SMMC Update - 4th Quarter 2012

UPDATE 2nd Quarter 2013

SAFETY & MAINTENANCE Safety Insights

A Day of Champions O

Tim Frazier, CDS ATA Director of Safety and Member Services

‘Pulling and tying together all the loose ends that make our TDC work is no small task; and our group has mastered the art of making it all happen smoothly. ’

2

n the afternoon before our 2013 Alabama Truck Driving Championship held June 7 in Pelham, Ala., I had the opportunity to work with our event committee to set up and prepare for big day ahead.

Thanks to a dedicated group, the course, pre-trip area, bull pen, and various others tasks were completed with precision and haste – all in time for a group dinner that evening.

Pulling and tying together all the loose ends that make our TDC work is no small task; and our group has mastered the art of making it all happen smoothly. But the truth is the committee works several months before the competition locking down equipment, tents, porta-potties, golf carts, and many other items it takes to make things happen.

Then on the days leading up to the event the plan is executed with precision. It’s amazing to watch a well-oiled machine work at a top notch level, and see the results of everyone’s hard work pay off.

We start planning in January, but this year was our first in quite some time for a new venue.

A new location brings new obstacles that must be worked through, such as parking, company tents, spectator areas, and especially the Champions Dinner. After visiting with several driver participants, company representatives, and sponsors, it appears we will be back in Pelham next year.

A special thank you goes to our sponsors that provide the equipment and financial support it takes to make our championship a success. We have a group of equipment sponsors that tell us each year, “let us know what you need, and we’ll make it happen.” Our drivers have the opportunity to compete with some of the best equipment in the country

due to this support. Our financial sponsors make it possible to provide the location, shirts, caps, banquet, etc. At the time of writing this article we should be completing our expense review for our event and it appears we will be in the black.

There’s a group of folks that make our TDC possible and without them most of us wouldn’t have a job. Hats off to our professional drivers! As a person who has spent almost all his career in the trucking industry, and being raised as a trucker’s son, I truly appreciate what our drivers do.

It’s a thrill to watch these men and women from the moment they arrive for registration.

As the morning begins, the air becomes a little tense as the competition begins. As I observe these professionals throughout the day, it is fun to watch a sense of urgency rise as each class competes. From the written test to the driving course, you can see the intense look on faces as the day progresses.

Our Champions’ Dinner and Awards Banquet was also a huge success. As with the skills test course, we tried to conduct our dinner similar to the National TDC. We had many positive comments regarding the banquet atmosphere, the food, and the awards presentation. The drivers will be a little better prepared as to what to expect at Nationals.

I want to extend a personal thanks to our committee, sponsors, judges, equipment providers, and especially our drivers for a successful 2013 Truck Driving Championship.

When I think of the word Champions, I’m reminded of the almost 300 people we were surrounded by at our Champions Dinner.

With a group like this supporting the drivers, there’s no doubt in my mind we can bring home the gold. Congratulations and thank you to all who participated this year.

SMMC UPDATE • 2 ND Q UARTER 2013

MANAGEMENT COUNCIL NEWS

Back to Back Driver of the Year Larry Thomas makes it two in a row for Lawson Trucking at SMMC’s Fleet Safety Awards.

Driver of the Year Thomas (left) with ATA Chairman Brim

By Ford Boswell

Thomas adds that it’s that kind of mutual respect that inspires him to be a great employee. “Your (work) speaks for you,” he says. “My customers are my main concern.

I always try to be on time with my deliveries and make sure that I always do all I can to make sure my customers are happy.”

Lawson officials, especially Lawson Safety Director Debbie Henderson, always believed it was only a matter of time before Thomas was named Alabama’s top driver.

“As long as he was eligible, I was going to see to it that he was nominated,” Henderson says.

Henderson was spot on in her assessment that her guy was destined to win. But, then again, she’s always had great intuition for nominating top drivers. In fact, last year’s Alabama Driver of the Year winner was fellow Lawson driver Recordo Jackson. In the late 1990s, Lawson’s Homer Kuykendall also earned Driver of the Year honors.

Meanwhile, First Runner Up for Driver of the Year is Willie Jennings of Eagle Motor Freight, Montgomery, Ala.; and Second Runner Up is Moses Thomas of ABC Transportation, Eufaula, Ala.

