Final Rule Posted Banning Handheld Cell Phone Use by Truck Drivers
November 28, 2011 by Amber · Leave a Comment
November 23, 2011
Interstate truck and bus drivers will soon be prohibited from using handheld cell phones while operating their vehicles, under a final joint rule announced 11/23/11 from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. Using a hand-held mobile telephone is defined as “using at least one hand to hold a mobile telephone to conduct a voice communication.” The rule also bans the use of push-to-talk technology.
Drivers who violate the restriction will face federal civil penalties of up to $2,750 for each offense and disqualification from operating a commercial motor vehicle for multiple offenses. States will suspend a driver’s commercial driver’s license after two or more serious traffic violations. Commercial truck and bus companies that allow their drivers to use hand-held cell phones while driving will face a maximum penalty of $11,000. Approximately 4 million commercial drivers would be affected by this final rule, according to the agencies. It will go into effect 30 days after publication in the Federal Register.
While driver distraction studies have produced mixed results, FMCSA says research shows that using a handheld cell phone while driving requires a commercial driver to take several risky steps beyond what is required for using a hands-free mobile phone, including searching and reaching for the phone. Commercial drivers reaching for an object, such as a cell phone, are three times more likely to be involved in a crash or other safety-critical event. Dialing a handheld cell phone makes it six times more likely that commercial drivers will be involved in a crash or other safety-critical event.
In September 2010, FMCSA issued a regulation banning text messaging while operating a commercial truck or bus and PHMSA followed with a companion regulation in February 2011, banning texting by intrastate hazardous materials drivers.
Fatigue is more than just being tired…
November 21, 2011 by Amber · Leave a Comment
For Truck Drivers, Fatigue Is More Than Just Being Tired
Fatigue is a state of mind as well as a condition of the body. It is our unconscious response to physical or mental activity. It’s more than just being tired or sleepy, and it can kill you.
Being tired or sleepy may be a symptom of fatigue, but additional symptoms include loss of attention, slower reactions, poor judgment and deterioration of vigilance, alertness and response.
Some of the causes of fatigue are obvious, others are not. Fatigue may result from inadequate rest, sleep apnea, disrupted sleep, stress, excessive physical activity or excessive mental or cognitive work including thinking, reasoning and decision-making. In short, everything you do as a truck driver contributes to fatigue.
Fortunately for you and the motoring public, fatigue can be prevented. The number one preventive measure is proper rest. Follow all current hours-of-service regulations which are meant to ensure proper rest. This includes not only the quantity or amount of sleep that you get, but also the quality of the sleep or rest. Everyone is different so it is important for you to know your limits and to rest before you reach those limits. You also should not make the mistake of thinking that rest and sleep are the same thing. In the battle with fatigue, there is no substitute for sleep. Like food and water, the body requires it.
Driving a truck requires a constant alertness and ability to size up and react to an ever-changing pattern of traffic. How can you keep that edge? It helps to have a comfortable environment, but not too comfortable. A cool, air-conditioned cab will help. Even in the winter, keep it cool. Stop every couple of hours for a brief walk. Circulation is important to keep the blood oxygenated. A few deep breaths also will help. Many drivers rely on coffee and other caffeine sources including cola drinks or caffeine pills to stay awake. Caffeine can produce a relatively quick improvement in alertness but its effects are not a cure for fatigue. Once again, there is no substitute for sleep. How then do you get quality sleep as well as an adequate quantity of sleep? Surprisingly, you start with proper diet and nutrition. Next, get some exercise. When it is time to sleep, don’t rely on alcohol or other system depressants. Establish a routine or rhythm for sleep time. Have a good sleeping surface, one that is supportive and comfortable. Keep your bedroom or sleeper berth at a comfortable temperature. Minimize disruptive factors including light and noise. Use heavy curtains if necessary.
Fatigue is one of the most preventable accident factors, so get proper sleep.
WINTER DRIVING – PREPARE NOW!
November 14, 2011 by Amber · Leave a Comment
Winter Driving – Prepare Now For Cold Weather
It’s time to prepare your equipment for the upcoming harsh conditions before winter arrives. Don’t wait for the first cold snap. Start putting your survival gear together now. You may need: sleeping bag, gloves, candles, matches, water, protein bars, ski mask, flashlight, extra batteries, cellphone, auxiliary in-cab heater and a multi-use tool (all-in-one knife, screwdriver, can opener, etc.).
For your vehicle, consider: fuel additives, air-drying system, tire chains, lock lubricant, deicer, battery charger and starting fluid. One of the most important things to check is your antifreeze. Make sure the antifreeze you use meets your manufacturer’s recommendations and is mixed at the correct concentration.
Some things to check that you may not normally look at or even think about include:
- Fan blades
- Radiator shutter or winterfront
- Fan combination settings (the shutter setting should be about 10° under the fan clutch setting)
- Radiator coolant levels
- Thermostat calibration set to open at about 180° F
- Water pump – leak and flow rate
- Hoses, clamps and belts
- Fuel system
- Engine oil heaters and oil grade specifications
- Electrical systems and battery terminals
- Air systems – drain any water in the lines and check often to prevent brake freeze up.
