CVSA Guardian 4th Quarter 2011

Volume 18, Issue 4

Fourth Quarter 2011

Fourth Quarter 2011

Table of Contents

www.cvsa.org

Guardian

Insight President’s Message ......................................................................................................1 Executive Director’s Message ..........................................................................................2 Letters to the Editor ........................................................................................................3 The Legislative Rundown ................................................................................................4 Knowledge Matters ........................................................................................................5 The Regulatory Rundown ................................................................................................6

Federal News Ask the FMCSA Administrator..........................................................................................8 NTSB Moves to Prohibit Use of Hand-Held, Hands-Free Cellular Phones for all Commercial Vehicle Drivers ......................................................9 National Motorcoach Safety Summit Advances Dialogue, Energizes, Empowers Stakeholders ..........................................................................10 PHMSA Seeks Comments on Proposed Rule to Harmonize U.S. Radioactive Materials Transportation Requirements With International Standards ..........................10 The National Training Center Rolls Out New Hazardous Materials Training Courses ..........11 National Transportation Safety Board Reports Out on Commercial Vehicle Crashes in Indiana, Kentucky ......................................................12 CCMTA Works to Develop EOBR Standard ....................................................................13 Final Rule Issued on July 20, 2011 Should Eliminate Confusion Inspecting Void Venting on 400 Series Cargo Tanks....................................................14

CVSA News Brake Adjustment Area of Concern During CVSA’s Brake Safety Week, Targets Drivers, Mechanics on Proper Brake Inspection, Maintenance, Operation ....................15 CVSA Calls on Drivers to End Senseless Deaths by Defeating Distracted Driving Now ......16 CVSA Recognizes Students for Academic Achievement with Scholarships ........................17 NAIC Recognizes Inspectors’ Dedication to Commercial Vehicle Safety ............................18 CVSA, IANA Present Multi-Part Series on the New Roadability Regulations Focusing on Container Chassis ..............................................19 CVSA ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS Intelligent Transportation Systems Forum Highlights Cutting Edge Technologies, Industry Best Practices ..................................................20 CVSA Leadership Changes ............................................................................................21 Four Drivers Recognized for Buckling Up, Being Saved by the Belt ..................................22 Richard Henderson Honored for Decades of Dedication to CVSA, Commercial Vehicle Safety........................................................................................23

Cover Story/Feature International Safety Team Inducts Six New Members, Brings Drive and Passion to Commercial Vehicle Safety Message..........................................................................24

Inspector’s Corner ..................................................................................................26 Committee & Program News CVSA Associate Advisory Committee Outlines 2012 Objectives ......................................27 COHMED: Now More Important Than Ever, An Excellent Way to Maintain Knowledge, Proficiency in HazMat Arena ....................................................28 Getting Everyone Involved and Participating is Key to Delivering the Message During CVSA Brake Awareness Week ....................................29

Regional News Maryland State Police Target Commercial Trucks, Buses During “Operation Tailgate”........31 New Mexico Takes Proactive Approach to Ensuring Passenger Carrier Safety....................30 Fort Worth, Texas Dedicates Efforts to Brake Safety Week ..............................................31 Washington State Reopens Scale Site with a 98-Hour Commercial Vehicle Safety Emphasis ........................................................................32

Regional Rap ............................................................................................................32 Associate Member News 18-Wheels & BUSted ....................................................................................................34 Mining the CSA Data: A Requisite for Carrier Performance Improvement..........................35 ATRI 2011 Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry Identifies Challenges ............................35 INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT: Con-way Freight Partners with CVSA to Improve Safety ..............36 James Burg Trucking Co. Facilitates Testing and Technology Tour ....................................36

Why We Do What We Do ....................................................................................37 RAD Inspection News ............................................................................................39

Published by: Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance 6303 Ivy Lane, Suite 310 Greenbelt, MD 20770-6319 Phone: (301) 830-6143 Fax: (301) 830-6144 www.cvsa.org Dedicated to government and industry working together to promote commercial vehicle safety on North American highways.

HEADQUARTERS STAFF Stephen A. Keppler Executive Director Collin B. Mooney, CAE Deputy Executive Director Larry D. Stern Director, Level VI Inspection Program Richard D. Henderson Director, Government Affairs Adrienne L. Gildea Director, Policy & Government Affairs William P. Schaefer Director, Vehicle Programs Randy J. West Director, Driver Programs Laura M. Zabriskie Director, Communications & Marketing Iris R. Leonard Manager, Member & Program Services Claudia V. McNatt Manager, Meetings & Events J. Craig Defibaugh Controller For comments, suggestions or information, please email us at communications@cvsa.org.

About the cover: 2012 International Safety Team, program sponsors and CVSA program chair (pictured left to right) Lawrence Higgins, James Trombley, Capt. Norman Dofflemyer, Matthew Epling, Dick Landis, Andrew Stoeckle, Steve Maupin, Keith Kerns and, Lindsay Campbell.

Guardian is a publication of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

CVSA Members Active in Advancing Regulatory, Policy, Enforcement Decisions That Save Lives

By Maj. David L. Palmer, CVSA President

CVSA members and associate members are dedicated to providing leadership and technical expertise to improve commercial vehicle safety. By coming together and actively participating in the Alliance’s Annual Conference this year in Austin, attendees played a critical role in advancing regulatory, policy and enforcement decisions that will ultimately save countless lives.

When I look at our membership, I see numerous people who are actively engaged in the many issues the CVSA is involved in. By “actively,” I mean they are getting as much, or more, from the meetings as they are putting into them.

For example, I look at the Vehicle Committee that had 40 important items on their agenda. Our members contribute so much in terms of sharing their knowledge, expertise and contacts to achieve sound results. Ultimately, they are communicating this information back to their jurisdictions by sharing the CVSA’s message and training others to help cultivate our culture of safety.

Not only does this knowledge benefit the enforcement agencies or companies, but our members are consistently advancing into leadership roles within their own organizations. I am but one of countless examples of members who have contributed to the Alliance’s mission of commercial vehicle safety which has translated into success back home.

There are many past presidents and others that have shared many successes and benefited from being actively involved.

A further testament to this was our record attendance, levels of sponsorship, and number of exhibitors at the CVSA’s Annual Conference & Exhibition in Austin. We can’t thank everyone enough for this exceptional level of support. It

Maj. David L. Palmer

Ultimately, [our members] are communicating this information back to their jurisdictions by sharing the CVSA’s message and training others to help cultivate our culture of safety. speaks volumes to your commitment to commercial vehicle safety.

During my tenure as CVSA President I intend to underscore how important communications and training are to achieving outstanding results. By communicating with our members, associate members, and other interested audiences we are sharing best practices that are successful and results-oriented. By collaborating with other groups that share our common mission we are building invalu-

able relationships which in turn extend our reach and impact on highway safety.

We have our goals, but by reaching out we can leverage our resources and broaden our message to ultimately reduce commercial vehicle related crashes throughout North America.

Towards this end, in an effort to enhance our communication about who the CVSA is and what we do, the CVSA created a video, “Finding the Right Fit.” This video captures what the CVSA means to many of our members and associate members – in their own words.

I highly encourage you to visit the website, www.cvsa.org, to not only view the video but also use it in your own outreach to prospective and interested audiences.

Achieving zero commercial motor vehicle fatalities, personal injury crashes, and incidents throughout North America is going to be an exceptionally challenging task, but this is why we know we can’t “go it alone.” We must have true collaborative efforts between governments, industry, trade groups, suppliers, the general public, and others to do what some may say cannot be achieved.

There is no doubt in my mind that the CVSA, as an organization, will accomplish collectively through collaboration with others more than it ever will on its own. Our members and associate members are our best advocates because they clearly see the value of this organization. The commercial vehicle-related crash and fatality reductions over the past few years have not been by accident.

The commitment and dedication of those actively involved in the CVSA is clearly paying dividends. Please keep moving aggressively forward and share your successes with others.

Thank you!

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Executive Director’s Message

By Stephen A. Keppler, CVSA, Executive Director

Thanks to all who joined us in Austin at President Palmer’s Annual Conference.

We had great numbers for attendees, exhibitors and sponsors. The feedback we received by all accounts was very good, and a lot of work was completed.

Thanks to all of you who participated, and in particular, our Committee and Program Chairs for their tireless efforts.

Please make sure you complete the follow up survey to let us know how we can continue to improve on CVSA’s events to enhance the value you are receiving for your investment of time and money. As we move into CVSA’s 2011/12 fiscal year, I wanted to reflect on the past year, as well as offer some thoughts on what is ahead in the coming year.

In 2011 we have enhanced our communications efforts through Safety Exchange, Guardian, the Daily News Clips, Webinars, Podcasts, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Legislative and Regulatory Updates. Several of these initiatives were new in 2011, and we hope that you find them to be of value. We are also continuing to enhance the CVSA web site as well to make upgrades to the member content areas. We added technical staff support in several areas to support committee and program needs.

We made adjustments to the conference schedules and content based on feedback from the members. 2011 also saw CVSA establish a separate building reserve fund that (if all goes to plan) will set us up for the long term once our current building lease expires. We expanded our relationships in 2011 to engage with a number of different stakeholder groups and organizations to help advocate for CVSA policy, regulatory, legislative, program, educational and awareness goals in support of our mission.

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Stephen A. Keppler

This past year also saw us refocus back to the basics. FMCSA’s CSA Program shaped the activities of a number of committee and program activities in 2011, particularly in the areas of uniformity, data quality and training. More specifically, we augmented the engagement between the Training Committee, CVSA Staff and the National Training Center, which has already born fruit and will continue to do so into the future.

The increased sponsorship contributions in 2011 contributed significantly to our ability to do all of these enhancements for the members – thanks to all of our sponsors! Also, I would like to thank Past President Dowling for his excellent leadership this past year.

We expect there will be a number of key legislative, regulatory and policy issues likely to impact on CVSA Members and Associate Members that will be in various stages of implementation in 2012, most notably: Government spending, CSA, EOBRs, Hours of Service, Truck Size & Weight, Bus Safety, CDL MedCert, Safety Rating

Reciprocity, Entry Level Driver Training, Distracted Driving, Speed Limiters, Stability Control Systems, Wetlines, HM-241, the Cross-Border Trucking Pilot Program, and Reauthorization to name a few. All of this, in addition to a Presidential election will be taking place in the United States. We thought 2011 was a busy year!

There is a significant question remaining with all of this envisioned activity, that being the potential impacts to the economy and (in the U.S.) if and how the U.S. Congress will weigh in and if so, to what degree. As most of you may be aware, in August the compromise debt ceiling law – The Budget Control Act of 2011 – created a special joint committee in the U.S. Congress with a stated goal of achieving at least $1.5 trillion in budgetary savings over 10 years from spending cuts or tax revenue. The committee’s recommendations are due November 23, 2011. If the joint committee or Congress fail to act by December 23, 2011 the bill calls for automatic across-the-board cuts, split 50-50 between defense and nondefense spending, including Medicare.

Social Security and Medicaid would be excluded from those automatic cuts.