This year’s big winner was Driver of the Year Larry Thomas of Charles G. Lawson Trucking in Hope Hull, Ala. Thomas, 51, had flirted with the award many times before, but the state’s highest honor for a commercial truck driver had always eluded him. Not anymore; now

Thomas, First Runner Up in 2009 and Second Runner Up last year, finally has his due.

Starting as a teenager spotting trailers before eventually graduating to over-the-road driving, Thomas has worked for Lawson Trucking for more than 30 years. During his career, he has earned numerous safety awards for his efforts, including an award from Great West Casualty for 23 years of outstanding achievement in highway safety and loss prevention.

In recent years, he has participated in Share the Road events on behalf of the Association and also driven for the Alabama Department of Public Safety’s Ticketing Aggressive Cars & Trucks (TACT) program.

But Thomas isn’t one to take credit for his success. He says that without working for Lawson, he wouldn’t have become the person or the professional driver he is today. “(Lawson) is a great a company to work for,” Thomas told Alabama Trucker in 2012.

“The Lawsons are a great family – just honest, caring people. I can go directly to the owners with pretty much any issue; and I know they will do all they can to take care of whatever I need. It’s not just one person; all the employees here are like a family. That’s why you see people work here so long.”

Thomas is most appreciative of the fact that the company took a chance on him as a young man. “A lot of trucking companies wouldn’t have,” he said, “and I’ve always appreciated that.”

Maintenance Pro E. J. Waters

Fleet Manager Chris Teel

Safety Pro Randy Watson

T

he Alabama Trucking Association Safety and Maintenance Management Council’s celebrated its safest fleets, drivers and managers at its annual Fleet Safety Awards held recently in Birmingham.

The event, held each spring, honors ATA member fleets and their employees for excellence in fleet safety and industry professionalism. Individual awards, such as drivers and fleet managers are nominated by their supervisors who submit a portfolio of the nominee’s qualifications, experience, community service, and other awards and recognitions.

An independent panel composed of officials from the Alabama Department of Public Safety’s Motor Carrier Safety Unit and the Alabama Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration choose a winner in each category.

Meanwhile, awards for fleets are based on the previous year’s accident and loss prevention numbers. Those numbers determine the top fleet in several categories.

Driver of the Year

SMMC UPDATE • 2 ND Q UARTER 2013

Fleet Manager Chris Teel of Eagle Motor Freight, Montgomery, Ala. has more than 32 years in the trucking industry with extensive experience in many areas. Having the experience in disContinued on next page

3

Back to Back cont. patch, safety and driving allows him to better understand the overall needs and demands of the operation.

He is responsible for approximately 70 drivers on any given day who are scattered across the country. He is responsible for inbound and outbound load assignments and sets dispatch accordingly for his drivers. He also is responsible for 40-50 local deliveries per week. If these responsibilities are not enough, he retains his CDL and runs local deliveries occasionally during the weekends when needed. Whatever it takes Teel will get the job done, his employers say.

Teel has been married to his wife Susan for almost 29 years and they have one daughter, Jade who is 15 and attends Lamp Magnet school in Montgomery, where she plays on her school’s varsity soccer team.

The family is active at Frazier United Methodist Church in Montgomery, where they participate in many mission activities.

Maintenance Professional Evergreen Forest Products maintenance manager E.J. Waters uses his nearly 40 years in the trucking business to keep his company’s fleet of 35 trucks and 96 trailers in top condition. Waters was nominated by Evergreen Safety Manager Bonner Spradley, who states that Waters is one of the company’s most dedicated employees – often the first to arrive and usually the last to leave. “He never lets the company or our drivers down, and will do whatever is needed to make sure our folks have what the need.”

With more than 38 year in fleet maintenance, this year’s Maintenance Professional of the Year holds several OEM certifications and has attended countless hours of training in workplace accident prevention.

According to Spradley, Waters vast experience and dedication makes him one of Evergreen’s most crucial managers — one that its drivers and other managers can always trust to go the extra mile.

