Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/550385
Logbook 16 | Overdrive | August 2015 A wide-ranging transpor- tation regulatory package, tied in the U.S. Senate to a long-term highway bill, stalled in late July when Congress failed to agree on highway funding. Instead, the House approved a short-term highway funding bill right before beginning its summer recess. The Senate approved it as well, since funding was about to expire for the Highway Trust Fund. The stopgap measures ensures solvency of the fund until the end of October. The Senate-approved bill with the regulatory re- form would remove Com- pliance, Safety, Account- ability carrier percentile rankings from public view. Other provisions in the measure: • Some under-21 com- mercial driver's license holders could operate interstate, if states allow it. • Carriers could use hair tests in lieu of urine tests for drug screening. • An interstate toll pilot program would be amend- ed to allow toll revenue to be used for transportation projects unrelated to the tolled facility. Those regulatory proposals were combined with the DRIVE Act, with the two forming the framework for a long-term highway bill. The DRIVE Act, a six-year $275 billion highway bill, would be the first multiyear bill since 2012's MAP-21. When Congress returns in September, it will face approving the DRIVE Act or another short-term funding patch by the end of October. Another short-term bill would be the fourth since MAP-21's expiration. The Senate bill, in ad- dition to removing public CSA scores, would require the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to perform a comprehensive study of the program and determine whether its scores can predict crash risk accurately. It would remove the scores in CSA's Safety Measurement Sys- tem from public view until a "corrective action plan" has been implemented. It also would direct the agency to develop a plan to reward carriers within CSA if they adopt safety technologies or programs not required by law. The agency also would be di- rected to develop a website dedicated to listing such technologies and also ex- plaining how CSA scores Big regulatory package on hold The expansive transportation regulatory reform proposal calls for the removal of CSA scores from public view. The annual Driver of the Year Contest will award $60,000 in prizes to the nation's best owner-operators and company drivers. The contest is conducted by the Truckload Carriers Association and Overdrive and Truckers News publisher Randall-Reilly, and sponsored by Cummins and Love's Travel Stops. The winning owner-operator and company driver each will receive $25,000. The two runners-up in each division will win $2,500. The awards recognize drivers who have driven safely, enhanced the image of trucking and served their commu- nities. The awards will be presented at TCA's annual meeting, March 6-9, 2016, in Las Vegas. The six finalists will receive an expense-paid trip to the meeting. Overdrive will profile the winning owner-operator. Truckers News will profile the winning company driver. The contest opens to applications Sept. 21 and closes Nov. 6. Online applications and eligibility rules will be available through TruckLoad. org/DriveroftheYear. Best drivers to compete for six cash prizes (Continued on Page 19)