Safety Information and Updates

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Matt Manoli

FMCSA Proposes HOS Changes on Breaks

 

The FMCSA has just closed the commenting for changes they are considering in Hours of Service rules, particularly concerning breaks. The commentary period was meant to solicit opinions from drivers and transportation industry folks to see what those that the rules would affect in real life thought about the proposed changes. 

Below is a quick breakdown of some current HOS rules and how they could change under this proposal:

  • Currently drivers are limited to 11 hours of driving within a 14 hour on-duty window, and then are required to take 10 consecutive hours off-duty before driving again. Additionally, they cannot drive after working more than 8 hours without an off-duty rest break of at least 30-minutes.
  • Proposed changes would count 30 minutes of "non driving" time as a break, so for instance, if there was an accident, or roadwork, or traffic was horrendous and you pulled off the road, you could be on duty but not actively driving and have that be a break, versus having to go completely off duty. Another example would be 30 minutes spent loading or delivering product being counted as on-duty break time, so taking an additional 30 minute break would no longer be required.
  • An additional off-duty break of at least 30 minutes (but less than 3 hours) would pause the 14 hour window (so say you stopped an hour, you would essentially "gain" an hour on the other side because of the pause, so instead of having to clock out at 3pm it would bump to 4pm, etc) but this would only be in effect if you had a 10 hour reset (consecutive) following.
  • Short-haul truckers would also be allowed up to 14 hours on duty (from the current 12) and the mileage radius would expand to 150 miles (from 100). 

All of the above are meant to address some rigidity in the HOS rules as they are currently, where often road conditions, accidents, construction, or simply the timing of traffic adds up to essentially non-productive time for drivers and potentially causes people to push through versus taking breaks as needed. 

Having some flexibility in taking the 30 minute break, for example, could mean that instead of sitting in gridlock at 7am behind a major accident, you could pause 60 minutes then jump back on the road at 8am, when it cleared, without losing the hour on the other end - and without sitting at a standstill in traffic. (The fuel savings, and decreased aggravation of that option alone makes it seem appealing).

The idea with flexibility is to improve the efficiency and the experience for drivers, and allow them to make safety conscious decisions about when and how long they need to be taking breaks, without being too boxed in by HOS hard lines to get their work done. The goal being balance, where there is still rest and ample breaks, but the on-hours remain flexible enough to allow people to actually TAKE the breaks without worrying about scrambling to catch the time or distance up to hit deadlines.  

 

 

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Reminder -FMCSA Clearinghouse Mandatory Registration Deadline is Jan 6

Drug Testing

The FMCSA Clearinghouse deadline is January 6th, 2020, which believe it or not, is only a few weeks away. While CDL drivers do not technically need to register immediately, they will need to do so for mandatory employer pre-employment inquiries so it's better to just get it out of the way now.

The clearinghouse will be a comprehensive database with information on CDL holders' drug or alcohol violations, as well as information on whether that driver has completed required rehabilitation in order to return to work legally. The requirements are applied to ALL CDL drivers, from school bus drivers to interstate truckers. Violations will include any positive drug or alcohol test, DUI conviction, refusal to submit to testing, or acknowledgement of a substance abuse issue. 

Employers, medical review officers and third party administrators will be legally required to report drug or alcohol violations to the database. Employers will also be required to query the database to confirm new hires are eligible to work (no violations, or have completed required rehabilitation) and will also need to annually query to make sure current employees remain eligible to be a commercial driver. State licensing agencies (like the MA RMV) will also be required to query the system when reissuing CDL licenses. 

The goal of the database implementation is to ensure that CDL holders who have drug or alcohol violations are removed from the road until they have fulfilled steps to show they are a safe operator again.

This past summer the State of Massachusetts had an extremely tragic example of what can happen when CDL license holders are not properly vetted by licensing agencies and/or employers in regard to their drug or alcohol violations when a multiple violator killed 7 motorcyclists in New Hampshire while under the influence. Comprehensive, multi-agency efforts like the FMCSA Clearinghouse are put in place to make sure the proper checks are in place to get unsafe drivers off the road, and try to reduce the likelihood another incident like the one in New Hampshire happens again.     

 

The DOT has a great powerpoint presentation that runs through some of the major points regarding the Clearinghouse that you can access here: Final Rule: Commercial Driver's License Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse

You can also access the full rule text here: Commercial Driver's Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse

 

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Reminder: Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Deadline is December 16th

ELog

Friendly reminder that December 16th 2019 is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association (FMCSA) hard deadline for the Electronic Logging Device Mandate. There have been some "soft" deadlines and delays on this mandate over the last several years but there is no indication we will see another delay, so if your fleet is not fully converted to ELD, definitely get moving on that ASAP.  

