CSA: VEHICLE MAINTENANCE BASIC

As everyone has already figured out, vehicle maintenance refers to the condition and upkeep of the tractor and trailer. It covers all items covered in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Nothing to it, right? Sure, except under the old SafeStat system, folks were more concerned about out of service violations as opposed to ALL violations. Under CSA EVERYTHING counts, and some count quite a few points.

For example, a tire under 2/32′s is 24 points. If it’s under 50% inflated, 24 points, 30 points if it’s out of service. A headlight? Glad you asked…..18 points, thank you very much. Brake out of adjustment, 12 points, plus another 12 points in most states for a defective slack adjuster. There are points charged for defective or unmounted fire extinguishers, no windshield washer fluid, no warning triangles, inoperative ABS check light on trailer, chaffed air lines (particularly on a back deck of the tractor), no tractor backup light(s), no city horn, missing retroreflective tape on rear of cab or top of tractor mudflaps or on trailer, any air leak, frayed fan belts, tinted windows, straight pipes, cracked windshield, exhaust leak, mismatched brake chambers, cracked brake shoes, extended cab visors, non-functioning lights, non-functioning low air warning devices(must have both if originally equipped), no spare fuses, on and on and on and on. Remember, CSA not only includes out of service items but also OBSERVABLE DEFECTS. That means that if the officer sees it, he or she writes it. This pretty much eliminates their ability to give “breaks” even if they might be so inclined.

Most Mercer violations in this BASIC are brakes out of adjustment, tires under 2/32″ and defective lights. Lights are either marker lights out, a burned out headlight, or an unplugged pigtail which leaves the trailer dark. The majority of these violations are written during daylight hours.

Many carriers have discovered that the easy fix for light violations is to run their lights during the daylight hours as well as at night. This is true for three reasons: First, most bulbs burn out, especially headlamps, at the time they are turned on. If you turn them on when you start your day, you’ll catch burned out ones during your pre-trip inspection. Secondly, as you stop for fuel or to do a load check, you will also notice any defective lighting and can make repairs at that point. Finally, if you drop a pigtail for some reason, you’ll notice your trailer lights out before someone with blue lights notices them for you and starts writing a book about it. Chapter one is no taillights, chapter two is no turn signals and chapter three is no brake lights. Three separate sets of CSA points. Running lights during daylight hours also helps to prevent accidents, especially on two-lane roadway. I urge everyone to do that, no matter what type of vehicle they drive.

Brakes need to be checked daily. Not weekly or monthly. Tire air pressure should also be checked daily, as well. Spray off any excess grease and oil from underneath the tractor and trailer. If you have an oil leak, fix it. Leaks score on CSA.

The best thing about being an owner-operator is that you own your own truck. The worst thing about being an owner-operator is that you own your own truck. With freedom comes responsibility. You are in most cases the shop, the shop foreman and the mechanic. Remember that you are held to the same standard as company fleets which are maintained by company or dealer shops and company or dealer mechanics. CSA knows no difference and there are no excuses. The vehicle maintenance BASIC is tough and demands constant attention. If you are not willing to do this, you might be better off in a company fleet as a pumpkin pilot. Owner-operators must walk the talk on vehicle maintenance.

Mercer drivers who get it right get credit for clean inspections. Those who get it wrong eat the points and are required to come to Louisville for reinspection. Folks, this is important stuff. Everyone has to get it right. I can’t stress this enough. Be safe.

CSA: DRUGS AND ALCOHOL BASIC

In case there is any doubt, the use or possession of illegal or unauthorized drugs by those in safety sensitive functions is prohibited by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Likewise, the use or possession of alcohol by those in safety sensitive functions is prohibited by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. Here’s another: Mercer has a zero tolerance policy for drug and alcohol violations. All of these were in effect long before anyone thought about CSA. I don’t know what else to say.

Under CSA, where all previous carriers’ driver inspections can be accessed by potential future employers, drug and alcohol violations can for all intents and purposes end a driver’s career. Most carriers, including Mercer, will not consider an applicant who has a drug or alcohol violation.

Remember, it is a violation to have alcohol on the truck unless it is cargo run under a bill of lading. It cannot be in cabinets, refrigerators, headache racks or even in tool boxes on the trailer. If a truck is parked for the weekend and the driver is off duty, he is allowed to have alcohol in the berth, but not in the driving compartment. He must be off duty for at least four hours after drinking before driving and all alcohol must be removed from the truck before it moves (49CFR392.5(a)(1)). Alcohol is prohibited on Mercer property at all times for both employees and drivers.