The plan also requires the House and Senate to vote on a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, which would require a 2/3 majority in both houses. That vote must take place by December 31, 2011. How this may impact on transportation is yet to be seen, but we certainly will be tracking and reporting on it to you, as well as weighing in on the issue with Congress where necessary.

Needless to say, all of us will certainly be busy in the coming year.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Correction In my previous Letter to the Editor published in Guardian (Vol. 18, issue 3) I discussed how closing safety areas severely impacts commercial truck drivers. In paragraph three of this letter, I incorrectly referenced a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) study on truck driving fatigue. In doing so, I erroneously implied that the truck rate of driver fatigue identified in the study was representative of all truck crashes. This is certainly not the case, and as the study itself points out, the NTSB estimate of fatigue is not applicable to the population of all truck crashes.

Subsequently, I have conducted further research on the role of fatigue in Large Truck crashes. One of the best available data I have come across is from

Safety for the Long Haul, authored by transportation safety expert Dr. Ron Knipling. He states that in the U.S. approximately .4% of large truck crashes are fatigue related according to police reports and fatal crashes are 1.6%.

However, please keep in mind that there is not a single number that can be used to identify fatigue related crashes because there are several differences within the truck crash population. The four truck crash populations are: Serious Injury Crashes, Fatal-To-The Driver Crashes, All Police-Reported Truck Crashes and Fatal Crashes. Obviously, the role of fatigue varies distinctly for each of these categories.

I have also reviewed other available data on the role of fatigue in truck

crashes and found the following to be factual: • The FARS system estimates 1.6% in recent years. This percentage is generally recognized as being under-reported.

• In recent Hours of Service Rulemaking, the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration (FMCSA) estimated 7.2% of fatal crashes.

• In April 2010, FMCSA stated 5.5%.

replacement. As a necessary element, confirm the battery is delivering sufficient power exceeding 11 volts without an amperage load.

The first step is to turn on the brake circuit to verify operation. The brake circuit is the secondary power source for the ECU. With the brake circuit, does the ABS lamp turn on and off? Does the ECU module chatter signifying the brake circuit is powering up the ECU? The second step is to turn on the auxiliary circuit to verify operation. Again, does the ABS lamp turn on and off? Does the ECU module chatter signifying the

auxiliary circuit is powering up the ECU? In both the first and second steps, if the ECU module chatters power is sufficient for operation. If the ABS warning lamp is not functioning, check connections and the lamp.

The third step is reading the current faults whenever the ECU is powered and the ABS lamp remains on. The most common ABS faults are sensor related such as gap spacing and connections which requires reading the ECU. After repair, the stored fault should be cleared.

Since the exact percentage is not known, reputable sources and industry experts place the percentage of driver fatigue related fatal crashes involving large trucks at less than 10%.

Shazia Noreen American Trucking Associations

Three-Step ABS Test Roadside inspectors are looking more closely at the trailer ABS operation.

Does the ABS warning turn on and off with the ignition. If not, a violation is possible and the problem may be very simple to repair.

The ABS malfunctions are likely power or sensor related. The majority of ECU’s returned to the manufacturers are functional suggesting that the ABS repair procedures are not adequate.

A significant number of ABS malfunctions are power related. The Electronic Control Unit (ECU) requires 9.5v as specified by Technical Maintenance Council’s Recommended Practices 137. This means a minimum of 10 volts is needed at the nose socket with the trailer running lights on.

There is a simple, three-step process which eliminates wasted time and part

Bob Blair, CEO, LITE-CHECK LLC

CVSA’s Guardian welcomes your letters and comments. To submit a letter, send an email to communications@cvsa.org or write to CVSA, c/o Guardian, 6303 Ivy Lane, Suite 310, Greenbelt, MD 20770-6319.

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The Legislative Rundown

By Richard D. Henderson, CVSA, Director, Government Affairs

Richard Henderson

Senate Takes Up FY 2012 DOT/THUD Appropriations Bill Final Vote Due October 31 As of this writing, the Senate is coming close to wrapping up its consideration of HR 2112 that would fund DOT for the remainder of the 2012 Fiscal Year, but due to a Senate recess the last week of October, the final vote occurred on October 31st. As reported in the September 23rd Legislative Update, the Senate bill funds motor carrier state safety grants, including MCSAP, at a slightly higher level than the House version of the bill which has not yet been scheduled for a vote on the House floor. When the House and Senate reconcile the two bills in Conference, the final funding limits will at least reflect the highest authorized levels under SAFETEA-LU. The Senate bill also contains a provision at the request of Sen. Collins of

Maine that would make the Maine/ Vermont truck weight pilot program permanent. It would increase the limit on Interstate Highways in those states to 100,000 lbs. from the current federal limit of 80,000 lbs.

During consideration of HR 2112 on the Senate floor, Sen. Ayotte, of New Hampshire, was preparing to offer an amendment that would prevent the use of federal funds to finalize, implement or enforce FMCSA’s December 29, 2010 proposed new hours-of-service rule.

CVSA sent a letter to each member of the Senate pointing out it could lead to a situation where no funds would be available to enforce either the new rule or even the preceding hours-of-service rule that is now in existence. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood also sent a letter stating his objections to the amendment pointing out that it serves to undermine the regulatory process. Thus far in the process, which will be concluded on October 31st, Sen. Ayotte’s amendment has not been cleared for Senate Floor action. But there are reports that she is attempting to revise her amendment to address the issue raised by enforcement.

We will report the outcome through our Legislative Update after the Senate takes final action.

Finally, the Senate bill, as we reported earlier, contains language holding the states harmless with respect to CVISN funds allocated to them beyond FMCSA’s statutory authority.

Reauthorization Moves a Notch Higher on the Congressional Agenda On the House side, as we reported earlier, Republican Leadership has allowed Rep. John Mica, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Com-

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mittee, to look for sources of funding that would support a longer-term reauthorization bill at least at current funding levels. His proposal earlier this year would have resulted in a 30% cut from current funding levels. The search for additional funding will not be easy, but the decision of the Republican Leadership at least opens the door for consideration of a long-term bill in the House, possibly next year.

On the Senate side, Sen. Barbara Boxer, Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, has announced that her Committee will mark-up a two-year Reauthorization bill on November 9th. Her bill would retain current funding levels, but only if an additional $12 billion is found. The responsibility for coming up with the additional funding rests with the Senate Finance Committee chaired by Senator Max Baucus. Unless he is able to identify such funding and get his Committee’s support for it, Senator Boxer’s bill, though reported out of her Committee, could not be reported to the floor of the Senate with the funding issue unresolved.

The current status of the economy and the need to create more jobs is placing reauthorization higher on the Congressional agenda. Whether the jobs bill proposed by the Obama Administration earlier this fall will win Congressional approval is still uncertain at this point. Congress may have a higher comfort level addressing the jobs issue through a surface transportation bill since, in addition to creating more jobs, no one disputes the fact that our nation’s transportation infrastructure is badly in need of repair, upgrading, and new investment.

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KNOWLEDGE MATTERS

Quality Matters

By John E. Harrison, CVSA President 2007-2008

A Personal Note As was announced at CVSA’s recent Annual Conference in Austin, Texas I will be retiring from my job as Director of Government Affairs at the end of this year. I first came to CVSA in 1993 under a two-year Federal Highway Administration Intelligent Transportation Systems cooperative agreement.

Little did I know then that I would be working for CVSA for the next 18 years!

What a wonderful run it has been. In addition to enjoying the work I have been doing for CVSA in Congress, I have had the great satisfaction of watching CVSA grow over the years into the strong motor carrier safety organization it is today. I thank the CVSA membership and CVSA Leadership for their support over the years. I hope that you will offer the same support to my successor, Adrienne Gildea.

Just a comment about today’s environment in Washington. Highway and motor carrier safety programs continue to have strong bi-partisan support. I have immense respect for the staff on Capitol Hill on both sides of the aisle.

They work hard to try and do the right thing on behalf of their bosses even though we may not always agree on a particular issue. I also want to commend FMCSA Leadership in the previous Administration as well as the current one. Without fail, when I call to make an appointment with the appropriate staff in the office of a Congressman or Senator, and I explain who the members of CVSA are – namely, the “roadside officers who do the truck and bus inspections in your state,” it doesn’t take long to get an appointment. They know who you are and respect the work you do. I certainly do.

I’ve just moved on to the next phase in my life after recently retiring from state law enforcement after 31 years in the commercial vehicle enforcement field. However, I did not stray very far from what I’ve been so comfortable doing for all those years. I’m now working for a firm that specializes in crash analysis, accident reconstruction, and – a new field for them, CMV compliance. In my new position I now see many inspection reports from inspectors from all over North America, many of those inspections being post-crash in nature, which leads me to the point of this article. There have been three key principles that I have always strived for during my CMV enforcement career that I encourage all inspectors to live by: Thoroughness, Accuracy, and Quality.

Thoroughness – I’ve seen in my career, and I’m sure many of you have had experiences with, all types of CMV inspectors.

There are those that want to just make eight hours, get a number, and generate a piece of paper. On the other end of the spectrum are those that have a real sense of purpose, want to make a genuine difference in highway safety, and take the utmost pride in their work. I’ve counted myself in the latter group. Inspectors should constantly be aware that their inspections may show up later in major litigation, audits, and even as exhibits in Congressional oversight hearings. On my inspections I’ve always worried about missing serious defects or violations, then later that vehicle or driver gets into a crash and my oversight or omission is somehow determined to be a contributing factor to the accident.

Accuracy – With the implementation of FMCSA’s Compliance, Safety, and Accountability (CSA) program accuracy insofar as documenting CMV safety violations is taking top priority in the algorithm that is the backbone of the program. In my opinion, computers are both an enhancement and detriment to the CMV inspection process.

Computers help inspectors more accurately identify carriers, provide an immediate picture of a carrier’s compliance history, and generate a legible inspection report rather that a hand-

written report. However, computers can also make inspectors lazy and complacent by allowing them to rely on a quick pick-list of violations. Often times some inspectors will see a key word in a pick-list and choose a violation without having read the related regulatory section in the book. This can lead to the inaccurate application of a code section that may not even apply to the condition the inspector is trying to document. And as many motor carrier safety directors can attest to, the “points” assessed under CSA for one code section versus another can be significant.

Quality – If an inspector is thorough and accurate, then overall quality will generally follow. The quality aspect of CMV inspections is comprehensive in nature and encompasses the two key elements above as well as inspector attitude, drive, and an agency’s commitment to the process.

Quality to me also includes such things as proper grammar, spelling, violation descriptions, and notes on inspection reports that are clear, complete, but concise and without ambiguity. Overall timely responses to motor carrier industry concerns and inquiries are also important, especially insofar as inspection report challenges. I’ve seen a minority of inspectors that take offense to inquiries about their reports; this type of attitude is detrimental to the overall process, since most motor carriers want to comply and inspectors must understand that effective compliance requires a partnership with industry.

In closing, I encourage all inspectors to strive for excellence and try to do the very best job possible. Take the extra steps to remain technically competent, stay current with regulatory changes, and find a mentor that you trust to assist in mastering your skills.

