Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, June 9, 2020:
Two drivers named Citizen Driver Award winners
Truck drivers Herschel Evans and Jerry Seaman were named on Tuesday the latest winners of the TA-Petro Citizen Driver Award. The winners were announced on the Dave Nemo Radio Show on the Road Dog Trucking channel on SiriusXM.
Herschel EvansEvans, of Bremen, Georgia, drives for Holland, Inc. He has been driving trucks for 32 years and has compiled 3.1 million accident-free miles. He has previously received the 2018 Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance International Driver Excellence Award and was an America’s Road Team Captain in 2013.
Off the road, Evans helped start and has been heavily involved in Convoy of Care, which started in 2016. The organization started as an effort to help victims of severe flooding in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in hauling supplies to the area. Evans said the group has now made seven trips to different places, including Houston following Hurricane Harvey and more.
Evans has chose the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s Safety Drive for a Cure as his charity to receive the $2,500 donation. The Petro in Atlanta, Georgia, will soon be dedicated in his name.
Jerry SeamanSeaman, based in Huron, South Dakota, has a 48-year driving career and currently drivers for Huron-based NTA Trucking. He has logged more than 5 million accident-free miles during his career.
In 2010, Seaman was chosen as the National Association of Small Trucking Companies (NASTC) Driver of the Year and as a member of their 2010 America’s Safe Driver Team.
He is heavily involved in his church, serving as a Sunday school teacher, Sunday school director, worship leader and music director. He also works with the Special Olympics and has been involved with the South Dakota Convoy for Special Olympics since its inception in 2002.
Seaman chose the St. Christopher Trucker’s Relief Fund as his charity to receive the $2,500 donation from TA. The Vermillion, South Dakota, TA Express will soon be dedicated in his name.
FMCSA issues drug testing waiver for carriers rehiring drivers
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has issued a temporary waiver that allows fleets to forgo pre-employment drug testing for when hiring or rehiring drivers who were not working due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
FMCSA said that as fleets begin to recall drivers who were furloughed, laid off or otherwise not working for more than 90 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the costs of screening those drivers would be detrimental to employers. The waiver is meant to “provide relief from the administrative burdens and costs associated with administering the tests and allow them to return drivers to the workforce in a more efficient manner,” the agency noted.
The waiver allows fleets to bypass pre-employment testing for drivers who have participated in a controlled substances testing program that meets the requirements of 49 CFR part 382 within the previous 90 days of hire or rehire. Current regulations limit that time period to 30 days.
The waiver is effective from June 5 through Sept. 30. The full waiver can be seen here.
“This problem is further compounded by the reduced availability of controlled substances testing resources due to continued facility closures or other testing impediments caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency,” FMCSA added.
Schneider introduces new marketplace for shippers
While the company continues to market power-only contracting opportunities for independent carriers, Schneider National has also announced a new “FreightPower” marketplace for shippers to connect with those many carriers and utilize the company’s 35,000-trailer-deep pool. The marketplace provides on-demand, box-on-site storage and transportation for truckload and/or LTL freight, the company says. Erin Van Zeeland, group senior vice president of Schneider Logistics Services, noted Schneider has relationships inked with “more than 34,000 carriers,” which they view as ideal for routine as well as surge capacity.
Rolling Strong now selling PPE for truckers
Rolling Strong, a provider of health and wellness programs for truck drivers, is now offering personal protective equipment (PPE) for drivers and fleets in its online store.
The store includes bottles of hand sanitizer, alcohol wipes, a disposable thermometer, masks and gloves.
“Statistically, professional drivers have higher rates of diabetes, heart disease and obesity, they have challenges getting the proper amount of rest, exercise and nutrition, and they travel far more miles than anyone else,” said Stephen Kane, president of Rolling Strong. “All of that can make it more difficult to battle the coronavirus, so offering personal protective equipment at reasonable prices is an important part of helping make the safety of professional drivers a top priority during this outbreak.”