The Drugs and Alcohol BASIC is simple and summed up in one word: Don’t.

CSA: DRIVER FITNESS BASIC

Well, it seems like I woke everyone up with the log thing. Drivers who have known me for many years know that I’m not particularly politically correct…..I call ‘em like I see ‘em. It is the same for 3, 4, or 5 digit trucks. Law enforcement takes a pretty hard look at paper logs. Computerized logs keep everyone out of log trouble. Mercer has had trouble with that CSA BASIC threshold because we get too many “logs not current” write ups. Anything that eliminates those will help. I absolutely hate terminating good drivers for log problems.

One more thought before we go to driver fitness: Boys and girls, Big Brother is already here in the trucking business, and the bully for sure has already gotten your lunch money, and probably your gym shorts, too. Understand that this is the environment in which we compete. I don’t waste time analyzing it or crying about it. I spend time thinking about how to master it and how our Mercer family is going to do it better than anybody else. Log legal, no excuses.

Now, moving on…..Driver fitness means that the driver has the correct CDL for the equipment he or she is operating and the correct endorsements for the type of cargo being transported. It also means he or she has a current DOT physical and medical card. The CDL cannot be under suspension for any reason. If eye glasses or hearing aids are required, they must be worn by the driver. If the driver has a medical waiver from the FMCSA, it must be current and available at the time of inspection.

While most drivers have no problems in this area, violations due occur when drivers are not wearing required glasses or hearing aids at the time of a DOT inspection. Although Mercer verifies and monitors driver physicals and their expiration dates closely, problems occur when a driver has lost the medical card and cannot produce it at the time of inspection. Other problems include having a CDL suspended for back/late child support or unpaid tickets. It is vital that every driver has someone who monitors their home mail and advises them immediately if they receive correspondence from their state DMV. Not knowing that a CDL has been suspended is no excuse. If your medical card has expired or your CDL is suspended, you cannot drive. It is a 30 point CSA violation for driving while disqualified. You must keep your professional qualifications to drive in order at all times.

While we’re on this, I should mention the move by FMCSA to merge the medical card with the CDL. Many of you have received letters from your license state requesting a copy of your current medical card. The FMCSA is requiring all states to have a current copy of the driver’s medical card before issuing or renewing his or her CDL. Once the system is implemented nationwide it will mean that carrying a medical card will no longer be required, since having the CDL will also show medical qualification.

If you get a letter from your state requesting a copy of your medical card, respond to it immediately. Failure to do so could result in the suspension of your CDL. And remember, the system has not been fully implemented, so keep carrying your medical card anyway.

Driver fitness is not rocket science: Keep your physical current, stay within your restrictions and endorsements, monitor the DMV status of your CDL on a regular basis (which means pay tickets on time and keep child support current). Be safe.

COMPUTERIZED LOGS

I wanted to take a minute of your time to follow up Len’s previous blog post about Fatigued Driving.  In that post he discussed computerized logbooks, referring to Eclipse logbook, and Driver’s Daily Logs (DDL).  There are quite a few drivers that think that computerized logbooks are the same as an On Board Recorder (EOBR).  That is not the case.  An EOBR uses a GPS device, and plugs into the computer in your truck to monitor where you are going, and how fast you are getting there.

Eclipse logbook, and DDL, are just a way to complete your daily logs without writing them by hand.  Both services have a copy of Mercer’s log page, and you simply use your computer to fill in the data instead of using a pen.  Then print out a clean, legible copy of your logs.

I have talked to several of our contractors that use these programs now, and they love it.  In fact, most of them say that they would never go back to hand writing logs again.   Plus, Len is offering an incentive to signing up (See his previous post)!

Here is some info on how to get more information about both programs:

Eclipse logbook:  www.logbook.com

I suggest visiting their site, and watching the demo video on their home page.

Eclipse’s regular charge is $59.99.  They do offer a $10 discount for Mercer Contractors.  You will have to enter a promo code when purchasing the software.  You can get that code from your log auditor.

 

Driver’s Daily Log:  http://www.driversdailylog.com/

CSA: FATIGUED DRIVING BASIC

Fatigued driving consists of hours of service violations. These include driving more than eleven hours a day, being on duty more than fourteen hours a day, being on duty more than seventy hours in eight days, providing an officer with false logs, providing the officer with no logs, providing the officer with a log that is not current to the last change of duty status, having incomplete log entries, and/or a driver appearing ill or fatigued to the officer. Some violations result in the driver being placed out of service, generally for ten hours. Others merely require a correction to the log book. All of these burn both Mercer and the driver pretty significantly on CSA. Mercer’s BASIC threshold is 60. When we are over it, everyone gets their log book looked at closely by law enforcement. Under CSA, the actions of a very few drivers can really screw up the monthly score. It is easy to raise it but hard to get it back down.

