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We are getting closer to the big banquet honoring our Drivers of the Month and Year for 2019 and 2020.  This reminds me that we need our member companies to submit nominations.  This is just one way to show your appreciation to those drivers who do a great job the way it is supposed to be done.  The forms can be found on our website.  Please take the time to honor your safe drivers.  Have a great day and stay safe!

PMTA held its' first in-person training at HQ since COVID reared its ugly head.  It was definitely much different than the Zoom room.  I enjoyed the participation, questions and comments.  We all learned something that day along with myself.  I am looking forward to more presentations.  Thanks to all who attended and their companies for supporting motor carrier safety!

With all that is going wrong in the world right now, let's recognize what is going right.  Our drivers are the best and safest in the world and everything they do keeps this country moving, literally.  When you meet up with a driver in whatever capacity you find yourself please thank them for staying the course and maintaining our everyday lives.  Thank you drivers for all you do!

We had a great time at the World of Wheels Museum in Allentown.  It was a pleasure meeting with several legislators and their staff who understand the challenges of our industry and who are willing to have discussions of important issues.  Thanks to all who attended.

Whew, It's been a busy couple of weeks.  A Safety Bulletin was published for Motor Carrier Inspectors by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance regarding electronic documents.  You can access this bulletin on their website a www.cvsa.org.  If you utilize electronic documents and are concerned about their acceptance during a roadside inspection you should print a copy of the bulletin and place a copy in each of your vehicles so your drivers would be able to bring it to the attention of an inspector if any issues arise during the inspection.  This is great clarification for the industry.

Guidance

As outlined in FMCSA Guidance for 390.31, when an inspector conducts a roadside inspection or a compliance review, the driver or motor carrier may present anything required by FMCSA in Parts 300-399 in electronic format.

In Canada, most of these documents can generally be produced in electronic format during a roadside inspection. However, regulations prescribing these requirements are governed by each province and territory so acceptable electronic documents may vary. Carriers and drivers intending on carrying and surrendering required documents electronically should consult with the jurisdiction(s) in which they intend to travel to determine what is acceptable.

Documents required to be produced on demand by an inspector at roadside must be presented in an electronic format at the time of request, just as a paper document would be required. Documents required within 48 hours for other investigations must be presented within that timeframe.

Original documents do not need to be retained if they are retained electronically.

It's that time again sports fans.  Those big ugly yellow vehicles will be out in force transporting the miniature humans to their mental conditioning sites.  Be aware those little beings can be very unpredictable.  Before you know it they are running across the road in front of you.  Please be careful and watch the road at all times.  There are many new bus drivers out there also so anticipate the flashing lights.  Stay safe and let's make it a great school season.

I had a great day with the Liberty Transportation Team.  I was impressed with their level of commitment to safety.  The presentation on Level I inspection criteria and the need for pre-trip inspections was received well.  If your company would like a presentation on the topic(s) of your choice please contact me at [email protected] or (717) 761-7122 ext 102.  Hope to hear from you!!  Have a safe day.

Brake Safety Week is coming August 22 through 28.  Many of the violations discovered in recent CVSA sponsored events have been those that should have been found during proper pre-trip inspections.  Please make sure to urge your drivers to find the defects before they leave on their trips.  It saves a lot of time and money to perform needed repairs at your home facility that it does on the road.

I just had an interesting conversation with a colleague that brought to mind some important points in the employment process for CDL drivers.  It is extremely important that certain steps are completed before allowing a prospective driver to get behind the wheel.  A company should make absolutely certain that a driver is qualified to operate the commercial vehicle that is being presented to them.  A current MVR and a negative query of the Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse is important but the proper class of license as well as the lack of any restrictions should be determined.  If a driver is allowed to operate a manual transmission vehicle with an automatic transmission restriction, that is a problem.  Throw in the fact that it has air brakes and the CDL has an air brake restriction and an intrastate only restriction (K in PA) and you are in the mountains in West Virginia on route 68 and that is surely a problem.  Do your due diligence and protect yourself.

They finally did it.  The Senate passed the infrastructure package.  1.2 Trillion dollars.  That's a lot of fingers and toes!  Some good things that occurred are no increase in minimum liability insurance, an under 21 apprenticeship program, automatic emergency braking on new large trucks and no mandate for side underride guards.  The most disappointing deletion was funding for commercial vehicle parking.  This important topic will need to be addressed at some point.  Someone has to realize the affect on safety of our most important asset - the drivers.