June 2013
Volume 1 Number 11
http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/topics/hos/index.htm
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My Truck News`
Feds: I-5 Bridge Collapse Driver Was ‘Crowded Over’ By Passing Truck The NTSB recently released a preliminary report on the Washington I-5 bridge collapse investigation. In the report, the NTSB confirms what many have suspected; the NTSB report claims another truck may have “crowded over” the driver whose oversized load struck the bridge, causing it to collapse. Last week, investigators announced they were hoping to speak with a driver who was on the bridge just before collapse. They said they were looking for a truck with a white trailer that may have sustained some damage in the incident. “It appears that when the oversize load struck the bridge it shifted to the left and struck something to the left,” Trooper Mark Francis said. Investigators said they did not believe the second truck was responsible for the collapse. The report just released from the NTSB details what investigators believe may have caused the accident. “Immediately prior to the collapse, a 2010 Kenworth trucktractor in combination with a 1997 Aspen flatbed trailer loaded with a casing shed (oversize load) was following a pilot vehicle traveling southbound on Interstate 5. According to witnesses, as both vehicles approached the bridge, another southbound trucktractor in combination with a semitrailer overtook and passed the oversize load in the left lane. “The driver of the oversize load reported to investigators that he felt ‘crowded’ by the passing combination vehicle so he moved New HOS in effect July 1, 2013
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Driver was “Crowded Over”
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Check Your Own Fluids
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Justice for Truckers
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Minimum Levels of Insurance Not Overlooked Now
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Today in Transportation
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Nightmare for Drivers
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Driving the road to better health
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News Roundup
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Photo Credit: NTSB his vehicle to the right. As the oversize load was being transported across the bridge, the top of the load collided with the overhead portal and multiple sway braces on the far right side of the truss structure,” the report states.
Read the full report here: About 7:00 p.m. Pacific daylight time (PDT) on Thursday, May 23, 2013, a span of the Interstate 5 Bridge (Structure 4794A) at milepost 228.25 in Mount Vernon, Skagit County, Washington, collapsed into the Skagit River, along with two passenger vehicles. The bridge, constructed in 1955, had four concrete approach spans on the north and south ends and four 160-foot-long steel through-truss spans over the river. The over-water truss spans were non-load-path-redundant, and certain members of the truss Continued on page 6
Trish Neal, Editor Trucking by Design 541-404-0724 Cell /Text 888-269-8775 Fax Call, Text, or Email! MyTruckNews@gmail.com
VISOR CARD
DOWNLOAD FROM HERE: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/hos/HOS-Regulations-7-1-2013.pdf
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My Truck News`
Checking Your Own Fluids Editor’s Note: We welcome Truck Driver and Author, Sandy Long to My Truck News this month! Look for articles by Sandy in the coming months! By Sandy Long Truck drivers are often seen with large thermos of coffee and carrying cases of soda pop. We even have our own names for coffee, a cup of 40 weight or a cup of joe. Truck stop wait staff almost always assume that a driver will order coffee and arrive at the table with coffee pot in hand. Caffeine and energy drinks fuel us as surely as diesel fuels our trucks, but is all of that really good for us. Perhaps wrongly, many of us do not drink too much water thinking that we will have to stop too often and think we need the caffeine to function. The human body consists of about 80% of our bodies at birth and about 70% as adults. Human brains consist of 75% water as do muscles. Blood is made up of 90% water. 75% of humans are chronically dehydrated. Dehydration can cause many illnesses and have many effects on the body. Even mild dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3%. It can cause hunger pains, and fatigue as well as increased risks of colon, bladder and breast cancers. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page. We gain water from both food and drinks, though caffeine in a drink such as coffee or soda pop actually dehydrates us. It is recommended that humans consume about 91 ounces of water a day. Though that sounds like a lot of water, about 20% comes from the food we eat. Here are some other interesting facts about hydration: Even mild dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3% and One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day
could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers. A person can live about a month without food, but only about a week without water. If a human does not absorb enough water dehydration is the result. A healthy person can drink about three gallons (48 cups) of water per day. By the time a person feels thirsty, his or her body has lost over 1 percent of its total water amount. The weight a person loses directly after intense physical activity is weight from water, not fat. Drinking too much water too quickly can lead to water intoxication. Water intoxication occurs when water dilutes the sodium level in the bloodstream and causes an imbalance of water in the brain. Dehydration occurs most often in the morning and can cause cardiovascular problems such as heart attack and stroke. Though truckers other than flatbedders, cattle haulers and delivery drivers do not do a lot of physical activity through their work days, mental stress is affected adversely by a lack of water in our bodies. The drivers that do hard physical work lose a lot of water especially during the warm months, or if they wear protective clothing that can lead to heat stroke. Having that caffeine drink to get you jump started might be a good thing when starting your shift, but do not forget to have your 8-10 glasses or bottles of water throughout the day too. It cannot hurt and sure could help you do your job better and perhaps even live your life longer. Yes, you may have to stop a time or two more a day, but isn’t it worth it if you feel better overall. Who knows, we might have discovered the cure for the so- called problem of driver fatigue…just have a big glass of water!
