The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA’s) Office of Analysis, Research, and Technology is pleased to announce an upcoming webinar for the presentation of data on trucks and buses involved in crashes in 2013 and trends in the data over the past 10 years. The webinar will be presented by Ms. Jenny Guarino of the Analysis Division. This overview presentation will cover the types of trucks and buses involved in crashes and the characteristics and types of crashes and drivers involved.
The webinar will be hosted on Thursday, May 21, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. EST
Audience: Motor Carrier Industry, FMCSA Employees, Highway Safety Community, and the Public.
To register, click on the link below and answer all of the questions on the form. If any of the questions on the form do not apply to you, simply type N/A. Once you have completed the form, click the “Submit” button at the very bottom of the page. You may need to scroll down to get to that location.
https://connectdot.connectsolutions.com/e9qlzlwswkh/event/registration.html
For any general questions on this webinar, contact Mary-Gretchen Johnson at mary-g.johnson.ctr@dot.gov or 202-385-2373.
FMCSA is committed to providing equal access to this training for all participants. Closed captioning is available. If you need any other alternative formats or services because of a disability, please contact FMCSA Host vie e-mail at FMCSA_Host@dot.gov with your request by close of business no later than three days prior to each event. Please note: the FMCSA_Host address has an underscore ( _ ) between the words “FMCSA” and “Host”: FMCSA_Host@dot.gov.
FMCSA Updates the SMS to Better Align with Serious Violations in its Regulations and IT Systems
To further the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)’s ongoing commitment to safety, the Agency updated the Safety Measurement System (SMS) and our Serious Violations spreadsheet to better align with all of the Serious Violations in our regulations and IT systems, including five Serious Violations that are currently used in investigations. These violations took effect in the SMS as of February 1, 2015. Motor carriers cited with any of these violations will see them reflected in the March SMS data release.
For a complete list of all Serious Violations and updated descriptions, see the Serious Violations spreadsheet.
FMCSA uses the SMS to assess carrier safety performance and compliance. When a carrier’s most recent investigation results in the discovery of a Serious Violation, the SMS displays a violation in the carrier’s Investigation Results for that Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) for 12 months after completion of the investigation.
Serious Violations are violations where noncompliance is so severe that they require immediate action by a motor carrier regardless of its overall safety posture—or violations that are indicative of breakdowns in a carrier’s safety management controls.
The list below includes descriptions of the new Serious Violations in SMS and the BASICs to which they relate.
- 172.704(a)(4) – Failing to provide security awareness training, Hazardous Materials (HM) Compliance
- 172.704(a)(5) – Failing to provide in-depth security awareness training, HM Compliance
- 383.37(c) – Knowingly allowing, requiring, permitting, or authorizing an employee with more than one commercial driver’s license to operate a commercial motor vehicle, Driver Fitness
- 395.3(a)(3)(i) – Requiring or permitting a property-carrying commercial motor vehicle driver to drive more than 11 hours, Hours-of-Service (HOS) Compliance
- 395.3(a)(3)(ii) – Requiring or permitting a property-carrying commercial motor vehicle driver to drive if more than 8 hours have passed since the end of the driver’s last off-duty or sleeper-berth period of at least 30 minutes, HOS Compliance
At FMCSA, we’re committed to working with our State Partners to make America’s roads as safe as possible. Visit the SMS Website for more information.
Since the NRCME took effect on May 21, 2014, many drivers have encountered a variety of problems. Until these issues are resolved, it’s advised that you prepare ahead for your DOT physical. Being an informed consumer ensures the best chance for a good outcome. Otherwise your CDL may be at risk.
Time
Allow ample time before your physical expires. In worse cases, drivers have been told they must have unplanned testing completed and follow-up treatment before a doctor will issue or renew the medical card. Periods of 30 days or longer are common for this.
Documentation
Similar to documentation requirements for insurance and registration in your truck, if you have received treatment for a medical condition/are on medication/are using a CPAP…etc bring documentation related to any conditions you are being treated for.
Day of the exam
Relax! You are prepared. Get a good night’s rest the night before. A very concise article with tips for preparing can be found here.
Medical concerns?
If you have any reason to suspect that you might encounter a problem passing the physical, the time to take care of that is well before the exam. Taking a chance on passing or not means taking a chance on possibly losing your medical certification and that means losing income. It could take 30, 60, or more days to get a problem fixed before you can resume driving. Avoid that problem by investing in a visit to your personal physician, preferably a physician who is on the NRCME so they will be familiar with the requirements you must meet. Your visits with your personal physician are not reported to the FMCSA (even if the physician is on the NRCME). Any problems you may have can be corrected before you get the DOT physical from another physician. If you need it, view that extra visit as a very worthwhile insurance plan to protect your CDL.
$$$
Make a call to learn how much the ME charges. It might be under $100 or more than $300.
Knowledge is power!
The link below will take you to the 13 basic requirements in regulation which a driver must meet to be medically qualified. If a CME tells you that you cannot pass the exam, politely ask which one of these regulations you are not meeting. The list is very simple and short and begins at about the half-way point of the page.
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/section/391.41
2nd opinion is Okay – Lying is not
While it will not be free, a second opinion may save your CDL. If you feel a CME is being fraudulent/incompetent/or is just plain wrong, you may get a second opinion (or third), just do not lie or mislead. Here is a brief interview with the FMCSA Director of Carrier, Driver and Vehicle Safety Standards regarding a 2nd opinion. http://www.landlinenow.com/Podcast/item.aspx?podcast=1241The following article about a 2nd opinion also references the interview with the FMCSA Director of Carrier, Driver and Vehicle Safety Standards. http://www.landlinemag.com/Story.aspx?StoryId=27988
Example of what is permitted:
A driver goes to doctor A. The doctor refuses certification for some reason based on the doctor’s judgment. The driver believes this is not correct and goes to doctor B for a second opinion. Doctor B finds no reason to refuse certification based on the doctor’s judgment. This driver is correctly certified for the time indicated by doctor B.
Example of what is illegal – (“doctor shopping”)
Driver goes to doctor A. Driver either tells the doctor about a condition the driver has which is disqualifying, or the doctor determines the driver has a condition which is disqualifying. The driver then goes to doctor B. At doctor B the driver lies about the driver’s medical status by not disclosing the known medical condition. This can happen by not honestly filling out the form or by lying to doctor B when asked about the condition. This example is illegal and not advisable.
Do NOT lie!
When a driver goes to more than one medical examiner, this shows up in the certified medical examiner database. It will be reviewed. If the driver gave the same information to both examiners it is not a problem and the most recent exam will be the drivers current status. If the information the driver provided is not consistent this will be followed up on and if found to be dishonest can result in disqualification.
