2024 Facts for Drivers PDF

* -~.. Safety Managemenl Council ATA V....... M' r UA N r ~~« 1111a.-.a O C' r.Ar-.,O H.a J. J. Keller &Associates, Inc.® Since.1.953 FA...

* -~.. Safety Managemenl Council ATA V....... M' r UA N r ~~« 1111a.-.a O C' r.Ar-.,O H.a J. J. Keller &Associates, Inc.® Since.1.953 FACTSfor DRIVERS lntormation, Q u estions~ an d Answ er.s on The Truck Driving Oha1m pion ships The Trucking Industry Safety and Security (Including Hazardous M aterials) First Aid, Health, We11ness, ,& Personal Safety Fir,e Safety lnfonnation on regulations,, legis]ation, and laws includ ed in th is Facts for Drivers is cur:rent as of the time of printing. Changes in r,e guJations, ]egis1ation,, and ]a,vs which lbecon1e effective following the p rinting of th is pubHcation win b e incorporat,e d into the n ext edition. RECEIPT II he:reby acknowledge r1·:eoeipt of a oopy of the 2024 I -.. Facts. for Drivers. I agree "to read th is manual in the II If interest of learning !lnore. ':' about the trucking industry y. y and :' to i.n1prove 1n knowledge of safet and security. 3 principles. and " practice&. :, (Driver's Signature) (Signature of Carrier Representative) (Date) (Name ofMoLor Carner) Instructions: This, :receipt sh all be :read and signed Ii by the driverr lto whon11 the.. book has been issued and shall be oonn tersigned and dated by a representative of the motor carrier. The con1pleted reoeipt shall be retained , in the driver qua[ification II file of the driver.  Tab le of Co,n 1lents 1 F O RE\-VA'RD......................................................................................................... I THE CHAMPIO SHIPS............................................................................ 2 Ch.a.m pionsh.ip,s EJigmbiJity Rules...................................................................... 4 1 THE TRUCKI C IND USTRY......................................................................... 7 A Brief History.......................................................................................................7 T:nillcking:: A Mainspring of the U.S. Economy................................................. 11 T:nillcking:: A Leader in Safety & Sec.L11rifl:y................................ m ····.................. 13 Tn1cking:: A Good C0Fporale Citizen............................................................... 14 1 Trltil.cki ng:: 0ne N ationail Vo:ice............................................................................ 15 1 T:rltil.cki.ng and the Driv.ees Roie in Bll1i]ding Public Re'lations........................ 15 An11.e:ricas Road 'f'eam................................................................................... 16.. Share llie Road.............................................................................................. 17 Con1ba1tting Hll][ran Trafficking................................................................ 17 1"":rltil.cking:: overnment ReJalions....................................................................... 17 ·r[uck. ·raxes.................................................................................................... 17.. Federal Regt.Jlalions....................................................................................... 18.. Slate Regulations...........................................................................................20 T:rltil.ck:ing:: Oasses & Types of C-arrie:rs..............................................................22 ·The H igh,vay )'Ste-nil.........................................................................................2-3 SAFETY & SECUR.I TY...................................................................................... 26 Safet) Reg-ulations.............................................................................................26 aA.................................................................................................................26. DataQs............................................................................................................28. Pre-Employment Screening Prograrn (PSP)............................................29. Driv:er Qua.Lmcati.o nsJ:Paperwork..............................................................29. E ntry Level Driver· Training (ELDn........................................................ 33. MooicaJ Certificates..................................................................................... 33. National Registry of MedicaJl Examincl'S.................................................. 33. Drug & AJcohol C1ea:r.i ng House and Drug Testing............................... 34. H,o urs of Servjc,e (HOS).............................................................................. 34. eat Belts........................................................................................................ 36. Load Securen1ent.......................................................................................... 36. Pre-T:rip and Postt- Trip Inspection............................................................ 37. \iV:al!k:ing/\",lorking Surfaces Standa..frid........................................................ 38. Electronic Logging.De-vices (ELDs).......................................................... 39. AdvaJ1red D rive~ Assistive Systen1s ( ADAS)...........................................40  Basic afe1ty C 1t1ideliines.LL.......................................................................................... 4] 1 Sp,,ced Managen11ent..............................................................~..................... 41 51..oppi ng Disla.nee......................................................................................... 42 M i [ J"OFS........................................................................................................... 43 Defcnsi\re Driving......................................................................................... 43 D isl.[act.cd Dr.iv:iing........................................................................................ 48 Q&A Safety..............................................u................................................................ 51 Scc11rity Regltll ation s.................................................................................................. 75 1rudk.ing Scarr.it)r N1eaSl.1]7CS.................................................................................... 80 Q&A: SeC11.Ir.rt}'"............................................................................................................ 81 Hazal:dous Maleria!ls Regulation s........................................................................... 83 Sh i!P]!)Crs ResJ>Onsiliility...............................................................................83 Canier's ltesponsmbiJJ ity................................................................................ 83 1 Cost of Violation...........................................................................................83 Reporting Reqwreme-nl............................................................................... 84 Sectllrity P lan.................................................................................................85 Training..........................................................................................................85 to-a.d Secure-.mcnt.......................................................................................... 8 7 Precaution s.................................................................................................... 8 7 lllackgro 1t1od C h eck:....................................................................................... 88 Q&A: 1anlk Tru ck. & HazMail............................................................................. 90 FIRST A I D ]1 REALTH:, W E IJLNESS & PERSON AL SAF ETY.................. 1 l 6 First Aid.................................................................................................................... 116 Q&A: Firs1t Aid.......................................................................................................... 144 HeaUth, \Vellness and Injury PTe\.·ention.............................u............................... 151 Q&A~HeaUh. Wellness. and ] nj ury Prevent ion............................................ 156 FIRE S,A iF'ETY.................................................................................................... 160 Q&A : Fire- Safety............................................................................................. 163 COA1:i\'IO. TRUC K!IJNC l DUSTRYACRO YMS.................................. 169 STATE TRUCKING ASSOCIATIONS AFFILIATED WJTH ATA......... 173  FOREWORD The pr-ofessii.onal trnck d:r:ive:r today enjoys the position of being 1i:he sa.fes.t,, n1ost knowledgeable and expert dciv,e r on An1eriras s.treets and highways. Thiis Facts for Drivers n1a!tntal r,e cognizes that such a r,e putation is not easily attained o:r retained. To achjeve and maintain this status, n10:r,e is expected of professional d:r:ivers. They must have a thorough knowledge of> and training on. effecti:ve driving techniques and safe d:rivi ng practices. They must be fan.1 ilia.r with the ever-changing issues,. regulations., an.d reqn.i rrements governing the industry and higb.vays. They nu.tst have extensive on- the-lioad accident-free expe:rience and a sol id understanding of their vehide,, equipn1ent, and p :re- t!i!i.p inspection procedures~ P 1tufessiona[ driver :reputations and ultin1.ately, the in1age of the truck- ing i ndust:ry> rely not on1y on each driver's superior driving record but on the driver's professionalist11 which oflten requires patience> self-dis- cipl i.ne, and consideration of others on ou:r nation's road'l.vays. Facts for Drivers is intended to proviide con1n1ercial vehicle drivers an ov,e r,view of the trucking i.ndustry, safety and security rules, a11d other facts rel,e van.t to their profession. It also serves as. an ,e xcellent study guide for those drivers pr,e p aring to con1pete in oon1p,any., state,, and national driving oon1p etitions such as tbe N ationa1 Truck D riving 1 Chan'lpionships and ational Step Van D :riving Chamnpionships. This book is not intended to cover all driving,. safety;, and co11:npiia11ce rules and regulations. The inforn1ation. included in 1i:his publication is curr,e nt as of the tin1e of pd nting. Changes in regulations that be- con1e effective after th is is print,e d wil] be :i ncorporat,e d into the next edition. Vve hope that all who read this have a long a11d safe career as a profession.al driver.  