This Year’s Previously Postponed International Roadcheck is Now Scheduled for Sept. 9-11

In March 2020, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) announced the postponement of International Roadcheck due to the coronavirus pandemic, with new dates to be determined. CVSA has now rescheduled International Roadcheck for Sept. 9-11.

International Roadcheck is a 72-hour high-volume, high-visibility inspection and enforcement initiative when CVSA-certified inspectors in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. conduct commercial motor vehicle and driver inspections at weigh or inspection stations, at designated fixed locations or as part of roving mobile patrols. Over that three-day time frame, law enforcement personnel will inspect commercial motor vehicles for compliance with federal regulations and utilize the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria to identify critical inspection item violations.

Each year, International Roadcheck places special emphasis on a category of violations. This year’s focus is on the driver requirements component of a roadside inspection. According to the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) data, of the approximately 3.36 million inspections conducted in 2019, 952,938 driver violations were discovered, of which 199,722 were out-of-service conditions.

“Although the coronavirus pandemic, understandably, shifted priorities and personnel during the spring, the commercial motor vehicle law enforcement community has reasserted its focus on the roadside inspection program and enforcement duties,” said CVSA President Sgt. John Samis with the Delaware State Police. “Jurisdictions are nearly back to their pre-pandemic capacity with a strengthened concentration on identifying and removing unfit vehicles and drivers from our roadways using federal safety standards and the out-of-service criteria.”

In the U.S., commercial motor vehicle inspections are conducted to check for vehicle and driver compliance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, a compendium of rules and regulations applicable to the motor carrier industry. In Canada, inspectors use a combination of the National Safety Code and various provincial/territorial regulations to verify commercial motor vehicle and driver safety compliance. And in Mexico, Normas Oficiales Mexicanas are the commercial motor vehicle regulations and standards established by the Mexican government.

During International Roadcheck, CVSA-certified inspectors primarily conduct the North American Standard Level I Inspection, a 37-step procedure that includes two main inspection categories: an examination of driver operating requirements and vehicle mechanical fitness. A third category, hazardous materials/dangerous goods, may also be part of a Level I Inspection. Depending on weather conditions, available resources or personnel, or other factors, inspectors may opt to conduct the Level II Walk-Around Driver/Vehicle Inspection, Level III Driver/Credential/Administrative Inspection or Level V Vehicle-Only Inspection. Roadside inspectors will conduct vehicle and driver inspections following their department’s health and safety protocols and procedures in consideration of the challenges associated with the pandemic.

For the driver portion of an inspection, the inspector will collect and verify the driver’s documents, identify the motor carrier, examine the driver’s license, check record of duty status and review periodic inspection report(s). If applicable, the inspector will check the Medical Examiner’s Certificate, Skill Performance Evaluation Certificate and the driver’s daily vehicle inspection report. Inspectors will also check drivers for seat belt usage, illness, fatigue, and apparent alcohol or drug possession or impairment.

Drivers found to be operating without the proper driver credentials; in possession of or under the influence of drugs or alcohol; operating while ill, fatigued or showing other signs of impairment; or in violation of hours-of-service rules may be placed out of service.

The vehicle portion of an inspection includes checking critical vehicle inspection items such as: brake systems, cargo securement, coupling devices, driveline/driveshaft components, driver’s seat (missing), exhaust systems, frames, fuel systems, lighting devices, steering mechanisms, suspensions, tires, van and open-top trailer bodies, wheels, rims and hubs, and windshield wipers. Additional items for buses, motorcoaches, passenger vans or other passenger-carrying vehicles include emergency exits, electrical cables and systems in engine and battery compartments, and temporary and aisle seating.

If an inspector identifies critical inspection item violations that meet the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria during a vehicle inspection, the inspector will render the vehicle out of service, which means that vehicle will be restricted from traveling until those violations are corrected.

International Roadcheck is a CVSA program with participation by FMCSA, the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Transport Canada and the Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes (Ministry of Communications and Transportation) of Mexico.

FBI Bulletin Puts Spotlight on ELDs and Cybersecurity

Good article by Deborah Lockridge. Read the entire article here.

Questions to your ELD provider and good cybersecurity practices are advised to keep cybercriminals from hacking electronic logging devices.

Important Information Regarding Regulatory Relief for Commercial Trucks

Hours-of-Service Regulatory Relief
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) issued a national emergency declaration to provide hours-of-service regulatory relief to commercial vehicle drivers transporting emergency relief in response to the nationwide coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. This declaration is the first time FMCSA has issued nation-wide relief and follows President Trump issuing of a national emergency declaration in response to the virus. To read the full press release, please visit FMCSA’s website. 

Governor Abbott Waiving Certain Regulations 
Governor Greg Abbott has announced that he is waiving certain regulations related to commercial trucking in the state of Texas. The suspensions will expedite commercial vehicle delivery of more supplies in each truckload as Texas works to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) across the state. 
These waivers were requested by and will be coordinated through the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and are part of the actions Governor Abbott is taking under the State of Disaster he declared yesterday. To read the full press release, please visit the Governor’s website.

CVSA Reminds Motor Carriers of the Dec. 17, 2019, ELD Compliance Deadline

Greenbelt, Maryland (Dec. 2, 2019) – Starting Dec. 17, 2019, all motor carriers and drivers subject to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) electronic logging devices (ELD) final rule must use an ELD. This deadline also pertains to grandfathered automatic onboard recording devices (AOBRDs), which will no longer be allowed under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations to provide records of duty status as a substitute to a required ELD. Motor carriers utilizing an AOBRD must have a fully operational ELD installed by Dec. 17, 2019.

According to FMCSA, there will be no extensions or exceptions made to the Dec. 17, 2019, ELD rule deadline. In addition, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) stated that inspectors will begin fully enforcing the ELD rule on Dec. 17, 2019; there will be no “soft enforcement” grace period.

If a commercial motor vehicle driver is required to have an ELD and the vehicle is not equipped with a registered compliant ELD, the driver is considered to have no record of duty status; that also applies to a driver still using an automatic onboard recording device after the AOBRD to ELD transition deadline of Dec. 17, 2019. According to the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria, a property-carrying driver who does not have a record of duty status in his or her possession when one is required will be declared out of service for 10 hours and a passenger-carrying driver without a record of duty status when one is required will be placed out of service for eight hours.

CVSA-certified roadside inspectors use the North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria to identify conditions that preclude further operation of a commercial motor vehicle by its driver for a specified amount of time, or for some conditions, until the violation is corrected. The April 1, 2019, North American Standard Out-of-Service Criteria specifies the out-of-service conditions related to deficiencies of record of duty status and hours-of-service rules and regulations. In addition, CVSA’s Inspection Bulletin regarding hand-held and electronic logging devices outlines the requirements for devices used to record drivers’ hours of service, according to 49 CFR Part 395 Subpart B – Electronic Logging Devices.

FMCSA implemented the ELD rule to make it easier and faster to accurately track, manage and share record of duty status information, and to help improve road safety and reduce the number of crashes. An ELD automatically records a driver’s driving time and other hours-of-service data. Hours-of-service rules and regulations were developed to minimize driver fatigue and improve safety for everyone on the road. In addition, ELDs monitor a vehicle’s engine data, such as when the engine is running, whether the vehicle is moving, miles driven, duration of engine operation, etc.

It’s important to note that the ELD final rule does not change any of the underlying hours-of-service regulations. For more information regarding ELDs, the ELD final rule, hours-of-service, etc., visit FMCSA’s website.