ROADCHECK 2012 FINDS DRIVER AND VEHICLE OUT-OF-SERVICE RATES NEAR HISTORIC LOWS
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- Parent Category: ROOT
- Category: Safety
- Published on Tuesday, 11 September 2012 13:36
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ROADCHECK 2012 FINDS DRIVER AND VEHICLE OUT-OF-SERVICE RATES NEAR HISTORIC LOWS
Inspection Activity Hits Record Total
WASHINGTON, DC — In June, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) member jurisdictions conducted a record 74,072 truck and bus inspections during the 25th Annual Roadcheck, a commercial vehicle safety enforcement and outreach event. Of those inspections, 48,815 were North American Standard Level 1 inspections — the most comprehensive roadside inspection, of which 22.4 percent of vehicles and 3.9 percent of drivers were placed out of service (OOS). These vehicle and driver OOS rates for Level 1 inspections represent the second lowest achieved in 25 years, continuing its successful historic trend downward. For comparison, in 1991 (the first year comprehensive data were available,) the Level 1 OOS rates were 34.8 percent for vehicles and 5.6 percent for drivers.
The overall OOS rates for the entire event in 2012 (includes all inspection levels) were 20.9 percent for vehicles and 4.6 percent for drivers, both of which were higher than last year’s numbers. Despite the positive trend on the Level 1’s, this highlights that one in five vehicles selected for inspection was found with a violation serious enough to be considered an imminent safety hazard. These mixed results indicate that, while the attention paid by industry to maintenance and regulatory compliance generally is improving, more needs to be done by industry and enforcement alike.
Roadcheck 2012 emphasized a back-to-the-basics focus, with special attention paid toward braking systems and hours-of-service, the top ranking violation categories for vehicles and drivers, respectively. Even with these focus areas, the proportions of brake related and hours-of-service related violations relative to all out-of-service violations declined slightly (see fact sheet attached). In addition, seatbelt violations issued totaled 848, the fewest recorded since 2007. During the event, CVSA estimates that over 9,500 CVSA and FMCSA inspectors participated at approximately 2,500 locations across North America. Also during Roadcheck 2012, 10U.S. states and two Canadian provinces engaged part of their enforcement activities to focus on vehicles serving oil field and natural gas production sites, where increases in commercial truck traffic have raised significant safety concerns.
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Mobile Technology in the Spotlight During XRS Corporation’s First User Event
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- Parent Category: Events
- Category: OEM Events
- Published on Tuesday, 11 September 2012 13:18
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Mobile Technology in the Spotlight During XRS Corporation’s First User Event
New all-mobile product introduces attendees to new era in trucking industry
MINNEAPOLIS— Mobile technology’s critical role in the trucking industry was the hot topic of conversation and education among more than 400 fleet managers, owner-operators, drivers and industry experts during XRS Corporation’s first annual Xata User Event (XUE) in Minneapolis Aug. 12 – 14. The event provided participants with an extensive education program that highlighted mobile trends and the increasingly important role mobile technology will play in trucking, and tips on maximizing technology, improving profits and making compliance easier.
“Mobile technology is the future of the trucking industry,” says Jay Coughlan, chairman and chief executive officer of XRS Corporation. “The use of handheld devices including smartphones and tablets is exploding, and they’ve already become a crucial part of life on the road for drivers and in the office for fleet managers. The mobile revolution is undeniable. Eighty-six percent of drivers have mobile devices and 44 percent of drivers use smartphones. Our mission is to lead the mobile revolution that is transforming the trucking industry and driver experience."
During XUE, industry experts shared their insights on this hot topic with participants, including how to harness mobile technology to improve fleet management for financial success and comply with numerous regulatory changes.
The event kicked off with a keynote presentation about the mobile revolution by Steve Largent, former congressman, National Football League (NFL) Hall of Fame receiver and current president and CEO of CTIA-The Wireless Association®, and two major announcements made by Coughlan: a new company name and direction, XRS Corporation, and the introduction of the company’s revolutionary all-mobile platform for fleet optimization and compliance, also called XRS.
Read more: Mobile Technology in the Spotlight During XRS Corporation’s First User Event
BENDIX SUPPORTS, OFFERS TIPS FOR CVSA BRAKE SAFETY WEEK
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- Parent Category: ROOT
- Category: Safety
- Published on Monday, 10 September 2012 15:51
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BENDIX SUPPORTS, OFFERS TIPS FOR CVSA BRAKE SAFETY WEEK
Fleets, Drivers Can Take Steps to Prepare for Operation Air Brake Inspections
ELYRIA, Ohio – Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC, the North American leader in the development and manufacture of leading-edge active safety and braking system technologies, supports the annual Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) Brake Safety Week, which this year takes place Sept. 9-15. Aimed at reducing the number of highway crashes caused by improperly maintained or faulty braking systems, the Brake Safety Week campaign – also known as Operation Air Brake – employs teams of CVSA-certified inspectors to conduct roadside checks of commercial vehicles and their drivers.
