REGULATIONS * USA - FMCSA Introduces New Rating System for Carriers and Commercial Drivers

Driver Violations Now Divided Into Seven Categories

Lexington, KY,USA -MFR Tech, by Melissa Hinshaw, Safety Manager Rush Transportation -16 May 2011: -- Last Nov., a new rating system for commercial trucking companies and truck drivers was introduced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to provide a more accurate picture about the safety record of transportation companies and their drivers... The new system, called Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA), replaces the former rating system. Its intent is to reduce the number of crashes, fatalities and injuries on public roads and also enable the FMCSA to identify and monitor drivers and carriers who are not in compliance with safety regulations... The Seven Categories Include:

* Unsafe Driving: This category reflects moving violations, such as speeding, improper lane change or driving too close to a vehicle.

* Fatigue Driving: This BASIC addresses drivers exceeding drive time beyond the maximum hours of service allowed. Truckers are permitted 11 hours of drive time within a 14-hour day. They must have a 10-hour break before driving again.

* Driver Fitness: This category involves violations found during roadside inspections based on the driver’s qualifications, license, endorsements and training as related to the type of vehicle the driver is operating and loads being carried. For example, drivers may only transport a hazardous material load if they have received training from their carrier.

* Drugs and Alcohol: This area pertains to drivers and carriers who violate the controlled substances and/or alcohol regulations. Not only will they be ticketed, but also their CDL could be revoked. Employers can also be cited during a compliance review for not have a testing program. All drivers must participate in a drug- and alcohol-testing program. During an audit, the FMSCA can cite the carrier and assign the company an unsatisfactory score if it hasn’t performed the legally required number of drug tests over the course of a year.

* Vehicle Maintenance: This BASIC is violated most frequently. There are many items on a truck or trailer that must be maintained. Drivers are required to inspect their vehicle each day and report repairs that need to be made to their employer. The driver must not drive the vehicle until all repairs are completed. Drivers and the carrier are both held responsible for this type of violation. While most violations are issued during roadside inspections, carriers can also receive violations during a compliance review for failure to have a maintenance program or record keeping system.

* Cargo-Related: Violations is this category relate to cargo that’s not properly secured. Unsecured freight can become dangerous projectiles in an accident.

* Crashes: This BASIC compiles data from recordable crashes, which must involve any of the following: a fatality, an injury requiring treatment away from the scene or a vehicle that must be towed due to disabling damage. Under the current system, there is an entry made into this BASIC and held against the company and the driver regardless if the truck driver was at fault. Even if somebody rear-ends a tractor, it can be considered a DOT recordable crash.

Safety vs. Weight * USA - Automakers Want More Discussion on

Obama administration says fuel economy targets can be met without hurting safety. NHTSA study shows reducing heavy truck weight does help with safety... 

Detroit,MICH,USA -Automotive News, by Neil Roland -May 12, 2011:    ...  Automakers asking government officials to reconsider matter... Say they're already introducing safety features that add vehicle weight. And adding weight likely to affect fuel economy. Weight not only means to improve fuel economy... Officials say vehicles can be safer and get better fuel economy. NHTSA obligated to consider safety implications of new fuel economy standards. That's due to fewer deaths among occupants in light vehicles during accident... The government plans to update its 2010 safety study by September and has commissioned new research to be completed before final CAFE rules are issued in the summer of 2012, a NHTSA spokeswoman said... A number of outside studies support NHTSA's findings on weight cuts in heavier vehicles... A 2009 study by JP Research in Mountain View, Calif., found reducing light trucks by 100 pounds would result in a 2.1 percent decrease in deaths in truck-to-car crashes... Conversely, the study, performed for the Detroit 3, also found a 3.4 percent increase in fatalities when passenger cars were reduced by 100 pounds... Data compiled by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, funded by auto insurers, also support NHTSA's approach, said Adrian Lund, the institute's president... (Image from truckinjurylawyerblog: Pileup truck and cars)

RULES * USA - NADA and Chamber Lose Court Ruling

Washington,D.C.,USA -The Car Connection -3 May 2011: -- A U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled that the state of California can continue to pass air pollution standards that are stricter than federal law. The court blocked a legal challenge to California's ability to manage air pollution standards when it ruled that the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce did not have legal standing in the case... California is able to request waivers of federal standards in order to enact its own, stricter laws under the 1970 Clean Air Act. This is a right granted to California because it had its own pollution laws before the federal government enacted theirs... California is now negotiating with the EPA and NHTSA on new standards through 2025. Some environmental groups are attempting to raise the average fuel economy on new vehicles to 60 miles per gallon, while cutting carbon pollution by an additional 40 percent... (Photo by Photo David McNew/Getty Images from static.howstuffworks: Los Angeles' heavy traffic is a significant contributor to its infamous air pollution)