Trucking

Washington — Commercial motor vehicle drivers transporting items intended to assist in COVID-19 pandemic relief efforts are temporarily exempt from federal hours-of-service regulations, under an expanded national emergency declaration issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on March 18.

Washington — Six weeks after the full implementation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, the agency said it had documented nearly 8,000 positive tests for substance misuse among commercial motor vehicle drivers.

Washington — A final rule the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration claims would add flexibility to hours-of-service regulations for commercial truck drivers has been sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is delaying by two years the compliance date of its final rule on minimum training requirements for entry-level commercial motor vehicle drivers.

Washington — A bipartisan bill that would allow drivers younger than 21 to operate commercial motor vehicles interstate is “a step toward safety,” American Trucking Associations President and CEO Chris Spear said during a Feb. 4 hearing convened by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee’s Transportation and Safety Subcommittee.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is requesting stakeholder input as it develops an updated study of contributing factors to crashes involving large commercial trucks.

Washington — Effective Jan. 1, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration doubled its minimum rate for random controlled substances testing to 50% of the average number of commercial motor vehicle driver positions.

Washington — Commercial motor vehicle inspectors will not observe a “soft enforcement” grace period for drivers still using automatic onboard recording devices to track their hours of service after Dec. 16, and such drivers will be placed out of service for violating Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance warns in a Dec. 2 press release.

Arlington, VA — The American Trucking Associations is calling on state and federal governments to consider the impact of legalized marijuana on roadway safety, in a new set of policies and recommendations endorsed by the organization.

Atlanta — Drivers of passenger vehicles have a considerable misunderstanding of the safety performance of commercial motor vehicle operators, results of a recent survey show.