Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/675322
16 | Overdrive | May 2016 LOGBOOK The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration last month revealed some detail about where it proposes to go with the so-called "Beyond Compliance" system required by the FAST Act highway bill. The agency hinted its Com- pliance, Safety, Accountability system could see a new category as a means to satisfy Congress' wishes for a carrier voluntary safety incentive program. The FAST Act required the agency to take one of two routes toward establishing the system to provide credit to motor carriers going above and beyond baseline compliance. One is to credit those eff orts in CSA's existing Safety Measurement System, while the other is to create a new category to stand alongside the seven current Behavioral Analysis and Safety Im- provement Categories. The Federal Register notice, published last month and requesting further comments, noted that the agency is leaning toward adding an eighth BASIC. The new voluntary SMS category would require carriers to apply to be a part of it, FMCSA Associate Administrator for Enforcement Bill Quade told attendees of last month's Beyond Compliance listening session at the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance Workshop in Chicago. "The new BASIC will be two- tiered," he said. "One tier would be 'deployed' " and would be dis- played as such in the public SMS. It would show that a carrier has put a safety-enhancing technology or program into use. The other tier would display as "improved." The carrier would be credited with improved status when, after six months, there has been a verifi ed improvement in safety metrics. Commenters at the public meet- ing mostly criticized the program and FMCSA's ideas for it, even though details were sparse. – Todd Dills 'Beyond Compliance' could be new CSA category Why do I have to top-off oil in my engine? Most of you probably check your oil level each day or when you fill your fuel tank. Low oil level can lead to faster degradation (oxidation) of the oil, faster consumption of the oil additives and potentially shorter engine life. When discussing the issue of oil consumption, we must keep in mind that there are only two ways oil is consumed in a diesel engine: oil is either burned in the combustion chamber or it leaks through seals or gaskets. There are also a number of factors or conditions that can affect the amount of oil an engine consumes. Some of the factors that affect oil consumption include engine idle time, driving conditions, load, terrain, engine operating temperature, oil volatility, fuel dilution, and miles on the engine. Another important point to remember is that no two engines are alike. You may have noticed that engine oil consumption has been reduced with late model trucks. New oils help control piston deposits which results in better oil consumption control. Newer piston and piston ring designs, along with changes in engine operating conditions, are also factors. Oil formulation can help provide the best oil consumption control. Premium motor oils are formulated to exceed the most current requirements of all North American truck engine manufacturers, as well as those of the American Petroleum Institute. Shell Rotella ® engine oils are formulated with a careful balance of detergent, dispersant, anti-oxidant and anti-wear chemistry designed to maximize engine protection. Adding a gallon of oil every few thousand miles was once common. We now see late model engines that will go an entire drain interval without requiring that any additional oil be added. However, we still recommend you check your oil daily and top-off as required. To further help monitor conditions in your engine, we recommend having an oil analysis program. It is one of the most effective ways to monitor the condition of your engine. A regular oil analysis program helps you build a historic database and watch for trends in a variety of areas. Ideally, you want to analyze a sample of used engine oil after every oil change. By Dan Arcy Shell Lubricants The term "Shell Lubricants" refers to the various Shell Group companies engaged in the lubricants business. This monthly column is brought to you by Shell Lubricants. Got a question? Visit ROTELLA.com, call 1-800-BEST-OIL or write to The ANSWER COLuMN, 1001 Fannin, Ste. 500, Houston, TX 77002. TRAFFIC CONGESTION cost the truck- ing industry $49.6 billion in operating costs in 2014, according to data released by the American Transportation Re- search Institute. ATRI found congestion cost an average of $26,625 per truck per 150,000 miles and caused delays total- ing more than 738 million hours of lost productivity; that equates to 264,500 truck drivers sitting idle for an entire working year. The research revealed that 88 percent of the congestion costs was concentrated on 18 percent of the network mileage, with 95 percent occurring in metropolitan areas. BAR D BAR TRUCKING of Gillette, Wyo., was ordered to cease operations after company owner and operator Gregory Davis was found to be in violation of federal safety regulations, including failing to ensure that vehicles were regularly maintained and failing in various driver-related requirements. PRIME INC. sued the state of New York and Gov. Andrew Cuomo for nearly half a million dollars it paid in two taxes that were ruled unconstitutional this year. The taxes were for a certificate of registra- tion and a highway use tax decal. A class action suit filed in 2013 by the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association also challenged the two levies, and a New York State Supreme Court judge ruled in favor of OOIDA in January.