Fleet Safety Pro This year’s Safety Professional of the Year Evergreen Transportation’s Randy Watson has more than 25 years in the industry with 4

an extensive background in fleet safety. To describe Watson as merely a safety professional, however, is a bit of a misnomer. The industry veteran wears many hats for Evergreen, working in various capacities, including management, human resources, safety, training, operations, sales, customer service and maintenance.

When a duo of Alabama trucking elder statesmen, Walter Poole and James Suttles, recently partnered to re-tool Evergreen, Watson was the one they needed to get the ball rolling. This allowed him to return to working with one of his mentors, Poole, and a man who helped him begin his journey in transportation.

But for the Association and its SMMC, Watson’s most noticeable work has been his leadership as current Chairman of the SMMC’s Gulf Coast chapter — a group that has become one of the SMMC’s fastest growing chapters. His passion and dedication to highway safety is contagious, and many of our members in the southern region have caught this passion due to his efforts. In only a few short years, he has helped develop a network of professionals who are excited to share information in a way that helps everyone be more successful.

Watson resides in Monroeville, Ala. with

his wife Jan and two children, Jenna and Joseph. He enjoys spending time with his family, doing a “little fishing and a little hunting,” and all the golf he can work in. He feels it is his responsibility as a safety director to make sure every employee and the people they come in contact with return safely home to their families each night. And for him that’s all that matters.

First Runner Up is Candy Woodruff of Eagle Motor Freight in Montgomery.

ATA Workers’ Comp Fund Awards The ATA Workers’ Comp Fund also presented its annual awards to its members with the lowest loss ratio for a given classification based on fleet size. This year’s winners are Small Fleet Winner — Eufaula Trucking, with a 5-year loss ratio at 1 percent; Medium Fleet Winner – Barnett Transportation with a 5-year loss ratio at 18 percent; and Large Fleet Winner – Southern Haulers with 5-year loss ratio of 38 percent.

Fund Safety engineers also pick a top performer among Fund members for improvement. This year’s Engineers Award recipient is Murphy Trucking.

SMMC Fleet Safety Winners General Commodities Linehaul Under 1 Million Miles ABC Transportation, Inc. General Commodities Linehaul 1 to 3 Million Miles Montgomery Transport, LLC General Commodities Linehaul 3 to 5 Million Miles ABF Freight Systems, Inc. General Commodities Linehaul 5 to 10 Million Miles B&G Supply Co., Inc. General Commodities Linehaul Over 10 Million Miles Southeastern Freight Lines General Commodities Local Under 1 Million Miles Buddy Moore Trucking, Inc.

General Commodities Local 1 to 3 Million Miles ABF Freight Systems, Inc. General Commodities Local 3 to 5 Million Miles Southeastern Freight Lines General Commodities Local Over 5 Million Miles Billy Barnes Enterprises, Inc. General Commodities Combined 0 to 5 Million Miles Charles G. Lawson Trucking General Commodities Combined 5 to 10 Million Miles B&G Supply Co., Inc. General Commodities Combined Over 10 Million Miles Southeastern Freight Lines

Tank Truck Charles G. Lawson Trucking Hazardous Materials Barnett Transportation, Inc. Misc. Category 1 to 3 Million Miles Massey Hauling Co., Inc. Misc. Category Over 10 Million Miles Fed Ex Ground Package System Household Goods Changing Spaces Moving, Inc. Private Carrier Under 1 Million Miles Golden Flake Snack Foods, Inc. Private Carrier 1 to 3 Million Miles RM Logistics Private Carrier Over 5 Million Miles American Proteins, Inc.

SMMC UPDATE • 2 ND Q UARTER 2013

TDC News

AAA Cooper Transportation driver wins Alabama TDC Seasoned TDC competitor Gary Nuckolls scores big at annual driver safety and skills competition.

ATA Chairman Jack Brim (left) with TDC Grand Champ Gary Nuckolls and TDC Chairman Dennis Bailey

SMMC UPDATE • 2 ND Q UARTER 2013

By Ford Boswell PELHAM, Ala.—Veteran driver Gary Nuckolls of AAA Cooper Transportation posted the highest overall combined score of 330 points to earn the Grand Champion title at the Alabama Trucking Association’s Truck Driving Championships held here June 7 at the Pelham Civic Complex.

