Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/846064
14 commercial carrier journal | july 2017 JOURNAL NEWS • Uber's autonomous truck unit in San Francisco is under inspection by the state's Department of Motor Vehicles and California Highway Patrol over concerns that the company's Otto subsidiary may have broken the law by testing autonomous trucks on public highways. Trucks weighing more than 10,000 pounds cannot operate autonomously on public roads in California. • More than 850 trucks and trailers previously owned by Aurora, Colo.- based Graebel Van Lines (CCJ Top 250, No. 148), which shut down its operations in March, will be auctioned off at Ritchie Bros. unreserved public auctions this year without minimum bids. To view the Graebel inventory and auction dates and locations, go to RBAuction.com. • Covenant Transportation Group, parent company of Southern Refrigerated Transport, promoted Billy Cartright to chief operating officer and executive vice president at SRT, where he will lead the Chattanooga, Tenn.-based refrigerated hauler's man- agement team. Cartright previously served as SRT's senior vice president of administration. • The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance's 2017 Out-Of-Service Criteria Handbook contains new footnotes related to out-of-service con- ditions for compliance, or lack thereof, with the federalelectronic logging device mandate. Drivers not exempted from ELD use must be using the devices by Dec. 18. The updated cri- teria relate directly tohours-of-service regulationsand the out-of-service crite- ria pertaining to them, such ashaving no logbook, having no previous seven days of logs and presenting a false log. • The California Department of Motor Vehicles instituted new requirements to hinder illegal immigrants from obtaining a commercial driver's license. All new and existing CDL applicants and renewals must provide proof of California residency, along with proof of U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent residency or legal presence. The California DMV said it reduced the list of acceptable documents to align with federal requirements. INBRIEF 7/17 Driver training rule beats regulatory freeze A January-issued memo from President Trump directing federal agencies to reassess certain regulations further delayed the effective date of a rule establishing minimum training standards for new truck drivers before the rule went into effect last month – four months later than originally scheduled. In a notice published May 23, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration had delayed the rule's effective date to June 5 — the third such delay this year and a four-month departure from the rule's initial effective date, Feb. 6. The rule's compli- ance date of Feb. 7, 2020, does not appear to be affected by the delays, which were "necessary to provide the opportunity for further review and consideration of this new regulation," the agency explained in the May 23 Federal Register notice. The Minimum Training Requirements for Entry-Level Commercial Vehicle Operators rule sets a minimum classroom curriculum required to be taught to commercial driver's license seekers. It also stipulates that pre-CDL drivers become proficient at behind-the-wheel operation, as judged by an FMCSA-approved trainer, before being allowed to receive a CDL. It also establishes a registry of FMCSA- approved trainers from which CDL applicants must be trained. Though the rule was published Dec. 8, a regulatory freeze issued by Trump the day he took office snagged the rule, as it had not taken effect. FMCSA announced a 60-day delay in the rule's effective date, to March 21, and then another delay, to May 22, prior to last month's delay announcement to June 5. – CCJ Staff The oft-delayed rule sets a minimum classroom curriculum required to be taught to CDL seekers. Texas OKs driverless and unmanned vehicles T he Texas Legislature in late May passed a bill to establish a basic regulatory framework for autonomous vehicle operation in the state, includ- ing allowing vehicles without humans present in the vehicle to operate on the state's roadways. The Texas House passed SB 2205 on May 21, a few weeks after the state's Senate approved the legislation, sending the bill to Texas Gov. Rob Abbott's desk to sign into law effective Sept. 1. The five-page bill prohibits the state's Department of Transportation or any localities from requiring a franchise, such as a special license or permit, to operate an autonomous vehicle in the state. The legislation also states that vehicles capable of operating without driver input, including the ability to follow traffic laws, may do so "regardless of whether the person is physically present. The automated driving system is considered to be licensed to operate the vehicle." The bill also establishes a protocol for crashes involving automated vehicles, stat- ing they're responsible with complying with laws already on the books regarding crash protocol. The autonomous vehicle actions drew nearly unanimous support from Texas lawmakers, with the bill passing the Senate 31-0 and clearing the House 137-1. – James Jaillet Texas is one of the rst states to establish a regulatory frame- work for autonomous vehicles.