Achieving a dream: Deaf Alabama man overcomes hurdles to earn Class A CDL
Joey Woodle has wanted to be a truck driver since he was a little boy, but until recently, one major hurdle was standing in his way – he is deaf and unable to pass the whisper test portion of the DOT physical.
So much for the ‘hope for leniency’: One owner-operator’s hours out-of-service experience in the ELD era
Tom Werner’s experience in Oregon, put out of service for a violation of the 70-hour cumulative on-duty limits — after a simple error in recording with his newly-in-use ELD. Werner neglected to log off-duty during a required berth period. Though he an…
Attempted malware attack the root of FMCSA examiner registry outage
An attempt by an unknown source to plant malicious software (aka malware) on FMCSA’s database of agency-approved medical examiners is to blame for the now-six-month outage of the examiner registry, FMCSA says. It hasn’t offered a timeline for when the …
Outage of examiner registry prompts FMCSA to postpone implementation of electronic medical certificate rule
Due in part to the ongoing outage of the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners, FMCSA says it will postpone the requirements that FMCSA submit information to state-licensing agencies — and the requirement that state agencies send informatio…
Hotshot carrier asks FMCSA to let him to install sleeper berth in pickup truck bed
A sleeper berth in the bed of a pickup do not meet the access, location, exit, communication or occupant constraint requirements in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs). Castignoli Enterprises argues that because he is a solo owner-ope…
Will FMCSA Administrator Ray Martinez thread the needle toward hours change?
Colleagues James Jaillet and Davis Hollis joined me for this special edition Overdrive Radio podcast about their interview of FMCSA Administrator Ray Martinez at MATS. Full audio of that interview is included, with further thoughts on hours-change pote…
‘Chameleon carrier’ shut down after bevy of violations
According to FMCSA, Daya was formerly known as Ekam Truck Line. In 2017, Ekam agreed to enter a Consent Order in order to upgrade its safety rating from Unsatisfactory to Conditional. The fleet’s Unsatisfactory rating was the result of a number of safe…
Fireworks haulers seek ELD exemption for Independence Day period
If granted the exemption, APA members that already hold the 14-hour HOS exemption would be able to continue using paper logs instead of ELDs. Approximately 51 of APA’s 250-plus member companies hold the exemption.
FMCSA updates CSA SMS with new ELD violations, releases severity weights
Several middle-severity weightings have been assigned to some ELD violations for CSA SMS rating purposes, though most come with very low weights. New variations of the 395.8(a) violation now distinguish between carriers required, or not, to have an ELD…
Updates on online carrier registration system, more on agenda for UCR meeting this week
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced in the Federal Register this week’s meeting will be held Thursday, April 19, from noon to 3 p.m. Eastern time.