John E. Harrison retired at the rank of Captain from the Georgia Department of Public Safety and is a Past-President of CVSA (2007-2008). He is currently employed as a crash analyst and CMV compliance expert with Collision Specialists, Inc. based in Gainesville, GA.

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The Regulatory Rundown

By Adrienne Gildea, CVSA, Director, Policy & Government Affairs

Welcome to the first edition of CVSA’s new feature – The Regulatory Rundown. Like the Legislative Rundown, this feature will update readers on developments with the regulatory process, everything from CVSA’s petitions for action at DOT to developments with various rulemakings of interest and other developments related to the Administration.

Focusing on regulatory action as FY 2011 came to a close, there have been a number of developments over the past few months regarding FMCSA’s proposed hours of service rule. The rule is due for publication on October 28th, as mandated by a court agreement between supporters and opponents of the department’s proposal. As the deadline for publication approaches, involved parties are stepping up their efforts.

In September, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Mica promised to block any changes to the current HOS regulations. Congressmen Boehner and Cantor also weighed in on the issue, asking the president to halt the ongoing rulemaking, which made OMB’s list of rulemakings that will cost more than $1 million to implement. The letter cited the suffering economy and the rulemaking’s impact on productivity, as well as the improved safety statistics under the current regulations. In response, safety advocates stepped up their activities,

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sending letters of their own in support of the proposed changes.

In mid-October, Republicans on Capitol Hill made another attempt to stall the rulemaking, this time in the Senate. As part of the 2012 Transportation-Housing & Urban Development appropriations bill process, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, the junior Senator from New Hampshire, offered an amendment that would prevent 2012 funds from being used to finalize, implement, or enforce the new HOS rules.

However, after concerns from industry, including CVSA, about the unintended impacts of the language as well as a letter from Secretary LaHood, the amendment was not brought up for a vote and legislation proceeded without the language (see Legislative Rundown for additional information).

Despite the October 28th deadline, the rule had not yet been transmitted to OMB for review in mid-October. OMB has typically has 90 days to review a rule once it has been received, though they can expe-

dite an issue, calling into question whether or not the department would have time to finalize the rule before the deadline. While Administration officials remain committed to issuing the final rule on time, statements from FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro at ATA’s annual Management Conference and Exhibition in late October indicated that the Administration recognized the limited timeframe and raised the possibility of a delay in the rule’s publication.

Regardless of when the rule is published and what is included, it seems bound for further litigation.

Meanwhile, the Administration also faced hurdles in moving forward with its efforts to mandate industry use of Electronic On-Board Recorders (EOBRs).

The first EOBR rule (EOBR 1), required certain carriers with records of violations to employ EOBRs. However, that rule was challenged by OOIDA and in August a federal court vacated the rule, arguing that the rulemaking fails to meet the Congressional mandated requirement to protect drivers against harassment from employers. FMCSA had indicated that they will issue a final rule removing EOBR1 language from regulatory code.

In addition to wiping out EOBR1, the court’s ruling put FMCSA’s second EOBR rule (EOBR2) in jeopardy. The rule, which would require EOBRs for most of the industry, was built largely on the more technical pieces of EOBR1 rulemaking. Now that that rule no longer exists, adjustments to EOBR2 will be required. This will likely delay progress on EOBR2 rule. However, this delay should allow FMCSA to make some necessary revisions to the technical language included in EOBR1 and adjust the harassment language before

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publishing EOBR2. Work continued through the fall, with the EOBR Subcommittee of the Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee meeting in late October to discuss challenges to implementing an EOBR mandate industry-wide. Of particular interest to CVSA members is the issue of a universal interface and ease of use for enforcement officers.

Finally, DOT took several strides forward with the NAFTA mandated Cross Border Trucking program. In August OIG issued a congressionallymandated evaluation of DOT’s implementation of the program. The report

concluded that DOT needed to take further steps before moving forward with the program. DOT responded in early October with a report detailing how it had completed the tasks identified in the GAO report. On October 14th, the first Mexican trucking company, Transportes Olympic, was cleared and a second company was pending. Mexico-domiciled trucks were expected to begin operating with the United States as early as October 21st, finally meeting the requirements of the NAFTA agreement. Once the first Mexican truck is allowed to pass into the US under the program,

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Mexico has committed to eliminating tariffs put on US goods in retaliation for Congressional action that prohibited the program from moving forward.

Even as the department moves forward with the program, it continues to face opposition from both safety organizations, OOIDA and labor, who claim the program will impact safety on US roads and further deplete the US job market.

In other DOT news, Secretary LaHood announced in October that, regardless of the outcome of the 2012 elections, he will not return to the department for a second term.

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Ask the FMCSA Administrator

fiscal year are as follows: • A new Teens and Trucks program in New Hampshire received $121,000 to educate teen drivers about the importance of safely sharing the road with big trucks.

• The city of San Antonio received $327,000 to conduct its own Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks program so that aggressive drivers can be stopped and serious and tragic crashes can be avoided.

• The state of West Virginia received $152,000 to boost its rural road enforcement capabilities.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Anne S. Ferro answers your questions. In this issue, the Administrator details plans to improve training; how the grants process is changing; and how FMCSA views carrier and driver acceptance of CSA. Question: What is FMCSA doing to improve its training to better meet our needs?

Answer: With our training catalog, we are working hard to improve the courses provided by FMCSA. In the past year, our National Training Center has made substantial progress on an ongoing initiative to improve the quality of our training, instruction and in our communication with you.

Improving communications with CVSA members is very important to us.

We use monthly calls with the CVSA Executive Committee to discuss training needs so that the training provided to you is relevant and ahead of the curve.

We also have regular calls and communications with the CVSA training com-

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mittee which keeps our training plan upto-date and relevant.

We are moving forward with our instructor development program because instructors are the heart of any training and the central component of our success. We also meet regularly to review and manage the courses themselves. It’s a truly collaborative process. If you are familiar with the changes that were made to the Hazardous Materials course - you understand the progress being made by our partnership.

Question: How is FMCSA improving its grants process?

Answer: We know that you need money to attend training and execute your safety programs. This year alone FMCSA awarded approximately $300 million in MCSAP and other safety grants that directly support state and local enforcement of commercial motor vehicle safety in order to save lives.

These grants help us achieve uniformity in enforcement across the country. Just a few examples of grants awarded in this

To improve the management of those grants, we have increased our internal controls and oversight. We are making sure all grants follow all federal requirements and accomplish their safety objectives. We are tracking and documenting the success stories of our grants programs.

FMCSA grants maintain a high safety standard for carriers by putting more inspectors at the roadside and improving the technology these inspectors use to identify problem carriers and drivers and get them off the roads.

To improve how we issue the grants we have implemented an automated grants management system. As we are overcoming our hiccups in the grants process, which may feel like heartburn to all of you, by focusing on the monitoring and oversight of grant execution, you are going to see that we will be asking you for better documentation, more descriptive quarterly reports and evaluations of your grant accomplishments.

In the next fiscal year, we will complete the application review process earlier so that grant recommendations can

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be pending as funding becomes available.

By doing this, we will award grants sooner in the new fiscal year, even under a continuing resolution.

All of the changes we are making are to benefit our safety mission. We look forward to communicating with you about changes that may happen for Fiscal Year 2013 through our safety program’s reauthorization by Congress.

Question: How has CSA grown in its acceptance among carriers and drivers?

Answer: In less than a year we have made great progress in our enforcement programs because of CSA. We are better able to identify the “why” of a problem instead of just the “what”. And at the heart of this great program is the inspections you are carrying out 24/7 year-round.

As I travel the country, I hear how CSA has grown has added value in such a short time among carriers, shippers, insurers and drivers. They are using it to improve safety performance, and by doing so holding themselves accountable for reducing crashes. This behavior is vitally important to our public safety mission.

We have certainly gotten the word out.

We have had 1.6 million visits to our CSA web site and fielded more than 5,500 questions over the past 18 months by those who are affected by CSA. Nearly 19,000 folks are receiving CSA updates through a website subscription service.

Go to http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/subscription.aspx to sign up.

If you participate in LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking site, you will find a CSA discussion

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group. According to this site, carriers, insurers and brokers all use the safety measurement system to screen carriers and drivers.

CSA is motivating carriers to improve their safety performance. Everyone is in agreement that good safety scores give a carrier an advantage in the marketplace.

Safety conscious drivers are watching their scores and paying attention to the vehicles they drive.

As proof positive that the industry is taking CSA seriously, UPS Freight has a new position advertised called a “CSA Data Analyst.” We applaud them for making CSA a priority.

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The industry understands that CSA is here to stay.

I’m counting on you to continue your strong support for well-trained inspectors and to monitor their work through their questions and requests for review that come in through the DataQ system.

Every inspector counts. Every Inspection counts towards making CSA the strongest enforcement platform we have for achieving commercial vehicle safety on our highways.

Thank you for your diligence to our safety mission and Congratulations on a job well done in 2011 to all our state and local safety partners.

NTSB Moves to Prohibit Use of Hand-Held, Hands-Free Cellular Phones for all Commercial Vehicle Drivers The National Transportation Safety Board recently recommended FMCSA prohibit the use of both handheld and hands-free cellular telephones by all commercial driver’s license holders while operating a commercial vehicle, except in emergencies and apply the vetting criteria of the New Applicant Screening Program to the information submitted by all new entrant motor carriers.

The National Transportation Safety Board also reiterates the following recommendations to FMCSA: • Seek statutory authority to deny or revoke operating authority for commercial interstate motor carriers found to have applications for operating authority in which the applicant failed to disclose any prior operating relationship with another motor carrier, operating as another motor carrier, or being previously assigned a U.S. Department of Transportation number.

• Develop an evaluation component to determine the effectiveness of your New Applicant Screening Program.

For more information about NTSB’s safety recommendation, visit http://www.ntsb.gov/index.html.

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National Motorcoach Safety Summit Advances Dialogue, Energizes, Empowers Stakeholders

By Gregory Nahmens, FMCSA, Transportation Specialist, Commercial Passenger Carrier Safety Division

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and FMCSA hosted a National Motorcoach Safety Summit on September 23, 2011, at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington, D.C. In mid-June, FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro announced the National Motorcoach Safety Summit to advance a broader dialogue on motorcoach safety among key stakeholders including industry, law enforcement, crash victims, labor, safety advocates, safety consultants, mechanics, drivers, and other community groups. The event was held to increase awareness of the importance of motorcoach safety and to energize and empower stakeholders, partners and the public to take personal responsibility in making motorcoach transportation safer.

The Summit included input from multiple modes within USDOT and was promoted as “One DOT - On the Move for Motorcoach Safety”. It was the culmination of a series of roundtable discussions held in August 2011 in New York,

Texas, Ohio, and California. The objective of the roundtable discussions was to identify challenges to motorcoach safety, then collaborate on strategies to develop innovative, and strategic solutions with countermeasures to address those safety concerns. In addition, all individuals and organizations were encouraged to discuss, share comments, and vote upon posted ideas using the USDOTs’ IdeaScale website. Information gathered from IdeaScale and the regional roundtable meetings developed into four major themes. The four major themes were broken down and formed the basis of eleven breakout topics for the Summit roundtable discussions.