THE CHAMPIONSHIPS Given that t.h is Facts for Drivers is used as a primary study gui.de by those co111peting in Truck Driving Championships and Step Van D ,riving Ch an1pionship~ it seems appropriate to begin th is publication with an introduction on the official Chainpionships progra111, one of the tnost visible and successful safety i n itiatives, of the trucking j ndusl"' try. This Chan1pionship s prog:ra11n>without a doubt> influenoes tens of thousands of drivers annually to drive accident-free. Established by An1erican Trucking Associations (ATA) in 1937 as the a tional Truck Roadeo, today's Championships prograrn provides profession al truck drivers the opportunity to den1.onstrate thei:r exceptional driving skill>knowledg,e, and p rofessionalisn1 at the compan.y,, state, region al>and national levei - a]] qualities that n1ake then1. leadeirs in their profession. The overriding objective of the Ch an1pionshjp s pir-ogra1111 is two-fold: 1 (1) To provide an incentive for professional truck and step van driv- ers to perfect thei:r craft and drive aocident-:free, and (2) To itnprove the 111edias and general public's, in1age oft:ruck driv- ers and the n1oto:r carrier industry. The state and national co1Tipetitions consist of a ,,vritten exa1nination> pre-trip inspection test, and skills test. Son1e state chan"l.pionships also include a personal interview,, as discussed below. \:Yritten fxamina.tio;n - Tests a contestant,.s g,e.neraL knowledge of the t:rucking industry> safety,, security. health and wellness,, and d:riving :rules and regu] ation s,, as well as fi:rst aid an.d fire safety. All written exan1. questions are based on th is edition of Facts for Drivers. Personal Interview - Assesses a oontestant"s ove.r all professionalism, work ethic, custom er s e:rvic,e approach, conrin1itnient to safety and security:, and view of the industry and profession> as well as attitudes toward n1anagen1ent. enforcen1ent agencies, and the driving public, and know ledg,e of the industry. Pre- Trip lrtspection Test - ChaUenges each contestant to locate n-iul- 70 tiple defects and safety hazards that have been depending on the type of ,e qui.p- n1ent Skills Test - "Tests each contestant's ability Ito successfully n1aneuver a vehicl,e th:r-ough six oou:rse problems designed to sinJ.ulat,e the d!t"iv-ing obstacl,e s faced by p!rOfessional d:rive:rs in everyday operations, such as pa!t"ki.ng, backing,. n1aneuvering th!t"ough tight spots, and other typical challenges. All skills test problen1s nnJSt be accomplished aocurately and safely within a presc!t"ibed ti.!l.ne lin1 it. Basic driving skiUs tests are useful for any driver w110 desires to improve their ability to handle any type of vehicle in a confined space and hone their observation and perception skills. 3 CHAMPIONSHIPS ELIGIBILITY RULES To pa!l."ticipate i n any ATA-app·r oved Trnck o!I." Step Van Driving Championships, a d!l."iver 1n 1ust !l.11.eet tbe guideli nes set forth j n the State and National R ules ,a nd Procedures for the Truck Driving Championships and Step Van Driving Championships ( or HATA. IDC/ SVDC R ulebook" as it is also knowll),, i n cluding,, but not lin1ited to the following criteria: 1. Every driver entering a Truck or Step Van Driving Chan1.pionships con--u.p etition shall have a preventable aoddent-free record fro!ln the day inu.11ediately following the pr,e vious ational T rnck or Step Van Dll"iving Championships ll.!l.1til. andl including the date of th,e current year's National Trucking Chat11pionships. To oon1pete at 1 state TTnck or Step Van Driving Charnp:ilonship5> an eligible d!l."iver s.ha11 have a p:r,e ventable accident-free record frot11 the day i!l.11n1edi- ately :follomng the pr,e vious st.ate or national co1npetition until or i.ndudin,g the date of the cur-rent year,s state T:ruck Driving Cha!tn- 1 pionshjps, the choice of ·w hioh shall be d.etennmed by the State T:ruck Dri·vi.ng Chan1pionships Comn1ittee at its sole discr-etion. 2. Every d!l."i.ver entering a Trnck Driving Championships competition shall n--m.eet the !l.11.edica[ qualifications of th.e U.S. Departruent of Transportation ( DOT) as set forth in 49 CFR 391.41 (Section 39 l.41 of the Federal Motor Carriie:r Safety Regulations). Drivers 1nust 1 submit evidence that the)' have obtained a valid tnedical certificat,e: Has no loss of a footJo le~ handJo or a:rn1,, o :r has been granted a wa1ve:r; Has no loss of fing,ers~ ii.n-m.pai!l."ment of use of foot, leg, fingers,, hand:11 or annJo or oth,e.r structural defect or [in-iitation 1ikdy to interfere with safe driving,, o:r has been granted a waiver; Has distant visual acuity of at least 20/40 (Snellen) in each eye without oorTective lenses or visual acuity separately cortrected to 20/ 40 (Snellen) O!I." better with cor rectiv,e lenses,, distant binocular acuity of at [east 20/40 (Snellen) iin both ey,e s with o:r without corrective lenses,, and field of vision of at least 70° in the hor-.izontal n1eridian in each ey~ or 11:neets the standards i n Section 391. 44 for drivers with n1onocnlar ,rision~ Has th,e ability to recognize the colors oft raffic signals and devices showing standard.red, green,, and an[ber; 4  Has no established tn edical hi story or di nical diagnosis of diabetes n1.ellih.ls currr-ently treated. '\Vith insulin for contr-01> unless the requi:ren1ents in Section 391.46 are n1.et or the driver has been. girant,e d a waiver; :H as no current clinical diagnosis of n1yocardial infarction, angina pectoris;,, coronary insufficiency:- thrombosi5> o r any othe:r cardiovascular disease of a variety knolirvn to be accon1panied by synoop~ dyspnea,, col!lapse, o:r oon.gestive cardiac faih.1.re; :H as no established medical history or d i nical diagnosis of a ·r espiratory dysfunction lik ely to i nt,e:rfe:re with the ability to control and driv,e a cotntnercial moto:r vehicle safeiy; Has no current d inical diagnosis of h i.gh b lood pressure lik ely to interfere with the ability to oper ate a con1.n1.erdal n 1otor vehi cle safely; Has no established n1 edical hi story or di nical diagnosis of rheun1ati½ art.hr.i.t i½ o:rthopedi½ n1uscruar:- neuron1.uscu[ar:, or vascular diseas,e which int erferes with the ability to control and op e:rate a con1n1er.ciaJl tnotor vehicle safely: Has no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of epilepsy or any other condition which is likely to cause loss of conscious- ness or any loss of ability to control a conunerciaJ 1.n otor vehicle:. Can hear a forced whisper at not less th an 5 feet or better:, with o:r without a hear.i ng aid; :H as no n1en t:al, nervous, organ i½ or functional d isease or psychiatric disorder likely to intertere with safe driving; Does not use a!lnphetan1.ines,, narcotics:- n1arijuana:- and/ or ot:he:r h abit-fonn ing drugs and is not an alcoholic. 3. The driver must hoid a Comn1e:rcial Drhr,e r's L icense (CDL) with prope:r endorsement for the cl ass of con1petition entered The driver niust be fully authoriz.ed and qlli'1lli fied to operate the v,e h ide being used for the con1.petition on the :roadway. 4. Except: as otherwise provided, a driver eligible for a Cha!lnpion- sh ips cotnp et ition shaU be con.tinuous1 y en1p loyed by the entering ,e niploy,e r for at least 12 months prior 1i:o entry in each such event and shall have driven and perfo:rn1.ed the duties of a professional truck driver for 1 1 of tll-J,e 12 n1onths prior 1i:o entry. Consult the n10s1i: current ATA.TDC/SVDC Rulebook for a n10:r,e detailed definition of "driven and perform,e d the duties of a professional truck driver;> as wd[ as other special considerations~ 5 5. Driv,e rs n1ay participate in only one class of competition (,e.g., step ViiU.1> straight truck ,, three-axle tractor s,en1i-tiraile:r, four- axle tiractor setni-trailer,. five-axle tractor sen1:ii-tirailer, five-axle sleep er,. flatbed:, tank truck, auto-hauler, or twin -trailers) and :iin only one sta 'Ire con11petii.tion during any given cal,e n dar yea.ir. These and other eligibility reqwrements apply to all levels of ATA- a.pproved Chanripionships con1petition: state,, regional or national. for a con1plete listing of eiigibiHty criteria>consult the ATA TDC/SVDC Rulebook. \Vin ners of the state Championships are auton1atically eligible to be entered into the ATA National Champ ionsh.ips where they con11pe1re for the tid e of'"' at:ional Cha11:npion,,. i n their class. NTDC contestants also compete for special awards and the u.ltin1ate title of "Grand Cha.n1pion~ Of oouirse,, if a. stale ,vinner has an accident,, transfers to a non-driving job>changes en1pioyers, atten1pts to con1.merciali:re on their 11.vi nn ing of the state chan1 p:iionsh ip,. or does anything that n"Iay be considered detr:iin1e11:11ra[ to the trucking industry or the Chan"Ipion- ships prog!ia111,. the driver n1ay be disquali fie,d frotn ootnp etition in the ATA a.t:ional TDC/SVD C. 1 [f a driver is. eligible to ,e nter a s"tat,e Ch a1npion:ship ~ the first step to con1p eting is to file tr.he official entry and :release forn1. A diriveir..s e 1np1oyer n1ay obtain the fonn on the diriver."s behalf by re,questmng it fron~ the aippticable State Trnck:i ng Association. 6  THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY A Brief History Eadly J.900s Trudks with gasoline powered internal con1bll.1Stion engines begin replacing horse-drawn wagons to delive.r goods front railheads to r narkets and end users. Al this ti m.n e, trucking had a I.united reacb due to the I i1:n itations of the trucks and :road~ and thus was concentrated in ull"iban areas. 1919 During \\forld \Var l, the nutnb er of trucks i n use in the United States went fron1 100,000 to over 1>000>000. Trucks [became largell' an.d begau e·x tending their range as innovations such as pnenn1atic tires 1,,vere incorporated into the industry and. the road nenvo rk began to in1.pirove. Also in 1919.Ji Lieutenant Coiond Dwight D Eisenhower led 1 1 one of the first coast-rto-co ast truck n1oven1.ents. The trip went frol'n '\iVashington D.C. to San Francisco, CA,, and involved 282 soldiers and 1 67 v,e hicles (2 1 of which did not complete the trip). Many of the soldier-s were engineers who were needed to build and r,e pair r-oads and bridges along the way. The trip took 62 days (about 2 months) and followed the path known as the Lincoln Highway (later caUed U.S. 30). The trip highlighted the need for a uationwide road nehvo.1r!k. 1924 Tbe diesd eugine was introduced, in1proving the po'\.ver and ,e fficien- cy o f trucks. 1935 Con,g ress passed the 1\fotor Carrier Act of 1935. This led to the IDterstate ComD1.eJ'.',c e Collllmission>or ICC, taking oversight over the trucking industry. The l CC regulat,e d rates and the routes. carriers 1 were authorized to op e:rate on, oversaw t.he safety regulations, and put the first hours-of-service regulations into place. 7 1945 Trucking becanie a vital 11110 de of fr,e igb-t tl!'.'a11spo!l"tation during \Vorld War II. This was. due to a significant increase in the need to transport goods for the war effort and the flexibility pttnvided by the trucking i ndust!I"y. 1956, P!I"esident D,vight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal. Highway Act establJ.:iishin,g the interstate bi,gbway ne-tivork. This road nemo:rk allo-.ved trucks. to t ravel. further> fast,er> and safer, and increased their shar,e of the nation.,s freight.rnov,e n1ent. 1966 The U. S. Dep,art11nent of T!ra n portation (ID 0T) was created and 1 assun1ed control of all transportation matters, including regulating the safe operation of con1 n1ercial vehicles. 1980 The Motor Carrier A.ct of J 980 was signed into law> del',e golatin.g: tbe tro,okin,g industqr. As a resul~ carriers lNere free to openly con1.pete for custoniers. Th.tis was due to eltinitin ation of the regulations r,e strict- ing the :rates a carrier could cll arge, the con1!tnodities a canier could haut the iroutes a carrier could travel, a n d the g,e ograph ic :regions a carrier con1d ope:rate in. A.1so in 1980, the Con1:n1ercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) was created This is the organization that standard - izes the roadside inspection prro ced ures and criteria> and that overs,ees the N orth An1er ican Out-of-Servioe CJ"iteria ( 00SC). 1 1 1982 The U.S. Surface Transportation Assistance Act of l 982 established funding fo:r stat,e niotor carrier enforoement prosrani.s. This fun.d - ing allowed states to d edicate resources and officers to enforcing the n~otor car.rieir safety re,gnJation s~ 8 1986 Tbe Commercial Vehicle Safety Act of J 986 creat ed nationmde testing and q u a1ifica tion standards for issnati,c e of colllm,e rcial rurii.ltr,e rs' licenses:. or CD Ls. 1 1988 R1.des requiring drug testi ng were add e d to the safet y regulations. R1.des for alcohol testing "ve:re in~plen1ented ia.l 994. 