Every new truck driver who enters the industry must first earn their CDL, ensuring that they can safely perform their job. A good driver can do a lot to impact their own safety, but regardless of how experienced and cautious a driver is, there are many factors that are entirely outside of their control. Fleet owners, executives, dispatchers, recruiters, and many others in the industry play an important role in determining how safe a driver may be, but they have no entrance exam. The FMCSA is considering implementing a policy that would require many non-driver industry professionals to prove their competence before allowing them to work.
Currently, the FMCSA is seeking input on topics such as what sorts of questions should be asked and who should be required to take the exam. They are holding an all-day public listening session in Nashville, TN on January 13th and are also streaming the session online.
The FMCSA is welcoming comments from the public without the need to register ahead of time, but asks that comments be limited to five minutes per person.
Supplied below is a list of the questions that should be considered while preparing comments:
- Should the exam be limited to the applicable FMCSA regulations or include both the regulations and industry best practices?
- If the exam covers industry best practices, what specific best practices should be included on the exam?
- What industry best practices manuals/publications are available for new entrants to study prior to taking a proficiency exam?
- Are private-sector training courses available to teach new entrants industry best practices?
- Should FMCSA limit the exam to company officers or employees responsible for safety and compliance, or should the agency allow safety consultants to complete the exam on behalf of the new entrant? Should the test results be linked to specific individuals identified on the registration application with a requirement that the new entrant entity have a “certified” individual who passed the exam in a position responsible for safety and compliance? And should the new entrant be required to update their registration information whenever these individuals are replaced/reassigned during the new entrant monitoring/oversight period?
- Given that MAP-21 requires freight forwarders and brokers to renew their registration authority every five years, should the new entrant testing rule require a new test (i.e., recertification test) to accompany the freight forwarder or broker renewal application?
- Should the FMCSA develop and deliver the test directly to the new entrant applicants, or should the agency rely on a private sector entity to handle the testing, with the results being transmitted directly to FMCSA?
- Do private sector companies or organizations currently conduct testing concerning industry best practices?
- Should the testing be conducted at testing centers, or should FMCSA allow online testing?
Next Story: Cons Get CDL As Part Of Prison Program
Source: fleetowner
As a driver the dispatcher probably has the biggest impact on me. The rest of that stuff seems obscure.
I think it should be required for FM, DM to take and pass a safety class. So they know what we go through and what were responsible for, the safety of the public ourselves and the fright.
With all the bull crap the FMCSA has done over the past year is this just another scam for more regulations and more money or is it actually something they want to do to help us out? Is It really going to change anything? Probably not so the idiots have to take a test, does that mean they’re going to change and quit pushing nope. I have a feeling its just like every other thing the FMCSA does its for revenue not safety.
your right , it is all about the money- how many of the FMCSA butt heads hold a CDL and how many of them are willing to take the test in order for them to keep there jobs, I believe that any new laws they come up with they themselves should have to comply with them, give them all the CDL written exam and if they don’t pass then they are without a job , just like us. also I thing the trucking industry should come up with a test that they have to take to so they are qualified to make the rules that affect our livelihood. what a thought…..
Just what we need… More regulations. Although I do agree that some of these nitwits in charge should be tested to see how competent they are. Adding more regulations is the wrong way to go about it. Let the private sector decide who is capable enough to run their outfit …or run it into the ground.
I agree with everyone else just a way to make more income for the state, however I do agree with a common sense and basic test such as a logs, trip plan and so on.
I agree with testing and certification of some sort. I worked hard to get where I am! I have been studying for several months and am awaiting certification as a Certified Director of Safety (CDS) in March. This requirement would give proffesionals, management, and anyone else responsible in any aspect of running a safe trucking company in the industry the ability to communicate on the same level with each other. It’s hard to carry on a conversation or relay the importance of a safety program with people who don’t at least have a basic grasp of the system!
Say Mr. Davis. Does that ‘professional’ include drivers? I ask, because the Owner, Safety manager and one dispatcher at my previous employer have never driven, and that definitely affected me running safely. If you don’t understand HOS and logbooks, how can you dispatch me. FLSA(Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938) classifies drivers as ‘unskilled labor’.
If I and other drivers demand replacement by writing up the DVIR with pictures to prove bald tires, and the safety manager refuses, quoting that the company won’t even take new tires off the trade in dead-lined tractors, because of bottom line profit to the dealer, and we are driving in snow with broken chains, broken fifth wheels, leaking wind shields, etc., and nothing is done, how does that make management professionals? They haven’t driven and don’t know the bottom line requirements of their jobs regardless of how much wall paper they have!
I get the impression you have been a driver and so encourage you to keep up the training.
It’s a sad day in America when you have to talk to a computer about safety before you can talk to a human.
Everyone in the industry has a different opinion.I can only tell you my experiences as an 5yr otr 48 state truck driver,who has an impeccable safety record.I have been called “to safe” by one trucking company.Ive been yelled at by a CSR rep who had 18 yrs driving experience because I wouldn’t drive with chains to deliver.The bottom line for me is this-If I feel its unsafe,whether its due to dense fog with 1/4 mile visibility,or a high 55mph wind,or ice/blk ice.etc etc etc….I am not only paid to delivery a load,Im also paid to make the decisions on whether or not it is safe or unsafe for me to drive.I have nothing to prove by driving in these conditions,and Im smart enough to know,that when you do,and you deliver your load and you think you look good to the company-you don’t.They really don’t care.Yes the load got there-yippie,but the concern wasn’t for you,it was for the load only.Ive learned that you-all of you drivers are expendable.You can be replaced,so can the equipment.Its all insured.Its not the truck diving companies we need to educate and change,its the customers and the demand they put on all of us during unsafe conditions.We as a people need to change the way we operate.Start shopping for Christmas in july,instead of waiting for the last minute sales and getting disappointed when the load didn’t make it on time due to conditions.DOH!Care MORE about the driver.The one behind the wheel.We don’t see family or doctors because we don’t have the time.We should have the time and make a living doing it.Where the is a problem,there is ALWAYS a solution.FIND IT!!!!
