Safety : Articles

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...

FSMA and the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food

FSMA and the Sanitary Transportation of Human and Animal Food

FSMA rules only apply to foods regulated by the FDA. Granted, this is a significant chunk of the U.S. food supply, about 75%. The other 25% is regulated by other agencies, such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees...

Food Safety and Temperature Controlled Transportation

Food Safety and Temperature Controlled Transportation

Poison control centers receive thousands of calls about suspected food poisoning each year. As the holiday seasons approach, it can be especially risky as people head to the grocery stores to prepare special meals for their loved ones. Although 14%...

Cargo Securement Regulations

Cargo Securement Regulations

Anything and everything carried on a truck must be properly secured to prevent loss of control or falling cargo from injuring drivers, passengers, or pedestrians. While safe cargo securement principles (and of course regulations) apply to every...

Driver Safety Exercise

Driver Safety Exercise

Safety Meeting Exercise As part of your next driver safety meeting have a driver get into the cab of a unit with the engine shut off and key removed and sit in the proper driving position with the seat belt fastened.  Tell the driver that you are...

Mirrors: A Reflection of Safety

Mirrors: A Reflection of Safety

The mirrors on your vehicles provide your driver with real-time information so they can operate the unit safely. If the mirrors are in poor condition and or out of adjustment the lack of the information that they provide can contribute to or be the...

FMCSA Issues Final Rule on Driver Vision Standards

FMCSA Issues Final Rule on Driver Vision Standards

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has published a final rule to permit individuals who do not satisfy, with the worse eye, either the existing distant visual acuity standard with corrective lenses or the field of vision standard or...

Are You Driving with “Tunnel Vision” this Winter?

Are You Driving with “Tunnel Vision” this Winter?

Tunnel vision occurs when a driver scrapes off only a small area of ice and/or snow on their vehicle windshield to allow just enough space to see through a small hole as they drive. This practice significantly reduces a driver’s field of vision and...

Protecting Your Truck During Cold Weather

Protecting Your Truck During Cold Weather

Protecting Your Truck During Cold Weather Diesel Supplement should be added to the ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel when temperatures drop below 32 degrees. Engine Block Heater - If you truck is equipped with an engine block heater it should be plugged...

Preventing a Single Vehicle Accident

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...

New FMCSA Regulation Starts February 7th

New FMCSA Regulation Starts February 7th

Entry-Level Driver Training Rule The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has published FAQs and other compliance materials for training providers, motor carriers, and drivers on the new Entry-Level Driver Training rule.  The new rule goes...

Regulation FAQ’s

Regulation FAQ’s

I am using a driver leasing company, who is responsible for compliance with the Federal Motor Carrier regulations? Answer:  Driver services and driver leasing companies are not motor carriers and are not responsible for compliance with the...

New FMCSA Regulation Starts February 7th

New FMCSA Regulation Starts February 7th

Entry-Level Driver Training Rule The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has published FAQs and other compliance materials for training providers, motor carriers, and drivers on the new Entry-Level Driver Training rule. The new rule goes...

Night Driving

Night Driving

Holiday events and celebrations can be exciting times for family and friends to get together. But get-togethers with family and friends can turn into tragedies when people are killed or injured in traffic crashes. As the holiday season is...