Mercer is serious about hours of service violations. Drivers with log violations are assessed significant points above the CSA levels and are required to come to Louisville for reorientation. If you have Mercer signs on your truck, you are expected to uphold Mercer standards. Log legal. Period. That’s what CSA is about and that is what is required.

After trucking in the new CSA environment for the past year, it is good to see that most of our folks have figured that out. A few still don’t get it and still think “just a warning” or “he didn’t put me out of service” is OK. It’s not. Life at Mercer is about to get even more difficult for those drivers. Their actions are burning everybody else. That’s not fair to those who try their best to do things right.

We have expanded our log auditing staff and beginning in February, drivers with log violations, as well as Category 3 and 4 drivers will find themselves assigned to a dedicated log audit team. Their logs will be manually audited instead of scanned. Every mileage will be verified, receipts will be reviewed and they will be required to run 10 mph under the posted speed limits. If they don’t get it right, they will be gone. The requirement is to log legal, log current. No excuses, no exceptions.

We believe that Electronic On Board Recorders (EBORs) are coming, either through regulation or customer requirements. We believe that the time to prepare for that reality is now. It is imperative that everyone, not just for CSA, but for every driver’s long-term future, make logging legal become second nature. We have found that drivers who have gone to computerized logs have taken a significant step in that direction. We want to encourage all Mercer drivers to do that. And we want to reward drivers that do. They help everyone. We appreciate their initiative. While not actually an EBOR, the compliance result is the same.

Effective immediately, any Mercer driver who is running either Eclipse Logs or Drivers Daily Log on a computer will receive a 20 point credit on their score. Don’t call Michelle or me and tell us; your log person must advise us in writing for the credit to be applied. Be sure they do that. If you have a log violation when running computerized logs, shame on you. You’ll lose the credit plus get the violation points. And yes, you’ll also become a member of the dedicated log audit group.

Hours of service compliance is huge under CSA. It is everyone’s responsibility to get it right. Mercer is about getting it right and doing things right. We appreciate all of you who are dedicated to that. Be safe.

Just a Friendly TriPpak Reminder.

 All: another reminder that NOTHING can be sent to us using tripPak. If a  
   driver is sending in a cod check, he should scan it with his paperwork  
   (if he uses scanning) so he can get paid, and MAIL the original check to
   us in a Mercer addressed, postage paid envelope. Anything that is being 
   sent here from a driver, including cameras going to claims, needs to be 
   sent in those ppd mercer envelopes. drivers will be charged $15 for any 
   envelope they send using tripPak.

Thank you all and GO MERCER!!!

CSA: UNSAFE DRIVING BASIC

Unsafe driving consists of such violations as speeding, improper lane changes, following too closely, running red lights, lane restriction violations, reckless driving and improper driving in construction zones. Seat belt violations and radar detector violations are also included under the Unsafe Driving BASIC. The overwhelming majority of these are issued to Mercer drivers as warnings, rather than citations, which cannot be disputed in court. Texting, failure to use turn signals, changing lanes before signalling, and drifting over onto the shoulder are other examples of unsafe driving. Having an unauthorized passenger, using a hand-held cell phone and disregarding traffic control signs are also Unsafe Driving violations.

CSA points assessed for these violations run between three and thirty. They get charged each month to Mercer’s Unsafe Driving BASIC score. As a Hazmat carrier, Mercer is required to stay under the threshold of 60 in the Unsafe Driving BASIC. When we go above that number, our units are subjected to more frequent inspections by law enforcement.

The old excuses are not valid in the CSA environment. Things like, “I was running with traffic”, or “I had my cruise set”, or “It was just a warning” will not cut it. In CSA, the only thing that works is to stay under the posted speed limit at all times, period. Remember, some states write speeding warnings for as little as 3 mph over. They write it and you are stuck with it.

CSA scoring is based upon any “defect” an officer “observes.” If he or she sees it, they write it and both the driver and Mercer bear the consequences. It is absolutely imperative that all drivers understand this and fully comply with all traffic regulations at all times. Drivers who fail to understand this will simply not survive in the world of CSA. Everything counts. Drive safely…..and carefully.