The Summit began with Administrator Ferro’s welcome and introduction of USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood, who announced in his opening remarks that a new Smartphone application will be available this fall, offering convenient access to a bus operator’s safety record to the public.

This should encourage organizations and

PHMSA Seeks Comments on Proposed Rule to Harmonize U.S. Radioactive Materials Transportation Requirements with International Standards In August, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to amend requirements in the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR) governing the transportation of Class 7 radioactive materials. To be considered, comments must be received by November 10, 2011. The proposed rule would align the requirements for shippers and carriers of radioactive materials with changes made in the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) publication “Regulations for the Safe Transport of Radioactive Material, 2009 Edition, IAEA Safety Standards Series No. TS-R-1.” The proposed rule also would update, clarify, correct, or provide relief from certain regulatory requirements applicable to the transportation of Class 7 materials. The notice can be found in the Federal Register at http://phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat/regs/rulemaking/nprm-anprm. Contact: PHMSA Public Affairs (202) 366-4831.

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passengers to view a company’s safety record before boarding the motorcoach.

Mr. Jack Van Steenburg, FMCSA’s Assistant Administrator and Chief Safety Officer facilitated a panel discussion that included a brief summary of motorcoach safety initiatives by the Federal Highway Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Research & Innovative Technology Administration, Federal Transit Administration, and FMCSA. Next, Ms. Anne Collins, FMCSA’s Associate Administrator for Field Operations facilitated a Safety Panel representing victim and safety advocates, workers unions, State enforcement agencies and industry. This panel provided diverse viewpoints of motorcoach safety interests and answered questions.

Mr. William Quade, FMCSA’s Associate Administrator for Enforcement and Program Delivery then explained the Safety Measurement System (SMS) using the Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (BASICs), as part of FMCSA’s Compliance - Safety Accountability (CSA) enforcement program.

After lunch, Ms. Bryna Helfer, Director of Public Engagement, U.S. Department of Transportation, served as coordinator for the Summit roundtable discussions. At the conclusion of some very spirited sessions, each group reported out their findings to the Summit attendees at large. The recommendations were documented and most of the event was webcast. The webcast can be viewed at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safetysecurity/PCS/motorcoach-safety.aspx, and the final report will be available for viewing on the FMCSA web site later this fall.

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To conclude the Summit, Mr. John Porcari, Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation reiterated the importance of making a commitment to Think Safety: Every Trip, Every Time, and spoke of the next steps. Attendees were encouraged to complete a self-addressed postcard which included a pledge of personal effort addressing one of the safety issues. FMCSA will mail postcards to the authors in 30 days as a reminder of their commitment to enhance motorcoach safety.

As we know, the 2009 Bus Safety Summit hosted by CVSA provided valuable insights from the industry and enforcement. By contrast, the purpose of the 2011 Motorcoach Safety Summit was to enable and empower a larger and more diversified group. The event had an excellent turnout with 182 on-site attendees, and at one time an estimated 2,560 people watched the Summit via webcast.

The USDOT modes are reviewing the information gathered during the regional and national events and will be applying what has been learned into future actions to enhance motorcoach safety. FMCSA strongly encourages travelers considering passenger carrier transportation to visit the agency’s web site and review a carrier’s safety records at http://www.ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/ Passenger/home.asp. FMCSA also encourages the public to report unsafe carriers and incidents to its safety hotline at 1-888-DOT-SAFT or online at http://nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov. The FMCSA remains determined to enhance the safety and confidence of those who travel aboard commercial passenger carrying vehicles.

FMCSA’s National Training Center (NTC) is approaching the end of a year-long project to redevelop its HazMat training. The aim of the NTC HazMat Course Redevelopment Project is to achieve better learning outcomes for training directed to Federal and State personnel who conduct HazMat-based compliance reviews, investigations or inspections.

The following is the Design Validation Group for the project: • Paul Bomgardner, FMCSA • Janelle Brewster, FMCSA • Bruce Bugg, Georgia Department of Public Safety • Reggie Bunner, Public Service Commission of West Virginia • Joe Evans, FMCSA • Don Johnson, Virginia State Police • Scott Maguire, Massachusetts State Police • Tom Manning, Maryland Department of the Environment • Rex Railsback, Kansas Highway Patrol • Don Tomlinson, FMCSA • Brad Wagner, Nebraska State Patrol These Subject Matter Experts provided the critical input and insight that shaped the learning objectives and defined specific performance criteria. Their tireless dedication over the past year-including thorough reviews at each development phasedrove the Project’s success.

The new HazMat training courses are: • General Hazardous Materials (HM I) • Cargo Tank Inspection (CTI)

• Other Bulk Packaging (OBP) • Cargo Tank Facility Review (CTFR) • Hazardous Materials Specialties (HMS) HMS is a new, self-paced, all-webbased course covering: • HM Security • Class 1 Explosive Materials • Class 7 Radioactive Materials • Hazardous Substance (HS), Hazardous Waste (HW), and Radioactive Waste Materials (RWM) • Division 6.2 Infectious Substances and Regulated Medical Waste (RMW) The instructional materials for the new HazMat training courses are produced in a range of media for greater flexibility. For example, all-web-based pre-requisites reduce the need for instructor-led resources and allow for more performance-based/hands-on interaction in the classroom.

NTC-certified HazMat Instructors will have two opportunities to re-certify in the new HazMat training courses: • January 10, 2012, at NTC, Arlington, VA • January 30, 2012, at the Cooperative Hazardous Materials Enforcement Development (COHMED) Conference (January 30 - February 3, 2012), Newport Beach, CA Rollout of the new HazMat training courses will begin February 2012.

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National Transportation Safety Board Reports Out on Commercial Vehicle Crashes in Indiana, Kentucky

By Jennifer Morrison, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Vehicle Factors Investigator, and Julie Perrot, NTSB, Safety Recommendation Specialist

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently released reports on two commercial vehicle accidents that occurred in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Munfordville, Kentucky.

Indianapolis, Indiana At about 10:38 a.m. EDT, on October 22, 2009, a truck-tractor in combination with a cargo tank semitrailer, driven by a 73-year-old male and operated by AmeriGas Propane, L.P., rolled over about 10 miles northeast of downtown Indianapolis. The rollover occurred on a connection ramp at the junction of I-69 south and I-465 south as the driver was negotiating a left curve. A series of driver inputs, steering hard to the right and then back to the left, led to the cargo tank rolling over, detaching from the truck, penetrating a steel guardrail, and colliding with and entirely displacing a bridge pier column that supported the I465 overpass. The tanker was loaded with 9,001 gallons of liquefied petroleum gas, that escaped, formed a vapor cloud,

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and ignited. As a result of the accident and post-accident fire, the truck driver and a driver of a passenger car sustained serious injuries. Three occupants from other passenger vehicles traveling on I465 received minor injuries from the post-accident fire.

In its July 26, 2011, Board meeting, the NTSB determined that the probable cause of the Indianapolis accident was the driver’s excessive and rapid evasive steering maneuver that led to his loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the reduced cross slope of the paved right shoulder, and the susceptibility of the combination unit to roll over because of its high center of gravity.

“The NTSB has been concerned about the integrity of cargo tanks carrying hazardous materials for more than 40 years,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. “There are more than 1,300 rollovers a year involving cargo tank motor vehicles. These accidents pose a significant safety risk to both the vehicle driver and to the motoring public.”

Munfordville

In this report, the NTSB issued 20 new safety recommendations to Federal and state organizations. Recommendations included developing rollover prevention programs, establishing performance standards for cargo tank designs that mitigate the release of hazardous materials in accidents, improving highway design characteristics to reduce heavy truck rollover risk, and developing performance standards for, and then requiring, stability control systems on all newly manufactured commercial vehicles, and in all in-use cargo tank trailers, retroactively.

Munfordville, Kentucky At about 5:14 a.m. CDT, on March 26, 2010, near Munfordville, a truck-tractor semitrailer combination unit driven by a 45-year-old male and operated by Hester, Inc. of Fayette, AL, departed the left lane of southbound I-65, crossed a 60-footwide median, struck and overrode a cable barrier system, entered the northbound travel lanes, and struck a 15-passenger van driven by a 41-year-old male and

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CCMTA Works to Develop EOBR Standard

occupied by 11 passengers (eight adults, two small children, and an infant). The truck driver and 10 of the 12 occupants of the van were killed. Investigators determined that the truck driver used his mobile phone for calls and text messages a total of 69 times while driving in the 24-hour period prior to the accident. The driver made four calls in the minutes leading up to the crash, the last call coinciding with the time that the truck departed the highway.

“Distracted driving is becoming increasingly prevalent, exacerbating the danger we encounter daily on our roadways,” said Chairman Hersman. “It can be especially lethal when the distracted driver is at the wheel of a vehicle that weighs 40 tons and travels at highway speeds.”

In its September 13, 2011, Board meeting, the NTSB cited distraction from the use of a mobile phone by the truck driver as the probable cause of the accident. The NTSB also determined that the median barrier system, which had recently been installed following another fatal median crossover accident on the same section of I-65, contributed to the severity of the accident because it was not designed to redirect or contain a large commercial vehicle.

In this report, the NTSB issued 15 new safety recommendations to Federal and state organizations, and reiterated two previously issued recommendations to FMCSA. Recommendations included banning the use of mobile phones by commercial drivers, except in emergencies, and using appropriately designed median barriers on roadways with high volumes of commercial vehicles.

The full reports of both accidents are available on the NTSB’s web site: www.ntsb.gov.

The Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA) is working to develop a standard for electronic on-board recorders (EOBRs) that will give Canada the opportunity to move forward with its own standard while ensuring compatibility with the U.S. Last Fall, the Council of Canadian Deputy Ministers of Transport directed CCMTA to develop a standard and a project team was put together with CRA members & technical representatives. Early in the new year, terms of reference and a workplan for the project were developed, and a consultant was hired to conduct the work (FPInnovations, formerly FERIC).

“Work got under way in early summer,” said Doug MacEwen, CCMTA’s CRA chair recently at CVSA’s Annual Conference & Exhibition. “The consultant is now finalizing the project’s first deliverable related to the key elements of the standard (i.e. those data elements necessary for enforcement personnel to determine HOS compliance).”

The consultant’s team also is involved in the related Quebec/Ontario/TC/NB Operational Testing of On-Board Recorders, Smart Cards and Digital Signature Technologies. This allows opportunities for linkages between the two projects and will help in dealing with key operational issues. A draft standard is expected next month, with industry consultation and outreach to follow. The final standard will be completed by the end of January. A second stage of the work will address application issues and will begin in the late fall or early winter.

Cargo Securement The next meeting of the Public Forum is slated for November 29 in Montreal as per an agreed-upon rotational schedule between Canada and the U.S. Meanwhile, the next meeting of the Regulatory Committee is slated for early November in D.C. Periodic Motor Vehicle Inspection At its meeting in May, the CRA Committee also agreed to a new review of the National Safety Code Standard on Periodic Motor Vehicle Inspections, to ensure it reflects present manufacturing standards and evolving vehicle technology.

