FMCSA Seeks Comments on ELD Registration Plan
FMCSA Seeks Comments on ELD Registration Plan – News – TruckingInfo.com.
CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) Updated, Reflects Adjudicated Citations
The CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) Website has been updated with the September 26, 2014 snapshot. Starting with this snapshot and then all subsequent snapshots, the SMS integrates the results of adjudicated citations associated with inspections conducted on or after August 23, 2014 that have been processed through DataQs. Check your safety assessment now at: http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms.
For more information on the adjudicated citations policy, check out a factsheet, a glossary of key terms and, most recently posted to the CSA Website, a presentation from the August webinars on the adjudicated citations policy and SMS display changes.
NOTE TO CARRIERS: There are two ways to access and view all of your safety data, including any results of adjudicated citations for inspections conducted on or after August 23, 2014 that have been processed through DataQs. Log into your Portal account (https://portal.fmcsa.dot.gov/login) or log into the SMS website with your FMCSA-issued U.S. DOT Number Personal Identification Number (PIN) (NOT a Docket Number PIN). If you do not know or have forgotten your PIN, you can request one via http://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/ and follow the instructions on the page.
FMCSA Chief Safety Officer Lays Out 2015 Priorities at ATA – News – TruckingInfo.com
TCEQ Accepting Applications for Drayage Truck Incentive Program
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality announced today that up to $3.1 million is available for the replacement of older drayage trucks operating at seaports and Class I rail yards in areas of Texas designated as nonattainment under the Federal Clean Air Act.
The primary purpose of the Drayage Truck Incentive Program, or DTIP, is to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOX) and other pollutants, including particulate matter (PM). In many cases, vehicles used for drayage are older, higher-polluting vehicles that are no longer used for longer-haul operations. The concentration of these vehicles operating at seaports and rail yards warranted the establishment of this separate program specifically for replacement of older drayage vehicles with newer, less-polluting models.
DTIP grants are offered to eligible entities that have continuously owned or leased a drayage truck for the previous two years and have operated it at one or more of the eligible seaports or Class I rail yards for at least 200 visits per year for the past two years.
A drayage truck eligible for replacement must have an engine model year 2006 or earlier and must be:
a heavy-duty drayage truck with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) over 26,000 pounds; or
a yard truck with an engine rated at more than 125 horsepower
A drayage truck eligible for purchase must have an engine model year of 2010 or later and must be:
a heavy-duty drayage truck with a GVWR over 26,000 pounds with a daycab only; or
a yard truck with an engine rated at more than 125 horsepower.
The grants may reimburse up to 80 percent of the cost to purchase the new drayage truck. Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until May 29, 2015, at 5:00 p.m., or until all funding is awarded, whichever occurs earlier.
For more information call 800-919-TERP (8377), visit www.terpgrants.org, or e-mail terp@tceq.texas.gov
Enhanced CSA Website Now Live
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.
US Postal Service Contractors: Hours of Service Exemption
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.
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.