FMCSA Announces Final Rule Requiring Annual Inspections of Rear Underride Guards

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued a final rule amending safety regulations to specifically add rear underride impact guards as a required item on the list of annual inspections for motor carriers and roadside inspectors.

The rule also adds a definition of road construction controlled horizontal discharge trailers and makes it clear that RCC trailers are not required to have a rear impact guard installed.

Requiring these guards to be inspected on an annual basis is a step forward for safety. Rear impact guards and rear-end protection on most commercial vehicles reduce the incidence of passenger compartment intrusion during crashes in which a passenger vehicle strikes the rear of the CMV, FMCSA said.

“According to data available through FMCSA’s Analysis and Information Online webpage, in fiscal-year 2017 inspectors documented more than 2,300 violations related to rear impact guards and rear-end protection, more than half of which are for components that are missing, damaged or improperly constructed,” FMCSA said. “Including rear impact guards and rear-end protection in the periodic inspection requirements will call additional attention to this critical safety component and help ensure that each vehicle is checked at least once a year, improving compliance and helping to prevent fatalities and injuries when rear-end collisions occur.”

Zero-Emission Truck Push

States band together to cut emissions Fifteen states as well as the District of Columbia have banded together in a promise to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from commercial vehicles. The plan, which calls for accelerating the adoption of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty trucks, is backed by nearly 40 major companies and follows the initial plan put forth by California.

C.H. Robinson and Microsoft have teamed up in a new partnership that will see Robinson’s Navisphere technology become available within Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform. Robinson said this will allow it to broaden its reach to new potential customers, deploy technology quicker, and leverage Microsoft’s expertise to develop innovative solutions.

Lets see what happens NEXT in the months to come.

Truckers Choosing Marijuana Over their Jobs

The Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse's first monthly report revealed that of the 18,860 drivers in “prohibited status,” marijuana was by far the most reported substance used. Most of these drivers, however, have not begun their Return-to-Duty process.

"We agree this is a big problem, and many of those drivers might never complete the Return-to-Duty process," said Tom Moore, executive vice president of the National Private Truck Council. "Those drivers need to decide whether using marijuana is more important to them than working as a truck driver."

It's unclear if drivers are confused about the legality of marijuana use. It is lawful in 11 states for those over 21, and legal for medical use in 33 states. On the other hand, DOT rules are quite clear—and are reinforced by employers—that marijuana use disqualifies someone from commercial driving.

There will be a percentage of drivers are going to leave this industry after testing positive, particularly for marijuana. Positive tests are now captured in the Clearinghouse for a minimum of five years. Even if a driver completes the Return-to-Duty testing process, the record will remain for five full years.

Some companies will keep a driver after they test positive and sponsor their Return-to-Duty testing process; but other companies will not. They will just terminate a driver when they're positive or never hire a driver that has a positive drug record.

One positive note is that the overall number of drug violations is if someone's younger and they are just starting with this industry and they test positive, maybe they will rethink becoming a trucker.