CVSA Roadcheck planned for June 6-8
I
nternational Roadcheck is an annual three-day event when CVSA-certified inspectors conduct compliance, enforcement and educational initiatives targeted at various elements of motor carrier, vehicle and driver safety. This year’s International Roadcheck needs to be on the trucking industry’s calendar for June 6-8, 2017. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance’s 72-hour safety blitz is in its 30th year in 2017. It is the largest targeted enforcement program on commercial motor vehicles in the world with nearly 17 trucks or buses inspected, on average, every minute across North America during a 72-hour period. Each year, International Roadcheck places special emphasis on a category of violations. This year’s focus is cargo securement. While checking for compliance with safe cargo securement regulations is always part of roadside inspections, CVSA is highlighting cargo securement safety this year as a reminder of its importance to highway safety. Inspectors will primarily be conducting the North American Standard Level I Inspection, which is the most thorough roadside inspection. It is a 37-step procedure that includes an examination of both driver operating requirements and vehicle mechanical fitness. Drivers are required to provide items such as their driver’s license, hours-of-service documentation, motor carrier registration
and shipping documentation, and inspectors will be checking drivers for seat belt usage and the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. The vehicle inspection includes checking items such as the brake systems, cargo securement, coupling devices, driveline/driveshaft, exhaust systems, frames, fuel systems, lighting devices (required lamps), steering mechanisms, suspensions, tires, van and opentop trailer bodies, wheels, rims and hubs, windshield wipers and emergency exits (on buses). Since its inception in 1988, roadside inspections conducted during International Roadcheck have numbered more than 1.4 million. Roadcheck also provides an opportunity to educate industry and the general public about the importance of safe commercial vehicle operations and the roadside inspection program. CVSA sponsors International Roadcheck with participation by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators, Transport Canada, and the Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (Mexico). In past years, jurisdictions in the U.S. and Canada have actively participated in the program and publicized the number of inspections and out-of-service orders. There haven’t been any hard numbers out of Mexico in recent years.
Heavier loading does not increase shipping rates
T
he trucking industry is facing an interesting dilemma, significant increases in loads being shipped are not leading to increased shipping rates. A quick look at some of the shipping reports would seem to indicate things are trending positively. For example, imports in Los Angeles and Long Beach are up 26% over last year, loads available on the spot truckload market were up 46% over the prior month and 92% when compared to the same month last year. So why are prices soft? Why are some of the largest trucking companies in the country reporting decreased earnings or preparing investors for lower than expected profits? The answer is fairly simple. First, the increased tonnage available to ship has not made much of a dent in the nation’s shipping capacity. Furthermore, some of the larger players seem to be attempting to capture additional market share by keeping shipping rates depressed. So while increased shipping numbers are a cause for cautious optimism, it is still too early to declare an end to the recession of the past few years. 54
MAY - JUNE 2017