Nuckolls, a former Alabama Truck Driver of the Year (2004), won the Sleeper Berth class by 37 points, edging other class winners by 30 points. He and the rest of the class winners will represent the state at the American Trucking Associations’ National Truck Driving Championships set for August 20-24 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Other class winners were Daniel Thompson of FedEx Freight, Twins Class; Richard Pratt of FedEx Freight, Straight Class; Mark Knight of AAA Cooper Transportation, Three-Axle Class; Wesley Rodgers of American Proteins, Flatbed Class; Philip Arthur of AAA Cooper Transportation, Five-Axle; Timothy Caraway of AAA Cooper Transportation, Four-Axle; and Darrell Beard of Wal-Mart Transportation, Tanker Class.

The annual event, sponsored by ATA’s Safety and Maintenance Management

5

Wilson

Murks

Arthur

Caraway

Rodgers

Beard

Knight

Pratt

Thompson

SUV Champ Tiwania Caraway

Council (SMMC), attracted nearly 100 drivers representing more than a dozen Association member firms, and approximately 300 onlookers who spent the day tailgating, watching the festivities, and cheering competitors.

Alabama TDC contestants are chosen by their individual employers for their safety and driving record and must remain accident-free (regardless of fault) for at least one year to be eligible to compete. Most of them win company contests to qualify for the state competition.

Other honors were given to Rookie of the Year Straight Class contestant Ballard Wilson of FedEx Freight who scored a combined 284 points – which also earned him second place in his class; Delton Murks of Wal-Mart Transportation, who posted the highest score in the Pre-Trip Inspection portion of the competition; and Ladies SUV Champ Tiwania Caraway.

6

New Location The TDC Committee voted last summer to move the competition from the Bessemer Civic Center to the Pelham Civic Complex, opting for the latter’s larger parking lot and banquet facilities.

“Pelham offers more space and more modernized amenities that allow us to better recreate the conditions and course our guys will face at Nationals,” said TDC Chairman Dennis Bailey of Wal-Mart Transportation. “Bessemer served us well for many years, but the Pelham facility allows us to improve and grow our competition.

We were very pleased with the way our competition progressed this year. With the exception of a little rain, the day went off pretty much without a hitch.”

ATA Director of Safety and Member Services agreed. “We very pleased with the outcome,” he said. “Overall, the feedback I re-

ceived from contestants, sponsors and volunteers was overwhelmingly positive. This new location gives our guys a better shot at doing well at Nationals.”

Volunteers, Sponsors The event raised an estimated $24,000, which came from corporate sponsorships and contestant entry fees. After expenses, proceeds benefit the SMMC’s diesel technician education program that awards cash scholarships to deserving students at various state community colleges.

“The support we receive from out member firms is crucial to the success of this event,” says TDC Chairman Bailey. “Our group could not host such a successful event without these companies pledging their financial support and allowing their drivers to take a day or two to compete. We are extremely grateful for the continued support.”

SMMC UPDATE • 2 ND Q UARTER 2013

FMCSA FINAL HOURS OF SERVICE RULE — RULE COMPARISON CHART Created December 2011, Updated April 2013 FMCSA’s CURRENT HOS RULE

HOS News

Hope for the best, plan for the Worst Nation’s top fleet executives offer tips for looming HOS changes

A

s the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals prepares to issue a final decision in American Trucking Associations’ case against Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regarding the contentious restart and rest break changes to the Hours of Service (HOS) rules, the trucking industry should be preparing for the impacts those changes may have on their operations.

The industry finds itself in a hope for the best and prepare for the worst position concerning the litigation, and the July 1, 2013 seems the imminent effective date of the new rules.

To help fleet managers prepare, National ATA officials contacted leading trucking companies about how they are preparing for the new rules. The following are lessons learned from these interviews.

Start now: Many trucking companies have already started explaining the potential changes to their drivers and customers. Operationally, the restart rule changes and the new 30-minute rest break requirement may cause significant disruption to your daily procedures. If caught off guard, unaware drivers may be confused about the requirements and potentially incur violations that could generate fines and that will affect carrier CSA scores.