The program targets commercial vehicles in the United States and Canada, and is conducted in partnership with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
According to CVSA, more than 30,800 vehicles were inspected during Operation Air Brake in 2011, more than any other year since the program’s inception in 1998. More than 30 percent of the vehicles inspected were placed out of service for reasons related to their braking systems.
“Fleets, drivers, and owner-operators have a shared responsibility to keep roadways and commercial vehicles safe for everyone. Bendix applauds and shares the CVSA commitment to Brake Safety Week and improving vehicle maintenance and inspection,” said Fred Andersky, Bendix director of government and industry affairs. “Campaigns like Operation Air Brake reinforce the importance of equipment upkeep and technician training. With CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability), successful inspections are more important than ever for both drivers and fleets.”
To prepare for Brake Safety Week, Bendix advises fleets and drivers to familiarize themselves with the CVSA inspection requirements and procedures. Operation Air Brake targets six items for inspection: driver’s license, registration, low air warning device, pushrod travel (chamber stroke), brake linings/drums, leaks/air loss rate, and tractor protection system.
Read more: BENDIX SUPPORTS, OFFERS TIPS FOR CVSA BRAKE SAFETY WEEK
FleetPride Acquires Great Lakes Truck & Trailer
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- Parent Category: Industry
- Category: Industry News
- Published on Monday, 10 September 2012 13:34
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FleetPride Acquires Great Lakes Truck & Trailer
THE WOODLANDS, Texas - FleetPride, Inc., the nation's largest retailer of heavy-duty truck and trailer parts announced it has acquired the assets of Great Lakes Truck & Trailer. The 15,300 square foot facility is located at 5912 East Executive Drive in Westland, Michigan. This acquisition marks FleetPride's fourth entrance into the greater Detroit area and its ninth location in Michigan.
Great Lakes Truck & Trailer was founded in 1979 by Dan Cable and has built a loyal following based on the company's heavy-duty expertise and their commitment to customer-focused service. Employment offers were extended to 16 team members.
"The greater Detroit area is a dense market for heavy-duty truck and trailer business. Adding another location here allows for deeper representation. These branches will work in tandem to quickly source and deliver heavy-duty truck and trailer parts to our local, regional and national customers," said Lee Stockseth, FleetPride President and COO.
"FleetPride first established our presence in Detroit in 2010. With this transaction we solidify our ties in Michigan by expanding our footprint in this market. We welcome the Great Lakes Truck & Trailer employees to the FleetPride family and anticipate continued success in a city which plays a vital role in our automobile industry," said W.M. McGee, FleetPride Chairman and CEO.
For more information visit www.fleetpride.com.
FMCSA Sharpens Focus on High Risk Truck and Bus Companies with Improvements to Compliance Safety Accountability Program
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- Parent Category: ROOT
- Category: Safety
- Published on Sunday, 09 September 2012 23:57
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FMCSA Sharpens Focus on High Risk Truck and Bus Companies with Improvements to Compliance Safety Accountability Program
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today announced several new improvements to its Compliance Safety Accountability (CSA) enforcement program that will enable it to more quickly identify and address high-risk truck and bus companies with compliance concerns.
"Good data plays a key role in keeping our nation's roads safe," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "These improvements will enable us to better identify and address unsafe truck and bus companies before tragedies occur."
The final CSA changes will provide FMCSA with more precise information when assessing a company’s over-the-road safety performance. The changes will be implemented in December 2012 and include:
· Changing the Cargo-Related BASIC (Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Category) to the Hazardous Materials (HM) Compliance BASIC to better identify HM safety and compliance problems. Our analysis shows that this change will identify more carriers with HM concerns (33.8 percent versus 29.1 percent). Carriers and law enforcement can view this new BASIC in December. FMCSA will conduct further monitoring before it is made public.
· Changing the Fatigued Driving BASIC to the more specific Hours-of-Service (HOS) Compliance BASIC to more accurately reflect violations in this area; and weighting HOS paper and electronic logbook violations equally.
· Clarifying definition of passenger carrier companies by:
o Adding carriers that operate for-hire 9-15 passenger vehicles and 16-plus passenger vehicles;
o Removing carriers operating only 1-8 passenger vehicles and private carriers operating 1-15 passenger vehicles such as limousines, vans and taxis.
· Strengthening the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC by including cargo/load securement violations from today's Cargo-Related BASIC.
· Including intermodal equipment violations that should be found during drivers’ pre-trip inspections.
· Removing 1 to 5 mph speeding violations to ensure citations are consistent with current speedometer regulations.
· Ensuring all recorded violations accurately reflect the inspection type (i.e., only driver violations will be recorded under driver inspections).
"CSA is raising the bar for truck and bus safety. Our preliminary data shows that fatalities involving commercial vehicles dropped 4.7 percent last year compared to 2010," said FMCSA Administrator Ferro. "Still, on average, nearly 4,000 people die in large truck and bus crashes each year. That is why we are implementing these important changes to make CSA even more effective."
