Driver Safety Duties
Truck drivers are the ones that transport materials and goods among manufacturing, distribution and retail centers. Since the truck is their office, they are responsible for managing their hours of service and the paperwork. As part of their job they also have duties that include inspecting their vehicles for mechanical issues relating to safe operation, and basic repair work.
On the road – Trucks are large machines that run throughout the road network and get mixed with other vehicles. To keep the safety on the road at high levels, trucks have many regulations that govern the way they drive and how fast they drive. Every state has speed regulations on their roads and on some urban or rural roads trucks are even banned from entering to avoid accidents. On highways they are required to drive on the slowest lane and have governed speed that depends on each state.
Hours of service – are regulations that govern the working hours of anyone operating a commercial motor vehicle. These rules limit the number of daily and weekly hours spent driving and working, and regulate the minimum amount of time drivers must spend resting between driving shifts.
The driver of a CMV is required to keep a record of working hours using a log book, outlining the total number of hours spent driving and resting, as well as the time at which the change of duty status occurred. Instead of a log book, a motor carrier may keep track of a driver’s hours using Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs), which automatically record the amount of time spent driving the vehicle.
Parts of a driver’s work day are defined in four terms: On-duty time, off-duty time, driving time, and sleeper bed time.
The HOS’s main purpose is to prevent accidents caused by driver fatigue. This is accomplished by limiting the number of driving hours per day, and the number of driving and working hours per week. Fatigue is also prevented by keeping drivers on a 21- to 24-hour schedule, maintaining a natural sleep/wake cycle (or circadian rhythm). Drivers are required to take a daily minimum period of rest, and are allowed longer “weekend” rest periods to combat cumulative fatigue effects that accrue on a weekly basis.
Driver vehicle inspection – The Department of Transportation (DOT) requires that every commercial motor vehicle is inspected daily at the start and end of a driver’s shift. This inspection is known as the Driver Vehicle Inspection Report (DVIR).
To complete a DVIR, the driver should know the DOT’s inspection requirements and use a DVIR checklist. It’s also helpful to track findings with software.
The DOT’s regulations list out which parts and accessories of a commercial vehicle need to be inspected. This includes items such as the parking brake, lights, wheels, tire air pressure, mirrors, and more. The post-trip inspection should review these items and list any defects found in order to complete the DVIR.
Before operating a commercial motor vehicle, you must be satisfied that the vehicle is in safe operating condition by conducting a DOT pre trip-inspection. This involves reviewing the defective items listed in the most recent DVIR for the vehicle and signing the DVIR.
The driver vehicle inspection report is a summary of a safety inspection that must be completed at the end of the work day. This end of day inspection is known as a DOT post-trip inspection. The DVIR must list any defective items discovered while inspecting the vehicle that would result in unsafe operation.
Of course, any deficient items listed on the DVIR must be corrected in order to prevent a vehicle incident. Companies must certify on the DVIR when repairs are completed or justify if they are unnecessary.
Additionally, the DOT requires the driver to keep vehicle inspection reports for 3 months after the report was prepared. Certification of repairs to defective items must be kept for this time period as well.
Employer Safety Duties
Companies need to be sure of their vehicles, of the safety of the goods, and of their drivers at any time. To be successful in the long run companies create a culture of safety at everything they do.
Compliance with regulations and guidelines is only the beginning. In a competitive industry like the trucking industry, safety sets the company apart from the competition. Only by cultivating a culture of personal accountability for safety at every level of trucking can we reduce the number of accidents.
It starts with rigorous hiring and screening processes, continues with comprehensive driver training (some companies work with their senior drivers as mentors to newer ones), regular safety meetings and providing drivers with great equipment to help them get the job done.
Across the industry, companies can work with their customers to improve the treatment of drivers at the plant level. The entire logistics chain needs to understand that common courtesy and respect are fundamental for a shared success.
Periodic vehicle inspection
https://www.industrysafe.com/blog/inspections/dot-periodic-vehicle-inspection-checklist
Motor carrier safety rating
The motor carrier safety rating is an evaluation given to an interstate commercial motor carrier (a company which employs truck or bus drivers) by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
A safety rating is determined by a compliance review, an on-site examination of motor carrier operations, such as drivers’ hours of service, maintenance and inspection, driver qualification, commercial drivers’ license requirements, financial responsibility, accidents, hazardous materials, and other safety and transportation records to determine whether a motor carrier meets the safety fitness standard.
