Mark Barlar

Is your fleet ready for CVSA’s 2025 International Roadcheck?

With the year’s largest targeted enforcement program on commercial motor vehicles fast approaching, it’s time for drivers and carriers in North America to start reviewing compliance efforts.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) International Roadcheck is scheduled for May 13-15. This annual 72-hour event spans Canada, Mexico and the United States, focusing on high-visibility, 24-hour inspections and regulatory compliance enforcement for commercial motor vehicles.

This year’s Roadcheck...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/is-your-fleet-ready-for-cvsas-2025-international-roadcheck

Stay vigilant about safety compliance with mock audits

Mock audits are an essential tool for motor carriers to understand how their companies would perform during a real Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration safety compliance review. 

They usually involve hiring a professional third-party consultant with expertise in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) who can help a company comprehensively vet its safety regulation compliance, helping identify areas that would lead its safety fitness to be deemed less than satisfactory by an...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/stay-vigilant-about-safety-compliance-with-mock-audits

PSP records: A driver’s resume

As its name suggests, the Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) is used by motor carriers ahead of a hiring decision to evaluate a prospective driver’s safety history. 

As such, drivers should treat their PSP records like a resume, said Mark Barlar, director of DOT regulatory compliance at Reliance Partners, a trucking insurance and safety consulting agency.

While PSP records are sometimes inaccurately referred to as scores, they are not numerical values. Instead, the reports are compilations of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/psp-records-a-drivers-resume

ELD transfer violation could cause snowball effect on CSA scores

Up until December, motor carriers’ Compliance, Safety and Accountability (CSA) scores weren’t impacted by a common hours-of-service violation: A driver not being able to transfer logs to a law enforcement officer during roadside inspections.

But now, the once zero-point violation could cost carriers at least three points and potentially more.

“This is pretty significant because what happens here is not only can we get hit with that one violation, but that could lead to several other violations,...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/eld-transfer-violation-could-cause-snowball-effect-on-csa-scores

Challenging crash, inspection reports with DataQs

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Unannounced hazmat inspections reveal risks, unsafe practices

The results are in: Hazmat violations continue to be a problem. 

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has released the findings of its unannounced-inspection initiative this summer, which cracked down on safety issues related to the transport of hazardous materials and dangerous goods (HM/DG) as part this year’s Road Blitz.

From June 21-25, commercial motor vehicle (CMV) inspectors in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. carried out 13,471 inspections of vehicles transporting HM/DGs. Of the...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/unannounced-hazmat-inspections-reveal-risks-unsafe-practices

Stay alert and slow down through work zones

Large trucks are involved in one-third of all fatal crashes in work zones, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The agency issued a press release last week detailing its findings, and urging drivers to stay alert, obey traffic signs and allow all vehicles extra space around them.

“Around most parts of the country, there’s two seasons: winter and construction,” said Reliance Partners Director of Safety Brian Runnels. 

Traffic cones and warning signs are supposed to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/stay-alert-and-slow-down-through-work-zones

Stay alert for signs of sex trafficking at truck stops

Though perpetuated in the shadows of society, human trafficking is a $32 billion industry worldwide.

Truck stops offer rest and amenities to truckers and general motorists after a long day’s drive, but they can also be hubs for sex traffickers and their victims. As teenagers and boys and girls are transported from city to city, truck stops serve as natural stopping points along their routes — an unintentional but optimal location for the crime.

Sgt. Harman Chahal of the Wisconsin State Patrol and...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/stay-alert-for-signs-of-sex-trafficking-at-truck-stops

It’s better to be safe than sorry with cargo tank leaks

One look at the bill of lading is all you need to understand why fuel hauling can often be a white-knucke experience. Referred to as “rolling bombs” in the past, cargo tank trailers can be deadly if handled improperly. Hauling flammable liquids is no easy task. That is why Mark Barlar, Reliance Partners’ director of risk services, urges hazmat truckers to continue sharpening their safety skills no matter how many years of experience are under their belts.

With over 20 years of experience...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/its-better-to-be-safe-than-sorry-with-cargo-tank-leaks