. The report included a clerical correction to the ELD and HOS supporting documents proposed final rule publication date.

The projected date for the final rule has been moved from November 9, 2015 to September 30, 2015.

Two Paperwork Must Dos To Comply with Canada Transportation Dangerous Goods Act

On December 31, 2014, the Canada Gazette published the latest amendments to the Canada Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) Act.   According to Volume 148, No. 27, Amendment 26, 3.5 Information on a Shipping Document will be changed to standardize the order of information when completing the description of the dangerous good.

Spring Weight Restrictions Canadian Provinces and Territories

The spring road weight restrictions for Canadian provinces and territories can be found at the links below.

Do you agree with the FMCSA Published 34-Hour Reset Field Study?

The recently published 34-hour reset field study on the FMCSA website.  The press release highlights their key conclusions based on a sample of 106 drivers (44 local, 26 regional, and 36 over-the-road).
Scientific inferences being promoted as conclusions from the study include:

• Less fatigue, 
• Deviated from their lane less, and
• Fewer accidents and injuries.

While the study is interesting, the sample size is quite small and controlled, representing less that 0.001% of the registered commercial vehicles in the U.S.  Additionally, the  conclusions are more inference than fact based.  As we read through the 52-page study, the language became less definitive and more opinion than fact.

We feel that broader and more independent studies need to be conducted that are not sponsored by the FMCSA as a public relations strategy to validate the claims used to promote the 34-hour reset rule decision.

Canadian Provinces and Territories 2013 Spring Weight Restrictions

As we are well into spring in North America, SOAR Solutions would like to make available the following links for spring road weight restrictions information in the Canadian provinces and territories.

Three Tips to Successfully Integrate Canadian Customs eManifest (ACI) into Your Operations

This blog entry discusses a topic relevant to our trucking customers; the benefits of an early adoption of the Canadian Customs eManifest also known as Advanced Commercial Information (ACI). Although the ACI program extends beyond just Canada and U.S. truck shipments, we will focus on that aspect for this blog entry.