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Final Rule on Electronic Logging Devices

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) published in the Federal Register the Final Rule on the use of electronic logging devices for tracking hours-of-service compliance by the trucking industry. Please note that while FMCSA refers to such devices as electronic on-board recording devices, or EOBRs, this term is commonly used to describe comprehensive fleet management systems that do far more than simply monitor hours of service compliance. To distinguish these more comprehensive systems from the ones that FMCSA addresses in this final rule, ATA uses the term electronic logging devices to describe devices that merely track hours of service compliance.

FMCSA Announces that More Truck Drivers are Buckling Up

According to the latest data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, more commercial truck and bus drivers are buckling up these days. The data shows that 74 percent of commercial motor vehicle drivers are using their safety belts in 2009. This compares to only 65 percent of drivers using safety belts in 2007. "Driving a 40-ton truck or a bus full of people is a big responsibility," said Anne S. Ferro, FMCSA administrator. "Drivers owe it to themselves and others to wear a safety belt every time they get behind the wheel."

FMCSA Launches Pre-Employment Screening Website

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.

FMCSA to Ban Texting by CMV Drivers

This morning, January 26, U.S. DOT Secretary Ray LaHood and FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro will hold a press conference in Washington, D.C., to announce a new ban on texting by commercial motor vehicle drivers while operating a CMV.

Interstate 44 Lane Shift - Mile Marker 228

February to October 2010

Get ready for a work zone near mile marker 228 of Interstate 44 near Sullivan, MO. Between February and November 2010, bridges that carry east and westbound traffic will be improved. In order to complete the work quickly and safely, traffic patterns must shift.

Why Does Interstate 44 at Winsel Creek Need Improvement?
The substructure of the westbound I-44 bridge needs to be replaced. The eastbound I-44 bridge deck needs to be replaced.

ATRI Updates Online Idling Regulations Compendium

The American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) has updated the listing of state and local idling regulations found on its website. The updated listing is provided in two forms: a cab card, which can be downloaded and carried in the glove box of a truck, and the online compendium, which provides links to individual regulations. Recent updates include the enactment of new limits in Chicago and the Ohio cities of Cleveland and Maple Heights.

Changes to idling regulations in Illinois, New Jersey and South Euclid, Ohio, are also noted. ATRI continues to monitor the development of idling regulations across the country and maintains the compendium and cab card as a free service to help trucking companies and truck drivers comply with the increasing number of state and local idling regulations.