Hours of service

The Daily Dash: Tax penalties, HOS exemptions and a better way to price insurance

Mileage based user fee study finds trucks pay less in tax

The Daily Dash is a quick look at what is happening in the freight ecosystem. In today’s edition, a new study has found that fuel-efficient trucks may pay higher taxes than older, fuel-guzzling trucks under a mileage-based system. Plus, more hours-of-service exemptions have been issued, an insurance startup thinks it has a better way to price insurance, and TFI International could be shifting into acquisition mode.

Mileage-based taxes may not solve highway funding problems

A multi-state study of...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/the-daily-dash-tax-penalties-hos-exemptions-and-a-better-way-to-price-insurance

Safety most at risk at beginning, end of drivers’ shifts

Samsara studies truckers'' risky driving behaviors

Commercial vehicle drivers are more likely to engage in unsafe driving behaviors at the beginning or end of their shifts. Meanwhile, U.S. drivers are speeding more frequently on the less-congested roadways during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These are some of the findings from a new data deep dive from Internet of Things (IoT) provider Samsara, analyzing data from its commercial customers.

According to Ali Akhtar, director of data science for the firm, reduced roadway congestion has led to a 20%...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/safety-most-at-risk-at-beginning-end-of-drivers-shifts

The Daily Dash: More states consider electric-truck mandates; stay safe and ignore HOS; why electric?

Freightliner eCascadia

The Daily Dash is a quick look at what is happening today in the freight ecosystem. In this edition, California is mandating electric-truck sales, and some other states may follow suit. Plus, drivers facing life-or-death situations shouldn’t worry about hours-of-service violations and why are investors so interested in electric-truck makers? 

As California goes, so goes the nation

When California announced the world’s first electric-truck sales mandate, it garnered headlines and its fair share of...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/the-daily-dash-more-states-consider-electric-truck-mandates-stay-safe-and-ignore-hos-why-electric

Truck stops join owner-operators in rejecting Dems’ highway bill

Travel plaza and truck stop operators are no longer backing U.S. House Democrats’ federal infrastructure proposal after a provision was included to allow electric vehicle charging stations at interstate rest areas.

“It is incredibly shortsighted for lawmakers to focus on installing electric vehicle charging at rest areas with taxpayer dollars … rather than to partner with the thousands of exit businesses already investing in electric fuel,” Lisa Mullings, president and CEO of NATSO, the trade...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-stops-join-owner-operators-in-rejecting-dems-highway-bill

Texas Supreme Court rules against family in ‘overworked’ truck driver death

Despite testimony that an oilfield carrier pushed truck drivers to work more than 100 hours per week and ignore federal hours-of-service regulations, the Texas Supreme Court has ruled that the family of an “overworked” truck driver killed in a rollover crash can’t file a wrongful death lawsuit against the carrier because they couldn’t prove the company “intended” for him to die in a crash.

Instead, the court ruled that the family of Fabian Escobedo, who worked for Mo-Vac Service Co. in its...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/texas-supreme-court-rules-against-family-in-overworked-truck-driver-death

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

5 self-audit steps needed to ramp up carrier compliance

Regulatory compliance

As businesses around the country restart operations, talk has shifted to the steps necessary to ensure the safety of their employees. For many, the changes are drastic — 6-foot social distancing, constant cleaning and even work from home. But for the trucking industry, a return to normal means a return to regulatory compliance.

While the reality is that compliance never disappeared, in many jurisdictions, and for many regulations, it has been relaxed or suspended entirely during the COVID-19...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/5-self-audit-steps-needed-to-ramp-up-carrier-compliance

FMCSA yet to receive evidence of broker violations

Despite widespread complaints by small business truckers that they are being gouged by freight brokers colluding against them, the industry’s top regulator has yet to see formal evidence backing their case.

“It’s a hot topic now – there were protesters here in D.C., and the President has spoken on some of these issues,” Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Acting Administrator Jim Mullen told attendees of a webinar hosted by the Intermodal Association of North America, or IANA, on...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/fmcsa-yet-to-receive-evidence-of-broker-violations

Carrier safety ratings to continue despite COVID-19 constraints

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) determined it will continue to conduct compliance reviews and assign safety ratings even if inspectors do not visit the carrier’s place of business as required by current regulations.

In guidelines issued May 19, the agency said that due to COVID-19 risks, it will be “leveraging all available technology to access information and records” to limit potential exposure to drivers, employers, and safety investigators during compliance review...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/carrier-safety-ratings-to-continue-despite-covid-19-constraints

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