The standard has seen many iterations over the years, but its basic premise has not changed: to advance uniformity of inspection programs, minimize costs and delays to industry generated by existing inspection programs, and reduce accidents due to mechanical defects.

The requirements call for annual, in-shop inspection of trucks and trailers, and semi-annual inspection for buses. We expect the review to be initiated this fall, and hopefully be completed within a year. The standard was last updated in 2006.

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Fourth Quarter 2011

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Final Rule Issued on July 20, 2011 Should Eliminate Confusion Inspecting Void Venting on 400 Series Cargo Tanks

By Joe Evans, FMCSA, HM Program Manager, Eastern Service Center

49 CFR Section 178.345-1 establishes general design and construction requirements for DOT 400 series cargo tank motor vehicles. Specifically at 49 CFR Section 178.345-1(i)(1) a cargo tank motor vehicle composed of more than one cargo tank may be constructed with the cargo tanks made to the same specification or to different specifications and (2) each cargo tank must conform in all respects with the specification for which it is certified. The strength of the connecting structure joining multiple cargo tanks in a cargo tank motor vehicle must meet the structural design requirements in § 178.345-3. Any void within the connecting structure must be vented to the atmosphere and have a drain located on the bottom centerline. Each drain must be accessible and must be kept open at all times. The drain in any void within the connecting structure of a carbon steel, self-supporting cargo tank may be either a single drain of at least 1.0 inch diameter, or two or more drains of at least 0.5 inch diameter, 6.0 inches apart, one of which is located on the bottom centerline.

Past interpretations issued by US DOT, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials

Safety Administration (PHMSA) have indicated that a void’s vent must be located as close to the top centerline of the tank as practicable and the drain as close to the bottom centerline of the tank as practicable. An interpretation issued on 9-25-03 (Ref# 02-0287) indicated that it was OK to plug the top vent. That interpretation was subsequently retracted by another on 4-7-04 (Ref # 04-0055) which indicated that the top vent cannot be plugged. Recent discussions with industry and enforcement personnel has lead PHMSA to determine that requiring an opening on top of a cargo tank to vent vapors that accumulate in the void space may not be the best practice. In situations such as with gasoline, the vapors are heavier than air and will escape or vent through the drain opening.

Venting voids through the top of a cargo tank may cause premature corrosion of the void space as a result of water penetration. Allowing the vent to be plugged will also make it easier to identify when there is actually a leak in the bulkhead. Hazardous materials leaking from the drain will cause an obvious stain and/or dirt build up. With the top

vent plugged there would be no water entering the void from the top vent and any leaking would likely be coming from the adjacent bulkheads. To address this problem PHMSA has revised § 178.345-1 to clearly indicate that any void area within the connecting structure of a cargo tank between double bulk heads must be vented to the atmosphere through the required drain or through a separate vent. The rule clarification will not require that the top vent be plugged or that a new vent other than the currently required drain be installed in existing specification cargo tanks. The revision was effective on August 19, 2011 and will ensure that void spaces in the connecting structure of DOT 406, 407, and 412 cargo tank motor vehicles are properly vented to allow for the escape of product vapors.

Manufacturers are urged to continue allowing for access to the void space through the top of the tank. In addition, PHMSA suggests the continued placement of inspection openings of sufficient size and number to permit proper visual internal inspection of the connecting structure.

Top of void with vent unplugged

Top of void with vent plugged

Bottom of void with drain unplugged

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Brake Adjustment Area of Concern During CVSA’s Brake Safety Week CVSA Targets Drivers, Mechanics on Proper Brake Inspection, Maintenance, Operation More than 50 percent of commercial motor vehicle (CMV) out-of-service violations cited during roadside inspections were for brake-related violations, according to CVSA Roadcheck 2011 data – indicating much more education and awareness is needed to reduce the number of highway crashes caused each year by poorly maintained braking systems on commercial vehicles. CVSA worked with drivers, mechanics and others during the week of September 11-17, 2011, Brake Safety Week, to enhance knowledge, regulatory compliance and performance of CMV braking systems.

“Ultimately, brakes are a major factor in being able to operate a commercial vehicle safely, yet they continue to be cited as one of the leading factors in crashes due to defects and improper maintenance and adjustment,” said Stephen A. Keppler, CVSA’s executive director. “One of the major goals of Brake Safety Week is to educate drivers, mechanics and others on the importance of proper adjustment, maintenance, and operation to ensure every commercial vehicle is operating safely, and, ultimately, to save lives.”

During Brake Safety Week CVSACertified Inspectors, brake suppliers, and industry partners conduct enforcement and education activities with drivers and mechanics at truck stops, weigh stations and other locations. This week-long campaign is part of the ongoing CVSA effort, called Operation Air Brake, dedicated to improving inspection, compliance, maintenance, and performance of commercial vehicle braking systems throughout North America. It is conducted with, and supported in part by the FMCSA. “FMCSA’s strong partnership with law enforcement nationwide is about

raising the bar for safer trucks and buses.

To do that, FMCSA proudly joins with our state law enforcement partners to conduct Brake Safety Week,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro.

During Brake Safety Week in addition to conducting roadside inspections, enforcement deployed Performance-Based Brake Testers in several participating jurisdictions and at a number of inspection locations.

During the course of this year, as part of Operation Air Brake, CVSA developed two portable brake adjustment demonstration models that have been used throughout the year at industry events to demonstrate and illustrate the importance of proper brake adjustment. There are many other educa-

tional components that are part of the Operation Air Brake Campaign, to include a web-based training program geared toward drivers and technicians, as well as instructional guides and handbooks. The campaign exists principally to reduce the out-of-service rate for brake-related defects. This Selective Traffic Enforcement Program (STEP) model has been used successfully in other areas of traffic safety concerns (most notably seat belt usage), and is being employed throughout North America to focus on the very important issue of brake safety and regulatory compliance. It was developed and initiated by Canada in 1998. To learn more about the campaign, visit www.operationairbrake.com.

CVSA Academic Scholarship

Since its inception in 1982, CVSA has been a safety advocate of commercial vehicles. CVSA represents the individuals who dedicate their work to promoting an environment free of commercial vehicle accidents and incidents.

As North America's leading commercial vehicle safety organization, the CVSA Academic Scholarship is the centerpiece of the Alliance's educational outreach initiative. The Scholarship provides two $1000 grants to graduating high school seniors whose parent or legal guardian is a good standing member of CVSA. This grant program is competitive in its selection criteria, uniquely tailored to recognize outstanding high school seniors. Scholarship recipients are selected by weighing academic performance and extracurricular activities.

Application Deadline: March 31, 2012 For more information, please visit: www.cvsa.org/about/cvsa_academicscholarships.php

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CVSA Calls on Drivers to End Senseless Deaths by Defeating Distracted Driving Now Operation Safe Driver Campaign Educates Drivers How to Steer Clear of Tragedy A killer is stalking North America’s roadways and is claiming 14 lives every day in the United States alone. Aggressive and unsafe driving behaviors by truck and bus drivers, as well as the passenger car drivers operating unsafely around them, are primary factors in more deaths on our roadways than a 737 airplane crashing every other week. CVSA called on all drivers to make a difference, reduce aggressive and distracted driving and save lives across North America with its annual Operation Safe Driver campaign mobilization week October 16-22, 2011.

“We are asking all drivers to join us in providing solutions to this pandemic and to fight back against aggressive and unsafe driving practices, especially distracted driving,” said CVSA Executive Director Stephen A. Keppler. “We need the public’s help in putting a face on safety within our communities and spheres of influence. As an individual, a company or association, there are many things you can do to make a difference. It starts with educating your own employees about the dangers of aggressive and unsafe driving. In addition, you can become an active supporter to stop these senseless deaths that occur daily and affect each and every one of us.”

Operation Safe Driver takes place across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Its aim is to increase activities related to commercial vehicle and non-commercial vehicle traffic enforcement; safety belt enforcement; driver roadside safety inspections; driver regulatory compliance; implementation of commercial driver educational and awareness programs to the motor carrier population; and, raising aware-

ness to the motoring public about safe operations around trucks and buses.”

During the week of October 16-22, 2011 law enforcement across North America actively targeted these drivers during ‘Operation Safe Driver,’ a program sponsored by CVSA and FMCSA as well as strategic partners including American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, American Trucking Associations,

American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials, American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association, FedEx Corp., Governors Highway Safety Association, National District Attorneys Association and United Motorcoach Association.

CVSA together with FMCSA, Tennessee Highway Patrol, FedEx and members of the Southwind High School Student’s Against Destructive Decisions (S.A.D.D.) chapter held a media conference October 13, 2011 in Memphis,TN. Officials spoke to the group of students, highlighting the importance of driving without distractions. The event, which included a demonstration of a truck and bus No Zone, concluded with the students and all participants signing a No Texting Pledge.

“Many of you are new drivers and your new license is not only a new privilege granted to you but a new power – the power of freedom. It’s a great feeling,” said Scott Mugno, Managing Director of Corporate Safety, FedEx Express. “That feeling reminds me of a great quote from a comic book that became a popular movie franchise – “Remember, with great power, comes great responsibility…When you are behind the wheel, you and FedEx are sharing the road.

And it is in both of our interests to drive safely. We have a strong safety record because we continually remind our drivers to think and act safely….and I want you to do the same.”

Operation Safe Driver continues to build on a highly successful series of educational outreach programs geared to specific audiences and issues. The Teens & Trucks

“Each year more than 36,000 people die on the roadways throughout North America – about 4,000 of which are related to large trucks and buses. Many of these deaths are the direct result of unsafe and aggressive driving practices by both passenger and commercial vehicle drivers.”

—Stephen A. Keppler, CVSA’s executive director.

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CVSA Recognizes Students for Academic Achievement with Scholarships Teens and Trucks Program

—Doug MacEwen, Safety Coordinator, Highway Safety Division, Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal

Since its inception in 1982, CVSA has been a safety advocate of commercial vehicles and represents the individuals who dedicate their work to promoting an environment free of commercial vehicle crashes and incidents. As North America’s leading commercial vehicle safety organization, the CVSA Academic Scholarship is a key piece of the Alliance’s education and outreach initiatives.

CVSA’s Academic Scholarship is dedicated to Gary E. Curtis, a Virginia State Trooper who had a passion for commercial vehicle safety. The Scholarship provides two $1,000 grants to graduating high school seniors whose parent or legal guardian is a CVSA Member in good standing. This year, CVSA is pleased to announce two awards: Ashley Christle and Blake Ashton Lamb as this year’s Scholarship recipients.

As you may know, Ashley is the daughter of our former president Darren Christle.

Many of us have watched Ashley grow up

Training Program was created and launched in collaboration with CVSA, Arizona Trucking Association, Arizona Department of Public Safety and American Trucking Associations in 2009-2010. Together CVSA and its partners developed this program to help educate young drivers about safe driving practices around commercial vehicles that has been shown to hundreds of thousands of teens across the continent and continues to grow.

