The True Cost of Compliance
What are the true costs of regulatory compliance in today’s US trucking environment?
Six Steps to Thwart Cargo Theft
“Cargo theft hasn’t necessarily gotten worse lately, but there is more sophistication on the criminal side than 20 years ago when it was strictly a crime of opportunity,” says Eric Fuller, CEO of U.S. Xpress. But there is much motor carriers can do to help protect customers’ goods and their own assets and employees from heists.
Source: Six Steps to Thwart Cargo Theft
Ninth Circuit Denies Sleeper Berth Pay Claims
Court rules that orientation is part of the application process and not necessarily compensable. Further, drivers in a sleeper berth are using adequate facilities for rest.
Former drivers for a motor carrier sued the company claiming they had not been paid for the time they spent in orientation and the time they spent in the sleeper berth of a moving truck. The trial court found in favor of the motor carrier on both claims, the Ninth Circuit affirmed.
The court concluded that the orientation was an application process because not all participants were hired upon completion. The court also agreed with the motor carrier that sleeper berth time was not compensable based on a federal regulation clarifying that truck drivers or assistants are not working when riding in a truck if they are “permitted to sleep in adequate facilities furnished by the employer.”
The Relation between Years of Commercial Experience and Cause in Large Truck Crashes
The 2005 Large Truck Crash Causation Study (LTCCS)i was the first-ever national study to attempt to determine the critical reasons and associated factors that contribute to serious large truck crashes.
The LTCCS defines “critical reason” as the reason for the event that immediately led to the crash.
Utilizing data from the LTCCS, this analysis examines the association between a driver’s years of professional truck driving experience and the critical reason assigned to the large truck driver (driver causation) in a crash.
Read the Analysis of Driver Critical Reason and Years of Driving Experience in Large Truck Crashes
Avoiding Driver Pay Legal Pitfalls
Driver pay has become more contentious recently, led by the US DOL’s focus on federal contractors (such as USPS highway contract route providers) and actions in California.
Most companies want to pay drivers correctly. The current market dictates that good drivers are paid well and paid right, or they will go somewhere else.
However, we have conflicts between DOL and DOT regulations, differing interpretations of regulations, and a workforce that operates largely independently.
- Have well-defined routes and tasks for drivers. This creates documented expectations. Build fuel, break, and rest stops into the route. Include clear instructions for break stops. Let us know your situation and we can help suggest instructional language.
- Have an onboard telematics device that you use for a timeclock.
- Use your quality telematics device as an electronic logging device. Beat the mandate rush, there are many reasons to start your program now.
- Monitor drivers’ Hours of Service. Don’t coerce drivers – even if they have hours. You can help them manage their limited time more effectively.
- Match pay to activities; defined by your dispatch system and measured by your telematics device.
- This is a lot easier when your TMS is both a dispatch and ELD system in one – give LoadTrek a look.
The Cost of Dirt
In times like these when the economy and budgets are tight, one of the first steps often taken toward cutting costs us reducing or eliminating equipment-wash programs. There are important factors to contemplate before taking these measures.