"No Texting, Just Driving" Byline: Carol Andrews

June 3, 2012

Charlotte- The NC Highway Patrol kicked off a new anti-texting campaign at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, Sunday.

Colonel Michael Gilchrist announced the "No Texting, Just Driving" educational awareness campaign.

He says the campaign is designed to educate drivers on the dangers of distracted driving, especially texting.  The campaign is especially geared toward teen drivers.

"The Highway Patrol is committed to saving lives on our North Carolina Highways, said Gilchrist, "We intend to educate the motoring public on the dangers of texting while driving. No one person or organization can by themselves, change this behavior.  It is going to take the commitment from everyone to make this change."

June is the designated as the official "No Texting Just Driving" month. It is currently against the law in North Carolina to text and drive.  A conviction could cost motorists $100 in fines plus court costs.

 

End.

 

DOT Orders Demco Express to Shut Down

June 1, 2012

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ordered Texas-based Denny Mekenye, doing business as Demco Express and Demco Trans Inc. to immediately cease all transportation services based on serious safety violations that posed an imminent hazard to public safety.

FMCSA uncovered multiple federal safety violations in the areas of drivers' hours-of-service compliance, driver qualifications and drug testing requirements.

Safety investigators discovered t...


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FMCSA Eases Empty Tank Endorsement Rule

May 30, 2012

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said it will not require drivers who transport storage container tanks that are empty or contain residue to obtain tank truck hazardous materials endorsements.

The agency on Thursday responded in part to industry concerns that the existing definition of tank trucks could have a “dramatic impact” on the number of drivers required to have tank vehicle endorsements.

FMCSA agreed last month to consider a petition filed by American Trucking As...


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Got tanker? FMCSA new definition could require new endorsement

May 29, 2012

Byline: David Tanner, Land Line associate editor

 

If you don’t have a tanker endorsement already, you might consider obtaining one. Besides being handy for business, it could help you avoid penalties if you haul certain types of fluid bins. Why now? Some states may already be enforcing an expanded definition of “tank vehicle” that now applies to vehicles hauling an aggregate of 1,000 gallons in containers of 119 gallons or larger.

It’s quite possible that you run in a state, or wi...


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Companies Increasingly Concerned About Employee Use of Cell Phones While Driving

May 24, 2012

The number of commercial fleet operators that have adopted written policies pertaining to employee use of cell phones while driving on-the-job has increased 29% in the past year – from 62% to 80% – according to the second annual survey of more than 900 transportation and fleet professionals conducted by ZoomSafer.

Furthermore, the survey finds that the number of companies claiming to enforce their established cell phone use policies increased 62% in the past twelve months, from 53% in ...


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U.S. DOT DECLARES: Athens trucking company a hazard

May 21, 2012

An Athens-based trucking company has been ordered to cease operations by the U.S. Department of Transportation. 

The decision to shut down BM&L Trucking, LLC, was based on serious safety violations “that posed an imminent hazard to public safety,” according to a release from the DOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

 

In addition to naming BM&L, the order also individually names Isaac McWilliams, Heronda McWilliams and IDM Transportation, Inc. An online trucking directory ...


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U.S. Department of Transportation Orders BM&L Trucking, LLC to Shut Down

May 17, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) ordered Alabama-based BM&L Trucking, LLC, affiliated company IDM Transportation, Inc. and its owners to immediately cease all transportation services based on serious safety violations that posed an imminent hazard to public safety.
The shutdown order follows FMCSA’s extensive review of BM&L Trucking’s operations, which found multiple federal safety violations in the areas of hours...


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FMCSA posts strategic plan

May 15, 2012

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Wednesday, May 9, published on its website the final version of its “2012-2016 Strategic Plan: Preventing Crashes … Saving Lives,” a document the agency says presents a new comprehensive direction to focus its efforts on outreach, oversight and enforcement resources directed at the entire CMV transportation life cycle. 

FMCSA says the plan establishes a framework that places safety as the highest priority and employs three core princ...


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Georgia Logging Company Ordered to Shut Down

May 15, 2012

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ordered Georgia-based Judson Mobley Logging to immediately cease all transportation services, declaring the truck company an imminent hazard to public safety. 

The shutdown order follows an extensive review of the three-truck company's operations by FMCSA, which found multiple violations of drug and alcohol testing, driver qualifications and vehicle maintenance rules. 

 

On April 30. 2012, a logging tractor-trailer being operated by Judson cras...


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CSA Data May Indicate Move by Drivers to Independent Owner-Operators

May 7, 2012

Byline: Oliver B. Patton, Washington Editor

Federal safety data indicate that carrier registrations have jumped by 7.5% over the past 14 months, possibly reflecting a move by drivers to go into business for themselves, according to an analysis by QualifiedCarriers, a risk management services provider to shippers.

 

The number of active, for-hire carriers counted in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's CSA database jumped from 155,240 in February 2011 to 166,810 in April 2012, th...


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DOT Compliance Resource Links


Criterion Drug and Alcohol Testing
NC Department Of Revenue (Motor Fuel Tax Forms)
N.C. Department of Public Safety(State Highway Patrol)
NCDOT Oversize/Overweight(Permits Unit)
Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA)
International Fuel Tax Association Inc (IFTA)
North Carolina General Assembly (NCGA)