Self-driving vehicles may feel like something that will only be available in the distant future, but autonomous technology is already having an impact on the transportation industry. Many motor carriers are promoting new equipment to attract tech-savvy drivers, and advanced safety sensors are helping decrease accidents on the road.

Over 30 automakers and technology companies are working to make trucks fully autonomous, and many states have already passed self-driving legislation that allows for testing on public roads. But, even though this technology offers motor carriers a way to increase efficiency and improve safety, there are a number of topics your business needs to consider before adopting self-driving trucks.

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s (CVSA) annual International Roadcheck will run June 5-7, 2018.

During the International Roadcheck, inspectors will conduct the North American Standard Level I Inspection, a 37-step procedure that includes an examination of both driver operating requirements and vehicle mechanical fitness. This year’s blitz will place a special emphasis on hours-of-service compliance.

Over the 72-hour blitz period, commercial motor vehicle inspectors in jurisdictions throughout North America will inspect commercial motor vehicles and drivers. Drivers are required to provide their driver’s license, hours-of-service documentation, motor carrier registration and shipping documentation. As mentioned above, this year’s roadcheck will focus heavily on hours-of-service compliance.

2018 will prove to be one of the most challenging years for the trucking industry. Although the challenges faced are not new, the convergence of so many challenges at the same time is unprecedented. Among the top issues facing the trucking industry are:

• Driver Shortage
• Capacity
• Insurance
• Cost/Availability of Equipment
• Regulatory issues

As of April 1, 2018, violations of the ELD mandate now come with a cost. There are a lot of nuances to this regulation, so we put together this very lengthy guide as a checklist to verify that your operation is compliant. 

Approved Devices

Is the ELD listed on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's registered ELDs list?

The full list is accessible through the Agency's Web site, www.fmcsa.dot.gov/devices.

Former state patrol sergeant Mark Abrahamson shares 6 trucking regulations that are often overlooked or misinterpreted by trucking companies.

OSHA recently released its 10 most frequently cited violations in 2017.

1. Fall protection: 6,072 citations—Falls from ladders and roofs still account for the majority of injuries at work, and the first step in eliminating or reducing falls is to identify all hazards and decide how to best protect employees.
2. Hazard communication: 4,176 citations—This standard governs hazard communication to employees about chemicals that are both produced or imported into the workplace. Most violations concern the failure to develop a written hazard training program or failure to provide a Safety Data Sheet for all workplace chemicals.

Getting a big increase in your insurance rates is incredibly frustrating - especially if you've been performing well. And although there are ways to mitigate this effect by choosing a performance-driven financing option or investing more into your safety culture, we set out to figure out exactly what is causing this increase in truck insurance rates.

This is what we found:

TRUCKS ARE GETTING IN MORE ACCIDENTS

In spite of the newest technologies and our best efforts, trucks are getting in 59% more accidents per mile than they were in 2010. Injuries from truck accidents are up 48% per mile driven, and fatalities are up 12%. 

These are thoughts that are on the minds of trucking company owners and executives. With the current driver shortage, it is very tempting to compromise on your companies driving standards (or even change them) in order to get warm bodies in the cabs and trucks on the road.  But what are the potential costs of this?

It's difficult to get employees to change their behaviors.  We hear this from leaders all the time:

"My people just don't get it. We do trainings and have all these safety initiatives, but our people just don't change." 

It's hard. So we're going to share our secret on how we work with clients to make dramatic turnarounds in performance.

3 Requirements to Shift Culture

Access the full training here.

Who does this impact?

Establishments with 250 or more employees and establishments with 20-249 employees that are classified in certain industries with historically high rates of occupational injuries and illnesses will be required to submit the information off of the company’s 300A forms.