1990 The.n lllnber of snotor carri ers authorized by tbe D 0T doubled to 1 n1ore than 40.,000 active carri,e rs when corn pared to 1980. Durin g the.l 980:"s, the flexibility created b y d e regulation led to the deveJopn1ent of the just-i.n -tuue (JIT) logistics modd. Und er t his !l:nod el., m.111anu- fach1J'iers and retailers were albl.e to lower i:nv,e ntory levels,, low,e ring overhead A lso dW"ing the 1980·s, tru cking increased its share o f U.S. freight n1.oven1ent. As a result>uea rll-y ever,' good oonSl!Ult ed u1 the U. S. n1ov,e s on a tni.d k s oo1etime du.ariing irts.l!ife cycle. That has led to tmcking hauling over 72 percent ofa[l freight transported in the U.S. 1991 Tbe lr,termodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of J 99.I (ISTEA, pr-onounced "Ice Tea") did away with "b ingo cards" ( a u thority r,e gistration card s) a n d est ablished natjoin~l"ide tandal"ds :fur truck sizes and w,e ights. 1994 The North Americ an Firee T rade Agr,e en1cent (NAFTA) be1rween M e x.ico, Canad a, and the U n ited States went in to e:ffect, exp a:nding internation a l trade an1ong the three countries. Part of N AFTA involved making it easier to oo nduct cross,-. border trucki n g opera- tioas. As a result of this,, t he N AFTA Tnicking D e n1on.stration P roject ran fro1n 2007 to 2009. This progran1 allowed Mexico-based carrie:rs to operate in the U S. In 20 1 l_. the p:rog.r arn was restarted u nder a '4iConcept D ocun~ent:' The curr,e nt p rogran1 "\-Vas later forn.1a[ized as 9 part of the US. Troop Readines5;. Veterans' Care., Katrina Recovery> and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Ac~ 2007. The ICC """'as form.ally abolis11ed, and it s ·r elnaining respon sibilities were transferred to tlr1,e Surfaoe Transpo:rtation B oa!l"d (ST B ). 1998 The TraHsportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21 ) required states to lo""T,e·r the breath-alcohol content l,e vd lfiol' intoxic ation to 0.0S.. Thi.s Act also established the Motoll" Caarrier Safety Assish1Dce Prog!l"am 1(M C AP) to better disp erse funds for state enforoen1ent of Cli..1:V safety and hazard o us 1.n aterials regulation st In part, MCSAP :regulations require states to have n1o t or car rie:r safety regulations that ar,e con1patible with the federal regulation s. F j na Uy,, T EA-21 estab- lished the procedures used to shut d o.,,v n carrier s proven to be unsafe o:r non-con1pi:ia11t. 1999 The Motor Carrier Safety Jmprorvanent Act of 1999 n 1oved all n1otor carrier safety oversight resp onsibilities &0111 the O ffioe of Motor Carri,e:rs within the Fed era.1 Hig]nvay Adn.1inistration (FH"\ VA) to the then-newly created Federal Motor C arrier Safety Ad!Jninist.!l'atio.n ( F~ICSA)> an agency within the US. D O T. The FMCSA officially 1 began o p eration on January 1, 2000. 2015 The Fixing Americas Surface Transportation (FAST) Act :requir-ed FMCSA to establish a D 1rug aud A!lcobol Cl.,e all'ingb.ouse to track drivers that were ,c au ght violating the drug and alcohoi regulation~ in1p ie1.ne:nt ,e lectronic loggi11!lg devices (ELD s }i> a:nd develo p n ew entll'y -leve~ driiver training requi:ren1e n ts. 201 7 egot iation s began on th,e U.S.-A1e::rico-Ca.nada Agreement (USM CA ), which \\ as fuUy impl,e men t,e d in 2 020. This updated a n d 10 replaced AFTA. Under N.A FTA and the USMCA> trucking has don1 in ated cr-0ss-b ord.e:r trad.e. In 2022> 6 t.9 p erc,ent of the value of trrade ·w ith Canada and 83. 5 percent o f the value of trade mth Mexico 1 was tra.n sported by trucks. 2021 "Ihe hifrastructure ln11est"1ent and /obs Act (UJA) was passed, and lt requires F.MCSA to : Devclop au ton1atic en1e rgency braking rregulations, Incorporate the rear-imp act guard i.nto the annual inspection req ui re11:nents for trrailers. Develop aJ1 apprenticeship pilot pliogran1 for 18- to 20-y-ear-old driver:s and1 1Con1plete a I arge-truck crash causation. study. 20.22 According to the U.S. :0',e p artm.ent of Transportation> as of April 2023. there werr-e ove:r 750,,000 activ,e US n1otor carrie:rs that 01,,vn or leas,e at least one trractor. Tr uc king: A Main spring ofth,e.. S. Economy Over tin11.~ there have been a nwnber of slogans that have captw-ed the essentiality of trucking: fo:r ex:an1ple: "Trncking D el.ivers An1eri- 1 ca; °'Good Stuff, Trucks Bring It; and,, n-m.ost :r,e cently, ""Trucking M.oves An11.erica Forward:' There is no doubt that the trucking i ndus- try can be j ustly called a tnainspru'lg of the U.S. econorny. After aH, pract:icaUy ev,e.rythiDg \'Ve eat,, w,e ar, Oil' \11lse is d elivered by t1ruc.k. Sinoe a nation"s progir,e ss is inevitably tied lo how efficiently and effecti.v ely i1t transports il!:s goods and people,, nn.uch of the suocess of the An1.erican l¥ay of life is due to n1otor carri,e:rs and their dTivers. Trucks of every type are serving Amnerica..s farn1.s, homes,, and indus- tri.es>p erf'onni ng a con1plete door-to-doo:r transportation service entirely on their 01,,vn or joining with other ~:nodes of transportation in hauling nearly eve:rything we need No An11.eri.can hon1e is too ren1.ote to sh.are in the nation's production. ll Trucks pedor11.n a distribution se:rvice that ,cai1111101 be duplicated by any other for1111 of transportation. T :rucks. ba;\re the advantage of flexibility which does not appear likely to be challenged. Throughout the country, the n1otor carrie:r i s. the i11.nportant link in the transpo:rta- tion of virtually all con1m.odities. After all, over ,8 0% of all.S. communities r,e ly e~clusiveiy on tirucks to d e/liver their produ,ct:s and goods. A lthough. other fo:rm s of transportation play an important roie in the t :ransport of n1ate:rials and people,, each is necessarily lillnited in its ope:ration. Cargo transported by raiil:roads, ships. and ai:rpianes. for exanipl,e,, ultitnately must be hauled by truck to reach its final desti na- tion. The n1otor truck is the only direct n1eans of t:ranspo:rt to tTia.ny wa11.·ehouses, stores, and oonsuniers.. doors. In 1po:rtant advantages of the tnotorr 1I:ruck are: Flexibility - Truck s can go vi:r1IuaU y anywher,e 01.1 our road s and streets~ In fact, in 2021>co:nnmercial sing1e-un:i1I and con1.b ination 1I:rucks. 1Iravded 32 7.48 billion m.niles, w hil,e con1bin a1Iion trucks. alone logged l 9S.62 billion n1iles for business purposes~ In the sat'lle year,, con1bina'tion truck s drove a:n average of nearly 80,,000 mile~ ahhough n"l.any 1ong-hacl Class 8 tractors travel a:roun.d ] 00:,,000 n 1:iles eaoh year. Versatility- Any nu11.Nber of 1:rucks can be used at any given tin1e for a specific haul. T:rucks a re available in all types,, shapes, and sizes. Many of then1 are sp ed.aU y designed to carry a specific product or class of products,, and nu1.ny of them are adaptable to another> but sin1.ilar, class of product. Qffident Ddivery - On averag½ trucks are n1.or-e ,e fficient than rail transport. Th is greater efficiency is due to easier pick-up and deli very as well as t:rudcing's ability to pick up and de]iver d oo:r- to-door. This, coupled with :r,e gular ddive:ry schedules, allows 1nuch lower sto okpil- ing by n1anufacturers and n1erchandis ers. Goods can be ordered. as. needed.,, freeing capital th at would otrherw:i se be froz,en i n inventory - son1.ethi.ng all businesses desire. In other words, truck s are a n1.o r-e ,e ffici,e nt m ,e ans. of transport. Protectior-1 - Tru ck cargo r,e qui.r-es less packing and handling,, whioh :reduces packing expenses. This. feature also r,e sul ts in less. dam.age and 12 pilferage. All of th is n1.eans savings to shippers and their c uston1er~ Essentialif:X - The dynamic n1.oto:r transpo:rt industry has accepted its respons:i bility as an essentiaJ. fo:rce in the continued ex:pan.si,on of A.tne:r.i ca's [nass production an d distribution. s,ystetn> and is oonstan.tly striving to develop better service and equipn1e nt to support a gr-owing Ame:rica. Tru,c king: A L~ader in Safety & Security· According to figures fron1. FM CSA> U.S. tru ck drivers' ability and 1 con.1n11.itmen.t to avoid and reduce crashes rr-esulted in a 34% decrease in the nun1ber of fatal or injury crashes per 100 tnillion vehicle [niles traveled by large trucks between 2000 and 2020. vVhat n1ak,e s this decrease so astounding is that since 20 16 the N ati,onaJ Highway Tra.f fic Safety A.dn1i n:istration (NHTSA) i n1ple- !I.Tiented changes to revise vehicle classification based on gross v,e hide weight rating ( GV\"/R}. which reclassified 329 light pickup trucks as 1 la!l.-ge trucks. Vvithou t the reclassification:- the trucking industry..s overaB crash statistics would be even lower. Motor ca1nri,ers~ in cooperation with their state and national assoda.- tions and Jaw ,enforcen1.en.t]I carry on year-round !1.nultiphas,e safety and security progra!ln s. rdated to dnv,e r selection, traini n~ and supervision. Truckiug saf,ety and security prol'essionals aJr,e oon.- slantl.y e·v aluating tl1eur existing and new safety and s,e.cur.i ty practices,, t ,e chnology,, a n.d lraiiui.ng, Many states" cooperativ,e highway safety patro]s r,e port uJ1Safe practices or exoeptionally good perforn1.ance by truck drivers. Professional drivers are carefully selected for j udgn11ent,, responsibility> and skill. runong other q_ualitie~ Many of today's vehicles are equipped ·w ith the most m:no dern safety devices and all equipment is, and n11.ust be, regularly inspected and k ept in good repair. "J'o further r,e info:roe the in1po:rtance of safety and security> the T :ruck Driving Ch an.1pion sh ip5:, Step Van Driving Chan.1pionshi ps, and other awards and :recognition p:rog:ran1s are hel.d on a locat state, and national level>during which driv,e·r s earn respect and award s for their skill in handling their vehicles and for their safe and secure driving ach ieven.1ent s. 13 The trucking indust!l."y also cooperates with state,, local, and :fede:ra[ officials as "'veil as o!l."ganizations like the atuon al Safety Cow'1ei1> universities, and other entities that study and !teach safe and secnr-e practices and provide related too] s. Al together>th tis collaboratti.on pr"Oduced an outstanding safety and securiq~ 1record fo!I" the iindust!l"y. Trucking: A. Good Corporate Citizen Trnck d:rivers are i nstrncted to cooperate with motorists to n1.akie highway t:ravel safer and n1ore pleasant. The trucking industry"s yea.f'-round safety and ool!.U'tesy ,c au1paig,ns stress,, for example,, that truck driv,e rs should pull to the :right, if possible and safe to do so,, "to allo1.v n101torists to pass,, pa:rticulady on hiUs. They should also avoid c!l."eating n1oving traffic blockades. Even befor-e the general pub] ic and governn1ent b ecan1e concerned about envi!I"on mental in1.pact and energy conservation,, the trucking indust!l."y was working to r,e duce fuel consum_p tion and tbe noi.:se:and smoke· created by son1.e truck engines. Truck drivers do their part as good cifuens by observing and r,e porting cases of vehicle breakdowns, accidents, and other difficulties as. weU as alerting law enforce1nent authoriti,e s to suspicious, erratic,, and dangerous behavior and siltuatjons. Hundreds of letters aire received an nuaU y by truck operato:rs across Au1erica praising dri ve!l."s fo:r acts of ,o oorttesy, courage, and het,p fnlness toward the n1otoring pubiic. Truckin,g : One ationaJ Voice The trucking industry is represented nationally by American Trucking Associations,, Inc. (ATA). ATA is a federation of n1oto:r carrier !111e!ln- bers, industry suppliers, 50 state trucking associations ( each represent- ing all classes and types of truck operations w.i thin their specific stalte ):- five affiliated oonferences ( each representing a type of tr-,ick operation):, five councils (professional societies comprised of individuals with spe,cific job functions,, such as safety,, maintenan~ security> etc. J, a:nd the An1erican Transportation Research In stitut,e. ATRI, as it is a[so known, has been engaged in critical transportation studies and tests smoe 1954. As a non- p!l."ofi~ ATRI is dedicated to conducting and 14 supporting research on trucking..s essential role in a safe,. efficient , and viable tiransportation systern1.. ATA is headquartered in \¥ashington, D.C.