Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/324702
16 | Overdrive | June 2014 Logbook WINTER 2014 0˚F CRITICAL LOAD From 0˚ F to 96˚ F in .16gph 66% reduction in PM emissions 29% reduction in CO Fuel savings of .84 gph on every start* Full equipment readiness in the coldest climates Full equipment readiness in the coldest climates D5 Espar Heaters: They Just Make Sense www.espar.com (800) 387- 4800 * PRE-HEAT IDLE FREE TROUBLE FREE 0˚F 100˚F Field Test Data - Fairbanks, Alaska, February 2013. Hydronic D5 Heater Running Time/Pre-Heat minutes 60 minutes. Tests conducted by AJ Engineering Corp. Engine: Troy, MI. 7.6 L / 466 cu. in. *Based on a $4 gallon. Untitled-41 1 5/27/14 8:29 AM Text INFO to 205-289-3555 or visit www.ovdinfo.com Medical examiner registry rule takes effect The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's requirement for drivers to be medically certified by agency-approved examiners became effective May 21, despite last-minute attempts by trade groups to delay the rule's effective date. Drivers' current medical cards remain valid until the date shown on their certification. Drivers renewing certification or new drivers being certified for the first time must use an examiner in the agency's registry. FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro said May 22 that the agen- cy had 21,700 examiners in the registry. Spokesman Duane Du- Bruyne said the agency was set to approve an additional 4,000. That total – 25,700 – still is about half of what FMCSA hopes to have and the number the agency's rule said it would need to serve the 4.4 million drivers subject to the rule's requirements. The agency announced May 21 that an additional 27,000 examiners had started the process of being added to the registry. The American Trucking Associations and the Owner-Op- erator Independent Drivers Association had requested a delay in the rule until more examiners were added to the agency's rolls. After those requests, the agency cleared about 15,000 additional examiners. "The vast majority of inter- state truck and bus drivers will not need to obtain a medical certificate from a healthcare provider on the [registry] for a significant amount of time, and in many cases, for more than a year," FMCSA wrote in its May 22 letter denying OOIDA's delay request. "Second, the agency believes there are sufficient cer- tified examiners on the National Registry." FMCSA in January delayed a portion of the rule, requiring drivers to continue to carry paper copies of their medical certifi- cation until Jan. 30, 2015. The original date was Jan. 30, 2014. – James Jaillet Logbook_0614.indd 16 6/3/14 10:52 AM