Compliance safety accountability program

FMCSA’s Hutcheson commits to allowing hair-based drug testing of truckers

FMCSA Acting Administrator Karen Hutcheson

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration chief Robin Hutcheson testified Wednesday her agency is committed to closing what some in the trucking industry believe are major loopholes in the FMCSA’s oversight of testing truck drivers for drug use.

“We are working with [the Department of] Health and Human Services; they are completing a study and when it is complete we stand ready to implement their recommendations,” Hutcheson told Senate Commerce Committee lawmakers at her nomination hearing to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fmcsas-hutcheson-commits-to-allowing-hair-based-drug-testing-of-truckersnbsp

The path to ending FMCSA violations

Jennifer pulled her 53-foot rig into the highway weigh station for what she assumed was the standard enforcement stop. While she had only been driving on her own for about six months, Jennifer had gone through a number of these routine checks.

This one was different. The enforcement officer asked to see her ELD data. Jennifer was prepared: She had been trained by her fleet on how to handle the situation and provided the officer all the necessary information. Hoping the stop would go smoothly,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/the-path-to-ending-fmcsa-violations

US senator demands answers from FMCSA on truck crashes

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, has accused the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) of failing to properly oversee the country’s commercial trucking industry and is demanding that the agency answer for it.

The allegations by Markey, a prominent member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, follow an investigation into commercial truck crashes published in August by The Boston Globe.

The investigation revealed how trucking companies in Massachusetts and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/us-senator-demands-answers-from-fmcsa-on-truck-crashes

FMCSA ‘struggling’ with under-21 CDL pilot for military vets

Lack of participation in a program meant to address a shortfall of drivers entering the trucking industry is forcing regulators to adjust.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will be extending its Under 21 Military Commercial Drivers License (CDL) Pilot Program beyond the three-year period typically set by Congress for such projects, according to FMCSA Deputy Administrator Wiley Deck.

“We are struggling trying to get drivers into the program,” Deck acknowledged during a...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/fmcsa-struggling-with-under-21-cdl-pilot-for-military-vets

News Alert: CDL fraud called out by federal watchdogs

Federal investigators have documented over $7 million in fines, forfeitures and restitution along with more than 54 years in total incarceration for individuals sentenced in commercial driver’s license (CDL) fraud over the last four years.

The statistics were released Friday by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General (DOT OIG) as part of its annual assessment of top management challenges at agencies within the department for the upcoming fiscal year.

The 2021 report...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/news-alert-cdl-fraud-called-out-by-federal-watchdogs

FreightWaves 3PL Summit: Reducing workforce costs with Hubtek’s TABi virtual assistant and Colombian nearshoring

A rising tide lifts all boats, or so you’d think. The rapid digitalization of freight has forced each company in the sector to rethink its strategies. While the digital sweep has provided newfound growth opportunities for many transportation companies, other smaller logistics providers may find it difficult to compete with rising employee costs and the efficiencies of automation.

One workforce optimization solutions company, however, seeks to flip the script with its latest automated platform....

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/freightwaves-3pl-summit-reducing-workforce-costs-with-hubteks-tabi-virtual-assistant-and-colombian-nearshoring

Lawmakers reintroduce trucking company hiring standards

Two U.S. representatives have reintroduced legislation requiring that brokers and other entities use more rigorous standards before hiring a trucking company.

The bipartisan Motor Carrier Safety Selection Standard Act, introduced Wednesday by Reps. Bob Gibbs, R-Ohio, and Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, is the latest iteration of similar proposals backed by the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA) introduced in both the House and Senate over the past five years.

The proposal would put in place...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/lawmakers-reintroduce-trucking-company-hiring-standards

Breaking News: House approves trucking insurance increase and hours-of-service delay

A major infrastructure package that includes provisions to hike truckers’ insurance coverage to $2 million and delay the September 29 start date for new federal hours of service (HOS) changes was approved today by the U.S. House of Representatives.

The $1.5 trillion Moving Forward Act, which passed the Democrat-controlled House largely along party lines by a vote of 233 to 188, was derided by Republicans in the chamber as a “wish list” partisan bill heavy on climate-change related proposals that...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/breaking-news-house-approves-trucking-insurance-increase-and-hours-of-service-delay

House Democrats propose delay of hours-of-service rules

The newly minted hours-of-service (HOS) final rule will require an extensive safety review that would delay the effective date of the rules by up to 18 months or even longer if Democrats on Capitol Hill have their way.

A “comprehensive review” of the final rule, which became official on Monday and is currently scheduled to go into effect on Sept. 29, was included in the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST in America) Act, a five-year, $494...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/house-democrats-propose-delay-of-hours-of-service-rules

DOT called out for gaps in truck safety, COVID-19 leadership

A new report from a government watchdog agency urges more action from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on truck safety oversight and in responding to pandemics such as COVID-19.

The two issues are among 16 new or existing “open priority recommendations” published by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) on April 30. Such recommendations are those GAO considers needing the most attention from heads of key departments or agencies.

According to GAO, “they are highlighted...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dot-called-out-for-gaps-in-truck-safety-covid-19-leadership

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