> with a separate office on Capitol Hill. AT~s m..ission is: To serve and represent the int erests of the trucking ind11..1s1try '\.vith one 1!.lfiited voice; To positivel.y influence federal and state governn1en.tal actions; To advance the trucking ind ustry·s image> effi.ciency]i con11.petitive- ness,, and profitability~ To provide ,e duca.tiona] p:r-ogran1s and industry research; To protnote safety and security on our nation's highways and an:1 ong profession.al drivers; and To slttrive for a heal thy business e nvironn1e nt. The departrn ents into which ATA is divided support its n1ission and i.n dude: Office o f Pubi:ic Affairs; 1!1:nage & 0utr-each; Legislative Affairs; 1 Law; P,o ' licy & Regulato:ry Affairs (including Safety·>Security>O pera- tions.,, High""-ray. Cross Border> Environ!I.Tiental> Engineer in8> Govern- n1ent Traffie:i, \"!/orkforce Deveioptnenlt>etc.); Federation R elations & Strategic Planning., Econon11.ic & Statistical Analysis; the Conferences (Agricultural and Food Transporters Confe:r,e nces; Auton1.obi[e Carriers Conference; Govern!I.Tient Freight Conferen,ce; In tennodal Motor Carriers Conference; and Mo-i.ring and Storage ConJe:r,e ncel, as well as 1 the Cou ncils 1 ation a[ Accounting & Finance Col.U'lcil; Safety Manage- ment Council; Transportation Security Council; Technology & Mainte- nance Crn..1.ncil; and \Von.1en in Motion Council.) ATA is also the 1 headquarters for Transport Topics, !the week.Il.y newspaper of the trucking industry. Tru,d cing and the Driver,s Role in Building Public Relations The ltruck:i ng industry is the 1nost vital p art of ou!t" enti!t"e naltion'"s !transportation system. \V1itbout trocking the ,e oono.m.y ,votdd 111 scr,e ech ·t o a grinding halt. 1.:i\fithout !the 3. S n.1ill ion truck d rivers transporting goods safely and efficiently in the U.S., th.ere would be no industry~ To say thalt everyone un the United States relies. on !the n1ercha.n dise delivered by A.m ericas truck drivers is true b ut not 15 enough in the tnodem. arena of public o p inion. Tod ay, the profession- al driver n 11.u st not only l':nov,e Amned.ca physically> but also psy·cl1tologi- cally. A. drive.r~s ability to drive c.rash-fre~ pro\ride q uality andl tim.el y service, !l'."epresent the industry prof.ession aUy,, and den1onstrate the 1 essentia1ity o f truckiDg.we now all critical to p u blic peroeption and the health of the industry. It is be,c ause of tbe p!l"ofessional truck drive!l"s"' superior performance and professionalisn.1 that the public still has a _p o iti,re ov,e raU ,iiew of CMV. drivers. For n1ost An1ericans,. the d r iver rep!I"esents trncking a n d is the most visible syn1bol of the industry. A d river's actions behind the wheel forn1 a lasting in1p:r,e ssion on the n 1otoring p ub lic. Th,e p u biic1's, opinion> and thus., the ind ust!l'."ys !I"eput ation> affects the way govern- n1.ent officials regulate the industry> indudling oper ational re,q uire- n~ents and tin1itations, fees and taxes, andl the ability to gain acoess to certain roadls and highways. Ultin1ately, the industry's reputation a:ffects its ability to grow and p rosper. To overcome negative p ercep- tion s, the.i udostry relies on each truck dll'iYe!l',,s superior dri,riug ab.iii.ties, professionalism, :a n.d ,c ourtesy ali: aU rti1nes. Further helping to bolster the ind ustry's i n1age is An1.erica's Road Tea1n1. Created by Airnerican Trucking Associations in 1986 and sponsored by Volvo Truck~ this national public i1nage aud oortreach prograDl. is led b y a teatn of p:rofessionaJ truck drivers with superior driving and co111mw1ication skills,, rernarkable safety reoords, and a strong desire to educate fellow n iotorists and the general pubUc on highway safety and the trucking i ndustry. Millions have hea!I"d the.1.ean.1 motto: "'Sa11ety R oad "T'! c our drivu1g 1s couceru."" An1erica's Road Tean1 Cap tains,. n~ost of whon1 h av,e million-n1~1¼ accident-fr,e e driving recordls,, take a few days each n1onth a.vay fron1 their truck driving jobs to travel and speak on behalf of ATA and the industry to the !lnedia and public. They conduct ne,,vs i nterviews andl hold safety talks before diverse gr-oups including student s, senior citizens, busi nessn1.en and won1en> and fellow trnck d ri veirs, during w hlch they share their experiences a n d safety successes. Road Tean:1 drivers address transportation issues from their unique perspective andl pron~ote the trucking i ndlustry's overall con1n1itn1,e nt to i tnproving highW"ay safety. 16  haJ!',e rthe Road Because one life lost in a traffic accident is one too n1any> An1erican Trucking Associations.' Share the Road progratn is dedicated to r,e dud ng the fatality and accident rates on A!lnerica"s roadways. Th is national safety outreach effort seeks to educate all :n1.otorisil:s ab out how trucks and cars can safdy sh are the road. The Share the Road prograin engages a tea1u of professiona!l trnck drivers kno,vn for their safe driving records to cond net safety d etnon- strations to the n1.edia in an effort to reach the driving pubi:ic through TY, radio., print, and on] i!l.1e. Representatives fron1 State Truda ng Associi.ations, ATA men-m.ber con1pan ies,, a!l.1d law enforcen1ent are also en!list,e d to help co111nliunicate the Shar,e the Road lifesaving nliessages to hw1d.reds of towns and cities, and r n illions of tnotorists annually. By providing h[ghway users with t ips on how to driv,e safely around trucks" the ATA h are· the Road progiram is helping to.1r,e duce accidents and save lives. In fact, U.S. DOT rep orts have cred[ted pr-ogiran1s like Shar,e the Road with the si,g ni:ficant redu ction in trnck- related fatalities over the past decade. The Share the Road p:rogran1 has b e,en in existence for over 20 years and :replaced tllle high1y successful How to Driv,e progran1> a partner- ship with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Adn1.[nistrati.on. Con1bating H un1.an Traffic/king ATA and its men~ber 001rnpanies are leading an industry-wide effo:rt to hdp ,e nd huu1an traffioking. ATA encourages all of its n1ember con1pan ies to provide anti-h wnan traffick.i ng training to thei:r drivers and staff> and to in1p]ement and enforce zero-toler anc.,e pol.ides reiated to hutnan trafficking and com rnercial sex activities. Trucking:: Government Relations Truck Taxes Th,e trucking industry's support of America goes beyond transporta- tion and highway safety and security. h is also a huge l"e,renu,e geueratol" for fedeiral, sta·'1e.,, and local go,reirnn1ents. Coin n1ercial 17 trucks paid $34.89 billion in fe,deral and state highway-user taxes in 2021. Of that tot al, 18 biU:mon was p aid in fedeiral highway-user tax:ie s by the trucking ind ustiry in 2021. The total cons:i sted of: Di,e sel taxes: 58.3 % Federal use taxes: 6.0% Gasoline taxes: 9.9% &etail truck taxes: 22. 6% Ti re taxes: 3. 3 % States coUected 16. 77 billion in total highway-user taXJes, with S [ 3. 7 billion contributed to con1.merci.al truck di.esel taxes. [n addition:i- for a typical five-axle tractor- senli-trailer con1bination, a carrier pays a federal ~cise -tax on new equipm,e nt and tires,. federa[ and state feel taxes, a federa1 heavy vehicle use ·t ax, a state registra- tion fe-e:i- and various other state and federa I tfees and taxes. In January 202 3:i- the average cost in taxes for a 5-axle tractor- sen1 itraile:r cotnb ination was $ 7 7 45. O.r egon colJect,e d the highest average tax:i- Jo $22,508, an1ong the 50 stat,e s and the District of Coiun1bia. Alaska 1 collected [ "783 on average in taxes on a typical 5-axle tractor-sen1 i- trailer con11bin ation, the 101,,vest average tax i n any state. Federa I Regulations As stated previous! y, i nte:rstate tirucking can-1e u11:1de r the control of the federal government in 193 5 ,vith the passage of the Motor Carrier Act. At that time,. federal controi over rates, :routes, operating territory:, and op e:rati ng p:rocedu!res of interstate fo:r-h i.re 11notor carri,e:rs was vested in the Interstate Conrunerce Conu:11i.ssion (ICC) 1,,vhich then issued its Motor Carrier Safety Regu]ations. In 1967, control. ove:r interstate t11otor carrier safety> including such regulations,. was transferr,e d to U.S. DOT which is led lby a presidential appointee known as the S eciretary of Transportation and i.s currently ctivided into 10 operating adn1in istrations,. four of which arre d i.recd y or indirect! y r,e lated to trucking. The four are: The Federal Motor Carrier SafetJl Admin:i stration (FMCSA), establisllmied o.n January l_), 2000, pursuant 1Do tlfmie Motor Carrier Safety lmpr,o -vem.ent A ,c t ,o f 1. 999, adniinisters the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulati,0.n.s (f'MCSR). These safety regulations are 18 the prin1ary :regulations n1otor carrier s must con1ply vrifh. Th,e y oover con1pany irequirements (safety tnanagen1en1t, :r egistration>a11.11rho:rity, insurance, etc.},. vehicle.m arking> dtri.ver licensing and qualifications> safe driving, parts and accessories, hours of se:rvi~ vehide inspec- tion and m.aintenan ce> etc. FMCSA has also issued stan dards for state safety programs, an d the state :regulato:ry and enforcement bodies have, for the most part> adopted then1 as the:ii'r own. The P 'ipeline and Hazardous Materials Saje:ity Administra.tion (PH:M:SA)1, creat,e d iin 2005,.i s r,e spo:usibl.,e lor· hazardous materials transportatjo:u and safety. Th is agency oversees the Hazardous Materials &egufa.tions (HMRs). Th,e se ar,e the regulations ca::ririers a n d d r:iveirs tiransporting hazardous n 1aterials.rnust obey. Topics oove red by the HMRs include registration, nan1ing and classifying hazard ous n1ateri.als, shippers responsibilities., and package and tank specifica- tion and 'testing. Also in the HMRs ar,e specific require111ent for carriage by :rail, afrc:rafi:, water vessel5> and. highway vehicles~ Th,e National Highwa)' TniiJic SefefJ! Administration (N HTSA),, established in 1970 provides education,, research> safety standards, 1 and enforcen1ent activity for the purpose of saving lives, preventing injum.-ies.a nd reducing econon1ic costs due to traffic crashes. u ·n de:r its authority> NHTSA issued the Federal Mo1Dor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS)> which set forth n1inin1.un1 safety peirforn1.ance r,e quire- n1ents fo:r n1otor vehid,e s or it,en1.s of n1oto.r vehicle equipn1ent with -,,..vhich manufacturers n""lust comply. AU Reli\.T , rehi!cl.e s 01.u.st oon1rply l states n1ay also enact [aws and regu]ations governing cargo liability, extension of credit, b iUs of ladi l1lt> dassi fication, m ileag,e guide and joint line rateS:, but these ~~econotTI i.cn laws can be no 1nor,e burde nsotne than federal la\.VS, and/ or regulations addressing the sa1ne subject and n"Iay only a ppi y to carriers ,'Vho elect to be subject to them. State and city ordinances n--m.ay also govern speed lin1its, idling:. n1ud flaps, and packing on :ramps. The constitutionality of whethe:r the fede:ral gover:n1tnent could prohibit states &on~ enactingl,e nforcing such pricing>route>or s,e:rvioe la\.vs. was upheld by the IJ.S. Court of Appeals for the lOth Circuit and later by the U.S. Supren1e Court in February-2008. State Taxes; Eve:ry state taxes the operations of m.n otor carri,e:rs., both inter- and int:rastat,e , through highway taxes. such as v,e hicle regi:stira- t :ion foes and fuei taxes and th:rough general business taxes li!kle sal,e s and corpo:rate inoon1e taxes. De_p ending on the type of carrier operation, drivers n1ay ha,re substantial ·t ax con1plianoe res_p o.n:si- bilities, including the creation of trip r,e ports for n:m.ileage and fud tax :reco:rds., and the proper p:resentation of tax and iregi stration c:r,e den- tials for the states i n.vhich they travel. Business taxes are becotning n1.ore complex for motor ca!I"riers as t ech nology and 1aws change. Currently, carri,e:rs can expect to pay business taxes i n states othe:r th an their domicile state:, generally.20 based on a formula i ncorp orating the mileage pe:rcentage cakutated fo:r other ( :r,e gistration) purposes. Envirorimental.Requirem,e nt: In addition to new federal dieseJ engine e!I.Tijssion :requiren--u.ents, !I.Tiany states have o:r a:re adopting environ- mental !