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Idealease Safety Bulletin - October 3rd – 9th is Fire Prevention Week

Sep. 17 2021 Miscellaneous By McCandless Idealease

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The latest Idealease Safety Bulletin from September 17, 2021 titled "October 3rd - 9th is Fire Prevention Week" is now available to read, share and download!  

Read below or access the entire bulletin online here on idealease.com. Remember to sign up to have the weekly bulletin delivered straight to your inbox  for instant access to the latest safety news, tips and information!  

As always, you can view all past Idealease safety bulletins online at: https://www.idealease.com/safety-compliance/safety-bulletins

In this issue:

  • When a fire occurs in a commercial motor vehicle the driver must know two things
  • When a fire occurs in a Commercial Motor Vehicle the driver should take the following actions
  • What are the emergency equipment requirements on all power units?
  • When a fire occurs in a Commercial Motor Vehicle the driver should take the following actions
  • FMCSA survey reveals increase in failed random tests

NATIONAL FIRE PREVENTION WEEK IS COMING! 

It's the perfect time to review how to prevent fires and how to react to fires that could occur in your driver's commercial motor vehicles.  

Just this week a video went viral about a tractor trailer engulfed in flames after an accident in Connecticut that closed all lanes of I95. View video: https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/i-95-south-closed-in-stonington-due-to-truck-fire/2581438/

Fire extinguisher inspections are a vital part of a driver's daily inspection process.  The actions of a driver at the time of a fire can be crucial to saving lives and controlling the amount of loss.  Fire Safety and Fire Extinguisher operation should be part of EVERY new driver's orientation program!

When a fire occurs in a CMV, the driver MUST:

  1.  Be knowledgeable about fires
  2.  Know how to properly operate a fire extinguisher

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety regulations require that all commercial motor vehicles have a fire extinguisher on board that is of the correct size, type and properly secured and labeled.  

Did you know? A Commercial Motor Vehicle with hazardous materials is required to have a different size extinguisher than those not carrying hazardous material. 

What are the emergency equipment requirements on all power units?

 VIEW CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS

Each truck, truck tractor, and bus (except those towed in driveaway-towaway operations) must be equipped as follows:

  1. Fire Extinguishers
    1. Minimum Ratings:
      • A power unit that is used to transport hazardous materials in a quantity that requires placarding must be equipped with a fire extinguisher having an Underwriters' Laboratories rating of 10 B:C or more
      • A power unit that is not used to transport hazardous materials must be equipped with a fire extinguisher having an Underwriters' Laboratories rating of 5 B:C or more

Labeling and Marking:

  • Each fire extinguisher required by this section must be labeled or marked by the manufacturer with its Underwriters' Laboratories rating.

Visual Indicators:

  • The fire extinguisher must be designed, constructed, and maintained to permit visual determination of whether it is fully charged.

Condition, Location and Mounting:

  • The fire extinguisher(s) must be filled and located so that it is readily accessible for use. The extinguisher(s) must be securely mounted to prevent sliding, rolling, or vertical movement relative to the motor vehicle. 

When a fire occurs in a Commercial Motor Vehicle the driver should take the following actions:

1. Get the truck off the roadway and into an open area if possible.  Park away from buildings, trees, vehicles, or anything else that may catch fire.

2. Call 911 on your cell phone to report the fire and location.

3. If the fire is already to a size that cannot be extinguished get away from the truck.  Your life and the life of the public is your first responsibility.

4. If you are operating a tractor trailer and can safely disconnect the trailer from the tractor do so as not to damage both units and cargo in the fire.

5. If the engine is on fire turn off the engine as soon as possible.

6. Do not open the hood if possible and try to extinguish the fire from the louvers, radiator, or underside of the truck.  Opening the hood will provide additional oxygen to fire and it will increase at a more rapid rate.

7. If the fire is in your trailer or cargo box of the truck keep the doors shut.  Here again additional oxygen will increase the intensity of the fire.

8. A tire fire will not likely be extinguished with a fire extinguisher.  Try throwing dirt or sand on the tire to smother the fire.


What you can do to prevent the likelihood of a fire starting in your Commercial Motor Vehicle:

1. Complete a thorough pre and post trip inspection daily of the fuel, electrical, exhausts systems, tires, and cargo of your truck.

2. Keep the unit clean from excess grease, fuel, and oil.

3. Monitor your dash gauges while in operation for signs of overheating.

4. Utilize your mirrors for signs of smoke or flames.

5. With new Post Emission 2007 and newer units be aware of regeneration of the after-treatment program and where the regeneration occurs as exhaust temperatures reach high levels of heat.

6. Know the cargo that you have on board and its fire potential.

FMCSA Survey Reveals Increase in failed random tests

Uptick is positive drug and alcohol tests (Part 382 Tests) - The “2019 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Drug and Alcohol Testing Survey” used data solicited from over 9,000 randomly selected motor carriers. Approximately 4,000 were responded, resulting in usable data from over 3,000 participants. 

DRUG USAGE RATE:

  • Positive random tests in 2019 were up 60% from 2018.
  • Post-accident positive rate increased by 314%

2017 Usage Rate:

  1.  Random - 0.8%
  2.  Pre-employment - 1.5%
  3.  Post-Accident - 3.4%

2018 Usage Rate:

  1.  Random - 1.0%
  2.  Pre-employment - 1.4%
  3.  Post-Accident - 1.4%

2019 Usage Rate:

  1.  Random - 1.6%
  2.  Pre-employment - 1.9%
  3.  Post-Accident - 5.8%

ALCOHOL USAGE RATE:

A positive alcohol test is one based on a 0.04 cutoff level.  

  • Positive random testing rate jumped 400% from 2018 to 2019
  • Failed post-accident tests decreased by 75%

2017 Usage Rate:

  1.  Random - 0.8%
  2.  Post-Accident - 0.1%

2018 Usage Rate:

  1.  Random - 0.06%
  2.  Post-Accident - 0.2%

2019 Usage Rate:

  1.  Random - 0.3%
  2.  Post-Accident - 0.05%

How is the data used?

The random drug and alcohol testing rates are increased or decreased, respectively, based on the percentage of failed FMCSA random tests reported during the survey.

The current random drug testing rate is 50 percent. To be lowered to 25 percent, the random drug usage rate must be less than 1.0 percent for two consecutive years. The previous two years are 1.0 percent (2018) and 1.6 percent (2019).

The current random alcohol testing rate is 10 percent. The rate is increased to 25 percent if the random alcohol usage rate is equal to or greater than 0.5 percent, but less than 1.0 percent. If the alcohol testing rate is 25 percent or less, it is increased to 50 percent if the usage rate is equal to or greater than 1.0 percent. The random alcohol usage rate for 2019 is 0.3 percent. 



*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.