Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, May 19, 2021:
Brake Safety Week planned for late August
Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has scheduled its annual Brake Safety Week for Aug. 22-28.
During Brake Safety Week, commercial motor vehicle inspectors conduct inspections and remove from service trucks found to have brake-related out-of-service violations. Prior to the event, CVSA encourages motor carriers to educate drivers and maintenance service providers on the importance of brake system safety.
Throughout the week-long campaign, inspectors will conduct North American Standard Inspections of commercial motor vehicles, focusing on the vehicle’s brake systems and components. In addition, inspectors will compile data on brake hoses/tubing – the focus area for this year’s Brake Safety Week.
Brake system and brake adjustment violations accounted for more vehicle violations than any other vehicle violation category, accounting for 38.6% of all vehicle out-of-service conditions, during 2020's three-day International Roadcheck inspection and enforcement initiative. Brake-related violations accounted for eight out of the top 20 vehicle violations in 2020, according to FMCSA’s Motor Carrier Management Information System.
“Brake system” was the third most cited vehicle-related factor in fatal commercial motor vehicle and passenger vehicle crashes, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) latest “Large Truck and Bus Crash Facts” report.
During last year’s Brake Safety Week, 12% of the 43,565 commercial motor vehicles inspected were placed out of service for brake-related violations.
NASTC's driver of the year nominations open | The National Association of Small Trucking Companies is looking for safe, million-mile, accident-free drivers to make up the association's 2021 Driver of the Year Team. Nominated drivers selected for the team will be awarded with prizes and a VIP experience at NASTC's 2021 annual conference, set for November 406 in Nashville, Tenn. NASTC notes conference fees for awarded drivers are covered by the association. Nominations are due by September 1.
Spot metrics hold at high levels | Truckstop.com and FTR Transportation Intelligence's weekly spot market overview showed rate averages holding above $3/mile at $3.07, as posted trucks increased just more than 4% and load posts fell slightly. The overall Market Demand Index (MDI) fell 10.4 points to 227.7 on those numbers. Compared to last year the MDI is up 204.4 points, or 875.9%, no surprise given one year ago corresponded with the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic-inspired lockdowns and fall-off in freight. As reported yesterday, national fuel prices edged up last week as the Colonial Pipeline struggled to restart after a ransomware attack, putting pressure on costs.
Truck driving championships going virtual for 2021
The American Trucking Associations is calling for the nation’s safest and most professional truck drivers to participate in the 2021 National Battle of the States: Virtual Truck Driving Championships.
The event will begin on July 31 with state-level trivia contests based on the Facts for Drivers study tool, federal and state laws, state trucking history and culture. That leads into the national competition that takes place on Aug. 14 with the National Battle of the States.
For drivers to qualify, they must be accident-free regardless of fault and be continuously employed by the same carrier since Aug. 23, 2020. The driver must then compete in the state his or her CDL was issued in, or in the state in which his or her company is corporate domicile. Drivers should then register for the state trucking association’s competition first, and only the champions of the State Trucking Associations Virtual Competition can compete in the national competition.