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Volume 1 Number 11
Receiver To Pay $2.2 Million
on the floor “for an unknown amount of time until he regained consciousness.”
To Injured Trucker All too often, the stores or warehouses that are receiving goods are ill-equipped to deal with the freight that is coming in. Sometimes that’s a problem for lumpers, but often it’s a problem for drivers. This was the case for Gregory Baird on Black Friday in 2007 when he was making a delivery to a Dollar General store in Troy, MO.
Since the accident happened as a result of the unsafe environment at the store, a federal jury awarded Baird $2.2 million dollars to be paid by the receiver, Dollar General. In fact, the original verdict had been to award Baird $4.6 million and his wife an additional $250,000, but the jury decided that Baird was 52% responsible for what had happened, and so reduced the fine by that amount.
According to the complaint filed by Baird, the back of the store did not have enough light to safely unload his cargo. When he sought out a manager to see if he could be provided with another light source, he was told that there wasn’t one available. He then returned to his truck and attempted to call his dispatcher. During the call, an employee of the store cut the security seal on the trailer, which forced Baird to unload the freight right then because of company policy.
There is very little a driver can do if he is placed in this sort of situation, and even the carrier can’t do much when the security seal has been broken, so the onus falls on the receiver to make sure that they provide safe working conditions. It’s a very positive sign that a federal court has taken such a clear stand. Let’s just hope that receivers nationwide get the message.
“Essentially what happened is my guy was a newlywed, 33 years old, just got a job with Hogan Transportation,” said Baird’s lawyer in a phone interview with Land Line. “He was worried if he didn’t unload the cargo, he’d lose his job.”
This morning I received a call from a lady who had lost her job and not been able to get another because the company she had worked for posted false information on her about three supposed crashes. She had hired a labor attorney to sue the company but that is not helping her with getting a job.
Apparently, when the trailer had been packed, the tops of the plastic cargo containers had been covered with unspecified paper products, which in turn were topped by at least one box of eight half-gallon containers of liquid, weighing approximately 38lbs.
I explained to her that unless you have a transportation attorneyyou would be at a disadvantage. Her problem with the accidents I solved with very little. This is a case where her PSP score and the carriers SMS scores will help her prove her case to DAC and to a judge.
Because it was so dark, when Baird went to unload the paper products, he did not see the containers of liquid. As he moved the cargo, they fell on his head, knocking him unconscious. There was no one around to see him, so he lay
Under CSA there is no accident unless a vehicle is towed away. Then the information is posted on both the PSP and SMS reports. She can use this information to have DAC remove the information and then sue the company.
Carrier ruins DAC report for Driver!
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My Truck News`
Minimum Levels of Insurance Overlooked in the Past are Looked Over Now Contributed by: Wes Curtis Commercial Truck Consulting LLC 541-761-8619 www.truckcompliance.com
For motor carriers who want to expand their business and offer more services to their customers, this needs to be a matter of great consideration, just as it is for carriers currently competing in this market and for carriers who occasionally transport hazardous materials.
One requirement that may be overlooked by motor carriers from a business and planning viewpoint is the amount of insurance coverage, or financial responsibility, that must be maintained by the motor carrier. This form of risk management is required of all companies who operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) both under and over 10,001 pounds. In this case, public liability is the focus and not cargo, worker’s comp, health, or any other form of insurance. Public liability is designed to protect the public from a loss, not the carrier.
