August 17th Idealease Safety Bulletin - Your Fleet Prepared for the Changes to the FMCSA INTERstate Hours of Service Regulations Next Month?

The August 17, 2020 edition of the weekly Idealease Safety Bulletin has arrived! Find important safety tips and reminders, courtesy of Idealease. 

Read the bulletin in its entirety on idealease.com and/or SIGN UP to automatically receive the safety bulletin to your inbox every week. 

This week's bulletin provides important info on the following topics: 

1. Is Your Fleet Prepared for the Changes to the FMCSA INTERstate Hours of Service Regulations Next Month?

On Sept 29, 2020, four significant changes to the FMCSA hour of service regulations will go into effect.  As a motor carrier you will want to be prepared for these changes in advance. These changes will provide additional flexibility to your drivers and to you the motor carrier.

• Contact your Electronic Logging Device (ELD) provider to make sure that reprogramming of ELD’s are addressed in your system.
• Train your drivers on how the changes will impact their operation and that of the ELD if any.
• Train dispatchers and management personnel on the changes.

The four new rules will include four significant changes for interstate truck and bus drivers:

1. Revisions to the 30-minute break rule for truck drivers so they can remain “on duty” for their breaks and not have to take a break until completing eight hours of driving time, rather than consecutive time.
2. Revisions to the 100-air-mile short-haul exception to lengthen the maximum on-duty period from 12 to 14 hours and extend the distance limit within which the driver may operate from 100 air miles to 150 air miles.
3. Revisions to the sleeper-berth provisions to allow truck drivers to split their required 10 hours off into two periods, one being at least 7 hours in a sleeper berth and the other being at least 2 hours off (e.g., a 7/3 or 8/2 split). In addition, neither rest period will count against the driver’s 14-hour driving window.
4. Changes to the “adverse driving conditions” exception to extend by two hours the maximum window of time during which driving is allowed after a driver encounters unexpected weather or traffic conditions.

 Keep in mind that these regulation changes are for FMCSA INTERstate compliant carriers only! For INTRAstate operations, the states will have to consider adopting the regulation changes!

2. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) Sets Dates for Rescheduled Roadcheck

Rescheduled its International Roadcheck for September 9th - 11th, 2020. Visit  www.roadcheck.org for more information

The annual event was postponed in March until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was originally slated for early May.

The three-day enforcement campaign will result in a high volume of roadside inspections throughout North America. Law enforcement will perform driver and commercial motor vehicle inspections at weigh or inspection sites and fixed locations and through roving mobile patrols. Officers will check for compliance with motor carrier safety regulations, and those vehicles or drivers found with a critical inspection violation will be placed out of service.

Each year, CVSA’s event emphasizes a specific area of safety compliance. This year’ focus is on the driver requirements component of a roadside inspection. Areas include:

• Driver’s age
• Driver’s licensing requirements
• Driver physical qualifications
• Sickness or fatigue
• Alcohol, drugs, and other substances

3. CVSA - Brake Safety Week: August 23-29th

• Importance of brake safety
  A CMV's brake components must work together to slow and stop a vehicle. If the brake hoses/tubing are not working properly, it can affect the entire braking system and create a safety issue.
  
  To function properly, hoses and tubing must be:
  • Properly attached
  • Without damage and leaks
  • Flexible

4. Idealease Announces new Safety Webinar Series -  Sign up today: https://www.idealease.com/safety-seminar-registration

*The Idealease Safety Bulletin is provided for Idealease locations and their customers and is not to be construed as a complete or exhaustive source of compliance or safety information. The Idealease Safety Bulletin is advisory in nature and does not warrant, guarantee, or otherwise certify compliance with laws, regulations, requirements, or guidelines of any local, state, or Federal agency and/or governing body, or industry standards.