Trucking Industry Update December 14, 2018

By Jeremy Feucht

Did you Know?

This week in history: December 9, 1929, the borings were started for the Golden Gate Bridge tower piers. The bridge would not open to vehicle traffic for another eight-and-a-half years.

Trucking tip of the Week

Remember: The “adverse condition” provision in the hours of service regulations does not cover snow fall this time of year. Know your weather conditions for the parts of the country that you are traveling in and to.

CVSA International Roadcheck 2019

Each year, the CVSA does a three-day inspection blitz in the US and Canada. In 2017 the focus was cargo securement; in 2018, on hours of service. The 2019 blitz has been announced and will be held June 4-6, but the focus area has yet to be announced. Over the past several years, 60,000+ vehicles on average have been inspected. Of the 60,000 inspections, 12,000-15,000 vehicles do not pass inspection and 3,000-5,000 drivers fail as well. Make sure your vehicle is in good shape, so you can keep those tires rolling.

Military and Trucking

It is no secret that a large portion of the trucking industry either is a member of the Reserves or is a Veteran. That is because the US military needs skilled truck drivers to get supplies to the troops on the ground all over the globe and those skills learned while in the military transfer nicely to a career in trucking. “First Team” which makes up 200 soldiers within the 154^th Composite Trucking Company, made it back to Fort Hood, TX, late last week after a nine-month deployment. The group ran nearly 1,000 missions in Kuwait and Southwest Asia during their time away from home. For those of you that served, we thank you for your dedication and service!

General News

Weather can trigger Declarations of Emergency from the President, Governors and the FMCSA. Several states have seen Mother Nature create major issues in recent months. 14 states are currently under Declarations of Emergency which suspend hours of service for those bringing supplies and items of necessity to those in the area of the disaster. These declarations are due to issues ranging from the wild fires in California to the earthquake in Alaska. Do not forget about the snow storms that have recently hit Virginia and Oklahoma nor about the hurricane that tore through the Southeast this fall. For more information on these declarations and if your load falls in the exempt status, check out the FMCSA Emergency site here.