Enhancements to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability public Safety Measurement System website have gone live.
The agency said the design changes are intended to provide more intuitive navigation, and user-friendly features and descriptions to clarify SMS’s role as FMCSA’s prioritization tool for interventions. They also will consolidate agency safety information so users do not have to go to multiple sites, and provide improved access to detailed information and new performance-monitoring tools.
SMS uses data collected from roadside inspections, state-reported crashes and investigations to quantify the relative safety performance of motor carriers. The agency uses the data to prioritize high-risk motor carriers, allocate its investigative resources and identify motor carriers for other actions such as a warning letter.
In April, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler put forth a proposal that would allow Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to allow “fast lane” privileges for those content providers who are willing to pay for it. ISPs have been pushing for these changes for a long time. Consumer groups are largely against these changes. As a compromise, the FCC has allowed limited consumer protections.
For example, an ISP may demand that a video or audio streaming company pay more for a bigger internet pipe. The FCC proposal prohibits these charges from being passed directly to consumers. Nothing prohibits ISPs from indirectly passing these charges on.
One side of the argument says that providers and ISPs should be able to work out any pricing deal they wish. The other side of the argument states that the same rules that apply to telephones and wireless providers. I believe that equal access among all providers is essential to commercial services (such as ELDs and telematics services). Even some of the larger internet firms such as Google and Facebook have come out against this proposal.
In an Aug. 5 speech, President Obama stated:
“One of the issues around net neutrality is whether you are creating different rates or charges for different content providers. That’s the big controversy here. So you have big, wealthy media companies who might be willing to pay more and also charge more for spectrum, more bandwidth on the Internet, so they can stream movies faster. I personally, the position of my administration, as well as a lot of the companies here, is that you don’t want to start getting a differentiation in how accessible the Internet is to different users. You want to leave it open so the next Google and the next Facebook can succeed.”
What can you do? The FCC is taking comments until September 15. You can file a comment or contact the FCC from here.
Need to learn more? We recommend:
Save the Internet Blog
Woody Leonhard’s article: Net Neutrality: What it Is, Why You Should Care
A Neutral Guide to Net Neutrality by Stephanie Cret.
Tom Risen – US News and World Report.
Edward Wyatt – New York Times.
Brian Fung – Washington Post.
With all of the press surrounding the new Electronic Logging Device (ELD) rule – it’s easy to forget that electronic logs have been around since October of 1988. The rules that apply to paperless, electronic recording of commercial drivers Hours of Service are found in 395.15. Until the new rule is published in the Federal Register – we’re all under 395.15. Once published, there is a 2 year grace period for non-AOBRD users, 4 year grace period for AOBRD users.
The AOBRD regulations will be here for at least a couple more years. AOBRDs (Automatic Onboard Recording Devices) is the name given to any device that currently produces compliant, paperless, electronic logs.
If your fleet is equipped with compliant AOBRDs, here are the rules:
1. Drivers do NOT need to provide a hardcopy of their logs – although they may voluntarily do so.
2. If an officer deems it necessary – he/she can require additional information via fax, email, or similar means within 48 hours of the roadside inspection.
A compliant AOBRD has requirements for the information displayed, but not the format in which it is displayed.
The FMCSA has issued guidance here.
Arlington, VA – The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI), the trucking industry’s not-for-profit research organization, today launched the 2014 Top Industry Issues Survey. The annual survey, commissioned by the American Trucking Associations (ATA), asks trucking industry stakeholders to rank the top issues of concern for the industry along with appropriate strategies for addressing each issue. The survey is in its 10th year and participation by trucking stakeholders has grown each year.
“In complex times like this it is critical that we do our part to help ensure a thriving future for the trucking industry,” said ATA Chairman Phil Byrd, Sr., President & CEO of Bulldog Hiway Express. “With your participation, we can speak with a collective industry voice on what’s most important to us.” The results of the 2014 survey will be released at the ATA Annual Management Conference and Exhibition, to be held October 4-8, 2014 in San Diego.
Industry stakeholders are encouraged to complete the survey here.
ATRI is the trucking industry’s 501(c)(3) not-for-profit research organization. It is engaged in critical research relating to freight transportation’s essential role in maintaining a safe, secure and efficient transportation system.
Together with the National Star Route Mail Contractors Association, we are seeking an exemption to some provisions of the Hours of Service regulations for transporting mail under contract with the United States Postal Service. The goal; to allow a single driver to complete both halves of a postal split shift operation.
We need your help, and we are conducting a survey of USPS HCR contractors.
If you are an NSRMCA member – you may participate here.
If you are not an NSRMCA member, but have 1 or more Highway Contract Route (HCR) with the USPS, you may contact Joel Beal here.
We propose that all drivers hauling US Mail under contract to the United States Postal Service be eligible for an exemption from 49 CFR §395.3(a)(2) of the hours of service regulations. We propose that a driver may not drive a US Mail-carrying commercial motor vehicle more than 10 hours following 8 consecutive hours off duty; nor drive after having been on duty 15 hours following 8 consecutive hours off duty.
To qualify for this exemption, a driver must have a rest opportunity. The NSRMCA proposes that this include a sleeper berth as defined in 49 CFR §395.2 and 383.76, or nearby rest facilities that would include a driver’s residence or commercial lodging facility.