This year, the same partnership is releasing Defeating Distracted Driving, a

new educational program for motor carriers about the dangers of distracted driving for use by fleets, driving schools and other outlets. The program is directed at commercial vehicle drivers and its goal is to raise awareness of the risks associated with texting, emailing, using portable electronic devices, and other distractions while driving and to reduce crashes attributable to distracted driving.

“The Operation Safe Driver campaign sends a strong message to all drivers to

“ The Tennessee Trucking Association is proud to partner with the Tennessee Highway Patrol, FMCSA, CVSA, FedEx and Southwind High School Chapter of S.A.D.D. to support efforts to reduce distracted driving. The dangers of distracted driving are certainly evident and all efforts to reduce the epidemic are very important.”

—Dave Huneryager, President & CEO, Tennessee Trucking Association “ Prince Edward Island, Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal has disseminated the program to all Driver Education Schools in the province with positive feedback. As well it has been included in the Novice Driver Program, delivered by the Department throughout our jurisdiction. This is a great initiative and kudos to CVSA for developing and sharing this worthy program.”

as she attended CVSA events over the years. We are very proud to award this scholarship to Ashley who in addition to being very active in extracurricular activities including getting her black belt in Tae Kwon Do, serving her church and youth groups, and concert and jazz bands, maintained being an honor roll student with distinction during her high school years. She will be pursuing a degree in architecture from the University of Manitoba.

Our second recipient is Blake Ashton Lamb, a student from Edgehill, GA, whose mother works for the Georgia Department of Public Safety. Blake has been an honor roll student, and received the President’s Education Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence in 2008 and 2009. His numerous extracurricular activities include National Honor Society, and 4-H. Blake is pursuing a degree in Biological Science from the University of Georgia.

think safety. In particular, it demonstrates just how serious we are about catching bus or truck drivers who are doing anything less and will make our roads safer and save lives by removing thousands of unsafe truck, bus and car drivers from the road,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “We will not rest until all drivers are thinking safety first, every trip, every time. The Operation Safe Driver Campaign moves us closer to achieving our safety goals.”

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Fourth Quarter 2011

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NAIC Recognizes Inspectors’ Dedication to Commercial Vehicle Safety Commercial Vehicle Inspectors Inspire Others to Achieve Professional Excellence to Save Lives Fifty-four roadside inspectors representing jurisdictions across North America convened this year in Orlando, FL – August 813, 2011 to compete in CVSA’s North American Inspectors Championship (NAIC). This year, John Sova, a CVSAcertified North American Standard inspector from North Dakota, was awarded the Jimmy K. Ammons Grand Champion Award for his combined performances in six competition elements including the North American Standard Level I Inspection, North American Standard HazMat/Transportation of Dangerous Goods Inspection, and North American Standard Level I Motorcoach Inspection.

“We are proud to recognize and reward each of our 54 roadside inspectors from across North America who not only demonstrate their professional excellence and dedication to highway safety but inspire others to do the same,” said Stephen A. Keppler, CVSA’s Executive Director. “Their enthusiasm and passion goes a long way in advancing commercial vehicle safety and saving lives due to the information, techniques and experiences they will share with others in furtherance of improving uniformity in the enforcement of highway safety standards across the continent.”

“I applaud all the competitors who came from far and wide to be a part of

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this extraordinary contest. Their dedication to doing the best job possible helps us set the safety bar high for all inspectors and keeps trucks and buses operating safely on our highways,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “Their tireless commitment to safety is not only inspiring to us all, it saves lives every day.”

NAIC is managed by CVSA; funded in part by FMCSA and is successful due to strong industry participation and sponsorship. NAIC has been recognized by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) as an event that “Advances America.”

In addition to the Grand Champion award, the following additional awards were presented: • High Points United States: John Sova, North Dakota • High Points Canada: Erik Eustace, Ontario • High Points Mexico: Armando Garcia, Mexico • North American Standard Level I Inspection: 1. John Sova, North Dakota; 2. Robert Iman, Maryland; 3.Derek Canard, Arkansas.

• North American Standard Level V Passenger Vehicle (Motorcoach) Inspection: 1. John Sova, North Dakota; 2. Erik Eustace, Ontario; 3.

Robert Iman, Maryland.

• North American Standard Hazardous Materials/ Transportation of Dangerous Goods and Cargo Tank/Bulk Packagings Inspection: 1. Benjamin Schropfer, Nebraska; 2. John Sova, North Dakota; 3. Derek Canard, Arkansas.

• John Youngblood Award of Excellence is a special award NAIC contestants bestow on a fellow NAIC inspector who exemplifies the high standards and unwavering dedication to the profession. This year one contestant overcame great personal loss when a tornado, that ripped through Kansas in May 2011, destroyed his family’s home and everything they owned and yet still managed to represent his jurisdiction at this year’s NAIC. The award this year goes to Trp. Jeffrey Norling of the Kansas Highway Patrol.

• Team Award: Blue Team: Team Leader - Diana Morales; Michael Rogers, Alaska; Chad Bernbeck, Colorado; Joseph Colman, Iowa; Robert Iman, Maryland; Benjamin Schropfer, Nebraska; John Sova, North Dakota; Ned Norita, Northern Mariana Islands; Erik Eustace, Ontario; Garland Sponburgh, Jr., Washington.

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CVSA, IANA Present Multi-Part Series on the New Roadability Regulations Focusing on Container Chassis During the past four years, CVSA has partnered with the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) during their Annual Conference

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Operations and Maintenance Conference in May to educate their members in the regulations applicable for the safe operations of container chassis. These on-site education seminars have included roadside officers performing Level I inspections on power units and chassis located on the IANA Exposition floor as well as presentations on the FMCSR’s and the North American Standard OOSC focused on intermodal operations.

With recent successes for both CVSA and IANA in conducting educational webinar’s for their members, the two organizations have expanded the already existing partnership to include developing a series of Webinars focused on assisting the Intermodal Equipment Providers (IEP’s), shippers, maintenance departments and intermodal trucking companies to obtain compliance with the new Roadability requirements.

A tribute to the outreach for both organizations and the level of interest with this subject matter led to over 600 organizations Photos (from top to bottom): NAIC Grand Champion Trp. John Sova with FMCSA Administratror Anne S. Ferro (left) and and CVSA President Capt. Steve Dowling. High Points Award Recipients. Team Award Recipients.

signed up for the first joint webinar which took place on October 11th. To download the webinar go to http://www.cvsa.org/webinars/index.php.

The second Webinar in this series, focused on the new FMCSA Roadability Reviews (CR’s) for the IEP’s, is scheduled for December 13th.

If you have additional suggestions for Webinar topics, please don’t hesitate to contact Laura Zabriskie at lauraz@cvsa.org.

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CVSA ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION HIGHLIGHTS

CVSA’S Intelligent Transportation Systems Forum Highlights Cutting Edge Technology, Industry Best Practices

Improving truck and bus safety and efficiency through intelligent transportation systems technology, increasing productivity for state enforcement personnel, and sharing data to enable state enforcement personnel to target unsafe carriers were the focus of a recent Intelligent Transportation Systems Technology Forum during CVSA’s Annual Conference & Exhibition in September.

The forum provided for presentations and an informational exchange of best practices by CVSA member jurisdictions on technology projects and related issues.

It also provided informational sessions on cutting edge technology developments in industry, by CVSA Associate

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Members and as well as international perspectives. FMCSA and NHTSA provided updates on key ITS related initiatives and offer their insights into what is being planned for the future.

Presentations on State, Provincial and International Best Practices were conducted by Capt. Jack Clark, Alabama Department of Public Safety and Allan Parrish, CAPS: Advances in Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Technology in Alabama; Doug Shackleford and Myra Beckers, North Carolina Highway Patrol: Using GIS Crash Data to Drive CMV Crash Reduction; Nan Tarlton, Mississippi DOT: Smart Roadside in Mississippi; Tim Adams, International Registration Plan:

CMV Credentials Data - Assessing the Need - Providing on Demand; and, Randy Hanson, International Road Dynamics: Innovative Enforcement Strategies.

Industry initiatives included presentations by Jennifer Walton, Kentucky Transportation Center: Overview of an Innovative Collision Avoidance Technology for Commercial Vehicles; Brian Taylor, Intelligent Imaging Systems: Smart Roadside Inspection Systems - New Sensor Developments; Lauri Brady, PrePass: Best Practices in Electronic Screening; Brad Wright, Cambridge Systematics: Integ rating Roadside Enforcement Technologies With Traffic Operations.

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CVSA Leadership Changes

Maj. Mark Savage

Finally, providing updates on U.S. Federal Initiatives were Alrik Svensen, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Commercial Vehicle Driver Acceptance Clinics: Methods for Measuring Driver Performance of V2V Safety Applications; Ron Schaefer, SAIC: Smart Roadside Initiative Project Update; Capt. Bill Reese, Idaho State Police: Safety and Security Technologies for Radioactive Material Shipments; Jeff Loftus, FMCSA: FMCSA ITS/CVO Program Update gave an overview of goals, objectives, technology transfer and technology deployment targets; Roadside initiatives and applications (WRI, Smart Roadside, International E-screening at

Borders, CMV driver texting detection, wireless trailer VIN detection & communications); Onboard initiatives and applications (Onboard safety systems effectiveness study results, USDOT V2V/V2I Safety Pilot overview, Retrofit Safety Devices); Green initiatives (Alternative fuel safety awareness training for inspectors including CNG & H2,); and, Jose Rodriguez, FMCSA: CVISN Program Update that provided 2011 grant results, 2012 grant opportunity and priorities, performance monitoring and measurement, and deployment targets.

Many of the presentations can be viewed at http://www.cvsa.org/annual/2011_annual_conf.php.

CVSA President Maj. David Palmer announced several changes in leadership at CVSA’s Annual Conference & Exhibition in Austin in September. Membership elected Maj. Mark Savage, Colorado State Patrol, as Secretary-Treasurer. Maj. Savage has been with the Colorado State Patrol for 17 years and is committed to working collaboratively with all stakeholders in an effort to reduce the number of commercial vehicle related crashes on our highways.

In addition, CVSA wishes to extend a huge thank you to all members and associate members who dedicated their time and leadership over the past year and welcome those who have stepped forward to serve in 2012.

• Region II President, Capt. Doug Shackelford, North Carolina State Highway Patrol • Region II President, Alan Martin, Public Utilities Commission of Ohio; VicePresident, Maj. Lance Evans, Iowa Dept. of Transportation • Region V President, Reg Wightman, Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation; Vice President, Pierre Pratt, Controle Routier Quebec • Local Enforcement President, Robert Mills, Fort Worth Police Dept.; Vice President, Sgt. James Slykhuis, York Regional Police Service • Associate Advisory Committee Chair, Gerald Krisa, R+L Carriers, Inc.; Vice Chair, Marsha Vande Hei, Schneider National, Inc.; Secretary, Rob Abbott, American Trucking Associations • Training Committee Chair, Sgt. Rocco Domenico; and Vice-Chair Milan “Butch” Orbovich, Public Utilities Commission of Ohio

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Fourth Quarter 2011

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Four Drivers Recognized for Buckling Up, Being Saved by the Belt The Saved by the Belt program was created to recognize commercial motor vehicle drivers whose lives are saved or injuries significantly reduced because they were wearing a safety belt at the time of a crash; To emphasize safety belt use by commercial drivers; To use the CMVD as a role model for safety belt use; and to increase public awareness on the benefits of safety belt use.