Use a personal approach: Most find that drivers retain information better in a oneon-one or face-to-face classroom environment. If possible, integrate HOS training into your current training regimen. Sometimes, driver schedules may preclude attendance. Make training materials available to these drivers as soon as possible and be SMMC UPDATE • 2 ND Q UARTER 2013

FMCSA’s FINAL HOS RULE December 2011

All Property Carrying Drivers and Motor All Property Carrying Drivers and Motor Carriers Carriers Minimum OffDuty Hours Between Shifts Total On-Duty Window in Each Shift

Total Hours (On-Duty+OffDuty+Rest) Maximum Driving Hours Limit on Consecutive Hours Driving Mandatory Rest Break During Shift Maximum Cumulative OnDuty Cumulative OnDuty “Restart”

10 consecutive hours

10 consecutive hours - Same as current rule.

14 consecutive hours

Change based on Rest Break – Still 14 consecutive hours; with 30 minute rest break, maximum on-duty time within 14 hour window is 13.5 hours. No driving may occur after 14 consecutive hours of coming on duty; non-driving work is allowed past the 14 hour driving window;

24 hours

24 hours

11

11 hours, but it may not be consecutive. No driving if more than 8 consecutive hours have passed since the last break of 30 minutes or more.

None None

60 hours in 7 days 70 hours in 8 days* (*for carriers that operate 7 days a week) Voluntary: 34 consecutive hours off-duty resets a drivers cumulative on-duty back to zero (or restarts a drivers 60 hour weekly clock) at any point in a driver’s 7 day cycle

Sleeper Berth: Team and Solo Drivers: Splitting Off-Duty 2 periods totaling > 10 hours; 1 period must Time be at least 8 hours in the sleeper berth; second period of time may be spent either in or out of the sleeper berth.

On-Board Recorders Federal Exceptions & Exemptions

Drivers will not be permitted to drive if 8 hours have passed since their last break of 30 minutes or more, effective July 1, 2013 Same as current rule.

Voluntary: The minimum length of a restart period is 34 consecutive off-duty hours. The actual length of the restart period is variable since it must include two consecutive nighttime off-duty periods from 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Drivers are allowed to use this restart only once during any seven calendar day period.

Effective July 1, 2013

Same as current rule

Voluntary Use

Same as current rule.

All existing exemptions and exceptions remain.

Slightly modified Oilfield exemption. New guidance explicitly removes water and sand haulers from exempted oil field carriers.

7

available for follow-up questions. Train early and often as it may take several interactions for full comprehension.

Use real-world examples: While FMCSA has provided examples on their website of how driver logs may change most companies ATA spoke with did not find them particularly helpful because they didn’t reflect the daily operations of their company. ATA recommends that you develop log book examples based on a typical and/or exceptional driving week at your company. Provide those to the drivers and compare them to examples under the current rules. If time and resources permit, it may be a good idea to select a small group of drivers to operate under the new restart and rest break provisions for a week or two. If you’re able to do so, use their logs as examples to other drivers and allow trainees to ask questions.

Update route planning protocol: Whether you are using route optimization software or planning a route manually, it is imperative to update your protocol to reflect any HOS changes. With truck parking scarce, it may be challenging to find somewhere a driver can rest and it may have to come sooner, or later, than expected.

8

Discuss efficiency: The new rules have the potential to negatively impact the efficiency or productivity of your drivers. Drivers need to understand the importance of planning their week to the extent possible. Drivers who regularly utilize the current 34hour restart may experience significant losses in productivity depending on what time of day they begin the new restart period.

Additionally efficiency losses may be experienced as a result of the rest break provision or additional company procedures added to ensure compliance. In most cases, your drivers will desire efficiency and productivity as much as your company. Educating them on the benefits of planning will undoubtedly pay significant dividends.

HOS Training Resources:

Educate your entire organization and your customers: It is important that all parts of your organization are fully aware of the potential changes and their consequences.

This is especially the case if your drivers use the current 34-hour restart. Driver managers will need to alter their procedures and the sales staff will need to work hard to adjust shipper and broker expectations. Flexibility will need to be built into business relationships to ensure continued efficiency and productivity.