CSA: THE FIRST YEAR

In December, 2010 the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration unleashed CSA on motor carriers and drivers. Those of you who stay up on this sort of thing know that CSA stands for “Compliance, Safety, Accountability.” It replaced the former SafeStat system. Where Safestat was primarily concerned about out of service violations, CSA is concerned with ALL violations. CSA requires inspecting officers to note all “observable defects.” Each of these defects has been assigned a point value. Carriers and drivers accumulate points. These defects are sorted into seven categories, called “BASICS”. These BASIC categories are: 1)Unsafe Driving; 2)Fatigued Driving; 3)Driver Fitness; 4)Drugs/Alcohol; 5)Vehicle Maintenance;
6)Cargo; and 7)Crash. The FMCSA doesn’t directly grade drivers on these (yet). However, they have established threshold scores for motor carriers in each of the seven BASICS. Carriers exceeding any threshold are subject to increased scrutiny by both FMCSA and law enforcement. This scrutiny takes the form of such things as more frequent roadside inspections, warning letters, targeted audits, full audits, fines and shut downs. Carriers cannot keep drivers who rack up points on bad roadside inspections.

In the coming days, we will be looking at how Mercer has faired with CSA in 2011 and what we need to be doing (or not be doing) in 2012. I will give you my observations of each BASIC, what is good about it, what is not, how we are doing in it, and what we need to be doing differently. It is important for all drivers to understand that there are no “breaks.” CSA is all about “observable defects.” That is, if the officer sees a violation, he or she is required to note it.

It is also important to understand that “not getting a ticket” is not enough. CSA points can be assessed on nearly any write up. Unlike a “ticket”, which can be contested in court, warnings are virtually impossible to get reversed. Drivers must be constantly aware of this. We’ll discuss how to do that in the next several days.

After we review each of the seven, we will look at related topics, such as the seminar program for the Mid-America Trucking show, CARB and SmartWay, BMI, electronic logs (EOBRs), and my 2012 travelling LKY inspection schedule. We’ll begin tomorrow with CSA Unsafe Driving BASIC. Remember, under CSA, everything counts. Stay tuned.

Mercer Gets Food Discounts

The T/A in Wildwood FL is offering “The Layover Special” food discounts for Mercer Contractors. All you have to do is go see Dennis (our Southern recruiter) and get a card or if he’s unavailable see the restaurant manager.
Here’s how it works: Your first food purchase while you are there is regular price, the 2nd is 20% off, the third is 20% off and the forth is 50% off.

Basically, the folks at T/A in Wildwood hope that if you’re going to be laying over somewhere in FL, you’ll do it with them! Thanks and drive safely you all!

Contractor Web Isuues

Looks like we are still experiencing problems with the contractor web. Please be patient while we try to mend the problems. Thank you guys. Have a good day.

2290′s Extended

The 2290′s have been extended by Mercer to Jan. 31st. Please have the appropriate documents prepared on or before the above date. However you still need to pay them before the 31st of Jan if you haven’t done so, so as not to accrue any late fees. Thank you guys and have a great day.

THANK YOU!

We are happy to say that 2011 was the best revenue year in Mercer Transportation’s history.  We want to thank all of our dedicated Owner-Operators for all of your hard work this past year.  We are planning for an even better 2012!  Have a great day, and GO MERCER!!!

HOS CHANGES

I have had several contractors ask about Hours of Service changes that take effect at the end of February this year.  Several changes will go into effect at the end of February, and others are set to go into effect in July of 2013.  Click the link below to be redirected to FMCSA’s website for more information.

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/topics/hos-final/hos-final-rule.aspx

Contractor Web

Just a little heads up. I know some of you have called with a problem on the Contractor web not letting you view load info and having matched load problems. I have messaged ITSupport about the situation and hopefully we will have the issue resolved shortly. Thank you for your patience regarding this matter.     GO MERCER!!

HOW LONG WILL MY TRUCK BE LEGAL IN CALIFORNIA???

I’m sure that all of our recent posts about CARB are wearing some of you out.  But this topic is also creating a lot of conversation.  Most of you wonder how long you can legally run in California with your truck.  I have all of the answers.

The list below shows the years that you can continue to run in California, depending on what the age of your engine is.  If your engine is 1996-2006, you can report to CARB, and operate within the state til Jan. 1st 2014, which you will read about below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I own a single truck; how do I take advantage of the small fleet compliance option?
As a single truck owner, you can delay the PM filter requirement for heavier trucks until January 1, 2014, and truck replacement until 2023. The table on the following page shows when you must report and the compliance requirements base on engine model year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So basically the majority of you are small fleet owners, and by reporting your truck information to CARB, you will at least be able to travel in California until January 1st, 2014.  If you have any more questions, refer to this link: http://www.arb.ca.gov/html/fact_sheets/smallfleet_comp.pdf