Safety : Articles

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...

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...

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...

National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is September 11-17, 2022

National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is September 11-17, 2022

Nearly every aspect of daily life is made possible because a truck driver delivered the goods and resources people need. National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is an important time for America to pay respect and thank all the professional truck...

Applications Requested for Safe Driver Apprenticeship Program

Applications Requested for Safe Driver Apprenticeship Program

The application process remains open for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Safe Driver Apprenticeship Program (SDAP).  This is a three-year pilot program to assess whether 18-, 19- and 20-year-old drivers can safely operate...

CVSA Operation Safe Driver Week Set for July 10-16, 2022

CVSA Operation Safe Driver Week Set for July 10-16, 2022

Operation Safe Driver Week Operation Safe Driver Week is a safe-driving awareness and outreach initiative aimed at improving the driving behaviors of passenger vehicle drivers and commercial motor vehicle drivers through educational and traffic...

What CDL drivers should know about using CBD products

What CDL drivers should know about using CBD products

Positive drug tests account for 81% of the total violations reported in the Clearinghouse since January 6, 2020. As of May 1, 2021, marijuana has been detected in over half of all drug tests that have been filed in the Clearinghouse. It is...

SCHOOLS ARE LETTING OUT, PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

SCHOOLS ARE LETTING OUT, PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

With Spring already 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 throughout the day. Adults, too, are taking advantage of the longer daylight hours, so let us all commit ourselves to stay alert and safe. Here are some safety tips for drivers I urge you to follow:

The last week of school is an exciting time for children, and they may become preoccupied and forget the rules of the road. Use extra caution when driving through school zones.
During those last few days of school, be aware that kids may arrive or leave school at different times throughout the day.
Remember that playground speed limits remain in effect year-round. Observe carefully when driving around playgrounds and parks. Small children are less predictable and harder to see than adults.
Watch for clues, a hockey net or ball in the road or on the sidewalk can mean kids are playing nearby. Pay attention and constantly anticipate the unexpected.
Always watch for small children as you’re backing up. Walk around your vehicle to ensure no kids or pets are behind it.
As you make your deliveries you will see children that would normally be in schools on bikes, skateboards, walking, etc. in parking lots, shopping centers, and crossing streets.

Driving In Springtime Weather

Driving In Springtime Weather

Turn Around Don’t Drown!

With the recent storms and flooding that have occurred this spring, drivers of any type of vehicle need to know road conditions can change rapidly with flash floods. Each year, more deaths occur due to flooding than from any other thunderstorm-related hazard. Why? The main reason is people underestimate the force and power of water. Over half of all flood-related deaths, each year occur with victims inside vehicles. Many of the deaths occur in vehicles as they are swept downstream.

CLICK IT OR TICKET

CLICK IT OR TICKET

Seat belts have been proven to be one of the best ways to save your life in a crash. Yet many still do not buckle up. Worse still, not wearing a seat belt is a habit that will pass on to impressionable youth who, in turn, will think it is safe to...

House Holds Hearing on Electric Grid Resilience & Reliability

House Holds Hearing on Electric Grid Resilience & Reliability

On February 15, 2022, the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on the Climate Crisis conducted a hearing on Strategies for Electric Grid Resilience and Reliability.  One of the witnesses was Mark Mills, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute;...

Mobile 3G Shutdown Might Affect ELD Compliance

Mobile 3G Shutdown Might Affect ELD Compliance

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is warning motor carriers that mobile telecommunications carriers are scheduling shutdown of their 3G mobile service networks to make room for more advanced 5G networks. As a result, many older cell...

CVSA Schedules Road Check for May 17th-19th

CVSA Schedules Road Check for May 17th-19th

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance has announced this year’s International Roadcheck dates as May 17th-19th with a focus on wheel ends. Roadcheck is a 72-hour high-visibility, high-volume commercial motor vehicle inspection, and enforcement...