FMCSA’s Interstate Truck Driver’s Guide to Hours of Service, Updated February 2013 https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ documents/hos/Interstate-Truck-DriverGuide-to-HOS_508.pdf

ATA’s Summary of HOS Changes http://www.trucking.org/Safety/ 042013_ATA%20Summary%20of%20Fi nal%20HOS%20Rules.pdf ATA’s HOS Comparison Chart http://www.trucking.org/Safety/HOS %20comparison%20chart.pdf FMCSA’s Summary of HOS Changes https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/ documents/hos/HOS_Compare_new_ rule_to_current.pdf

FMCSA’s Logbook Examples http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/ hos/logbook.pdf

SMMC UPDATE • 2 ND Q UARTER 2013

News FMCSA enhances DataQs Website The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recently launched an enhanced DataQs Website with added features to improve user experience. As part of FMCSA’s overall Data Quality Program, DataQs enables motor carriers, drivers, FMCSA employees, State Partners, and the public to improve the accuracy of motor carrier and driver safety violations and crash data.

You will see a new login page but the web address is the same. While most users will enter the same login information, DataQs has sent some users an email with a new username due to changes in the username requirements. New features include an updated design to improve user experience and a step-by-step guide to assist you when requesting a review of FMCSA-issued data.

Other enhancements included in the enhanced DataQs, include a new login page; help center with more frequently asked questions; clearer terminology (for example, challenges are now referred to as Requests for Data Reviews; and search capabilities within the List of Requested Reviews FMCSA’s enforcement and compliance programs are data-driven and the Agency, together with its State Partners, is committed to continuously improving safety data. Better data means safer roads, and the enhanced DataQs Website is an important part of our continuous improvement efforts.

Diverse groups unite against longer, heavier trucks Land Line associate editor David Tanner writes recently that certain lawmakers, safety groups and truckers have formed a united front opposed to longer, heavier trucks on America’s highways.

Groups such as CRASH, Parents Against Tired Truckers and the Truck Safety Coalition are all on the same side as the OwnerOperator Independent Drivers Association,

SMMC UPDATE • 2 ND Q UARTER 2013

AAA and the Teamsters when it comes to opposing longer, heavier trucks.

These groups support legislation filed May 7 by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ. The bill is known as SHIPA, the Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act of 2013.

If it passes or gets attached to the next highway bill, SHIPA would extend the current limit of 80,000 pounds on five axles in 53-foot trailers to the entire 220,000-mile National Highway System and not just the current 44,000 miles of interstates. The bill would close a loophole used by states to allow longer, heavier trucks on certain federally funded roadways.

Lautenberg has never minced words when it comes to his feelings about trucks and highway safety.

“When super-sized tractor trailers are on the road, they are a threat to drivers and the integrity of our highways and bridges,” he said in a colorful press release. Lautenberg referred to triple trailer configurations as “killer trucks” and said SHIPA would do its part to make highways safer.

U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-MA, is pursuing a counterpart for SHIPA in the U.S. House.

The safety groups convened Tuesday on Capitol Hill to applaud the effort.

Groups such as OOIDA have long opposed increases in truck size and weight limits and supports SHIPA as part of a broader effort to block legislation to increase these limits as supported by the majority of the shipper community and many major carriers. OOIDA says allowing heavier trucks as the new norm would make the highways less safe and speed up the deterioration of costly infrastructure. There’s also an issue of competition and cost.

FMCSA’s Ferro wants to increase truck safety by eliminating unsafe carriers, drivers According to Transport Topics, Anne Ferro, the nation’s top truck safety official, told a gathering of tank truck executives she is determined to use her agency’s authority to eliminate unsafe carriers and bad commercial drivers.

Addressing the National Tank Truck Carriers annual conference in Austin, Tex.on April 30, Ferro, the administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, said the agency’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program already has had de-

sirable results and that the hours-of-service rule taking effect July 1 also will improve the situation.

Conference attendees also heard from a congressional representative who offered hope for a multiyear transportation bill to succeed the current two-year legislation.

Transport Topics associate news editor Jonathan Reiskin wrote that Ferro reiterated her agenda for FMCSA, which she has led since 2009, saying the agency will pursue a revised commercial vehicle registration system, a clearinghouse of drug and alcohol information for drivers, an electronic logging mandate and a hunt for “chameleons” and “reincarnated” carriers that have been driven out of business for a poor safety record but reappear under a different name.

