UPDATE 2nd Quarter 2012
SAFETY & MAINTENANCE Safety Insights
Staying Proactive with Hiring
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s I travel throughout the state for my duties with the Association, a question I hear a lot is, “Where are we going to find drivers and technicians for our company?” According industry research, trucking faces a shortage of approximately 135,000 drivers this year, and skilled technicians have become just as scarce. Even though the nation’s unemployment numbers remain high, trucking operators still struggle to keep trailers filled and have services shops without enough staff.
Tim Frazier, CDS ATA Director of Safety and Member Services
‘Professional drivers and skilled service technicians have become more valuable than ever.’
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Finding drivers With the implementation of the new rules issued by the FMCSA this year alone, CSA scores, PSP scores, and an aging driver population, it’s safe to say the driver pool will get even smaller. I sat in a recruiting office recently, and it was apparent the recruiting manager I was visiting had an old school view of hiring and seemed content with his efforts. Yet, he was having difficulty locating and hiring good, experienced drivers. Driver applicants today quite often have less road experience and are more concerned with home time, benefits, and advancement opportunities. It’s common practice today to see driver applications with 8 to 10 previous employers in a short few years. We ask ourselves many times the following, “Why so much turn over? Why did the driver have so many jobs? What are they looking for?” The next time you have the opportunity to sit in your break room or eat lunch at a truck stop I highly recommend that you spend time asking drivers or their view of what want from a job in trucking. I had the opportunity to visit with a driver while he was communicating with his dispatcher via laptop. He was pleased with his equipment, home time, pay, and benefits.
Sitting and waiting was his frustration, and it was due to waiting on something as simple as a load number. This all may seem trivial, but when you realize how much sitting and waiting is costing him, then you better understand the frustration.
Technicians Have you walked through one of the latest, up to date, shop facilities, lately? These days, a really well-maintained and equipped shop is an impressive sight to behold. In May, the Association, through its Wiregrass Chapter of the Safety & Maintenance Management Council, provided scholarships to students at Lurleen B. Wallace Technical College in Opp, Ala. Schools like LBW produce our next generation of technicians needed to maintain these new, complex pieces of equipment. With all the electronic and computer controlled components equipped on trucks and trailers today, the old school, learn-itthe-hard-way method of training up techs is limited in its approach, at best. Hiring managers often call our offices seeking technicians or information regarding training facilities with apprentice programs. Professional drivers and skilled service technicians have become more valuable than ever. Whether your company has a training program in place or utilizes other means to attract new talent, technology will require us to look outside the traditional methods of hiring and keeping good employees. Likewise, review your hiring techniques; you may be surprised at what you find, especially when you talk to your veteran drivers and techs. Also, visit with your dispatch staff and listen to conversations between drivers and dispatchers. Review your dispatch electronic communications for complete and thorough information. Successful trucking businesses are proactive with regard to employee relations.
SMMC UPDATE 2 ND Q UARTER 2012
MANAGEMENT COUNCIL NEWS Fleets seek tougher trailer aerodynamic devices Fleet Owner magazine reports that as fleets large and small race to improve the fuel efficiency of their trailers and make them regulatory compliant by using fairings, side skirts, and other aerodynamic systems, worry is steadily rising over the durability and potential repair costs posed by such devices. Chuck Cole, manager of technical sales and product training for Utility Trailer Manufacturing Co., told Fleet Owner that the still-unknown long-term costs associated with annual maintenance for trailer aerodynamic devices is a growing concern within the trucking community. “Side skirts are located ‘in harm’s way’ and are subject to impact damage and will have some maintenance cost which is still not 100 percent known. Indeed, at present, there are some 42 different side skirt models listed on the [Environmental Protection Agency] SmartWay-verified web page alone,” he explained. “Some of these are probably more durable than others, with some ‘torture-tested’ tested to withstand severe impacts. With others, who knows? That’s why the buyer needs to know he has a reputable manufacturer and that the device has been structurally tested to insure safe operation,” Cole said. “Trailers operate in an abusive environment, and trailer aerodynamic device makers need to take that into consideration,” added Jamie Scarcelli, Vice President & General Manager at Wabash Composites, a division of Wabash National Corp. “We have had a lot of new companies jump into this space without fully understanding that key requirement.” That’s why Marty Fletcher, executive director of customer service and product development for trailer aerodynamic device maker Aerofficient, believes the “evolution” of such products will focus more intensely on durability and maintenance factors in the near-term. “When systems were first being deployed, initial price was the most important factor,” he told Fleet Owner. “But now, the evolution is moving to total cost of ownership, which is reliant upon durability and reliability.” In Fletcher’s eyes, an inexpensive trailer aero system becomes very expensive when it must be repaired or replaced repeatedly, as there is no reimbursement for down time or labor incurred. SMMC UPDATE 2 ND Q UARTER 2012