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Part 387 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations describes the minimum levels of financial responsibility for motor carriers. For-hire motor carriers, in interstate or foreign commerce, with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 10,001 pounds or more, who transport property that is nonhazardous, must carry a minimum of $750,000 of financial responsibility. It is very important to note that carriers who transport different types of hazardous materials must maintain different levels of insurance coverage. These minimum levels of coverage can be either $1,000,000 or $5,000,000, depending on the commodity being transported and the type of vehicle used. Currently, a study is being conducted by a group of trucking companies to determine if the federal insurance requirement for the industry is too low. The FMCSA is also completing its own evaluation for minimum insurance requirements and expects to have it completed in the next few months. The regulation, §387.9, applies to private and for-hire carriers, intrastate or interstate commerce including foreign commerce, and can also affect vehicles transporting materials of trade. While materials of trade may be smaller in quantity than a flammable shipment being transported in a portable tank, they are nonetheless still a hazardous material. The same applies to any material transported under exceptions, including limited quantities, found in the Hazardous Materials Regulations. The point to be made here is that all motor carriers should review their insurance coverage along with the commodities they transport to make sure they are in compliance with this regulation. Failure to meet these minimum levels of financial responsibility can result in a fine of up to $16,000 from the FMCSA.
Source: jjkeller
were considered fracture critical. The collapsed span, located on the north end of the truss portion of the bridge, consisted of two northbound and two southbound traffic lanes divided by a concrete barrier. Immediately prior to the collapse, a 2010 Kenworth truck-tractor in combination with a 1997 Aspen flatbed trailer loaded with a casing shed (oversize load) was following a pilot vehicle traveling southbound on Interstate 5. According to witnesses, as both vehicles approached the bridge, another southbound trucktractor in combination with a semitrailer overtook and passed the oversize load in the left lane. The driver of the oversize load reported to investigators that he felt “crowded” by the passing combination vehicle so he moved his vehicle to the right. As the oversize load was being transported across the bridge, the top of the load collided with the overhead portal and multiple sway braces on the far right side of the truss structure. The impacts caused significant damage to load-bearing members of the bridge’s superstructure, resulting in the failure and subsequent collapse of the northernmost bridge span. During the postcollision investigation, the driver reported to investigators that he thought the height of the oversize load was 15 feet 9 inches. The lowest portion of the sway braces, as measured over the active portion of the roadway, was determined to be 14 feet 8 inches. According to the operator of the pilot vehicle, the clearance pole mounted on the front of her vehicle was set at 16 feet 2 inches. Two passenger vehicles—a southbound 2010 Dodge Ram pickup truck towing a 2009 Jayco camper trailer and a northbound 2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek—were on the bridge span at the time of the collapse. The vehicles and the damaged span fell into the river. The three vehicle occupants were later rescued from the water. In addition to the span that collapsed, at least one adjacent span was found to have impact damage from the oversize load. The motorists on the collapsed span received injuries of varying degrees; no fatalities resulted from the collapse. Read more at http://cdllife.com/2013/top-trucking-news/feds-i-5bridge-collapse-driver-was-crowded-over-by-passing-truck/ #uZBwGz1bIXax8AAi.99
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Volume 1 Number 11
Today in Transportation History: June 4, 1963 Six-year-old Robert Patch made both transportation history and playtime history when he received a U.S. patent (No. 3,091,888) for a toy truck that he had designed. That toy, as outlined in his drawings for his idea, could easily be taken apart and put back together by just about any kid. In addition, it was possible to separate the toy into a chassis, driver’s cab, truck body, wheels, and four axles in such a way that it could be formed to resemble different types of vehicles -- a closed van body, for example, or a dump truck. Robert Patch was actually only five years old when he submitted his patent application for that toy truck almost a year earlier on June 11, 1962. His idea has since become the template for many toy trucks that have been manufactured and sold over the past half-century.
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My Truck News`
ATRI — Compendium of Idling Regulations— Cab Card — Handy to have in the truck!
