Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/550385
20 | Overdrive | August 2015 Logbook The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance announced that its annu- al Brake Safety Week inspection spree will be held Sept. 6-12. The check is part of the weeklong Oper- ation Airbrake program sponsored by CVSA and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. CVSA said inspectors will look at brake system components to identify loose or missing parts; air or hydrau- lic fluid leaks; worn linings, pads, drums or rotors; and other faulty brake system components. Antilock braking system malfunc- tion indicator lamps also will be checked, and inspectors will measure pushrod stroke where applicable. De- fective or out-of-adjustment brakes will result in the vehicle being placed out of service. CVSA held an unannounced brake check blitz May 6. – James Jaillet and Matt Cole Brake inspection blitz coming in September A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate last month would require employers to pay truck operators for all hours worked and double the minimum amount of liability insurance re- quired to be held by motor carriers. The Truck Safety Act, introduced July 10 by U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and referred to committee, would mandate that carriers com- pensate drivers for all time worked and not just mileage-based pay. A similar provision has been proposed by the Obama administration and included in each of the White House's highway bill proposals the last two years. Booker's bill also would require motor carriers to hold $1.5 million in liability insurance and tie the minimum to inflation. The current minimum is $750,000. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last year began work on a rule to increase the current liability minimum, though little progress has been made. The American Trucking Associations and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association contend that an increase is unnecessary, arguing the current minimum covers more than 99 percent of crashes already. Some work also has been done in Congress to block such an increase. The House's current U.S. Depart- ment of Transportation funding bill for the 2016 fiscal year includes a provision to bar FMCSA from increasing the minimum. The bill passed the House in May. – James Jaillet The Brake Safety Week check fol- lows a one-day inspection in May. Bill would require pay for all time worked BRYAN NAPIER, a dispatcher for trucking companies operating out of Catts Auto Sales of Chavies, Ky., pleaded guilty June 24 to conspiracy to commit wire fraud after a U.S. Department of Trans- portation investigation found he had conspired with others to defraud shipping brokers. MASSACHUSETTS SAME- DAY delivery companies can use independent con- tractors, following a federal court decision in favor of the Massachusetts Delivery Association and the U.S. Customized Logistics and Delivery Association. KENTUCKY-BASED driver Benjamin Scott Brewer was placed out of service following his involvement in a nine-vehicle, six-fatal- ity crash on June 25 along Interstate 75 in Chatta- nooga, Tenn. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said Brewer had falsified his logs in the days leading up to the crash. In May, Brewer test- ed positive for controlled substances, FMCSA said. Todd Dills