CSA 2010: How will the Driver Rating System affect you?

Saw a load of those this week on a skateboard, was really hoping they wouldn't fall off!

 

I hear the train off in the distance at my house if I happen to be outside when it passes.

Stupid post, but I figured I might as well get in on the train stuff.

 

You could put some train horns on your truck and confuse people.

 

Wasnt my load, mine has motors built on the wheels and always tarped

 

My understanding is they are going to use the data in the test states to determine what the overall numbers will be for everyone, carriers and the like. I was told by a company that once you get to a certain point (as a carrier) you will get a letter, then you have 30 days to correct the problem. If you do not, they pull your authority for 30 days. If it happens again, you have like 15 or 20 days to correct or something, and if you don't, they pull it for good.

I was also told that not only will all the road side inspections, tickets, out of service, log books, or even warnings of anything will count AGAINST me, but also, the number of previous jobs. I know the job hopper thing has stopped drivers from getting jobs for awhile, but is that now going to count against your profile?

The carrier said YES because it will now look like you are getting "company" warnings, racking up points, and move to the next job to get more points.

I think, based on what they were saying, how they understood it, and what I am hearing here, the companies aren't looking to have a driver stick around long enough to affect them (obviously). So I still don't understand how this will be harder on the carrier. This seems to just result in the carrier being harder on the driver to preserve their "rating". Now we're talking about only the chosen few megacarriers who can afford even higher turnover rates (if higher rates are even possible) surviving. Even if they can't stay afloat, we know our government enjoys taking over private companies and screwing with all the people like a little mean kid with a magnifying glass and ant farm. On it's spare time that is... I mean, banks, auto industry...whats next? Transportation?... pretty soon, everyone will have a "government" job.

We all know they define the "rogue" driver as, to put it short, someone who refuses to comply. But I think the rogue driver they really want out is the driver that refuses to STOP thinking and making his/her own decisions. They want the driver to not think, simply do what is told. Yet have all the liability.

Nothing is wrong with Safety, don't get me wrong. I'll be the first to call in reckless driving, dui, etc. I want to be safe and want MY family safe out there too. But at what point can we just get the job done and take care of our families?

 

You hit the nail on the head, struckanerve, seriously, the turnover couldn't be higher, now they want to make a low paying, long hours, away from home job even more unappealing. I guess the master plan is to run off anyone who wants a little quality of life and a living wage and replace them with foreigners on temporary visa's for pennies on the dollar. If they get in a big wreck, they get deported, the US driver goes to jail.

 

First, some disclosure: I'm a Norwegian citizen who used to live in the US. As such, I'm quite aware of how common it is to use foreigners as scapegoats for society's problems. However, a lot of Americans seem to believe that anyone who wants to can just move to the US and start working. I'd like to dispel some of those myths:

Immigration:

1) Truck driving, according to the US Department of Labor, is an "unskilled profession". Offensive though that may be to some of us, the DoL standard for a skilled profession involves a 4-year degree in a technical field (liberal arts majors need not apply) or commensurate experience.

2) As an "unskilled profession", you cannot obtain a regular US work visa (commonly known as an H1-B) to drive a truck.

3) There are some seasonal/agricultural visa programs. These are extremely limited. Using them to drive truck is even more limited, since people on such visas cannot obtain a hazardous materials endorsement (US Patriot Act) or as of 2008-2009 (depending on the state) even a CDL (Real ID).

4) Driving a truck without a CDL is a crime.

5) Foreigners who commit crimes in the United States are prosecuted, the same as any American. The criminal justice system does not care about citizenship. The only foreigners who have immunity from prosecution are diplomats and high-level ambassadorial staff. (You will not find these people driving a truck.)

6) A foreigner convicted of a serious crime (felonies, drug crimes or misdemeanors involving "moral turpitude") are deported AFTER serving their sentence. Thus, committing a crime has graver consequences for foreigners, not lesser as the previous poster implied

7) Foreigners illegally present should be deported, whether they have committed a crime or not. Admittedly, this does not always happen, for reasons I won't go into here. But illegal aliens do live in constant fear of deportation, and they cannot get a regular driver license, let alone a CDL (again, this is recent, and due to the Real ID Act.)

8) A foreigner applying for a driver license in any US state today has to prove that he or she is legally present in the United States. For most foreigners (exception: Canadian citizens, who only need to show a passport), this involves submitting a copy of the document authorizing their stay in the United States (for example, a green card or a form I-94). Many states will refuse to issue a CDL to foreigners at all; all states will refuse to issue one to an illegal alien.

9) This, then, leaves the only applicable labor pool as people who are legally in the United States, either permanently (usually through some unrelated method, like marriage-based immigration or a grant of asylum or refugee status) or on a temporary (less than 1 year) work visa -- the latter category being restricted by quota to 66,000 visas per year, most of which are used in agriculture (think plowing fields and picking fruit)

10) This group of people, who are working legally, are entitled to the same wage protection as any other US workers. If someone is being paid "pennies on the dollar", there is likely a labor law violation being committed by the employer. (Legal details differ by state.)

11) One more thing, not brought up before: Language. There are truck drivers, including many whose immigration status in the US has nothing to do with their jobs, who don't speak English well, if at all. This is illegal under US federal law -- a reasonable command of English is a prerequisite for obtaining a CDL. CDLs can be revoked over this.

With that out of the way, I'm sure it's naive to think laws are always followed. However, those following the law should be no more threat to your job than any American. Just like an employer cannot discriminate against someone because they're from Arkansas, they also shouldn't be able to discriminate against someone from Afghanistan -- this includes paying them a substandard wage.

As for those NOT following the law, the Real ID Act assures they will no longer have CDLs. Before you tell me I'm wrong, consider that I have a CDL myself (which I will likely lose, as I can no longer renew it now that I live abroad) and that I've jumped through the hoops of showing proof of legal status in order to renew it -- annually, I might add, and having to pay a full CDL fee every year. I can also add that Homeland Security takes as much as two months to verify legal presence.

I don't know about you, but I wouldn't risk driving a CMV without a license these days.

I hope this helped clarify some common myths.

 

A couple of questions for Txviking:

Why were you renewing every year? (My NH CDL lasts 5, is TX different?)

Did you bring your Pete to Norway?

 

Florida CDLs ordinarily last five years as well. However, Florida wanted to verify that I was legally in the country every year, so they required me to reapply annually. Each renewal took about 60 days. Florida can usually issue licenses on site, but I would just get a temporary while they awaited verification of my immigration status from USCIS (Citizenship & Immigration Services). The temporary is only valid for 30 days, so I frequently had to go back and get a second temporary license.

I've paid the state of Florida over $500 in CDL fees since 2005. The renewals do add up.

I did not bring the Pete to Norway YET, but I am working on it. Importing it is actually relatively straightforward, but the rules for getting it street legal are rather ridiculous: It has to comply with Norwegian AND EU safety regulations in effect when I first register it (e.g. 2010 regulations, not 1997 regulations).

This means, for example, that I'm apparently required to retrofit an anti-lock braking system.

Norway used to recognize US safety standards as sufficient to meet legal requirements here. That is no longer the case (as of 2006), so the truck has to go through a complicated (and expensive) inspection process.

 

You will need to have your inspection reports filled out stating that the tire needed repair and have the mechanic sing off as to the repair or lack there of. It's CYA