The long awaited Hours of Service changes have been announced. FMCSA has published the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. We're devoting this issue to analyzing the changes and some of the possible effects. The bottom line is that work hours have been cut and some of the scheduling flexibility of the current regulations are now gone.... Read More

CSA 2010 is out and Compliance * Safety * Accountability, or CSA, is in. And this just in, it appears truckers have feelings, too! The word Deficient has now been replaced with the much less harsh "Alert". They have also changed the alert color to Orange instead of Red. Can you believe this stuff, instead of looking into the continued accuracy of the data, the FMCSA just wants to soft sell the bad news. I think FMCSA Administrator Ann Ferro is more concerned with hurting a carrier's feelings than with the effectiveness of her own program. Ok, now that I got that out of my system, I want to go over some of the changes that took place since August 16th.... Read More

Part Two - Lessons 7 through 12

Lesson 7

“Keep looking below surface appearances. Don't shrink from doing so (just) because you might not like what you find.”

“If it ain't broke, don't fix it,” is the slogan of the complacent, the arrogant or the scared. It's an excuse for inaction, a call to non-arms. It's a mind-set that assumes (or hopes) that today's realities will continue tomorrow in a tidy, linear and predictable fashion. Pure fantasy. In this sort of culture, you won't find people who pro-actively take steps to solve problems as they emerge. Here's a little tip: don't invest in these companies.... Read More

Our industry runs on miles. Drivers are primarily paid by the mile, the rates we charge shippers are based at least in part on miles, and we pay some of our taxes based on miles. Yes, there are other financial metrics that are analyzed, but controlling the cost to operate per mile is the main goal of most trucking companies. Mileage is a common denominator that is not only familiar to us, it represents the pulse of our industry.... Read More

There are many different driving styles. There's the careful, defensive driver who looks ahead, analyzes the situation and plans a course designed to take them through heavy traffic unscathed. On the other extreme, there's the driver whose only thought is reaching his or her destination as fast as possible. Traffic is viewed as a hindrance, congestion as a challenge and speed limits become mere advisaries.... Read More

For my first blog entry I'd like to share with you a recent article I wrote on how using behavioral assessments can assist carriers in preparing for CSA 2010 by helping them select drivers who are statistically less likely engage in unsafe behavior.

Take a good look... this graph can prepare you for
Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010
CSA 2010... Read More

He's Not My Employee! Or Is He? Engaging an independent contractor instead of hiring an employee can save costs, if done right. It can also multiply costs if done wrong.

Misclassifying an employee as an independent contractor can cause a host of liability issues -back overtime pay, federal and state taxes, FICA contributions, penalties from the IRS, and exposure for workers' compensation, unemployment, and federal discrimination claims.... Read More

New Federal Regulatory Guidance on "Principal Place of Business"

On July 29, 2009, the FMCSA released a Notice of regulatory guidance relating to which locations may be designated as a "Principal Place of Business" by a Federal motor carrier. This new guidance went into effect on August 12, 2009. The notice is intended to answer questions related to 49 CFR 390.5, which defines a principal place of business as "the single location designated by the motor carrier, normally its headquarters...at which the motor carrier must make records required by [FMSC regulations] available for inspection." The current definition of "principal place of business" was adopted in 1998 in order to allow motor carriers with multiple terminals and business locations to maintain records, such as driver records of duty status or vehicle maintenance records, at a location where activity related to the records took place rather than at a company's headquarters. However, the FMCSA has still anticipated that in most cases, the "principal place of business" would be the same as a carrier's headquarters. ... Read More

In an effort to lessen the "tax gap" (the difference between the amount of income reported by taxpayers and the amount the IRS believes is due) the IRS has increased the amount of random employment tax audits. What does this mean for your business and what will the IRS be focusing on?... Read More

"To put it plainly, distracted driving is a menace to society. Distracted driving is an epidemic and it seems to be getting worse every year," Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation.

Until recently, collisions were simply a cost of doing business and it was anyone's guess as to what was occurring behind the wheel. For instance:... Read More