compliance

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

U.S. Treasury takes aim at Putin’s yachts

Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took further actions aimed at degrading the key networks used by Russia’s elites, including President Vladimir Putin, to attempt to hide and move money and anonymously make use of luxury assets around the globe.

OFAC says that today’s action targets a Kremlin-aligned yacht brokerage, several prominent Russian government officials, and a close Putin associate and money-manager, Sergei Roldugin, identified by OFAC...

https://www.marinelog.com/legal-safety/safety-and-security/u-s-treasury-takes-aim-at-putins-yachts/

Vane Brothers fleet achieves 100% Subchapter M goal

Baltimore, Md., headquartered Vane Brothers reports that 100 percent of its tugboats have earned a valid Certificate of Inspection (COI) as part of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Subchapter M program, that sets federally regulated safety standards for “inspected towing vessels.”

All applicable vessels are required to earn a valid COI by July.

“Vane Brothers appreciates the importance of safety to the company, our crews, and our customers,” says Vane Brothers president C. Duff Hughes. “Our goal is zero...

https://www.marinelog.com/inland-coastal/vane-brothers-fleet-achieves-100-subchapter-m-goal/

Viewpoint: An update on federal arbitration changes

Court gavel on table

There have been many actions in the courts and legislatures across the country lately involving arbitration. Two significant developments have come from Congress and from the Supreme Court.  Legislatively, Congress has amended the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA) to make pre-dispute arbitration agreements relating to claims of sexual assault or sexual harassment invalid and unenforceable, and also to prohibit waivers of the right to bring such claims on a class or collective basis. Just across...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/viewpoint-an-update-federal-arbitration-changes

Ship owner and operator enter guilty pleas in pollution case

Empire Bulkers Limited and Joanna Maritime Limited, related companies based in Greece, pleaded guilty today to knowing violations of the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships and the Ports and Waterways Safety Act involving the Marshall Islands registered bulk carrier M/V Joanna.

As we reported earlier, the two companies, along with chief engineer Warlito Tan, were indicted on charges related to the vessel in September last year.

The guilty pleas took place today in federal court in New Orleans,...

https://www.marinelog.com/legal-safety/environment/ship-owner-and-operator-enter-guilty-pleas-in-pollution-case/

How to survive an FMCSA off-site audit

White tractor trailer truck driving toward camera

For the first time, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration officials last year began issuing motor carrier safety ratings based on off-site reviews. While the chances of an auditor showing up on your doorstep is diminishing, the rise in off-site audits opens up a new threat to carriers. And with safety ratings now being issued based on these audits, the stakes have never been higher.

“While a motor carrier’s chance of being selected for an audit is lower than in the past, the potential...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/jj-keller-advice-on-surviving-fmcsa-safety-audit

Bulker master arrested in Australian cocaine bust could face life sentence

The 51-year-old master of the 38,763 dwt Marshall Islands flagged bulk carrier Interlink Veracity was arrested yesterday by the Australian Federal Police (AFP). The man, a national of Montegro, was expected to be brought before a court in South Hedland, Western Australia, today. for his alleged role in a plot to import 320 kilograms of cocaine into Australia.

After his arrest aboard the ship, the man was charged with importing a commercial quantity of border controlled drugs, namely cocaine. The...

https://www.marinelog.com/legal-safety/compliance/bulker-master-arrested-in-australian-cocaine-bust-could-face-life-sentence/

Viewpoint: Federal appellate court dismisses age discrimination claim as insufficient

Older man sitting at a desk in a suit

A supervisor filed a lawsuit against his employer after his employer terminated him for allegedly placing a concealed camera in the office.  The supervisor claimed that he was unlawfully terminated on account of his sex, in violation of Title VII, and age, in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). The federal Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals (which has jurisdiction over Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana) was tasked with determining whether the termination was a violation of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/viewpoint-federal-appellate-court-dismisses-age-discrimination-claim-as-insufficient

CrewSmart names new commercial director

Colchester, U.K., based CrewSmart has hired Anna Saunders as commercial director. In this role, she will support the global roll-out of its software platform, an end-to-end management system for compliant, effective maritime operations.

Saunders joins CrewSmart from offshore energy support vessel operator Seacat Services, where she led the crew management team. She will work alongside CrewSmart’s founder & technical director, Christian Adams to build on current momentum, as the company seeks to...

https://www.marinelog.com/legal-safety/compliance/crewsmart-names-new-commercial-director/

FMC requires more info from box ship alliances

The Federal Maritime Commission is upping its scrutiny of the three alliances that dominate global container shipping

The alliances (2M, OCEAN, and THE) and each of their member companies will now be required to provide enhanced pricing and capacity information, providing the FMC with uniform data to use in assessing ocean carrier behavior and marketplace competitiveness.

The newly mandated information will provide the FMC’s Bureau of Trade Analysis (BTA) with insight into pricing of individual...

https://www.marinelog.com/legal-safety/compliance/fmc-requires-more-info-from-box-ship-alliances/

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