Transportation Law Update
U.S. House and Senate conferences settled yesterday on a conference agreement on a five-year highway bill. The bill is expected to be voted upon in the House on Thursday and perhaps as early as Friday in the Senate and is expected to become law. Thanks to our industry partners at Scopelitis, we've compiled a brief summary of some of the key policy provisions that made it into the bill. The brief in its entirety can be accessed here.
CSA (Compliance, Safety, Accountability) Reform
The conference agreement requires the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to engage the National Research Council to conduct a study of the agency's CSA program and the Safety Measurement System (SMS) utilized by the CSA program. The study will analyze a number of criticisms of the program- including its methodology - in order to determine how accurately the program identifies high risk carriers and how its Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASIC) predict or are correlated with future crash risk and crash severity.... Continue reading
Hair Testing
The conference agreement contains a provision allowing carriers to use hair testing as an alternative to urine testing for preemployment testing for the use of controlled substances and for random testing ... Continue reading
Commercial Driver Pilot Program
The conference agreement directs the DOT to establish a pilot program to study the feasibility, benefits, and safety impacts of allowing certain individuals between the ages of 18 and 21 to operate a CMV in interstate commerce. Qualifying individuals must be in the armed forces reserve components and qualified in a Military Occupation Specialty to operate a CMV or similar vehicle.
Earlier this year, TrueNorth and TSA published a post outlining this section of the new bill. Click the thumbnail (left) to see what TrueNorth's transportation team had to say about reducing the age limit for interstate travel with a Commercial Drivers License (CDL).
TSA: Truckers Service Association
Truckers Service Association is a non-profit organization we work with to deliver specialized benefits and insurance products to owner-operators to optimally protect their businesses and families. Find out more about TSA by visiting their website, www.tsatruck.com. TSA offers a number of value-added benefits to drivers with membership.
TrueNorth Keeps You Safe on the Road
At TrueNorth, our mission is to assist transportation companies and their people with protecting and maximizing assets, resources and opportunities. Learn how TrueNorth's Transportation Division can help you achieve your goals and provide peace of mind while you're on the road. Call us today at (800) 877-9637.