["egulations which also affect trucking operations. Thes,e regulations include such m.n atters as idling :reduction,, diesel engine !["e1i::rofits,, transport refr igeratti.on unit upgrades> alter nativ,e fuel !I.Tian.dates, and :roadside sn1oke inspections. The increased focus on cli m.na1De change and the "greening.,. of businesses will !I"esult i n contin- ued efforts to advan.ce envil'Onn~entaJ :regt,-dations directed at the transportation se,ctor at both the state and federal levels far into the foreseeable future. It "\.ViU also spur research and testing of alternative fuels such as natural gas. Commercial Driver Licenses: As previously noted, the Conun.ercial Motor V:ehide Safety Act of 1"986 set n1i n in1un1,, n1andato!t"y nationa] standaros for states 11:o fo!l.!l.ow when issuing a CMV driver's license. The regulations that unpiemented this Act are foru nd in 49 CFR Part 1 383. As a !t"esult of these regulations,, driv,e rs of certain CMVs have been required to have a CDL in orde:r 11:0 dd:ve a CMV. 1 Then, based on the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of.1. 999> FMCSA went a step further and issued regulations to add:ress a nun1ber of licensing issues: ( 1) d isqualificat:io.n for driving while suspended or disquali.fied" o:r for causing a fatality; (2) emergency d isquali fication ofdriv,e rs posing an inuTiinent hazard; (3) expanded de fin iti.011:1 of serious. traffic violations;. ( 4) extended driver- :r,e cord check; (5) new notification requiren1ents; (6) a prohibition on nn1ask- ing" by r,e quiring convict.ions to be n1ade available to a utho:rized parties; and (7) clisq ua[ification for vioiations obtained whi1e d!riving a nonco11:nn1ercial !I.Tioto:r v,e h ide. Law.E ~,to~cement: Virtually aU states have adopted the provisions of the Moto:r Can·ier Safety Assistanoe P.r ograni (MCSAP)> so that federal safety ·r egulations no\v have the force of state as weU as federa1 law. Administered by FMCSA,, MCSAP' enabies state enforcetTient personnel to 1Tionitor the con1pliance of both inter- and intrastate CMVs with a uniform set of safety regulations. Under M CSA.P; lll.Ili.- 1 forn1 roadside driver and vehicle safety inspections. traffic enfor--ce- ment, compiiance review~ and the like are eligible for federal fu.n ding..21 To ensu:r,e th.at large true.ks and buses d r iving on the nat ion..s roadways ar,e opera1ting safely, trai n e d inspectors in each :state inspect co11n- 1nerc ial n1oto.r ·v ehides bas.e d on procedures a n.d ,c riteri a c r,e ated by the Confl.n1cer,c ial \ 'el11.icle Saf:ety Alliance (CVSA). The criteria and procedures known as the orth Atne:rican Standard Inspection Pirogram d escribes the 8 level o f inspect ions: Levd I - N orth An1erican Standard Inspection Levd II - "\.Valk-Around Driver/Vehicle Inspection Levd III - D river/iCredential/ Adrni nistrative In spection Leve[ N - Special Inspections Levd ·v - Vehicle-'O n[y Inspection Levd VI- N orth An.1e1rican Stand a rd Inspection for Transuranic \tVaste and Highway Ronte-Con tr-oUed Q u antities (H RCQ) of Rad:ioacfive Material Level VII - Jud.sd.ictionaJ Mandated Co1:11 m.11ercial Vehide Inspection Levd ·v nI - ·orth American Stan dard Electronic Inspection Typically~ insp ectors condu ct 3.0 to 3.5 million insp ections annually. However]! on[ y 2. 58 n1illion roadside truck iinsp ection s were con duct- e d in 2020>a 23%, decr,e ase fTom.11 2019.The decr ease in inspections is attrib uted to the COVID- 19 pand en1ic. How,ever,, in 202 1 there w,e re 2.88 !I.T I iUion inspections co1:np l.eted and that numb er increased to 2.99 rniUion in 2022, indicating a :return to a more traditional nu!tn ber of inspections. T r ucking: C lasses. and Types of Carriers The U.S. t rucking industry i.s con1prised of n10:re than 750>000 active n'1.otor car.riers.;, about 9 5.8% o p erate 10 o r fewer t rucks a n d 99. 7% o p erate ] 00 or fewer. Appt-ox i rnatdy 13.86 minion truck s ( all classes) were registered for co n1n"1ercial use in 2 02 l. M o tor carriers fall into two other broad categories: nprivate" a n d c~for- hire:' Private carriers are those shipperrs,, n1anufactu.1re:r5> 11:ne:rchants,, and others -..vho use thei:r own vehides or leas-e d t:rucks und er their di:r,e ct.ll control for nJ.oving their o"vn goods~ Their p ri ncipal business activity is son11.ething other than. transportation. For'-hi:re carriers are those trucking con11.pani,e s providing transporta- tion of freight owned by another party. For-hire operations are of several types: interstate:, intrastate or local. Most intrastate trucking,, and even son1e lo ca[ operations,, wiH involve interstate oonnn e rce:, and thus usually con1e under :federal regulation by FMCSA.. Traditionally> n1otor carriers have ,e n.gaged predonJ.inan.t ly in either local or i ntrastate operations. As a generaUy accepted rule, a carrier ii.s a local carrier if at ],e ast half its business is conducted in n1.etropoiitan or co1Dn'lercial zone operations~ Interstate carriers t r ansp ort cargo that has or will cross state ] ines. Many ar,e also knowll as 1i ne-h aul or over- the-road carriers. - in al!l.-nost all cases they also conduct local pick-up and delivery opera- tions. Since 1980,, nu:1.ny traditionally local carriers exp anded their operations. Similarly> 1:nany traditionally "i nterstate,,,. carriers have acquired local operations. Whether p r ivate or for-hire;, gene-rally, a 1notor carrier can be ,c haractteriz,e d as a tJrncldoad i(TL) or less than truckload (LTL) carr.iier~ A 1: rud Crash Indicator (DOT-record.able crashes), 1 Hours of Service Co:inpliance (fatigu e and hou rs-of-service re,g ulat ions in Parts 392 and 395), Vehicle Maintenance (Parts 393 and 396), Contro1led Substance/ Alcohol ( Part 3S2 and the d rug and alcohol 1 re,g ulat ions in Part 392}, Hazardous Mat,e rials Con~pliance (the H 'M Rs),, and Driver Fitness (Parts 383 and 391). Initially_. oni y five BASI Cs (Hours of Service Con1pl iance,, Driver 1 Fitness, \Tehicle Maintenance,, Controlled Substance/Afcoho], and 1 Unsafe Driving) were available for p ub lic review, thou gh individual motor carriers had access to their own non-public BASIC scores. As of D ,ecemJ!liber 4, 20 l 5,, however> ,c a.rrie!l's'' ale.l['t:s and per,c eutile scor ,e s h ave been 1re11noved &on1 public dis play pursuant to t he.F ixing Americas Surface Transportation Act of2015. CSA percentile scores and alerts cru.11not be n1ade public again u n til FMCSA fixes certain problenlS identified in a study of the s.ysten1 p ub lished in June 2017. The FMCSA has been ·w orking on the fixes since then,. but CSA scores will ren~ain private u ntil further notioe. S:inoe its inception> CSA has evolved based on input fr-on1 the ind us- 1 try and other stakehold e irs. Recognizing that CSA is a work in pir-ogiress,, FMCSA has instituted a nun-iber of m ,e 'thodotogy changes. 0 ne s:i gnificant a djustn11ent n11ade in response to ind ustry er iticisl[n was a llowing n1otor c arriiers a nd d.l'i\rers ·t o use the o n.line Data.Qs 1 syste n1 to requ est tl1at e rroneous data b e corne,c.ted (described in d etail below). This indudes making changes to the d ata as a iresult of a court of [aw d isn~issing or reducing ai charge or finding the d efendant 27 not guilty. ff a driii,rer is found not guilty or has a dh arge disn"'lissed , the :reco:rd will be re1noved firon.1 CSA and the cor respon ding sever ity poi n ts ·w iU be exp unge d. If the charge is reduoed, the record wi1] be am end e d in diicating the new charge an d the severity wdght of t h e vio ] at ion will be chaug,e d to one ( 1). FM CSA aJ so has a p r-o gra n1 that lets !tTiotor carriers c h allenge the p reven.tabi1ity o f som,e crashes. The Cra h Preventability Deternii- nation Program allo""T n1otol[' carriers to co11il1l:,e st crashes ·tha1i: ine,e ·t oertaiiu condi tions and.l11a'\ e rtbem r,en1.o,,ed faron-1 the calculatiion of theil' Cras.hi ludicator BASIC score. The p rogra!l.n applies to ai lirrniited nut1!lb er of crash scenar ios i n clud ing a truck bein g strnck iin tthe rear> struck b y a n.1otorist who was drivin g in the ·wrr-ong dii:rection o r n1aking an illegaJ t urn:11 struck by a v,e hicle while the truck is legally park ed or stopped:- stru ck by a !I.T ioto:rist who failed to stop, struck by a vehicle ,vh o se d river was driving u n der the influence, o r struck by a vehicle ""Those driver experienced a medical issue or who adn1itted to falliJtg asieep or distract,e d driving. An incid e n t n1ay also be con tested if it involved a truck that struck all an in1at a truck that struck a n individual 0 01.111 t11it1ii ng o r atten1ptin g to cotn nut suicide., or a truck that was involved in a rare or u nusual type of c r ash (,e.g., struck by an ai.rplane or skycliv,e r). DataQs \Vith the in1pletnentation o f CSA, it h as b econ1e essen ti.a[ for b o th n1otor car.r iers a n d d rivers to mon itor their safety records. These records, con1piled by FMCSA and contained in the Motor Carr ier Man agement Infor mation Systetn (M C M IS), con sist of in spectio n , violatr:ion]O a n d crash d ata submitted by state author ities a n d should be check e d for accur acy. Data ii11accU1"ae-ies can have a serious iuipact on a tl'nck ,d riiver"s ,c areer. If a d rive:r fin d s erron eous data o n their driving reoord , the:re is a ·w ay to con test it. Just li!ke motor ca!l'riie:rs, drivers h,nre tbe right ·t o '\ri.e\\T aud clraa.lle11ge theil' M CMI S re,c ord tlrarough tl1e DataQs sys,en1.. By loggiJtg on to the web sit e h ttp://dataqs.fin csa.dot.gov/logi n.asp~ driii,rers can view their profiles. If inaccurate infocn1atio11:1 is cliscov- e red> a driver can subm it a Request for D ata Re'\riew ( RD R) onliine t hrough the w,e b sit,e. lnco.l'rect ii11foro1.ation can.l' e n1.ain on a d!l'h er"s ZS l:"eco!l'd fur up to five y ears,. so diligen:t re'\riel\t is a n1wst. Conimon scenarios that !I.nay :requiir--e an RDR iindude: wh,en a crash is not DOT recordable; when a crash is assigned to the ·w rong driver or carrier; when inspection data is incorrect ; when there is duplicate crash,, inspection, or violati.on information; or when citations have been adjudicated in court. 0 n ee a dispute is filed on] ine, it is sent to the state law ,e nfo roen1ent agency that origin.ally reported the data. As a result, attetnpting to argue the 1:ne:rits of a violation is n 1ost often n1et ,vith r,e sistanoe and is rejected, unless there was a clear error made by the officer i:nvolved An RDR can only be filed on the s an.1e data hvice, so necessary and con1plete docun1.entatio:n is a n1.ust. CS.