Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Jan. 31, 2022:
Texas-based carrier shut down for numerous safety violations
Houston, Texas-based Adversity Transport, Inc., has been effectively shut down by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration after violating a standing out-of-service order issued for failing to allow an investigation into its safety fitness, the agency said.
According to FMCSA, a subsequent review of the one-truck operation’s roadside safety performance record found Adversity Transport to be “egregiously noncompliant with multiple federal safety regulations.”
These included Driving of CMVs (49 CFR Part 392), Parts and Accessories Necessary for Safe Operation (49 CFR Part 393), drivers’ Hours of Service (49 CFR Part 395), and Vehicle Maintenance and Inspection (49 CFR Part 396). Additionally, FMCSA said two of the carrier’s drivers were found to be driving while prohibited or suspended.
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Attempts to contact Adversity Transport went unanswered Monday morning.
Adversity Transport’s vehicle out-of-service rate is 89%, compared to a national average of 21%, and its driver out-of-service rate is 50%, compared to a national average of 6%.
“Adversity Transport fails to ensure its drivers drive safely and its drivers have received numerous citations for violations such as speeding, texting while driving and being in possession of a controlled substance while driving,” FMCSA said. “Adversity Transport also fails to ensure its vehicles are safe. Roadside inspections revealed pervasive vehicle maintenance problems including unsafe tires, unsafe brakes and cracked frames. Adversity Transport also fails to ensure its drivers comply with the requirements to track their hours of service, designed to prevent fatigued drivers from continuing to drive.”
Failing to comply with the provisions of the federal imminent hazard order could result in civil penalties of up to $28,142 for each violation, the agency added. Adversity Transport may also be assessed civil penalties of not less than $11,256 for providing transportation in interstate commerce without operating authority registration, and up to $15,876 for operating a CMV in interstate commerce without USDOT Number registration.
3,500 Peterbilt tractors recalled for potential issue with side step
Paccar is recalling approximately 3,511 model year 2022 Peterbilt 579 tractors equipped with chassis fairings.
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents, the bolts that hold the chassis fairing step assembly in the closed position may loosen and fracture the latch attachment, causing the fairing assembly to flex. A partially unsecured cab step can unexpectedly move while entering or exiting the cab, increasing the risk for injury, the recall states.
Dealers will add new fasteners and a bracket, for free, to fix the issue. Owners can contact Peterbilt customer service at 1-940-591-4220 with recall number 22PBA. NHTSA’s recall number is 22V-016.
Wider, around-the-truck views new for truck camera system
The Netradyne company, a maker of cab camera systems driven by artificial intelligence and edge computing, introduced its new Driver-iHubX, the latest generation of its Driver-i system. The new system enables customers to add up to four external cameras to their existing installation for a complete 360-degree view around the vehicle. In addition to the new hardware, the company also announced a host of enhancements and new features to its vision-based safety platform.
Driver-iHubX retains the advanced features and functionality of its predecessor, while also offering additional storage to accommodate external camera views, low-power wake-up for accessing external videos in standby mode, and connectivity to vehicle sensors to trigger vehicle recording, the company said. The system is also capable of providing the operator with external camera views through an optional external monitor.
New to the system, also, is what the company is calling "DriverStar Streak," which is intended to help customer fleets recognize drivers for consistently operating within the company’s speeding policy thresholds for posted speeding and fleet-specified threshold speeding.
“Monitoring speeding is one way we can enable our customers to easily identify drivers who drive safely in specific situations as well as over time," said Netradyne President Adam Kahn.