- Tires – each 10° drop in temperature lowers air pressure by one pound.
- Locks and hinges adequately lubricated
Your battery is especially important. If you need to add fluid, use distilled water to fill the cells. Check a conventional lead acid battery with a hydrometer. A reading of 1.26 is fully charged. For a maintenancefree battery, use a voltmeter and look for a reading of 12.7 volts. If your battery freezes, warm it up to about 60° before charging. Overcharging will damage the battery.
Fuel problems start when the temperature gets down to around 2°. Drain your water separator each night to prevent freezing and fill your tanks at day’s end.
Your mirrors – a crucial driving tool!
September 21, 2011 by Amber · Leave a Comment
Your Mirrors – a Crucial Driving Tool!
Trucks often have only the use of side-view mirrors, making them a crucial driving tool. The special towing mirrors that are larger and extend farther away from the cab than car mirrors require proper adjustment to ensure a full spectrum of vision and prevent blind spots as much as possible. Knowing how to set these outside mirrors to eliminate blind spots is a crucial part of being a defensive driver.
Positioning Your Mirrors
The following procedures for correctly positioning mirrors will help you eliminate blind spots and avoid potential accidents.
1. Adjust the driver’s side mirror. Place your head against the window. Start with the mirrors in a perpendicular position to the cab. Begin pulling the mirror in toward you and stop as soon as you can see a sliver of your truck in the right side of the mirror.
2. Move you head to a normal position. Begin pulling the top of the mirror down. Keeping your head straight, look to your left and move the mirror until you can see the road behind you.
3. Adjust the passenger side mirror. Move your head to the right until it is in the center of the cab. Start with the mirrors in a perpendicular position. Move the mirror toward you until you can see a sliver of your truck in the left side of the mirror.
4. Move your head to a normal position and pull the mirror down until you can see the ground next to the trailer in the bottom of the mirror. You have less peripheral visibility in this mirror, so it may have to be tilted down more than the other mirror.
5. Sit in your normal position and reassess both mirrors. If you think your vision falls short, bring your mirrors up and out a bit. Be careful not to compromise the visibility of the part of the road behind your periphery, as this is the crucial blind spot area.
Checking Your Blind Spot
Those driving trucks must effectively drive with blind spots even when their mirrors are correctly positioned. However, this method should ensure that the mirrors are positioned outward enough to minimize them.
Changing Lanes
When changing lanes, always indicate to other drivers your intention of changing lanes or turning by using your directional signals. Check outside mirrors carefully for vehicles and before making the lane change, make sure to take a direct look with a “lean and look”. This will reduce the risk of a lane change accident.
Highway Use Tax: Form 2290
August 13, 2011 by Amber · Leave a Comment
The Internal REvenue Service advised truckers and other owners of heavy highway vehicles that their next federal highway use tax return, usually due August 31, will instead be due on November 30, 2011.
Because the highway use tax is currently scheduled to expire on September 30, 2011, this extension is designed to alleviate any confustion and possible multiple filings that could result if Congress reinstates or modifies the tax after that date. Under temporary and proposed regulations filed today in the Federal REgister, the November 30 filinf deadline for Form 2290, Heavy Highway Vehicle Use Tax Return, for the tax period that begins on July 1, 2011, applies to vehicles used during July, as well as those first used during August or September. Returns should not be filed and payments should not be made prior to November 1.
To aid truckers applying for state vehicle registration on or before November 30, the new regulations require states to accept as proof of payment the stamped Schedule 1 of the Form 2290 issued by the IRS for the prior tax year, ending on June 30, 2011. Under federal law, state governments are required to receive proof of payment of the federal highway use tax as a condition of vehicle registration. Normally, after a taxpayer files the return and pays the tax, the Schedule 1 is stamped by the IRS and returned to filers for this purpose. A state normally may accept a prior year’s stamped Schedule 1 as a substitute proof of payment only through September 30.
For those acquiring and registering a new or used vehicle during the July-to-November period, the new regulations require a state to register the vehicle, without proof that the highway use tax was paid, if the person registering the vehicle presents a copy of the bill of sale or similar document showing that the owner purchased the vehicle within the previous 150 days.
In general, the highway use tax applies to truck, truck tractors and buses with a gross taxable weight of 55,000 pounds or more. Ordinarily, vans, pick-ups and panel trucks are not taxable because they fall below the 55,000 pound threshold.
For trucks and other taxable vehicles in use during July, the Form 2290 and payment are, under normal circumstances, due on August 31. The tax of up to $550 per vehicle is based on weight, and a variety of special rules apply to vehicles with minimal road use, logging or agricultural vehicles, vehicles transferred during the year and those first used on the road after July.
Last year, the IRS received about 650,000 Forms 2290 and highway use tax payments totaling $886 million.