& focus on driver :r,e cords is abundantly clear. L-a w e:n fo:rce1nent officials n 1ake inspect:iion decisions and en1ploy,e rs n1ake pe:rsonnel d ecisions based on this data. It is the r,e sponsib ility of each driv,e r to be s1..,rre the informnation on record is correct and free of d iscrepancies. Tbe DataQs systetn :is a tool not just for motor carriers, but for drivers as w,e l1 to e nsure their records are accurate. Pre-Em._p loy1ueu t Sc ar,e en img Progr.un ( PSP) FMCS.& Pre-En1ployn:nent S c:reening (PSP) allows drivers and motor carr.meirs the opportuniity to purchase driver safety records fro1:n the Motor Carrier Managernent Infonnation System (MCMIS). The 1 voluntary screen ing tool provides driver records cont aining the !l.nost recent 5 years of all ·r eportable c:rash data and !l.n ost reoent 3 years of f'Oads;ide inspections~ PSP r,e c.ords 01.ay be _p u.r,d hased b]r a diri,re!I' at any tii1ne; however> motor carriers n.1ust have writtien consent from the driver before acqmri ng the dirivers record and may only do so at the tin1e of h ill"e. D ri\reir Qualifications/Paperwork As pr-evi.ously n1.entioned,, FMCS.Ns licensing provisions, in Part 383 are i nt,e nded to help reduce crashes by setting qualifications and safety standard s for CMV drivers. The law requ.ires that a person must hold a single, valid Con1nu.ercial Driver's License (C D L) in order to drive a Cl\.{V 1. In interstate., i ntrastate, or foreign com [ne:rce;.29  2. \Vith a gross vehicle weight rating ( G V\VR) or gross vehicle wei.ght ( GVW} of at lieast: 26,;001 pounds, whichever is grea1ter> or a con"tbina t!i.on vehicle with a conllbined weight or con1bined rated w00l pounds or more that: includes a trru]er with a GV\V or GVvVR of 10>00 1 pounds or niore; 1 3. Designed to transport: at least 16 passenge:rs, including 1the driver; or 4. Trans:p orting a quantity of hazardous. n1aterials requiring placarding. This CMV definition, used for licensing purposes, is f0Ull1Jd at Section 383.S. A driver n1ay elect to take.additional testing to obtain one or n1ore specialiZ)ed endorsem,e nts to the license. These endorsements in clude double/tripie trailer (T}, passenger (P)> school bus (S)> tank (N), and hazarr-dous n"taterials ( H ). The federal ndes r,e quire that ev,e ry CDL applicant take a knowledge test before obtaining a Conun,e rcial Lear ner"s Per1ni1i: ( CLP). A driver with a CLP can only d!l'ive in tbe p!l'esen,ce of another CDL driver and is restrii,c.t,e d in the ·t ype of equipment tl.111,e drirver may o peirate. The only endorrsen1 ents a ClP' driver can obtain ar-e N (empty only}. P (no passenge!rs), and S (no passengers). 0 1nce a driver obtains a CLP, the driver !l'Jlust wait at: least 14 days and oon1plete entry-]evei driver training g!i.ven by a p!r-ovider l!i.sted on FM CSRs Training Provider Registry before beco1nmg eligib]e to take the skills 1i:es1i: :required to be issued a CDL. Th.e skills test: is giv,e n by a person 1 1 authoriZ)ed by the state who is competent to evaluate and determine whether the driver has re- turn -to-duty, and follow-up drng and alcohol testing for CDL opera- tors. The required tests and th,e prohibitions are covered in Part 382 of the FMCSRs, and the testing p.r-ocedures are covered in Part 40 of the DOT regulations. To further in1Jprove highway safety>on January 6,, 2020> FM CSKs 1 D ·rng & Alcohol Clearinghouse becamne operational. The Clear.ing- house senres: as a central !l'e_p osiito.ry ofdrnr,e·rs:,. DOT positnre test 1 results.,, refusa!ls to test, and othe.l' such viol.a ti.on of the dJru,g and alcoJ1ol ·testi111g regulatjons* Motor earner en.1p[oyers, designated service agents, n~edical :review officers, and substance abuse profes- sionals are required to snbn1:i1i: DOT alcohol and drug violations to the Clearingbous e. Each a1otor carrier en1ployer> o:r thei !I" designated service agent,, is required Ito query the Clear.i nghouse before hiring a CDL drive:r -applican.t 1Do verify that the driver is not in violation of any drug and aJcohoi proh i.bi.tions. E11:nployers. are also required to query the database annuaUy for records relating to theiir existing driver workforce. Records of drug and alcohol progran1 violations w:ill ren1ain in the Cleari.nghouse for five years o:r until the driver co11:npletes the :return-to-duty process, whi,c hever is later. HOS regulations for trnck d :ri verrs we:re first :i n.1 posed by the In1terstate Gornn1erce ConuTiission in 1938 and li nnted trnck drivers. to l2 34 hours of drrive thne pe:r day and 15 hours ofto1tal on-duty tinie fo]lowing 8 hours off. These :regulations re11:nained relativdy stable until 2003> but since then have changed n1.u[tli.ple tin1.es. In 2003> based on ,e xtensive research, FMCSA an1ended the HOS rules to i nclude the foH01,,ving [in1.its: 10 hours of m.n andato:ry rest titne between work shifts; No 1nor,e driving (lbut other "vo:rk is allowed) following the l 4 th consecutive hour after :r,e porting fo:r wo:rk (thus putting drivers on a no:rn1.al 24-hour circadian. rhyt]tu:n); No n1or,e than 1 1 hou:rs of driving per shift; and The option to restart calculation of cuniulative on-duty tim,e by ralcing 34 consecutive hours off duty: Fiollom ng litigation over the new rme5> 11.Tio re changes were published in 20 11> including: A required 30-11.Tii nutre off-duty break eve:ry 8 hours; and A p!I"Ovision allowing 1:11axin1.um fines for anyone who drives n 10:re th an 3 hou rs past tbe 1 1-hour lin1it> which is considered an ~egregious» violation. Rules for electronic logging d evices (ELDs) w,e re published in 2015> as, discussed below. On Septren1ber 29> 2020., FMCSA enacrted additional changes Ito its H 0S rules to add flexibility for drivers~ 'These changes: 1 E:rt,e nded the :radius to 150 air n1iles and on-duty tin1e to 14 hours for CD L drivers operating under the short-haul Logging 1 exception (39 5. 1(e)(l)); A]low up to an. addi trional two hours of on-duty and driving time when drivers ,e ncount,e r adverse conditions (395.1 (b)); Allow drivers to take their 30-n1inute n1.a111datory break as on-duty tin1e rather than off duty> and count only driviMg ti11:11e toward the 8-hour 1imit (395.3 )~ and Added :flexibility to the "split sleeper'' option>allowing drivell.'"S to con1.bine a 7-hour sleeper-berth period with another break of 3 hou:rs to get a va[id 10-hour break ( versus the previous requi:re- 1.n ent for an 8/2 split) (395. 11. (g)). 35 Seat Belt It's the law. F}t,1CSR 392.16 requires a CMV driver and all other occupants j 11.1 the vehicle to wear a seat belt. Law enforoen1ent j 1.1 3 5 states and the District of Columlbia !I.nay have the right to pull over and cite a driver if that driver and.Ior passenger(s) are not wearing a seat belt (p:r:in1ary enforoen1ent); 20 of those and D.C. in clud e rear seat pass,engers. Fifteen states' poiice may cit,e an adult f:ro.nt seat occupant for not ""Tearing a seat belt if pulled over fo:r another traffic. violation ( s,econdary enforcement) with many o f thos,e having prin1arry enforcen1ent for yonnger drive:rs and/orr passenge rs, in the f:ront seat; [ 1 states hav,e secondary ,e nforcen1.ent for r,e ar seat passen- gers as well U.S. DOT studies show that :seat !belt usage a1uong CMV drivers has 1 iiuprov,e d over the years. According to the Safety Belt Usage by Corn- mercial Motor Vehicle (CM VJ Drivers Survey rd eased by FMCSA.,, seat belt usage reached au all -tin1e high in 2016 ""vher,e 86% of all CMV drivers are w,ear.--in,g their seat belts, an increase :fr-on1 84% in 2013. Hard evidence sho,'Y's that,, each year, seat lbeits pr,e v,e nt 15,700 fatali- ties., 350,,000 serious injuries, and 6 7 billion in costs associated with traffic i nju:ries and deaths. Load Secu.r,eo1ent [n 2002, FMCSA pulblished updated cargo s,e cure!l:nent rules in Subpart I to Part 393, which becan1e effective January 1, 2004,, for n~otor car:riers operating in interstate coin !l:nerc.e. The rules set forth how a n1.oto:r carrier and driver should use cargo securement devices to pl:'"event a-rtic1es from shifting on or withjn,, or faUing from, CMV:s. [n sbo·rt,, cargo must be fir.n11J.y inunobi!lized or sec.u!l'ed on o.r ,'Vithin the '\rehicl,e by structures, of adequate str,e ngtb.. dun nage (loose n1.ateria1s used to support an.d protect cargo) or dunnage bags ( inflat- able bags intended to fill space between articles of ca:rgo, etc.), shoring bars, tiedowns (:straps, chain, r-0pe,, etc.), or a combination of these. The rul,e s cover aU types of cargo except co1111tnodities in !bulk that lack strucmre o:r fixed shape (e.g." liquid:s,, gases~ grain, liquid concrete,, sand, gravel,, and aggregates) and are t:ransport,e d i n a 1tank. hopper,, box" or similar device that is p art of the truck. The rules also 36  establish securen~ent-device perfo:nnance criteria and requirements cove:r-ing those con1n1.odities considered to be the n 1ost clifficu.lt to dete:n nine the appropriate n1.eans of securren1.ent, such as logs,;. dressed lun1b er; m ,e tal coils; pape:r rolls; concrete pipe; inten110 dal containe:rs; auton1obiles> light truoks and vans, heavy vehicles, equip!l.nent and machinery; flattened o r crushed veh ides; :roll-on/ roll-o:ff containers; and [arr-g,e boulders. R,e qui ren1 ent.s con ce:rn ing securen1.en~ working load l in1 its,, and blocking and braci.ng arr-e applicable to all con1n1.odi- ties being transported except bulk. Anothe:r cargo secu:r,e n1ent rule '\ p r ior to begin ning a driving shift or every tin1e a CM\7 driver di anges equi p:nnent dun ng a shift>tbe driver n1ust: (a) be satisfi,e d that the motor vehide is in safe o p era.ting condition; (b) review the last drri veir vehicle inspection report iif required by Section 396.1 1(a)(2)(i); and (c) sign the report to acknowledge that the driver has reviewed i.t and th at there is, a certification that th.,e r-equi red repairs have been performed." To tneet the req uire1nents of ( a) above,. tbe drhrer m ·o.st con.d uct a pre-tri_p u1spection. of the equip11.1ent. At mini tnum> th is inspection !l.11ust cover ser vice bra.lkes ( induding trailer brake connectjon.s), parking b rakes, steering, lighting> ti re~ wheeis, riu1~ horn>wind- shield wipers, mif'rors, coupling devices, and etue:rgency equipment. FMCSR Section 396. 