When are drivers eligible for a 16-hour driving window?
If you're a property-carrying motor carrier or driver, you're undoubtedly familiar with the so-called 14-hour rule, which requires commercial drivers to complete all their driving activities within the first 14 hours of first coming on duty following a 10 consecutive hour off-duty break. See 49 CFR 395.3(a)(2). It's one of the fundamental hours limitations contained within the broader hours-of-service rules in Part 395 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs), along with others l
Brandon Wiseman
5 lessons from a terrible crash
On March 22, 2024, a concrete pumper truck veered into oncoming traffic on State Highway 21 in Texas, striking a school bus full of children and ultimately killing a 5 year-old and an adult. At the time of the crash, the bus was transporting 44 children and 11 adults home from a field trip to the Texas Zoo. According to reports, the driver of the concrete truck, 42 year-old Jerry Hernandez, admitted to law enforcement he had smoked marijuana the night before the accident, had used cocaine the mo
Brandon Wiseman
Controlling driver log falsifications
In a recent episode of our Trucksafe LIVE! podcast, we tackled the issue of commercial driver log falsification. What exactly are false logs? Log falsification is a misrepresentation of a commercial driver's duty status or driving time on their daily record of duty status. False logs can be deliberate or unintentional. Attempts to conceal substantive hours-of-service violations by mis-logging time are frequent contributors to log falsifications. Misuse of personal conveyance status, mischaracter
Brandon Wiseman
FMCSA soliciting waiver requests to reinstate meal & rest break laws
In what seems like an unprecedented move, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is soliciting regulatory waiver requests from the public, which, if granted, could reinstate California's and Washington's meal and rest break rules as applied to regulated commercial drivers. In a notice published to the Federal Register on August 14, 2023, the FMCSA explained, "the Agency will consider petitions for waiver of its December 21, 2018, and January 13, 2020, decisions preempting the St
Brandon Wiseman
Telematics for Trucking: A Guide to Choosing the Right Solution
The term "telematics," at least in trucking, is generally understood to mean use of electronic devices to collect and transmit data about commercial vehicles and drivers. This data can be used to improve safety, efficiency, and compliance. In a recent episode of the Trucksafe LIVE! podcast, we broke down that term, identified some of the most common types of telematics solutions, and discussed some of the benefits and pitfalls that fleets should consider when deciding whether to implement a part
Brandon Wiseman
Top 5 personal conveyance mistakes
It’s 2023, and personal conveyance remains one of the most misunderstood and abused aspects of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. It is one of the leading contributors to log falsification violations, roadside out of service orders, elevated hours-of-service scores, downgraded safety ratings, and civil penalties. In fact, personal conveyance misuse is so prominent that it has its own violation code in the Safety Measurement System (SMS) methodology.With so much at stake, it’s critical
Brandon Wiseman
When is it appropriate for drivers to claim adverse driving condition exemption?
There's nothing quite as frustrating as being stuck in traffic for lengthy periods. Now multiply that frustration by at least ten when you're a commercial driver faced with the pressure of timely and safely delivering freight to an expectant customer on the one hand and staying within your allotted hours-of-service on the other. It's maddening! Fortunately, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations offer some regulatory relief to drivers faced with so-called "adverse driving conditions," at l
Brandon Wiseman
Trucksafe joins Heavy Duty Trucking to discuss potential ELD changes
Trucksafe's president Brandon Wiseman recently joined Heavy Duty Trucking Magazine to discuss potential revisions to the FMCSA's electronic logging device (ELD) rules. Check out the replay below.
COVID-19 emergency HOS exemption lapses
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has chosen not to renew its Covid-19 emergency declaration that had been in place since March 2020 and provided some regulatory relief (primarily HOS-related) for carriers and drivers transporting certain commodities as part of the emergency relief efforts like vaccines, food supplies, etc. The declaration, which the agency had renewed several times over the past two years, expired on October 15th. According to the FMCSA's website, "There a
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