ATRI NEEDS YOUR OPINION

Hours of Service Survey

ATA has commissioned the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) to collect and analyze motor carrier safety and operational data to help inform the upcoming hours-of-service (HOS) rulemaking process. ATRI has developed an online survey which can be found on the ATRI website www.atri-online.org.   
 
 MoTA strongly encrouages it's members to complete this short survey by March 24,  2010.  The data collected by ATRI from this effort will be cleansed of identifying information and aggregated to ensure that the results are not attributable to any one company.  The results will be used by ATA to continue to educate the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) leadership and staff on driver and carrier operational practices and safety experience under the current rule.

Please take this opportunity to provide your input into this review of the hours-of-service review.

Alerts

Special Announcement
 
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has launched a Web site where trucking companies can register for access to a safety database to screen applicants for driving jobs.
 
The Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) allows motor carriers and individual drivers to purchase driving records from the FMCSA Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS). Records are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Records purchased through PSP will contain the most recent five years of crash data and three years of roadside inspection data from the FMCSA MCMIS system.
 
Fees to use the program are based upon company size. Firms with less than 100 trucks pay $25 per year for access and $10 per record; firms with more than 100 trucks pay a $100 annual fee, and $10 per record. Each account allows for up to 10 individual users, regardless of company size. Owner-operators and drivers can access the site for free with a charge of $10 per requested record.
 
Although the data is not available yet, carriers and third party driver service providers can start registering for the Pre-Employment Screening Program at www.psp.fmcsa.dot.gov.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has announced an opportunity for diesel vehicle and diesel equipment owners and operators in St. Louis, Kansas City and southwest Missouri to receive financial assistance to purchase equipment to reduce diesel emissions through Missouri's Clean Diesel Program.

Read more...

In April of 2009, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued a Battery Safety Compliance Advisory. While the Advisory is almost a year old, it appears that the transportation of used batteries destined for recycling facilities (smelters) is being subjected to increased scrutiny and motor carriers are being issued fines for the shippers' failure to package, mark, label, and properly document the spent batteries.

Anyone transporting wet batteries pursuant to the exception in 173.159(e), should make sure that no other hazmat is transported in the same vehicle; the batteries are loaded (blocked and braced) to prevent damage and short circuits; other freight is secured so as to prevent contact with the batteries; and the vehicle does not carry material shipped by any other person besides the shipper of the batteries. Failure to follow all of these provisions requires full compliance with the HMRs and can result in multiple violations. A copy of the PHMSA compliance advisory is available at:

http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/staticfiles/PHMSA/DownloadableFiles/Files/2009_Battery_Safety_Compliance_Advisory.pdf

On Feb. 3, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule implementing the National Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) program, including changes required by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA).  The new RFS2 contains specific fuel categories and new greenhouse gas (GHG) emission thresholds. Of particular interest to motor carriers is a new biomass-based diesel category, which requires a 50 percent GHG reduction compared to ultra low sulfur diesel.

EPA believes that soy-based biodiesel and renewable diesel from waste oils, fats and greases will meet the 50 percent GHG reduction requirement. EPA will require 1.15 billion gallons of biomassbased diesel to be used in 2010; however, any biodiesel consumed in 2009 will count toward this requirement. This combined 2009-2010 target reflects the fact that EPA did not implement the RFS2 in 2009 as required by EISA.