11 rr,e quires a post-trip inspection and> if neces- sary; a report. "'Every :nnotor carrier shaU require its drivers to ir-eport,, and every driver shaU prepare a report in writing at the con1p[etion of each daiy"s ,vork on each vehicle operated~ exc,ept fo:r inte:r:nnodal equip!!.nen.t t,e ndered by ain j nte:rn~odal equipn1ent pr-ovider~ Th,e Driv,e r Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR) shall cover at least th,e parts and accesso:ries listed above in the pr,e -trrip inspection checklist Th,e re :i s an exception that states a driver ,d oes not hav,e to subn1.iit a DVI R ,¥hen the d!l'ivetr bas neither f:ouud nor beeu niade.in vare of any ·v ehicle de.t:eets or de·f icien,cies. 37 \ ,\ falk:ing/\Vor.king 11.l'faces S·t andard On ovetnber 18, 2016> the Occupational Safety and Health Adn1in- 1 istration (OSHA) issued a fi.nal rule revising its walking-.vor king surfaces and personal pr-otection ,e quipn1ent: (PP'E) regulations. OSHA did not exelnpt n101Dor vehicles froni the fall p:rotection re- qui ren1ents but did not pr-op ose any specific fall protection requi re- n1.ents for 1.n otor vehicles~ OSHA n1ade revisions 11::o the followin g 1 areas: O'Ockboards: The final :ruJe defines a d.ockboard as a portable or fixed device used to span a gap or con1pensate fo:r a difference i n height between a loading platfo:nn and a transport vehicle. Dockboards 1.n ay be power,e d or 1nanual,. and include, but are not: l it11 ited to> bridge plat,es,, dock levelers, and dock plates~ Run-off protection is not: :required when the:r,e i.s i nsufficient space for equipnient to run off. Addit:iion ally, s,ecuri ng dockboards is :not necessary when th ere is sufficient contact between the dockboard and the surface to prevent: the dockboard fron1 n1oviing out of a safe position. \'Yhee1 chocks o:r other n1eans to prevent v,e h ide n1ovem,e:nt are required when en1.ploy- ees are on a dockhoard Repair/ Asse n1b1y Eits: In sill:uations where there a:re two or n10 :re pits ( not n1or,e than 10 feet deep) in a co1'11 n1on area and the pits are not :n1.ore than 1S feet apart> OSHA :requires contrasting lfiloo:r n1arki.ngs at least six feet fronJ. the p it: edge aronnd the entire area of the p its. \Vheel Chocking: The fin.al nde made dear that OSHA has authority 1 to enforce whed chocking requirements i n two l[1St ances: (1) Trans- port veh ides th at do not n--ieet the definition of oon1n1erciai n1otor vehicle tCMV); and (2 ) CMVs not operated ill1 interstate con--imerce,. which ind udes CMVs th at: transport ma t,e rials on private roads or within. a work ,e stabli sh tnent. Loading-Dock Guard rails ,& Fan P rotection: The final rule does not: exempt loading docks &on1 having guard.rails or fall pr-otection. EnJ.p1oy,e:rs that can demonstrate that the us,e of fall protection systen1.s is not: feasible on the ·w orking side of a platfo:rn1. used at a loading rack, loading dock> or teeming p l atforn1.,. then the wo:rk n1.ay be done without a fall prot,e ction systen--i. provid e d : c ( l ) The work. operation for which fall protection is i nfeasible is in p:rocess; (2) 38 Access to the platfon11 is Jimited to authoriZied emp]oyees.;. and (3) Tbe authorized et11ployees are trained'' Employer Training Requ.irem,e nts: The final rule :requires that all et11ployeirs tnust provide training fo:r each e.m ployee by a qua1ified person. The t!I'aining t11ust i!tlclude: ( 1) The nature of the fall hazards in the wo:rk area and how to recognize then1~ (2) The procedures to be followed to minin1ize those hazards; (3) TI11e correct procedur,e s for in.stalling, inspecting, operating,, rnaintainii.ng,, and di.s asse1nbling the p e:rsona.1 fall protection systet11s th at the et11ployee uses; and> ( 4) The correct us,e of personal fall prot,e ction systen-is and equip- 1.n ent. El.e ct.roni,c Logging Devices (ELDs) An Electron ic Logging Device (ELD) i.s a devioe instaUed in a ,cr,..nr that n1onitoirs hours of service comp] i.ance. The requi:ren1ents for using.ELDs are found in Section 395. 8 and Subpart B to P'a :rt 3 9 S1 and the technical specifications ELDs m.n ust n1eet ar-e found in App end.ix A to Subp.a rt B of Part 395. Though not man.dated in tbe regulation5> s,01ne ELDs ,can also track vehicle and driver performance such as fuel econon11y. speed~ and onbo ard ev,e nts. FMCSA issued the fi na[ n.tle requiiring ELDs i n Dece111ber 20 1S> and it went into full ,e ffect i.n December 20 19. All motorr ca.rriers and drivers subject to F 1CSNs r,e co.l['d of duty.status requi!l'en1en:ts in 395.8 01.ust beusmg au ELD ·t o record bour.s of ervii.e-e, un!,e ss on.e of the ELD ,e xen1pti.o ns applies. There are ELD exen1ptions for drivers who on[y occasionally have to complete a record of duty status (8 or fewer days in the last 30 days). drivers invo]ved in. drii.ve- away ope.rations, drive.rs involv,e d in recreational v,e hicle dirivea,,vay/ towaway operations,, and drivers operating a vehicle o]der than mode] year 2000 (as evidenced by the vehicle~s. VI I or engine serial nt1u11- ber). Effective January 1> 2023,, n1otor carrieirs operating i n Canada were r,e qui red to compi y with the Canadian EL O requirements, based on a rule th at went in to effiect in June 202 l. These :regulations require 39' drivers ,vho n1ust con1plete a J'lecord of duty status to use an ELD th.at has been certified by a Ca!1.1ada-authoriz.ed trhiird party, unless an. 1 exen1ption. appiies. Advanced Driv,e r Assistiv,e Syst,e.m s (ADAS) AD AS technologies are designed to assist drivers in safely responding 1 to dynan1ic changes in traffic oondition.s~ A wide val:"'i ety of ADAS tech nologi,e s and functions are availab],e through various system su ppiiers, and original equipn1,e nt manufacturers (0 EMs). FMCSA has also pLaoed a great: deal of focus on the potential safety benefits. Below is, a sun1nlary of s,ev,e ral on.board safety technologies that are currently available. Lane Departure \.Varning Srstem (LDWSJ: An LD\VS uses tre,chnolo- gies to detern1ine if a vehide is drifting from itrs lane. If a truck begins to driftt b efiore a turn sign.al 1h as been actri vated, the LD,iVS notifies the driver with audible cues such as a run1ble strip sound. As technology in-ip:rov,e s, LD,i\'Ss are expected 1i:o include mechanistns that wiU auton1atically adjust a drifting truck's st,e ering. Automatic Ernergeru:,y B:rakir,g (AEB ): AEB detects potential forward collisions using sensors and activates the braking systen1 to decd.erate the vehicle to avoid or tnitigate a collision. The technology often uses any con.1bination of rada:r. can:1eras, o:r Light Detection and Ranging (Li DAR) to identify threatening situations~ "Ihe slov ler the vehicle is travieling>the n1ore likely it is trhatr the auton1atic en1ergency braking systeni. can bring it to a strop to prevent a collision. Adaptive Crnise Control (AiCCJ: Assists with aoceleration and/or b:raking 1i:o n1aintain a driver selected speed and follovving distanoe between subject veh ide and the vehicle in front:. Advanced ACC syst,en.1s w:itrh stop and go feamres can con1.e to a con1plete stop and acceleratr,e back to the specified speed ,,vitrhout driver intervention. This sys1i:en1 still :requires an. ale:r t driver to trak,e in their surroundjngs. as it on[ y controls speed and the di stance benveen tr.he subject vehicle and the vehid,e in front Camera Mon itori.ngSystem.s (CMS): These systems include driver and road-facing cameras and cam,e ra-based t'llirro:r sys1te1.n s and use in- cab and vehicle surrowtd:ing can1eras and sensors to n1onitor th.e 40 driver's beha-,.rior and p erfonnan ce. CMS enhances the driver"s field-of-view and helps e1uployers provide driver feedback to improve perfo:r n1ance. Electronic Stability Control (ESCJ: An ESC uses nutltiple on-board sensors to detect s:ide-lto-side instabiility and yaw (the angle of a vehicl,e in :relation to its vertical axis) pri.!tnariJy to a void :rollovers. ESC is available in both active and passiive platforn1s. Passive systen1.s in form drivers of signi fie.ant roll-over :risk a couple of seconds after the event, thus improving a driv,e r's p e:rforn1c.1nce in similar future situations. Active systems, take direct action when they detect ve:rtiical in stability by reducing th:rottle o:r, if necessary> applying brakes. Active systen1s have been required on n1.ost new heavy trucks and ttractors since 2017. Blind-Spot Monitoring: Blind spots are defined as areas behind or at the side of the vehicle that the driver cannot see &01n the driver>s seat:. A blind-spot n1.onitoring systen1. uses s,ensors that 11.Tion itt:or the driver's blind s p ots and notify the driver if any obstacles co!lne close to the vehicle by providing an audible, visual, or haptic warning. 0 Most: BSM systen1s can be temporarily disabl,e d :for a short duration of ti!I.TI.e, w ben the driver activates the turn signal o:r by a switch or th:rou,g h the driver control panel while going through a construction zone. "\-Vhile safety technolo,g y n1ay ib e an aid to reducing crashes, dri\rers ren1.ain the n1ost unpo:rt:ant: eietnent to truck safety. The responsibility fo:r safety still rests firnuy in the driver's hands. Bas.i:c Safety Guidelines Speed ~aDagement According to the f.ederal Highway Administration (FH\VA), speed- ing - traveling too fast for conditions or in excess of the posted speed lin1.it - is a factor in 29% of all fatal crashes and costs.Atnerica approxim11ateiy 40. 4 biU:ion in econon1.iic costs each year. Additionally, an ATRI study, updated i!l.1 2022, found that: s peecling I 5 10 ph over the speed limit incr,e ased the lii_kje1il1ood ofa crash by40 %. Conse- quently, !In any n101Dor carriers focus a gir-,eail:: deal of theiir trainin~ 41 policies, a.n d procedures on speed tna:nagen'lent:, such as knowing and following posted or applicab]e speed lin1.it:s as well as recognizing and adjusting to conditions that re q ui re a d river to alter t heir speed P liogress has. been tnade,, b ut: there is roon1 for addition al in1provenn.ent. ihe san1e 2022 ATRI stud y fnun.d the percentage of drivers with a s peeding violation had increased 8. 1 % since 2018. Congestion, work or school zones, pedestria1.:l!s, tin1e of day,, road conditions,, and weather n1ust: be taken into consid eration when dlet:,e rn1ining appropriate speed. ote t h at: the speed o f a , ehic.le which ,e ncounters sideslip due '!Do excessive speed (in a curve) can be d eternu.ined b y studying the yaw11.nark ( the n 1arrk left fr-0n1 a sliding tir,e ). Stopping Dis tance Having adlequat:e brakes and the a b ility to stop in the required distance is iun.perat:ive to driving safe. Stoppin g dist ance changes dep ending on the type of v,e h ic.le and its speed: the vehicle's size,, height and ·w eight; type of loads; how ·w eU the load is secu red: tire type,, size> pressure~ and tread ·w ear; type of b rakes; a n d driver's, ale r tness. Drivers n1ust: also consid er weather]I road condition~ surface~ a n d elevation of road surfaces. Regulations finalized by H T SA in 20 13 require that: st andard t ractors driving at 60 mph n1ust cotne to a con1pl,et:e stop \\ ithin 2 50 feet , while veh ides with n1.ore axles a n d heavier [oads are allowed up to 3 l O feet The CDL :D river's Manilllil reoon1 rnends that if a CM'\7 dl"iv er.is dirhring below 4!0 n1ph, 'th,e· driver should l.e a.l. ,e at least one eoo.nd 1 for every 10 feet ofvebid.e length. For a typical straight t ruck or t ractor/28 ft. t r ail,e r unit> th is :results i n 4 seconds between the C.MV and the vehid,e ahead. For speeds ov er 40 1.upb, the C 1v· drii.l. ,e r1 should leave one additi.o.n:al seoond, and :f or ,e aoh additional 1Den feet of v,e lticle length,. one n1core second. To estin1ate follo'\vi n g distance in seconds, pick a n1arker on the siide of the :road ahead of the vehide in front of you. Once the vehicle passes that n1a:rker~ count the nun"1ber of seconds nntH you pass th at s an~e n1arker. If it: i.s, less than the recon1n1.ended. nurnber of seconds~ slow your vehicle in a safe n11.a11.1ner. Types of b!iakes also h av,e an imp act on bra!king ,dti.stanc.e. The n1ost con1n11.on braking syste1rn a driver v-.rill encounter is either disc brakes or drut11 brakes. Disc bra!kes tend to have a shorter stopping distance than d rutn brakes, anywher,e from 17% - 3 3%, dep ending on speed. However> drunJ. bra!kes are n1.ore conJ.mon because they are generally more durabie and typically cheaper to maintain. Miirll'ors Good driving habits includ e properr use of all the vehide"s t11i r.rors~ P'roper n1irror adjustn1,e nt helps the driver to elin1inate vehicle blind spots, and in tun'1> helps i1tnp rove visibility~ s,e curity,. and safety while parked or driving. Ma n.y experts say that driv,e rs should ,d hec!k n1.i!l'rors every S to 8, seconds and conti:inuaUy monitor traffic patt,e rns around Hie ,r,e bicle. hnprop er or in adequate n11.irror usage is a contributing factor in many vehicle accidents. Mirrodess. trucks or Camera Monitor Systenu; (CMS) hav,e caught the attention of 1tnany U:1! the trncking industry as an alten'1ative to oon.ven- tiona1 rear-vision n1ir.r-o:rs.. Currently> FMCSA has approved an exen1p- tion fo:r several companies to complete1y ren1ov,e traditional :ni.irr-ors, adding carneras and !lnonitors iin the cab to view the surfi'Olm.dings of the CMY. The hope iis that the Camera Monitor Systen-is give drivers in1.