A compliance review may be conducted in response to a request to change a safety rating, to investigate potential violations of safety regulations by motor carriers, or to investigate complaints, or other evidence of safety violations. The compliance review may result in the initiation of an enforcement action.
One of three safety ratings will be issued following a compliance review:
- Satisfactory – A Satisfactory rating means that a motor carrier has in place and functioning adequate safety management controls to meet the safety fitness standard prescribed in §385.5 of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSR). Safety management controls are adequate if they are appropriate for the size and type of operation of the particular motor carrier.
- Conditional – This rating means a motor carrier does not have adequate safety management controls in place to ensure compliance with the safety fitness standard found in §385.5 of the FMCSR.
- Unsatisfactory – An Unsatisfactory rating means a motor carrier does not have adequate safety management controls in place to ensure compliance with the safety fitness standard which has resulted in occurrences listed in §385.5 (a) through (k)of the FMCSR.
To determine the score, FMCSA uses something called the Safety Measurement System (SMS). The SMS analyzes data collected from inspections, crash reports and violations to highlight and monitor specific safety problems by carrier. This data is then organized into seven categories called “Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories” (BASICs)
The seven BASICs categories
DOT Inspections
The Department of Transportation (DOT) requires commercial motor vehicles (CMV) with a weight of more than 10,001 pounds undergo an inspection every year to make sure all parts are in good working order. There are six levels of DOT inspections which simply refers to which parts of the CMV and its driver will be inspected.
It should be noted that DOT Inspections are separate from the periodic vehicle inspections that must be conducted by the motor carrier. The six levels of a DOT inspection are:
Level I: North American Standard Inspection
Level I inspections are the most thorough level of DOT inspections. During this check, the inspector will take an in-depth look at the vehicle operator’s credentials.
Drivers are checked for skill performance evaluation (SPC) certificate, driver’s license, medical certification, record of duty status (RODs) and seat belt usage. The inspector will also review any driver vehicle inspection reports signed by the driver. A Level I inspection typically takes between 45-60 minutes to complete.
Level II: Walk-Around Driver/Vehicle Inspection
Level II inspections involve examining everything in the Level III inspection with the exception of the parts that involve the inspector getting under the vehicle. This includes the documents reviewed under Level III inspections.
The Level II inspection takes about 30 minutes to complete. DOT driver vehicle inspection checklists include vehicle items a driver should inspect on a day to day basis before and after driving the vehicle to be in compliance with DOT regulations.
Level III: Driver-Only Inspection
During Level III inspections, the DOT inspector looks at important documents, such as:
- the vehicle operator’s commercial driver’s license (CDL);
- the medical certificate confirming the operator passed their annual DOT physical exam;
- log book records for the last 8 on-duty days to show hours of service records;
- and medical card or waiver, if applicable.
The inspector will also check for any signs of drugs or alcohol use. Finally, the professional conducting the evaluation will also inspect the vehicle’s seat belt, exhaust system, turn signals, tail lamps, head lamps, steering wheel, wheels and rims and fuel system.
Level III inspections commonly take about 15 minutes to complete.
Level IV: Special Inspection
Level IV inspections are one-time examinations that take a close look at a specific item. They are typically scheduled to either verify or invalidate a previous claim about a vehicle.
The time to complete a Level IV inspection will vary depending on the circumstances.
Level V: Vehicle-Only Inspection
Level V inspections look at everything specified under Level I. The only difference is that they are executed without the driver present. Part of this inspection involves checking the vehicle’s brake systems, steering mechanism, suspensions, and electrical cables.
Level V inspections can take up to 45 minutes to complete.
Level VI: Enhanced NAS Inspection for Radioactive Shipments
This inspection is used for certain radiological shipments. Select radiological shipments only comprise highway route controlled quantities set forth by DOT’s title 49 section 173.403.
The vehicle, drivers, and cargo must all pass this inspection before departing. The Level VI inspection will typically take up to 60 minutes to complete.
Once complete, a special nuclear symbol will be attached to the CMV to indicate it passed a Level VI inspection. This nuclear symbol is only valid for one trip and will be removed upon arriving at the destination.