To be eligible for receiving the award, nominees must meet the following criteria: Any commercial vehicle driver involved in a motor vehicle crash whose lives were saved or injuries significantly reduced because of the use of a safety belt; The crash occurred within twelve months of nomination; The nominee must be using a safety belt in the proper manner, and was not the “at-fault” vehicle.

This year, the Saved by the Belt Award was presented to four drivers: Juan Rivera, nominated by his employer FedEx Express October 4, 2010 Mr. Rivera was traveling Southbound around 8:56 pm in the far right lane in Tampa, FL when an

CVSA President Maj. David Palmer presents the Saved by the Belt award to Juan Rivera.

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oncoming vehicle crossed completely over a double solid yellow line causing impact, almost head-on to the driver side of the FedEx vehicle. Juan needed to be cut out from the wreckage and sustained serious injury to his legs. By wearing his seatbelt, this kept him alive as this accident was gruesome and tragic. To this day he has had several surgical procedures to both his legs and feet, and is optimistic he will walk again one day.

Leroy Ika, nominated by his employer FedEx Express December 29, 2010 a vehicle lost control (hydroplaned) and crossed three lanes. Hitting a tractor trailer which spun completely out of control. The driver of the Fedex Express tractor broke hard and tried to steer around the situation going from lane two over to lane four then onto the small emergency lane just prior to the cement barricade.

The tractor trailer was unable to regain steering after hitting the first vehicle pushing it into and hitting the cement barricade. The vehicle finally came to a stop approx 100 ft. after impact. The FedEx Express driver survived the accident and impact due to proper use of his safety belt! There were no fatalities.

Jeffrey Rice, employed by Macsteel Service Centers USA, nominated by Wayne Santmeier from the Maryland State Police On July 6, 2011 Mr. Rice was driving east on MD 291 when a passenger car attempted to pass Mr. Rice’s vehicle in a clearly marked no passing zone. During the illegal passing attempt, that vehicle met another passenger car headed westbound. In an attempt to avoid a head-on

collision the westbound passenger car swerved directly into the path of Mr. Rice’s Freightliner. Mr. Rice immediately took evasive action by swerving his commercial combination to the right. In the effort to avoid the collision Mr. Rice drove off the right roadside into a ditch.

As the Freightliner entered the ditch, the vehicle tipped to the right and subsequently overturned causing extensive crush to the driver’s compartment of the truck-tractor.

Fortunately, Mr. Rice was restrained by his seatbelt and as a result of properly wearing that restraining device, Mr. Rice remained in the driver’s seat of the Freightliner. The left side of the passenger compartment of the Freightliner was practically the only place on the trucktractor that did not suffer extensive crush damage as a result of the overturning.

Had Mr. Rice not been restrained and been thrown about the cab he would have almost certainly suffered fatal injuries in the crash. Instead, Mr. Rice suffered non-life threatening injuries and was conscious and coherent when he was transported from the scene by emergency medical personnel.

Billy Oliver, nominated by his employer, Fleetmaster Express December 8, 2010 around 7:48 am, a tractor trailer had pulled over on the right shoulder for a non-mechanical problem, but its trailer was partially in the road. A second rig (Oliver’s) struck the stopped trailer’s left rear corner, sideswiped its cab, burst through the ride guard rail and tumbled 20 feet down an embankment. The Virginia State Police said Oliver could not have avoided the trailer because of traffic in the left lane.

No one was injured.

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Richard Henderson Honored for Decades of Dedication to CVSA, Commercial Vehicle Safety Richard Henderson

Richard Dean “Dick” Henderson has been working on transportation policy in Washington, DC, for 48 years. Currently, Dick serves as the Director of Government Affairs for the CVSA, a position he’s held since 1995. He will be retiring effective December 31, 2011.

Dick carries CVSA’s message to Congress and the Administration, helping to produce effective, efficient motor carrier safety policies. Before that, Dick acted as the Intelligent Transportations Systems Coordinator for CVSA, serving as the liaison between the Alliance and the Office of Motor Carriers in the Federal Highway Administration.

Prior to joining CVSA, Dick worked in the office of former Congressman Ron de Lugo, of the U.S. Virgin Islands, serving as the Congressman’s Senior Legislative Assistant for four and half years. He coordinated with Congressional Committees and Federal Agencies to promote the interest of the U.S. Virgin islands, focusing primarily on the areas of transportation, infrastructure, and housing.

Dick also served as the Executive Vice President for the Private Truck Council of America. He was responsible for monitoring safety and economic regulatory and tax issue for the Council and communicating the Association’s policy positions on these issues to officials on Capitol Hill and in the Administration.

Dick also worked for the Federal City Council, as the organization’s Assistant Deputy Director. He also served as a legislative assistant to former Congressman Fred Rooney of Pennsylvania and as a regional representative for the Highway Users Federation for Safety and Mobility. He graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts

degree from John Carroll University in Cleveland, OH. CVSA will also greatly miss Dick’s sense of humor, knowledge and everything he has brought to the Alliance.

Please join us in wishing him many happy years in retirement.

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COVER STORY

International Safety Team Inducts Six New Members, Brings Drive and Passion to Commercial Vehicle Safety Message The CVSA International Safety Team award was created to recognize the efforts of these dedicated government and law enforcement personnel from across North America, who go above and beyond the call of duty of their normal responsibilities and who are having a significant impact on CMV safety, highway safety, and an overall reduction in crashes and deaths.

The primary goals of the International Safety Team are to honor CVSA member motor carrier safety professionals in government/law enforcement for their work in the furtherance of motor carrier safety; and, use these individuals to help further the message of commercial vehicle safety and public awareness.

CVSA is pleased to appoint the following six individuals to the 2012 International Safety Team • Lawrence Higgins, New Jersey State Police • Matthew Epling, Public Service Commission of West Virginia • Keith Kerns, Public Utilities Commission of Ohio • Andrew Stoeckle, Washington State Patrol

• Lindsay Campbell, Manitoba Infrastructure & Transportation • James Trombley, Alberta Transportation Each year one member of the International Safety Team is selected from the group to serve as the “Team Leader.” This person helps coordinate functions to attend, works with staff and membership proper messages are delivered and be the primary point person for leading the team. The Team Leader is the one member who stands above and has proven himself or herself worthy of this recognition by their unsurpassed performance in support of their jurisdiction’s commercial vehicle safety efforts as well as CVSA’s mission. The Team Leader’s professional conduct, performance and accomplishments demonstrate their true passion and dedication to commercial motor carrier safety enforcement and education.

CVSA this year established that the International Safety Team Leader Award will be named in honor of Gerry Clark from the Pennsylvania Public

“As a member of the Commercial Vehicle Division, I am dedicated to commercial vehicle safety and it is this passion that gives me the great honor of receiving this award. During the CVSA award ceremony in Austin I was able to meet the wife and children of Gerard L. Clark, the person whom the award I received was named. While talking with his family I learned of his significant involvement in promoting commercial vehicle safety, and was surprised to learn that I grew up very close to where they live.

I am honored to receive the award named for such a great person and am grateful for having the opportunity to meet his family. I would like to thank CVSA for recognizing government and law enforcement personnel for their hard work in furthering commercial vehicle safety. I would also like to thank Con-way Inc. and PrePass for sponsoring the IST. As a member of the IST I hope to bring my drive and passion to every event we attend. I also look forward to meeting and working with people who share the same enthusiasm in public safety. “ —Trp. Andy Stoeckle

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Utilities Commission who unfortunately passed away recently. Gerry was a dear colleague and friend who had an unwavering commitment and profound impact on commercial vehicle safety and was dedicated to the CVSA Mission.

Gerry’s wife and sons Carolyn, Matthew, and Michael Clark helped in presenting this award. Don Wilson also pledged support for the Program.

This year the Gerard L. Clark Team Leader Award goes to Andrew Stoeckle, an inspector with the Washington State Patrol. Trooper Stoeckle began his career with the Washington State Patrol on July 3, 1997. He graduated with the 83rd Trooper Basic Training Class on July 1, 1999, Trooper Stoeckle transferred to the Commercial Vehicle Division, assigned to Tacoma on April 16, 2008.

Trooper Stoeckle is responsible for patrolling and conducting roadside inspections throughout a densely popu-

lated portion of Washington State.

Trooper Stoeckle has proven himself by his unsurpassed performance in support of the WSP Commercial Vehicle Division’s and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s goals, objectives, and missions and has conducted 262 Level I inspections in 2010, which is the most of any CVD trooper in the state. He led his detachment with 52% of the detachment’s portable weighing hours last year. This professional conduct, performance, and accomplishments demonstrate his true passion and dedication to commercial motor carrier safety enforcement and education.

Throughout the year our IST members will attend safety events, speaking about CVSA, our programs and commercial vehicle safety. They are our ambassadors. So join me in congratulating them, and thanking them in advance for their efforts.

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We would like to thank our sponsors for the 2012 Team: PrePass and Con-way Freight for their support of this program.

“I would like to thank Steve Keppler and all the members of CVSA for allowing my sons Michael and Matthew to be here to witness the first presentation of the award in my husband Gerry’s honor. I know Gerry would be proud to know the honor and respect that you have shown him with this award. My hope is that the recipient of this award today and forever will show the same hard work and dedication that Gerry did to this organization all those years. On behalf of my entire family, thank you.”

—Lyn Clark

Pictured left to right: James Trombley, Lindsay Campbell, Lawrence Higgins, Matthew Epling, Keith Kerns, Andy Stoeckle, Capt. Norman Dofflemyer, IST corporate sponsors Dick Landis (PrePass) and Steve Maupin (Con-way Freight).

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INSPECTOR’S CORNER

NAIC Strenthens Knowledge of What Inspectors Do Every Day Roadside, Offers Personal Growth Opportunities

By Trp. John Sova, South Dakota Highway Patrol, NAIC 2011 Grand Champion Trp. John Sova

As I sit down to write this article, NAIC is still fresh in my mind. The experience of being named Grand Champion is one that I will never forget. Although, the afternoon and evening of the awards banquet is a blur, I have fond memories of the training, competition, and camaraderie. Of course, one cannot forget the bonds of friendship established throughout the week.

As I spoke in a press conference upon my return to North Dakota, where we had the pleasure of FMCSA’s Administrator Anne Ferro’s company, I discussed why NAIC is such an important event. To be quite honest, I was intimidated and was not overly excited to attend the first time I had the opportunity. After attending, it left me with an odd feeling. By the end of the week, I was happy it was over and never wanted to go back again. By the time my plane landed in North Dakota, I couldn’t wait to get back to NAIC. NAIC is so much more than just a competition. It is really something special to sit in a room full of fellow competitors and know that these individuals are the best from their respective jurisdictions.