If they could read and add, that would be a BIG help. You know half wont pass the tests…
As a driver myself when I was OTR, ( drive locally now due to the stupid 34 hr restart change in june) My biggest problem with being dispatched was not my TM or DM as both were drivers themselves. No, the trouble comes from the planners who know nothing of the industry except that a load needs to be shipped. I was always on the phone mostly with my safety officer over the times I was sent after loads and the actual time I had left on my electronic log which resulted in a repower 20 percent of the time. The planning department is what lacks the actual knowledge of the trucking industry and is the ones the most in need of training. Just my two cents here. You guys and gals out there be careful especially in the areas with lots of ice and snow.
AS a newbie to the truck, but having worked for a decade as part of the management team of a major mechanical contractor, there is a serious lack of consideration for the HOS and equipment maintenance. This is mostly due a lack of understanding, or ignorance (used in the literal meaning not as an insult). If the government truly wants to solve the issue, the solution is to expand the liability of the infractions beyond just the driver. for example, pick an arbitrary company size, for dissuasion 10 trucks. Under 10 make the company (DOT#) owner , assign a individual to be licensed fleet manager. over 10 require both the dispatchers and fleet manager to be licensed. When fines are issued for HOS violations, Hazmat cargo violations, fine the driver, AND the dispatcher , fleet manager and Company the same fine, unless they can prove the driver falsified the HOS record. Once the drivers dispatcher, in large operations their supervisors, and the company itself are on the hook for money, suddenly every one will care. As in many other industries the sales and marketing departments will have funds and discretion to educate the customers. For comparison the EPA fines the HVAC service person, the company, and under certain circumstances even the customer. Once that started in 2002, a lot of the pressure to cheat the rules on leakage and recharging , vanished.
Think of this way, if you want the rules enforced, take the burden off the bottom end, and move it up the authority chain.
I agree. Once the office folk feel the pressure on their wallets, there will be real change and concern and less use of the off-the-record “I don’t care about XYZ violations, JUST DO IT!!!” argument on safety. With all the electronic logs, routing, in-truck messaging and whatnot, there isn’t a lot that a dispatcher can’t know about. I get messages if I’m still logged in and out of hours. They can tell me exactly how many hours I have when I know I’m short. They know. Therefore they are complicit in the violations. I’m not a fan of government regulation, but when those regulations are unjustly punishing one bunch while ignoring the responsibility of another bunch for the same issues, something has to be done.
I think they need to go further. ANYONE that is in the “food chain” for the driver needs to 1) Obtain a CDL 2) Drive for AT LEAST 3 years 3) Be required to spend 6 weeks each year back in the truck 4) Hold a CURRENT DOT Medical card 5) Be a Certified manager under a transportation certification program and re-certify EACH year (like we do) 6) Be subject to citations, fines, and inspections related to their management position AND they have a scoring system like CSA. When their score hits a certain threshold in an area they’re disqualified and can’t hold their job. If they fail to meet any of the requirements they’re also disqualified.
Right now its ONLY the drivers that are placed under the microscope and have all sorts of hoops to jump through. We have an upper level manager that heads a flatbed division of 1300+ drivers. Shes bright, but the ONLY driving qualification is that her husband is a local produce driver and she has ridden with him a few times. IF you don’t understand the business and what it takes to do the job, how can you effectively manage?
Many times the company will be looking for a new driver manager or load planner/finder. Instead of looking at possible candidates from the fleet they’ll advertise in the paper “NO Experience Required, We’ll Train.” Their training for our portion of the job consist of sending them out for half a day with the local driver so they can “understand” what our job is like.
I think FMCSA is heading down the right path – Its NOT just the drivers out here doing things on their own. Someone is directing their activities. Many times I’ve seen a driver pushed into doing something illegal or very questionable and dangerous. When they get caught everyone walks away and says “We never said that!” or “He should know better, here’s his signed training form validating he did.”
FMCSA needs to expand the scope to include the customer’s Shipping and Receiving employees and their managers. Many times its the companies pushing the trucking companies to get things done. It’s the drivers that have to hurry up and wait, making up for lost time because of poor business practices.
Those of us who refuse to participate are retaliated against – shitty loads, no loads, missed home time, crappy equipment, bad reviews, etc.
Let the management share in the “joy” of our job.
Perhaps FMCSA is finally heading in the right direction. All they have to do now, is INCLUDE THEMSELVES. All “desk jockeys” are more than “just a little out of touch”.
With over 15 years OTR experience, and an A+++++++++++++++ driving record, and delivery record, I have two major complaints about trucking companies! #1, companies that have Safety Directors that do not even know how to spell the word “SAFETY”, much less know the meaning of “SAFETY”! And really could care less! Like a “Safety Director”, that tells a driver, that it is perfectly legal to pull a Haz-Mat, load that has placards with a different UN#, than what is on the Bill of Lading. Companies that transport a lot of hazardous materials, but somehow get away with not properly training their drivers to safely transport Haz-Mat, as is required by the Federal DOT!
#2, companies that advertise for TRUCK DRIVERS, but then expect that driver to be a LUMPER!! Lumpers, are a dime a dozen! Good, Safe, Dependable Drivers are hard to find! Most
companies would rather hire steering wheel holders, that will also unload their cargo! Seems to me, if what they want are lumpers, then they should have to advertise for lumpers! I didn’t pay all that money, spend all that time in driving school, and spend all those years away from my
family, to be a LUMPER!!!!!!