We have personally been running E Logs for almost a decade, it made sense for our fleet and our footprint and we like the accuracy and uniformity of the data we get from our system. I will say there is definitely a learning curve involved in making a change over of any kind though, especially one involving software.  But this particular change actually does really make life easier in the big picture when it comes to making sure you are in HOS compliance, and in terms of pulling information for any kind of audit or certification, etc. 

Anyway - if you haven't moved your fleet to ELDs, the time is now. Don't wait til you are fined to get compliant. Good luck! 

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I'll take 'Best Safety Meeting Ever' for $400, Alex

 

new haven group

This summer we had another successful round of our annual "Safety Jeopardy" game at Driver Safety meetings. We've discussed before how we try to cover as much relevant safety info and training as possible to all our drivers at our monthly meetings. Safety Jeopardy has the same goal, but even the Safety Department will admit it's more fun to review safety stats and info via Jeopardy. 

It's easy to lose sight of the truly monumental amount of information that drivers need to know and remember on multiple topics in order to do their jobs safely, and Jeopardy is a fun way to refresh everyone's memory with a little friendly competition. 

Looks like the team enjoyed it, based on those smiles (even Ed Burke and some Sales Reps got in on the action!)

 

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 group shotmaine group

taunton group

 

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Weight Limit Compliance Across States

Let's talk about something that seems easy but can easily trip up your operations if you miss something. Weight Limits.

Weight limits for trucks are governed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) to ensure safe weight limits for Interstate travel. In addition to this, individual States set limits for their roadways.

Compliance on these rules is pretty simple, IF you are running within a state or across a smaller group of states with similar limits. However, in regions like New England, its a lot less likely you're within one state (versus say, running trucks in Texas) and so it becomes very important to make sure you know what the rules are where, and which of your units need what permits to be in compliance. 

This is something that comes up for us a lot, as we are running trucks across several state lines, and it comes up a lot for our customers as well, partly because the states in the region are smaller, and they can have vastly different rules on weights and permitting.  So we thought it would be good to share a chart of the limits we see in the region for you to check against. There are also links to broader resources below if you are out of a different part of the country (or if youre just curious about how complicated it all gets nationwide :) )

This is the chart we use in our Safety Department. So basically if you are adding a unit in MA that will be running MA, NH, ME your process for permitting and the limits will be different than a unit running NY to CT. 

weight chart trucks

(Feel free to snag this chart for your own use, and don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions on it.)   

 

If you need more states or more info, this is a great reference chart by State by CargoAgents. net: Road Weight & Size Limitations .. most states rules reference the Federal Bridge formula to some extent, a breakdown of that and the accompanying detail from the DOT & Congress  is available here: Federal Bridge Weight (<-- this is a very very detailed breakdown, more than you would ever want to know, but a lot of it is helpful) 

 

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Heavy Snow & Ice in the Forecast - Make Sure You're Ready

This weekends forecast calls for snow and ice storms, particularly Saturday into Sunday for the entirety of New England. 

Because it is still early, there are HUGE variances in the amounts of snow and ice predicted, which is frustrating, but there is little doubt we will be getting hit head on by this winter's first major snow event. There is also pretty much consensus that the coast is likely to see flooding and severe icing, which is definitely something to be aware of if you are on the coast or have travel plans or work obligations in the metro Boston or Providence areas.  

We will try and keep you updated on expected impacts & developments on our social channels as the models become more predictive. 

If you're expecting a delivery, please make sure you are using fill ports that are properly coded, and make sure the pathway to the fill is cleared of snow and ice so your driver can make the delivery as quickly and safely as possible. (If you're at home, the same goes for making sure your fill pipe is accessible and there is a clear path to access).

The easier it is for your driver to deliver, the quicker he can get home and off the roads himself. 

If you run backup generators, we highly recommend ensuring they are operational and fueled up prior to the incoming storm. Several of the projected forecasts are prediction damaging ice accumulation and high winds, so it is entirely possible large numbers of New Englander's could lose power.

You definitely don't want to miss the Pats game, so make sure you and your generator are ready to go. 

In terms of general winter preparedness, ready.gov has a great overall guide, you can access it here: 

Ready.Gov - Snowstorms & Extreme Cold

Below is a refresher on the API fill port coding. 

Stay warm & safe out there & GO PATRIOTS!

 

API Fill Chart Image

 

 

 

 

 

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Sharing Safety with Fire Departments

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For several years, we have been offering free training for Firefighters on fuel trucks. This has been a great way for them to see and get familiar with current setups and the technology involved in today's fuel trailers & straight trucks in a non-emergency situation.