Investigation Needed!
http://www.atri-online.org/research/idling/ ATRI_Idling_Cab_Card.pdf
Allan Nightrunner Please ask congress to have the FMCSA and or the NHTSA to start an investigation into the problem and design of the Air Foot Control Valve or called the Treadle Valve.The Treadle Valve has been known to malfunction in semi trucks, buses and RV’s. This will and can cause an accident without warning, leaving many victims in its path. The Treadle Valve and Plunger can cause:
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1. The Treadle Valve or plunger to stop or stick in the up position, if this happens the driver has no breaks to stop. 2. The Treadle Valve or plunger to stop or stick in the center position which can happen without the drivers knowledge. This could happen without applying the brake lights. In which this could cause break drag which can cause the breaks to get hot and or catch on fire. This has been known to catch vehicles on fire. 3. The Treadle Valve or plunger can stop or stick in the down position. This can or will cause the vehicle to go into a skid or jackknife which could cause the driver to lose control that could then cause an accident. The Treadle Valve or plunger has had bulletins and recalls since the 1970’s leading up to 2012. The recalls are in different makes and models of Buses, Semi’s, and RV’S. According to the NHTSA there were nearly 3,500 fatalities resulting from accidents that involved a large truck in the United Sates in 2009. That does not include Buses or RV’S. The Treadle Valve problem is happening more today than in the past years. WHAT IS A PERSON’S LIFE WORTH? Please Sign the Petition at this site and Share with others: http://www.change.org/petitions/air-brake-problems-that-causingaccidents
Fre
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Our goal is to help Commercial Drivers and their Carriers keep abreast of everything that is coming at them so they might protect themselves from laws that seem to change every day. 1. Truckers for Highway Safety. 2. Controlling traffic violation point issues. 3. Filing DataQ Claims. 4. Truckers with incorrect info on DAC report. 5. Problems with the DOT over sleep apnea. Justice for Truckers on Facebook Assisting Truckers
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Volume 1 Number 11
Visiting Your Doctor Even if you are feeling healthy, you should visit your doctor annually. These visits help doctors to screen for diseases, assess your risk factors for future medical problems, and provide tips for continued wellness.
Make the Most of Your Doctor Visits When you visit your doctor, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)provides tips for making the most of your doctor visits. AHRQ notes that for you and your doctor to become partners in improving your healthcare, you should: Give information. Don’t wait to be asked. No one knows your body better than you. Even if you are uncomfortable discussing your health concerns, provide your doctor with a complete health history. Your doctor is there to help you. Get information. Ask questions and make sure that you understand what the doctor tells you. It may help to write down questions and answers for future reference. If you don’t understand, continue to ask for clarification. You can even ask the doctor to draw a picture. Take information home. Ask for written instructions and any brochures the doctor may have. Follow-up. If you have questions, call the doctor. Also, if you’re problems get worse or you have problems with your medicine, call. Follow-up to get test results or additional appointments. MORE TIPS ON HEALTHY EATING ON THE ROAD AT: http://www.drivinghealthy.org/
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My Truck News`
Driving Healthy @DrivingHealthy Upset stomach: Use your index & middle fingers to press down on the groove b/w the tendons that run from base of your palm to your wrist. Need a short workout to fit into your busy day? Check out this body-weight workout. It's only 4 minutes! (Video) http://ow.ly/mc4zf
Books by Sandy Long
First aid is part of planning for an emergency. Learn what other actions can keep you safe in emergencies: http://1.usa.gov/ljDwLh Is this good for me or not? End the confusion and learn how to make the most of the food nutrition label information: http://ow.ly/mc2hn Stretching should be gentle and controlled - not painful. Breathe deeply when you hold your stretch. #NSM2013 Having trouble trying to figure out healthy alternatives at fast food restaurants? Check out this helpful app: http://ow.ly/ mc1Uc Skin cancer is preventable. Remember to seek shade, cover up, and wear sunscreen. http://ow.ly/ mc1Co #SPOTSkinCancer MORE TIPS ON HEALTHY EATING ON THE ROAD AT: http://www.drivinghealthy.org/
http://sandylongsfaire.weebly.com/sandys-books.html
Download HOS Reference Materials HOS Visor Card for Truck Drivers News Release (July 1, 2013) Question and Answers Interstate Truck Driver's Guide to Hours of Service (PDF) Logbook Examples (PDF) HOS Regulations - Part 395 Final Rule (PDF) Regulatory Impact Analysis (PDF) Appendices A-E (PDF) Environmental Assessment (PDF) Appendices A-E (PDF) Petitions for Reconsideration and Replies (PDF) DETAILS AND COMPARISON HERE: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/topics/hos/index.htm
New HOS Rules Take Effect in July
CMV drivers, check out the HOS logbook examples for the new rule that takes effect in July. http://1.usa.gov/XSVVJS
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is issuing warnings to drivers and others in the commercial driving and transportation industries to be on the lookout for bogus license plates and CDLs bearing a DOT endorsement.