- proved vision and eiitninate aU b lind spots around the tractor and trailer. D ,e fensi~re Driving A defensive driver is defined by FMCSA as '"a driver who tries to ir,eoo,gniiz,e potentially h aza.r dous situations in advance and assu11.nes other drivers n-iay nJ.a!k,e mistakes and is prepared in the event an error is made: A defens:i ve driver is one who: 1Con11.mits no dr:ivi ng errors; Makes reasonable and p rudent aUowances tor the Jack of skti.U or improper driving p ractices of tbe opposing dl"ivers or pedest ri- ans.; Adjusts their own driving to con--ipensate for unusual weather,. 1road>and traffic con ditti.ons~ and 43  Is not 11:rricked into an accidenll: by the unsafe action s of p edestri- ans and oth,e:r ,d rivers. A key con:1ponent o f this is anticipating dange1rs belfo1re they n1ateri- aliz.,e aud lkuowin.g ho,v Ito avoid an.d properly.11r,e act "to sucb.r isks. A defensiv,e d :river is aware of their e n vironment (t raffic; road, weather> o:r pedestr ian activity). In short,, the d efensive driver is constantly surveyi.n g their sununnd ings in a n ticipation. of a hazardous si.h tation, k eeping a safe fol.lowing di stanc~ !tnai n tai ning a safe speed giv,e n the con ditions, and adopting the foUo\ extra precaution. and preparall:ion are req wred when there is 1i!tn i.ted visibility and when n--ianeu vering s pace is tight. Start witb a wa!lk-aroundm\i\lhen safe to do so, d.r i vers should always con1p]ete a ,,valk-arow1d before starting their veh ide o:r backing up. The defen.sjve d:rive:r checks all sides of the vehide (back, front, left and right, as well as und erneath. and above) to be su:re safe clearance has been achieved an d that can1eras, tnirrors, and windows are clear and pos.i tion.ed to rnaximiz.e visibility. \.Vhen. the walk-around is complete:- drivers should begin their maneuver pron1.p tly after checking mirrors to avoid a hazard that n1ight m:nall:erialize i n the :in.te:rin1.. Move lrith care. Proceeding cautious]y allows, unexpected vehicles or pedestirians tbe chance to n n.ove away. A tap of the horn ca.in be useful in congested areas. Continue backing slowl~ n1ai.ntainin g con.trot. eve:r rush; check n1ir.rors constantly. Hin doubt,, stop. Check for and anticipall:e varying surface grades/ incli nes and space lin1itations., and ho1,v it will affect vehicle cont :rot speed, dearances> and visibility. Use a spoHerr~ The advantages of utilizing a spotter cannot be unde:r- 44 es1Iin1ated "\Vhen backing up, though ultimat e resp onsibility for the position and n--u.oven1ent of the vehicle rr,est:s. ·w ith the drive:r. \Vhen usri.ng a spotter, have the spoUer wear a safety vest and "\Valk around the vdnde and check all clearance levels, d ist:anoes,, and hazarr-ds,;, then position the spotter at: least 8 feet: fron1 the v,e h icle and in such a ·w ay that the s p otter can clearly see the driver and the d river can cleady see the spotter. Maintain visual a n d verbal contact ·'1,-vith the spotter at all ti 11111es.; otherwise,, don~t back up. Agree in advance on the hand sig,n a1 s to be used by the spotter (i.e.> back up, 1:nove forward, and stop). ·N ever assun1e the spotter knows what you will do next. L arge-t.ruck st atistics suggest that one out of every four coUisions i.nvol ves b acking,. so don~t back up unless t:her,e s no alter native. Right-of-Way: Genera1ly>a defensive driver gives the right of way to other veh:i cles when: ( 1) the dtrti.ver..s veh ide is last to arrive at an intersection ~ (2) entering traffic and turning left in front of approach- ing traffic; and/or (3) chan ging lanes. Defensive drivers assua:ne other d rivers o r pedestrians n1ay n ot see their vehicle or anticipate their actions. Defensiv,e drivers d o not begin n1.aneurvers until they are sure it wiH not conflict with traffic or :frorce other drivers to brake or steer around !the obstruction. As a genera l nrn!le : u.,G iv,e the righ-tt of ,,vay;, d o n ,.11: lake it.n Negotiating Turns: Blind spots, trailer length> and off-tracking ( trailer "\Vhe-el:s do not follow the path of tractor wheels while turning) make turnj ng [11 ark edly tnore challen gi n g in a CMV. CMVs generrally tak e 1 longer to con1plete a turn than passenger cars which presents addi- tional safety consid erations. Defensive ,c hii , ,e l's a [',e oonsta ntly chec ki nig their.mi.l!'rors. befor,e , , ~hen. eute.irmg a nd exit.iug,. and a:fter a tur.n is oompletedL D riv,e rs n1ust allow ample time to oor11plete the 1 maneuver:, ensuring approaching d river s do not have to brake or swerrve to avoid an accident. Rigl.flt mrns: Vihen turn:ing right> it is especjally in1po:rtant :for the d river to be mindful of-the posri.tion of their v,e hide i n relation to pedestrians and stationary objects as off.. tracking can potentially cause the trailer to cli rnb the curb. Another defensive d riving tech- nique is to move to the right lane weU in advance of the intersection> positioning the rear of the vehicle to the right:, b locking other vehicles from passing on the :right sid e. 45 Left turns:: Turning left also has its challenges. The defensive driv,e r knows the:i r truck's turning cap abilities and radius ( and how the setting of the adjustabl,e rear ax.le tnay in1.pact that). and how long it will take to con1plete the tti1rn. Because a left turn generally invo!l ves cr-ossi:ng lanes of traffic,. it is in1po:rtant for the driver to signal their inte:ntio:n to turn well i n advance, gauge tbe speed of oncorni:ng traffic, and check the m iir Tors often - before,, dur:i ng, and afte:r tl11 e turn. The defensive driver must allo,,v enough ti n11e to con1p[ete tfu e turn without creating a hazard \¥hen. attempting any tlll'n, uever assu1De ·t hat otlter dl'ivers VliiiU see you. They tnay be [ooki:ng e!lsewhere. AdditionaUy, while all trailers are equipped with reflective strips, son1.e traiilers are stiH difficult to see at night and an opposing driver n1.ay th ink you hav,e cleared. the intersection when,, in fact, the traHer has not. Again> as a genera[ rule, "'g ive the right of way> don't taJk;e it:' Negotia.ttng Curves: The defensive driver anticipates conclition s that n~ight contribute to a skid and r-ollove:r. For exan1.pl,e> how a trailer is loaded and ,vi.th what type of cargo can affect the Iik.e1ihood of a skid o:r rollover. Is the cargo secur-e fron1 shifting en :route? Is the cargo loaded in such a way that it n1.ay n-iake the trailer "top heavy"?. Is the :road uneven? Are there strong winds ex--pected or possible en :route? Typically, during a tr-actor-trailer r-ollover event. the trailer begins to :roll first, often giving the dri.v er l!ittle or no tin1 e 1i:o react. Because of thl s,. unde:rstanding the char.acteri sties of the load, the road condi- tions> and the weather is in1perative. The speed of a C 1V wbeu entering a curve is -tlr1e 01.ost io1.portant facto.11r i11 roHovel's. '\¥bile n1ost curves are post.ed """Tith advisory speed lim.ni.tsJ, unless otherwise marked> these speeds are recommenda- t ions based on passenger cars. A[ways slow down when entering curves and avoid driving on. the shoulders as the wheels n1ay sink, increasing the likelihood of rroUover. The cargo securen~ent standard for vehicles. ·w ith a gross wdght rating over [0,,000 lbs. requires. ilia.It cargo RLUst be secur,e d to withstand a force in a left and right direction of 0. 5 g ( 50% of the weight of the cargo). \.Vhy? Because shifting.& eight caJ1 c:aus,e a Yehicle to roll over. A tanden1-axle semi-traHer with a cargo weight of 50,000 lbs and cargo height of 102 in. (with load cen.ter,e d) will have a roll 46 thr,e shold of 0.3 5 g. In. other words, the vehicle will roll over when the lateiral force ir,e aches 0.3 5 g. Yeh ides traveling at a speed of about 40 n1ph on a ran1 p posted for 25 n1ph can. produce a lateral force up to about 0.5 g. If the ]oad isn''t centered or the slope of the curv,e is greater> the potential for rollover incr,e ases. In 13% of large-truck/ two-vehicle fatal cra.she5:, either the truck or other vehicle was negoti- ating a cllllVe. Negotiating Slopes: Another potentia1ly hazardous situation for the professional t!ruck d river is negotiating steep do\ Joss of contro] of the vehicle. Don..t use the hand lever to apply only the trail,e r brakes because it can overheat tlr1en1 creating the conditions for a fire and/or b:rake failure. Driving in Adverse eathez: Conditions~ Professional truck drivers Jt\f !1.11Ust be fully prepared to d :rive in a1n1ost cillf weathe:r condition. Vi/hen driving :in adv,e rse weather, drivers should understand that stopping distances increase while the ability to take qui~ evasive action decreases. It is j n1pe:rative that a driver adjust to ·r oad co:ndti.- tions enough to compensate for their lessened traction,, stop ping abil i.t y>and visibility,, as well as the potenti,a] for errors, by othe:r drivers. Good defensiv,e d :ri ving can reduce the risk of an accident. 1 Two of the 1110 t important de!Ee.n ive dr.irv.i ng tech.oiques in bad wealr.her are to ![',e duce speed and increase foUowing distauce. 47 Additiionally, be su:re to apply brakes gently and s1tee:r with fluid,, non-jerky tnoven1.ents~ Pay attention to posted speed lin1its and be fa!l.11 ilia!I'." ,'Vith maxinu.1n1 allo"vable speeds in adverrse weather conditions. States n1Ja y have :requi!l'."ed n1axin1un1 spe,eds depending on the weather conditions and these ndes can vary &on1 state-to-state. Distracted D.r iving Distracted driving is any ac1tivity that takes a drive:r's attention away f:ron1 ilie task of driving. Answe:ring or dialing a cell phon½ sending a text n 1essc11ge. eating> o:r even reaohing for a fall en object arr,e conun.on exa.inples. It has been the focus of a series of studies to detern1ine how sp ecificaUy distr.r-acted d!l'."ivin,g co:rrelates to crash !l'."isk. A 2009 Virr-ginia 'Tech T:ransportation Institute (VTTI) study~ for exan~ple,, found that ·t exting, ltn11ck d.rii.rers iuc!l'eas,e d their risk of a '-'-safety-critical driving event~_, by 2 3*2 turnesi,, dialing a oell pboue by 5.9 tin11es, and u.s,e of, or reaching foir, an ,e lect:ro.n ic 7 80 crashes over the 5-year study period. The National Highway Traffic Safety Adrnin istration ( HTSA) also found that eating ,vhile driving could be ri skie:r th an talking on a ce]l phone depending upon.vhat was being eat,e n. Interesti ng]y>,e v,e n though.m ost people understand the risks of dlriiviin,g while distracted, they seidon1 act 011 their owu conc;el.'ns. In a study released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, it was noted th at 71 % of those surveyed bel.ieve jt is not acceptable to talk on a h andheld cell phone """Thile drrivin.g,, and 95% be] ieve texting 1,rvhile driving is just as, or n1ore,, dangerous,, and yet 67% of the respondents admitted to using a cell phone ·w hile driving and 21 % adni.itled to sending or :reading text n1essages. Th at see!l.11 s to ooind.de with the r,e sults of a study that found 11% of all drivers under the age of 20 who ,verre involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the tin.1e of tbe crash. Currently> there are 49 states and the Dist ric1i: of Colun1.bia that prr-0hibit text messaging and 27 states and th,e District ofColun1.bia that p :rohibit hand-he]d cell phone use for all drivers~ Even with increased attention at the state leve]> NHTSA reported in 20 [ 9 that 2:iJ42 peopie ,vere killed in lno'tor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. Addressing this issue on a national scale has been a priority of the U.S. Departn1ent of Tra.n sportation. In 20 1.l >.FM,C SA and PH:MSA issued a final rule that r,e stricts the use of hand-held n1obi1e tele- phones by interstate CMV drivers and intrastate hazma1i: drivers. This rule took ,e ffect