Usually the training involves a Safety Director and a veteran driver, who can talk about potential hazards, the day to day work of being safe with hazmat materials, and who can answer firefighter questions about different scenarios. The firefighters always end up asking questions that make us think about how we look at some day to day safety routines as well, I always say we learn just as much, if not more, from them. 

Ed wrote an article for the December issue of Oil & Energy Magazine that goes into what we typically do for firefighter training, and why we think its so important. You can read that article here: Sharing Safety with Local Fire Departments

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DKB Hurricane Relief Team Heads Home from FL

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BOSTON, MA, Sept. 26, 2017/PR Newswire/ -  Two weeks after Hurricane Irma hit Southern Florida, ten fuel trucks from New England are on their way home after working with FEMA in both the Texas and Florida restoration efforts.

When the trucks were requested to head to Florida, Massachusetts-based fuel distributor Dennis K. Burke, Inc. already had trucks working with FEMA in Texas. Diesel fuel and gasoline were needed for generators, first responder vehicles, and other needs on the ground.

Along the way, the drivers saw convoy after convoy of utility trucks and tree-cutting crews heading there too. At the peak of Hurricane Irma, 15 million people were without power. Fuel trucks were sent to help support the utility vehicles traveling to some of the worst hit areas of Florida.

One of the Burke trucks was assigned to meet up with utility trucks from Texas, and traveled with them through the night, fueling their trucks and equipment as they worked their way down to a staging area in the Orlando area. Support was pouring in from around the country, and their vehicles needed fueling too.

About 27,000 utility workers were working their way across Florida to restore power. That’s not including the tree-trimming crews that worked alongside the utility workers.

The utility crews and tree-cutting crews stayed overnight at 20 staging areas across the state. At these staging areas, trucks and equipment were fueled while they were parked and out-of-service. Each of these sites provided fuel, food, water, showers, and a place to sleep for about 1,000 workers.

Power has been restored in most areas, except in areas where there was extensive flooding or tornado damage. Clean up continues, and for many storm-ravaged neighborhoods, the long road to rebuilding has begun. 

“We’re so proud of our drivers helping with storm recovery,” said Dan Hill, director of operation for Dennis K. Burke, Inc. “They worked hard and under difficult conditions for many days. We look forward to welcoming them home.”

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DKB Heads to Houston for FEMA Emergency Response

Boston, MA, August 30, 2017 - On behalf of FEMA, early Monday morning Dennis K Burke mobilized several tankers to head out to Fort Hood military base outside of Houston, Texas, to help with the area’s emergency management needs in the wake of unprecedented disaster from Hurricane Harvey. Dennis K Burke Inc. has worked with FEMA before in a post-storm emergency response capacity and look forward to doing everything they can to help Texas recover from this devastation as quickly as possible.

As you probably have seen, Harvey made landfall as a Category 4 storm and has dumped a years’ worth of rain on the Houston & Southeast Texas areas, causing devastating floods. To put the amount of rain Texas has received in perspective, according to the National Weather Service, “if Southeast Texas were New England, the area in which 20-30 inches of rain had fallen over the first 3 days of the storm would encompass all of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.”

The NWS is keeping an eye on the storm, which is impacting Louisiana currently on its track back to the Gulf. Obviously, this storm could continue to have substantial impacts. To keep up on the latest alerts, visit the National Weather Service here: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/#Harvey
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Final Version of E-Log Regulation to be Released This Month

ELog

This week the White House signed off on a final version of the proposed regulation to require e-logs to be used across the trucking industry in order to more efficiently track driver hours for both employers and, more importantly, to ensure DOT hours of service compliance.

The DOT has announced that the final language of the regulation and its effective dates will be published by the end of this month.

E-logs have been a contentious issue in the trucking industry for the past several years - So much so, in fact, that the proposed regulations have been pushed off and delayed several times.

There’s some consensus that e-logs are a good thing, a lot of the issue is a feeling that implementation costs etc.  affect smaller fleets and owner operators much more severely than say larger, or national fleets. That’s very true. There’s also concern about yet another mandate.

A pretty good summary on what the for and against arguments are that I read was recently published on a CCJ Point-Counterpoint Recap and you can read the whole thing here:( Point-Counterpoint: Truckers Square off in Debate)   (As an aside, CCJ is an excellent news source on all things trucking)

For our part, we have been using e-logs for quite some time and would never go back. It definitely simplifies tracking compliance for the DOT, and even more importantly it saves our drivers from the time and aggravation paper logs can be the source of.  However, we’re a pretty large fleet, so it made sense for us and our drivers, that may not be the case for everyone.

It will be interesting to see what the final ruling looks like and how long fleets will have to implement, and if there will be any exceptions for smaller operators.

What are your thoughts on the e-log mandate?

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