Truck Driver Safety : Articles

Do I need a USDOT Number?

Do I need a USDOT Number?

This question comes up frequently from our customers and thought that this week we will address this.  This question usually is raised when we have a customer that is an INTRAstate carrier not subject to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety...

Idealease Safety Seminars

Idealease Safety Seminars

Idealease Will Present a Limited Number of Safety Seminars this Fall Idealease and the National Private Truck Council NPTC will again be hosting a limited number of safety seminars in the fall of 2022.  The one-day seminar this year will focus on...

Brake Safety Week is Aug 21 – 27th

Brake Safety Week is Aug 21 – 27th

CVSA-certified enforcement personnel will conduct roadside inspections on commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) as part of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) Brake Safety Week, Aug 21-27, to identify and remove CMVs with critical brake...

Hypertension and Drivers

Hypertension and Drivers

Driver Health Question: I have sent my driver for a DOT physical and the doctor has issued a three-month certification due to the blood pressure (hypertension) of my driver. Can my driver continue to be qualified by seeing the physician every three...

Driver Shortage Remains A Concern

Driver Shortage Remains A Concern

The pressure on the trucking industry to help satisfy America’s growing consumption increases every year. Between now and 2027, the amount of freight moved by trucks is expected to jump by 27 percent.

Brake Safety Week is Aug. 21-27

Brake Safety Week is Aug. 21-27

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has announced Aug. 21-27 as the dates for this year’s Brake Safety Week. Brake Safety Week is an annual commercial motor vehicle brake-safety inspection, enforcement and education initiative conducted by law enforcement jurisdictions in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. During Brake Safety Week, inspectors will conduct their usual North American Standard Level I and V Inspections and capture and report brake-related data to CVSA. The results will be released in the fall.

The Heat is On!

The Heat is On!

This crazy weather continues this year, and the Heat is setting record temperatures across North America.  Last week we discussed how the heat was impacting your trucks, today we will look at the impact to your drivers. What are you doing to...

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...

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...

Protecting Your Driver and Truck During Extreme Cold Conditions

Protecting Your Driver and Truck During Extreme Cold Conditions

With cold weather conditions reaching below zero in many parts of the US it is time to remind your drivers to protect themselves and their trucks in these conditions. Protecting your Driver Cold weather precautions to prevent hypothermia and...

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...