Safety : Articles

Preventing Driver Injuries This Fall and Winter

Preventing Driver Injuries This Fall and Winter

Slip/Trip and Fall injuries are drivers’ most common type of injury. Most of them occur during the winter months. Thousands of professional drivers are seriously injured annually due to not paying attention to winter conditions. Working on the ice...

30 Tips for Driving Safely in Extreme Summer Weather

30 Tips for Driving Safely in Extreme Summer Weather

Tips for Extreme Weather like Tornados, Hurricanes, Flooding, Severe Thunderstorms and Lightning Use a rain repellent on your windshield, side windows, and mirrors to clear standing raindrops. Build a car emergency kit. At the very least, have a...

Summer Forecast 2023 – Extreme Heat & Humidity

Summer Forecast 2023 – Extreme Heat & Humidity

Heat and your Truck For drivers to operate a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safely, they also need to understand how heat affects the operation of the CMV. Two areas that drivers must pay attention to during their inspections are the engine coolant...

Make Sure Your MCS 150 Up to Date

Make Sure Your MCS 150 Up to Date

The FMCSA requires all interstate carriers to file a MCS-150 or MCS-150B, if a Safety permit is required, every 24 months based on the last two digits of the US DOT number.  The last digit of the number dictates the month and the second to last...

5 Risks of Driving While Using a Mobile Phone

5 Risks of Driving While Using a Mobile Phone

There are several types of driver distraction: Visual – takes your eyes off the road. This can include looking for something in the vehicle, electronic devices or reading advertising along the road. Manual – takes your hands off the wheel. Smoking,...

Schools are Letting Out! Proceed with Caution!

Schools are Letting Out! Proceed with Caution!

With Summer almost here, many of us are looking forward to spending more time outdoors. Many schools will be letting out in the next couple of weeks.   There will be many children going to and from, and participating in, outdoor activities...

Tips! Preventing a Single Vehicle Accident

Tips! Preventing a Single Vehicle Accident

A single-vehicle accident is any driving mishap where only one vehicle is involved. This can include veering off the road and hitting a tree, a rollover crash, or damage caused by animals or debris on the road. Bad weather, poor visibility, and...

Operation Safe Driver Week 2023

Operation Safe Driver Week 2023

Shifting the focus slightly from vehicles to drivers, this year’s Operation Safe Driver Week will be held from July 9th through the 15th. During this week, law enforcement will be in heightened alert for any commercial or passenger vehicles driving...

New Out-of-Service Criteria from CVSA

New Out-of-Service Criteria from CVSA

Annually, the CVSA’s changes to the existing Out-of-Service Criteria (OOSC) are approved in October and take effect the following April 1st; this year is no exception. Here are the changes for 2023: False Logs – Clarification is given as to whether...

Saint Patrick’s Day Drunk Driving Prevention – March 17

Saint Patrick’s Day Drunk Driving Prevention – March 17

St Patrick’s Day is one of the deadliest holidays on our nation’s roads.  Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving This year, St. Patrick’s Day — March 17, 2023 — falls on a Friday. The celebratory day is one of the biggest drinking occasions of the year,...

CSA Prioritization Preview Website Now Available

CSA Prioritization Preview Website Now Available

As the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has announced proposed changes to its Safety Measurement System, used to identify and prioritize at risk motor carriers for enforcement and compliance interventions, the agency has also noted that...

Daylight Savings Time Begins this Sunday, March 12th!

Daylight Savings Time Begins this Sunday, March 12th!

Start now to ensure all your drivers know about the daylight savings time on March 12, 2023. Caution route drivers, especially that the amount of daylight will change according to their stops with the change. Also, remember to change the batteries...

Do I Need a CDL License to Operate that Truck?

Do I Need a CDL License to Operate that Truck?

Answer: The regulations that address this question are found in FMCSA CFR 383.3 §383.3 Applicability. (a) The rules in this part apply to every person who operates a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) in interstate, foreign, or intrastate commerce, to...

Why are we getting brake adjustment violations?

Why are we getting brake adjustment violations?

With automatic slack adjusters required by regulation on trucks and tractors since 1994 and trailers since 1995 why do we have brake adjustment violations? The first reason is that this is a mechanical device which if it is not maintained properly can malfunction and contribute to brakes out of adjustment. Slack adjusters on all commercial vehicles should be inspected and greased every 90 days.

The Winter Weather Has Arrived!  Are You Prepared?

The Winter Weather Has Arrived! Are You Prepared?

This week the Midwest is getting its first dose of measurable snow and below-freezing temperatures. The front will bring cold temperatures as far south as Georgia. So, it is an excellent time to review with your drivers how to take care of their fuel during these times.

Are You Sharing Your Driver With Another Company?

Are You Sharing Your Driver With Another Company?

Multiple-employer driver means a driver who, in any period of 7 consecutive days, is employed or used as a driver by more than one motor carrier. This definition applies to a driver who regularly works part-time for two or more employers.

Do I Need a CDL License To Operate That Truck?

Do I Need a CDL License To Operate That Truck?

Answer: The regulations that address this question are found in FMCSA CFR 383.3 §383.3 Applicability. (a) The rules in this part apply to every person who operates a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) in interstate, foreign, or intrastate commerce, to...

Labor Department Proposes New Test for Employee Designation

Labor Department Proposes New Test for Employee Designation

The U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division has issued a proposed rule to redefine who is an employee as opposed to an independent contractor.  The proposed rule would apply to those legal areas where DOL has jurisdiction, such as minimum...

Tis’ Deer Season. “Oh Deer!”

Tis’ Deer Season. “Oh Deer!”

It is Deer season, and now is the time to remind drivers of the dangers of animals on the roadway. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that 1.5 million deer-related accidents occur annually. Deer are struck in three out of four...

PREPARING FOR THE COLD WEATHER AHEAD!

PREPARING FOR THE COLD WEATHER AHEAD!

The first day of Fall was earlier this month, and now is the time to start preparing your operation for the cold weather ahead.  Your drivers should know what is required to keep their trucks running in winter. Fuel Additive Use during Cold Weather...