Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/538378
14 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | JULY 2015 JOURNAL NEWS T he Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last month renewed the exemption for livestock haulers from the hours-of-service rule's 30-minute break provision. The exemption has been renewed for two years through June 12, 2017. The Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference of the American Trucking Associations requested that the exemption be renewed to enable drivers to safe- guard livestock during long-haul deliveries without having to take a rest break. The National Pork Producers Council said complying with the break provisions could place the health of animals being hauled at risk, especially in hot conditions. – Matt Cole T he Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration denied an exemption appli- cation from the International Window Film Association to allow the use of window glazing to the driver's immediate right and left that does not meet the light transmission requirements specified in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. FMCSA rules forbid truck windshields and windows to the truck operator's left and right to be tinted to a point that restricts light transmission to less than 70 per- cent of normal. IWFA said in its application that allowing windows to reduce the amount of light entering a truck could improve driver comfort by reducing the amount of heat entering the cab and could reduce eye strain. It also could lower the amount of energy used to help cool truck cabs, the association said. – Matt Cole t 1SFTJEFOU0CBNB in late May signed the two-month highway funding patch passed days earlier by Congress, securing solvency for the U.S. Highway Trust Fund until July 31. This was the 33rd stopgap surface transportation measure in a decade despite introduction of several long-term bills. Lawmakers have not approved a long-term funding bill since 2005, followed by a two-year bill in 2012. t FedEx Ground agreed to pay $228 mil- lion to settle a lawsuit brought by truck operators claiming the company misclassi- fied them as independent contractors and not company employees, thereby deny- ing them certain state-required benefits. FedEx said the settlement resolves claims dating back to 2000 that concern a model FedEx Ground no longer operates. t Actor 5SBDZ .PSHBO and 8BMNBSU settled the civil suit brought by Morgan last year that blamed the private carrier's lack of compliance with federal trucking regulations as the cause in the June 2014 New Jersey Turnpike crash that left one dead and several others severely injured, including Morgan. The terms of the settle- ment were not disclosed. t "TQFFEMJNJUFSNBOEBUFQSPQPTBM for trucks weighing more than 27,000 pounds was sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget. The proposed governed speed will not be made public until the proposed joint rulemaking by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is published in the Federal Register, set for Aug. 27. t "TBGFUZTDPSJOHTZTUFNQSPQPTBM for carriers that will yield an absolute score in the federal Compliance Safety Accountability program, rather than per- centile rankings, is set for publication in the Federal Register Sept. 9. INBRIEF 7/15 Hours exemption for livestock haulers extended Window tint group's exemption request denied The exemption extension was requested so that drivers can safeguard livestock during long-haul deliveries without having to take a rest break. T he Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration granted an exemption to C.R. England (CCJ Top 250, No. 17) from federal rules that require a commercial learner's permit holder who has passed a commercial driver's license skills test to be accompanied by a CDL holder in the vehicle's front seat. The Salt Lake City-based refrigerated carrier applied for the exemption last December, citing it as a way to mitigate the effects of trucking's driver shortage by getting new entrant drivers into the industry more easily. The exemption, good for two years, will enable C.R. England's learner's permit holders to drive in team opera- tions with a driver-trainer. Though a fully licensed driver will be in the vehicle, he or she won't be required to sit in the front seat, as federal law requires. C.R. England said that states routinely issue temporary CDLs to drivers who have passed skills tests and that the exemption would allow it to run a team operation productively until the learner's permit holder can obtain a temporary CDL. – Matt Cole C.R. England granted exemption from commercial learner's permit regulation