“We [at FMCSA] want to achieve a day when there are no fatal truck or bus accidents, and I think we share that vision,” Ferro told the group.

The U.S. rate of fatal accidents involving commercial vehicles has declined by 28% from 2005 through last year, Ferro said, but there are still about 10 fatal accidents a day on average, and she would like to drive that down further.

Ferro also said the Unified Registration System plan, awaiting approval by the White House Office of Management and Budget, will be an important tool for pursuing scofflaw carriers. She said she believes the final wording will be published during the summer.

“URS will create a better screen for applicants coming into the system,” Ferro said, adding that she expects the system will be in operation next year.

FMCSA has emphasized recent actions taken against passenger bus operators, but Ferro said that does not mean her agency is ignoring unsafe trucking companies.

Ferro said she has “zero tolerance” for unsafe drivers and carriers and wants to remove them from the highways so they do not compete with carriers that work hard on safety. She thanked NTTC for its efforts to prevent rollover accidents and for providing relief to the Northeast after Superstorm Sandy.

On electronic onboard recorders, Ferro said FMCSA will have a proposal by Sept.

30 and a final rule sometime during 2014 that will take effect in 2016. The devices have been called EOBRs, but recently the devices have been called electronic logging devices, or ELDs.

9

“People have asked the agency to provide a level playing field,” she said, so that carriers and drivers who do not log hours honestly will not get a competitive advantage.

New Website sheds light on FMCSA’s safety enforcement program When the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration officially launched its Compliance Safety Accountability program in December 2010, trucking entered a new era of scrutiny and safety compliance.

What fleets didn’t know then was exactly how or to what extent CSA would be enforced, causing a lot of uncertainty and raising a lot of questions.

Now, some 30 months later, Commercial Carrier Journal and its sister publication Overdrive, launched its CSA’s Data Trail website, which takes a deep dive into CSA data provided by RigDig Business Intelligence, a research division of CCJ publisher Randall-Reilly, to give owner-operators, independent drivers and fleets of all sizes new information on CSA and the program’s impact on their operations.

CSA’s Data Trail offers interactive maps, infographics, in-depth articles from print and online sources as well as downloadable data. And throughout the month of May, we’ll be publishing pieces from the “Crashes and intervention” installment of the CSA’s Data Trail series, which documents areas where CSA misses the mark, failing to accurately identify carriers that cause the most accidents.

Using the interactive map, users can see the truck-involved accident frequency by state, and rates for all 48 contiguous states are available for download, including total fatalities, injuries and towaway crashes by state.

In addition, the map peels back another layer of data, allowing users to see the states with the highest rates of inspections, including a breakdown of violation priorities by state. Files available for free download offer a comprehensive look at inspection intensity nationwide as well as state rankings by violation types.

With the CSA’s Data Trail website, fleets managers can get an in-depth and interactive look at CSA’s impact on their businesses and what they can do to lower the frequency of inspections and ultimately lower the risk of being put out-of-service.

10

Develop a Fleet of Qualified Drivers by Effectively Managing Risk Wednesday, July 24, 2013 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Pelham Civic Center 500 Amphitheater Road Pelham, Ala. 35124 Lunch to follow presentation Drivers are integral to the success of a trucking company – but not just any drivers, we are talking about safe and compliant drivers. However, with current driver shortages, some fleet managers might be forced to lower hiring standards to keep operations rolling.

What can you do to develop and maintain a fleet of the safest and most compliant drivers available?

In this two-hour presentation, learn how DriveCam’s Driver Risk Management, complemented by RAIR compliance services, can help you develop and maintain a fleet of qualified drivers by providing visibility into risky drivers and behaviors, improving these drivers with focused coaching, and identifying your good drivers for positive recognition.

You’ll also discover the benefits, including: Reduction in Collision-related Expenses ● Driver Exoneration from Wrongful Claims ● Improved CSA scores ● Reduction in Non-compliance Exposure ● Lower Fuel Costs ●

Speakers: ●

Del Lisk, VP of Safety Services, DriveCam, Inc. ● Chris Nelson, VP of Risk Management, RAIR, a Division of DriveCam, Inc.

SMMC UPDATE • 2 ND Q UARTER 2013