Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/566087
34 | Overdrive | September 2015 THE NEW TOP HOURS ENFORCER Vehicle Safety Alliance Level 1 inspec- tions. With hiring initiatives under way, Thompson says, expect full staffing within a few years. In spite of manpower issues, Thomp- son says, more recently the state has boosted the number of inspections it's performing, particularly in the last nine months. And with in-vehicle laptops and other screening tools at its 11 weigh stations (eight of them open around the clock), and with carrier data, the depart- ment's better able to target the trucks it believes are apt to be in violation. Thompson says the turn to hours in the state's violation statistics in 2013 and, more pronounced, this past year may be a result of a renewed focus on retraining concurrent with his promo- tion to his current position. "The transport industry is one of the most heavily regulated in the world," he says. "The regulations change and, let's face it, you've got to have continual training – if you don't, your comfort zone shrinks. If you're not comfortable with the hours regulations, you're less apt to enforce them." The hours regulations themselves have changed, of course, in both 2013 and at the end of last year, with the congressionally mandated suspension of the once-per-week use of the restart and the requirement to include two 1-5 a.m. periods in the 34-hour period. Arkansas made it a priority to be certain its 70 mobile patrol officers and 44 weigh station personnel, the latter of whom con- ducted the majority (69 percent) of inspections in 2014, clearly under- stood the changes. When it comes to hours, the Arkansas Highway Police clearly has found its comfort zone. In 2014, mandated 30-minute-break- related violations accounted for 6.1 per- cent of all written violations in Arkan- sas, a full 20 percent-plus of all hours violations. Similar levels were evident in 2013 when the break requirement initially was instituted. The break is proving to be easy pick- ings for enforcement in Arkansas. Make sure it's been logged straight when crossing into the state. Hours violations as a percentage of all violations 15.3% 2011 2012 2013 2014 Arkansas National average 15.8% 21.7% 9% 8.3% 9.3% 10% 29% Category Maintenance Lights Brakes Tires Moving violations Hours of service Percentage of all violations 54.7% 15.3% 12.6% 4.6% 5.3% 29% National rank of percentage 42 29 29 26 26 1 PERCENTAGE OF CLEAN INSPECTIONS: 26.4%, JUST OUT OF THE TOP 10 TOUGHEST STATES AT NO. 12 NATIONALLY NATIONAL AVERAGE: 40% VIOLATION PROFILE INSPECTIONS PER LANE-MILE: 3 NATIONAL RANK: 37 While truckers hauling the highways of Arkansas are relatively unlikely to receive an inspection, those who do can expect an uncommon focus on hours of service. Arkansas continued a move begun in 2013 toward a more heavily hours-fo- cused approach to pass perennial hours heavy- hand Oregon at the top spot on the list of states toughest on hours. North Dakota and Wyoming also moved ahead of Oregon. In 2014, Arkansas was far and away the state most heavily focused on hours enforcement. Source: Unless otherwise noted, all numbers based on 2014 federal data analyzed by RigDig Business Intelligence (rigdig.com/bi). Rank- ings exclude Hawaii, Alaska and the District of Columbia. TOUGHEST STATES FOR HOURS VIOLATIONS IN 2014 Arkansas 29% 2 6.1% North Dakota 24.4% 6 7.5% Wyoming 24.3% 1 3.1% Oregon 23.1% 3 4% Kansas 22.6% 7 7.2% Indiana 18.7% 7 3.8% Iowa 18.2% 3.4% South Dakota 17.8% 1 2.5% Georgia 17.7% 5 3.8% Arizona 17% 4 3.1% Source: RigDig Business Intelligence (rigdig.com/bi, 866-237-7788) data for calendar years 2014 and 2013. Lists exclude Alaska, Hawaii and the District of Columbia. Oregon was the 2013 leader on this list, and its percentage of issued hour infractions fell by only a point. Others rose to a much larger degree. Note the high percentages of 30-minute-break violations in states that moved up the list significantly in 2014, notably Kansas, North Dakota and Arkansas. The first column of numbers shows hours violations as a share of all violations. Up or down arrows and numbers indicate movement of the state's hours of service violation percentage rank up or down on the list compared to year 2013. The column of numbers at far right shows 30-minute-break violations as a share of all violations.