Feds to scale back tanker definition According to Land Line magazine, until the FMCSA issues a new rule to scale back its definition of “tank vehicle” that has been on the books for the past year, truckers hauling commonplace loads in fluid bins remain exposed to potential out-of-service orders and serious violations at roadside. The good news is the FMCSA has taken the first steps to re-examine the issue. Prior to a May 2011 final rule on CDL testing and learner’s permit standards, the definition of tank vehicle did not apply to commonplace fluid bins that many truckers haul without needing a tank endorsement on their licenses. That particular rule changed the definition, designating a vehicle as a tanker if it hauls any containers of liquid or gas with a rated capacity of 119 gallons or more as part of an aggregate of 1,000 gallons that aren’t permanently attached to the vehicle. OOIDA took exception, saying the definition became too broad and would affect nearly all truckers hauling otherwise routine loads – full or empty. On March 30, the FMCSA granted a petition by the American Trucking Associations for the agency to open a new rulemaking to re-examine the definition. He added that his decades-long truckload operation experience with U.S. Xpress Enterprises testing trailer aerodynamic products demonstrated that, so far, they are challenged by the extreme work environments in which such equipment must perform. “Temperature extremes are causing warping and eventual cracking or de-lamination,” he explained. “Ground contact – most commonly in drop-down docks – is causing breakage while support struts are failing due to fatigue. Thus the design evolution must be to strengthen [trailer] fairings.” That’s a viewed shared by Mitch Greenberg, president of trailer aero device maker SmartTruck. “The design evolution should take us to more integrated designs where concepts are better incorporated into the initial design of the trailer,” he told Fleet Owner. “Keeping components inside the footprint of the trailer will grow more important, so the sys-
tems are not subject to damage, as well as minimizing installation times.” —Sean Kilcarr
Researchers identify large truck rollover locations The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) recently released findings from the first phase of a three-part research effort aimed at mitigating costly large truck rollovers. This first phase produced a database of locations with the highest frequency of large truck rollovers using over 50,000 crash records from a nine-year period. The database, which covers 31 states, provides valuable insight into the location of high frequency rollover locations to both public transportation officials and the trucking industry. Subsequent phases of ATRI’s research will focus on rollover mitigation strategies, such as a real-time in-cab notification system and outreach to public sector officials who have the ability to address potential problems related to roadway design and signage. The full report, state-specific summary reports and an online interactive map are available on the ATRI website at www.atri-online.org. Contact Rebecca Brewster at rbrewster@trucking.org. DOT publishes registry of medical examiners rule The U.S. Department of Transportation has published its final rule to establish a national registry of certified medical examiners. The new rule requires doctors and other medical professionals who perform DOT-required medical exams to be trained, tested and certified to look for specific physical qualifications that interstate commercial truck and bus drivers must meet, the article states. The rule would take effect in May 2014. “Safety is our top priority and requires cooperation from everyone involved, including our medical examiners,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a press release. “This new rule will ensure that health care professionals conducting exams keep in mind all of the demands required to operate large trucks and passenger buses safely.” Under the rule, applicants who wish to be certified as a medical examiner must register through the National Registry website. They’ll then train to pass a certification test 3
News required by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Medical certificates issued before May 21, 2014, are valid until the expiration date. The rule also requires medical examiners to electronically transmit the name of the driver being examined to FMCSA. Medical examiners that don’t meet or maintain the rule’s minimum standards would be removed from the National Registry.
National ATA wants study used to develop CSA scoring system released The American Trucking Associations recently asked the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to release a study of the links between violations and crash risk used to develop its methodology for assigning carriers’ scores in its monitoring and measurement system: Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA). “As a regulated industry, trucking has a right and a need to know how the system we operate under was crafted,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. “FMCSA has an obligation to release this study so that the industry, and other stakeholders, may evaluate CSA and offer substantive proposals to improve it.” FMCSA cited the study, titled “2007 Violation Severity Assessment Study Final Report,” as a component in the development of the severity weights in CSA, which are assigned to all violations on a scale of 1-10 based on their relationship to crash occurrence and consequences. ATA has requested the study in writing three times since May 2010. The agency has refused not only these requests, but a request from its own Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee, a group of stakeholders appointed by FMCSA’s administrator to advise the agency on regulatory and program matters, for the document. The MCSAC ultimately concluded there is a “…continuing need for further data
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collection to accurately establish crash causation relationships to justify ultimate weighting scores.” Because the group was not provided with such data, its recommendations with respect to appropriate violation severity weights largely reflected “guesswork” on the relationship between particular violations and crashes, according to the MCSAC’s final report. An evaluation of CSA conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, released by FMCSA in 2011, described the assignment of severity weights as “arbitrary” and went on to point out that “Whether the weights used in the calculation of the BASICs scores are appropriate is not known….” “FMCSA’s reluctance to release this document, as well as other important CSA-related documents, sends the wrong message,” said Graves, referring to ATA’s recent request for the agency to release its study of crash accountability. “This pattern of failing to disclose critical background information, despite numerous requests, contradicts the agency’s claims of openness and transparency.”
DOT releases ‘Blueprint’ to curb distracted driving U.S. Department of Transportation has released a “Blueprint for Ending Distracted Driving” that offers a comprehensive strategy to address the growing and dangerous practice of using handheld cell phones behind the wheel. The plan outlines concrete steps stakeholders around the country – from lawmakers and safety organizations to families and younger drivers – can take to reduce the risk posed by distracted driving. While unveiling the plan, Secretary LaHood also announced $2.4 million in federal support for California and Delaware that will expand the Department’s “Phone in One Hand, Ticket in the Other” pilot enforcement campaign to reduce distracted driving. “Distracted driving is an epidemic. While we’ve made progress in the past three years by raising awareness about this risky behavior, the simple fact is people are continuing to be killed and injured – and we can put an end to it,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Personal responsibility for putting down that cell phone is a good first step – but we need everyone to do their part, whether
it’s helping pass strong laws, educating our youngest and most vulnerable drivers, or starting their own campaign to end distracted driving.” The “Blueprint for Ending Distracted Driving” outlines a plan that builds on the national momentum that Secretary LaHood and USDOT have spearheaded for the last three years. Recognizing the extent and complexity of the problem, the plan seeks to encourage the remaining 11 states without distracted driving laws to enact and enforce this critical legislation; challenges the auto industry to adopt new and future guidelines for technology to reduce the potential for distraction on devices built or brought into vehicles; and partners with driver education professionals to incorporate new curriculum materials to educate novice drivers of driver distraction and its consequences, among other tasks and methods. In 2010, at least 3,092 people were killed in distraction-affected crashes – accounting for approximately one in every ten fatalities on the nation’s roadways. Meanwhile, among the findings from NHTSA’s first nationally-representative telephone survey on driver distraction released earlier this year, more than three-quarters of drivers reported that they are willing to answer calls on all, most, or some trips. Survey respondents acknowledged few driving situations when they would not use the phone or text, and yet reported feeling unsafe when riding in vehicles in which the driver is texting and supported bans on texting and cell phone use. Almost all respondents (about 90% overall) reported that they considered a driver who was sending or reading text messages or emails as very unsafe. Last spring Alabama Governor Robert Bentley Alabama’s Gov. Robert Bentley signed a bill that will ban texting while driving in Alabama, the 38th state to do so. The law was modeled after an Executive Order by President Obama in 2009 that prohibited employees from texting while driving government-issued vehicles. Alabama’s law goes into effect Aug. 1. Nationwide, 39 states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Guam ban texting behind the wheel. Ten states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Gu am prohibit all hand-held cell phone use while driving.
SMMC UPDATE 2 ND Q UARTER 2012
SMMC chapter awards scholarships to diesel tech students Two Lurleen B.Wallace Community College students in the Diesel and Heavy Equipment Technology program were recently presented scholarships for $1,000 each from the Alabama Trucking Association (ATA). Scholarship winners Paul Swappenhiser of Carlisle, Penn. and Seth Sladky of Kinston, Ala. were selected by school officials based on their academic attributes and financial need. ATA’s diesel technician scholarships are awarded annually by the Wiregrass Chapter of the ATH’s Safety & Maintenance Management Council. Funding comes from chapter events such as its annual golf tournament held each May.
Above, from left, are Paul Swappenhiser of Carlisle, Penn., and Seth Sladky of Kinston, Ala.; Tim Frazier, ATA Director of Safety and Member Services; LBWCC’s Eddie Spann, program instructor.
Calendar Birmingham Chapter Chapter meetings begin at 6 p.m. and, with the exception of the Safety Awards and Christmas Party, are usually held at the Bessemer Civic Center in Bessemer, Ala. Registration to attend meetings is required. Call Brandie Norcross at 334-834-3983 to reserve your spot at least a week in advance. Aug. 7-11, 2012 National Truck Driving Championships Aug. 13, 2012 PSP/Data Q Sept. 12, 2012 Audit Role Play Oct. 18, 2012 Clanton Roadside Inspection SMMC UPDATE 2 ND Q UARTER 2012
Nov. 12, 2012 Regulatory Update
Aug. 16, 2012 Accident Response
Dec. 10, 2012 Christmas Celebration (Pelham Civic Center)
September No Meeting
Jan. 14, 2013 Driver Wellness/Agility Feb. 11, 2013 Electronic Recordkeeping
October (TBA) Ozark Roadside Inspection Nov. 15, 2012 Audit Role Play Dec. 10, 2012 Christmas Party & Celebration (Bessemer Civic Center)
Wiregrass Chapter Chapter meetings begin at 3 p.m. and are usually held at the Association Headquarters in Montgomery, Ala. Registration to attend meetings is required. Call Brandie Norcross at 334-834-3983 to reserve your spot at least a week in advance. Aug. 7–11, 2012 National Truck Driving Championships
Jan. 17, 2013 DOT Update Feb. 14, 2013 PSP/DataQ Gulf Coast Chapter This growing chapter meets quarterly. For more info; contact Randy Watson at randyw@evergreentrans.com
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