Where else can you go and be surrounded by this much knowledge, experience, and expertise on inspecting commercial vehicles and have it all in one room. The competitors then get to spend the entire week exchanging ideas and building professional relationships, all while attending the most current training being presented by top notch NTC instructors.

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hands on training in defect detection and the proper documentation. The competition is a tremendous training opportunity. Every year a person attends NAIC, you become a better inspector.

NAIC offers the inspector training on proper documentation of the violations.

As we all know, with CSA, the proper documentation of violations is extremely important. A large part of the competition is making sure the inspector knows what to do with the violation once it is found. Is it truly a violation? Is the violation out of service? Is it part of the 20% criteria for brakes? Is it a part of the 20% and out of service on its own? What unit does the violation go on or is it only in combination? Is it out of service in a bulk package but not in a non-bulk package?

How does the violation differ on a property carrying vehicle vs. a passenger carrying vehicle? These are all very important questions for both the inspector and the carrier. The inspector must take the proper enforcement action, where the carrier is concerned with how the inspection is going to affect its safety rating.

Along with the questions comes the proper explanation of the violation. The carrier must be able to look at the inspection report and know exactly what the violation is and where it is located. The scoring of NAIC takes this all into consideration. Finding the violation is only part of the inspector’s responsibility. The inspector must document the violation and take the appropriate action based on what you find. This knowledge is so important to what we do every day at roadside and learning how to properly do it according to CVSA standards is invaluable.

NAIC also offers personal growth.

Accepting the challenge of facing the best in a competition setting requires an individual to step out of their comfort zone and put themselves on the line. As an inspector at NAIC, you are taking risk because you may realize you are not as good as an inspector as you thought you were. I know this was true with me the first time I attended. This only drove me to be a better inspector. I knew I had areas I needed to work on and as a result of NAIC, these areas became perfectly clear.

Success can only come from realizing ones weaknesses and accepting the challenges and opportunities they provide.

I challenge every inspector to strive for the opportunity to attend and if you get that opportunity, don’t be intimidated by the competition.

When you get to NAIC, make new friends, learn from the training, take in the incredible atmosphere, and most of all, enjoy yourself. Take pride in knowing that you are one of North America’s best.

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CVSA Associate Advisory Committee Outlines 2012 Objectives

By Gerald A. Krisa, CVSA Associate Advisory Committee, Chair, R+L Carriers Inc., Vice-President of Safety

I am delighted and exceptionally proud to have the honor of chairing the CVSA Associate Advisory Committee (AAC) for fiscal 2011-2012. Along with this duty is a responsibility to provide the leadership to bring the committee to enhanced levels of contribution to the Alliance and its membership. The annual conference held in Austin, TX, stimulated ideas and opportunities for added value that the AAC can foster through its diverse array of member organizations. I would like to take this opportunity to share my perspectives and invite a greater sector of industry to join us for an exciting future as we contribute to the strategic plan and objectives of the CVSA. Magnifying the momentum initiated at the annual conference can only be sustained with an increased frequency in communication with the members of the AAC. Our ideas, concerns, and more importantly, our recommended solutions can only be articulated with solicitation from our industry members through consolidated effective communication of internal surveys, research, presentation of empirical data, and dialogue.

Meeting biannually at the conference and workshop may not be the most effective means of providing information and feedback to the CVSA Executive Committee and membership.

Establishing a communication conduit for AAC members is an initiative underway with guidance from Laura Zabriskie, CVSA’s Director of Communication.

The application of Survey Monkey and similar platforms will enable industry to voice their concerns and recommendations for critical infrastructure issues such as increased weight limitations on the nation’s roadways, CSA progression to the latter stages of implementa-

tion including the successful initiation of Safety Fitness Determination, and the like.

Preparing ahead of our meetings is a critical element in our effectiveness and value. A repository of issues and the opportunity to comment on them, including the sharing of best practices is a related objective for the AAC I have contemplated. Sharing success and challenges without compromising industry’s need to preserve confidentiality and trade secrets, is an avenue I would like to pave, to give everyone involved, an opportunity to express.

An organization, including our committee within the Alliance, must create and align its strategic plan, objectives, and goals with those of the Alliance.

Comme Président du Comité Consultatif d’Associé du CVSA pour l’année fiscal 20112012, je vous invite à nous joindre dans notre but pour avancer plus loin les objecitves du comité. Je ne peux pas impres-

sionner assez, l’importance de l’industrie à contribuer à ce rôle essentiel. J’assure tous les membres d’industrie que leurs soucis, idées, et recommandations seront entendus et communiqués aux assistances appropriées.

Como presidente del comité consultivo del asociado del CVSA por el año fiscal 2011-2012, le invito a que nos ensamble en nuestra meta para avanzar más lejos los objetivos del comité. No puedo impresionar sobre cada uno la importancia de la contribución de la industria a este papel esencial. Aseguro a todos los miembros de la industria que sus preocupaciones, ideas, y recomendaciones serán oídas y comunicadas a la audiencia apropiada.

Along with our Vice-Chair, Marsha Vande Hei from Schneider National and Secretary, Rob Abbott from ATA, I invite all AAC members to promote our role in the Alliance and encourage our committee’s growth in membership and contribution in the wide variety of forums available to us.

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Fourth Quarter 2011

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COHMED: Now More Important Than Ever, An Excellent Way to Maintain Knowledge, Proficiency in HazMat Arena Sgt. Brad Clayton, Utah Highway Patrol

After spending 12 years in school, my high school graduation day was a day to celebrate and a time to get away from the classroom. In my mind, I had enough education to last a lifetime. The day after graduation, I drove 800 miles to a cattle ranch in the Northern Rocky Mountains for a summer job, where I could be as far away from a classroom as possible. I had been around agriculture most of my life and felt I knew a fair share of the business. What I found was that I had traded the classrooms of high school for an open air classroom I called “Rocky Mountain U”. The entire summer was full of lessons from experienced hands on the ranch. I was schooled in everything from field veterinary services to outdoor survival. Along the way someone told me I should attend college.

Returning home in the fall I enrolled in the fall semester at the University of Utah.

My mind was still not ready for sitting in a classroom again. That was reflected by the fact that my best grade came from an “Intermediate Weight Lifting” class. In fact the entire semester was a disaster. It took little encouragement for me to take a break from school and again leave home for two years. This was another grand adventure that proved to be filled with education and life changing experiences.

Returning home at the age of 21, I realized I had changed and matured. I enrolled in school and found an appreciation for learning I had never before experienced. It was during this time that I made the decision to begin a career in law enforcement.

I was 22 years old and full of excitement for my new profession. That was 30 years ago. The police academy fascinated me and I had a thirst to learn everything about my new job. The Utah Highway Patrol was my new home and family.

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I was assigned to work I-80 from Salt Lake City to the Nevada State line, 120 miles of desert across the Bonneville Salt Flats. Most days I was the only Trooper on duty for much of this area, during my shift. The education continued every day after the academy. Working a night shift by myself, with my closest backup 60 miles away and home in bed, I had to develop skills and talents that I was not taught in the academy. These were essential to survival.

I figured 14 years of high speed rollovers, DUI’s at 2 am, and speeders was long enough. It was then that I transferred to the commercial vehicle section of the highway patrol. What I thought had been a career full of learning now seems like kindergarten compared to the knowledge I have gained, and continue to gain daily, in the CVSA and HazMat arena. I get daily calls from Troopers, office staff, and the trucking industry with questions about every aspect of commercial vehicle enforcement and hazardous materials regulations. My days are filled with learning.

As I answer these questions I also learn.

COHMED (Cooperative Hazardous Materials Enforcement Development) is an excellent way to maintain knowledge and proficiency in the HazMat arena. It seems there are monthly, weekly, and even daily changes to the HazMat regulations. If we fail to keep up with the changes we will be left behind and lack knowledge.

COHMED is now more important than ever before. Listing a wrong violation or completing a low quality CVSA inspection has never been, nor ever will be, acceptable. With the implementation of CSA, it is now more crucial than ever before that the inspec-

tion is completed correctly. A wrong violation can affect a trucking company’s safety rating in a negative manner and result in needless lost freight contracts. Wrong HazMat violations only compound this problem.

International harmonization with U.S. and International HazMat regulation requires constant learning and education. Something as simple as placard size could be listed wrongly on an inspection and result in a lower than deserved safety rating for a trucking company.

The annual COHMED conference is filled with training events in the classroom as well as hands on training. The subjects are chosen with careful thought and relate to critical issues. Just as valuable as the classroom training at COHMED, is the association with other HazMat inspectors and industry representatives. Contacts are made that last a life time. This networking carries on long after the COHMED conference ends. A good example of this would be that I seldom see nurse tanks in Utah with Anhydrous Ammonia and I am not very proficient at inspecting them. If I had an issue with one that I could not figure out I would make a call to one of my COHMED contacts who works in an area where they look at nurse tanks daily. He would talk me through the problem and help me learn. I in turn could be called about low level nuclear waste being shipped to the Energy Solutions landfill in Utah’s west desert.

We live and work in a very dynamic environment, that of hazardous materials transportation safety. We need to have our regulation books open daily, to study and keep the highest level of knowledge we can.

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Getting Everyone Involved and Participating is Key to Delivering the Message During CVSA Brake Safety Week

By Shelley Conklin, Inspection Services Coordinator, Landstar

BRAKES: Be diligent Remember to check your brakes Allow proper time to perform pre/post/en route inspections Keep records of your push-rod travel measurements to be aware of any issues Establish a regular brake maintenance routine Safety is the first priority

You ask who is “everyone”? “Everyone” in a carrier organization includes office management, providing up to date training to their employees, maintenance personnel, enforcement, brake manufactures and shops performing inspections, repairs, and preventive maintenance. But the most crucial “everyone” is the driver!

can hold meetings with open Q&A dialog on FMCSA brake regulations, reviewing updated training materials, roadside brake violations, causes, repair techniques, and preventive maintenance. Brake manufactures can hold training seminars involving “everyone” including carriers, technicians, enforcement and drivers.

How do you get “everyone” involved & participating? Carriers can get their employees out of the office periodically and into the shop with a technician to learn how the foundation brake system works.

Conduct safety meetings with educational materials including “hands on” demonstration on the workings of the brakes.

Incorporate proper pre/post/en route trip inspection procedures. Enforcement can invite carriers to participate at scale houses and truck-stops to review brake inspections and Level I inspection procedures. Shops

What is the “message”? The message is, “Have you checked your brakes today?”

The message is reduce accidents and violations by enforcing proper brake education.

At Landstar we held hands-on demonstrations, drivers tested their braking skills on our simulators, inspection shops involved drivers as they checked their brake components including measurements. Roadside classes were held with DOT officers, and educational materials were distributed to drivers.

Safety meetings include a drawing for a

set of steer tires. Drivers that attend any safety meeting are also including in the annual truck giveaway drawing-so the more safety meetings attended, the more chances of winning a brand new truck.

We encourage “everyone” to participate in brake awareness by checking out the Operation Air Brake Web Site (www.cvsa.org/programs/op_airbrake.php), contact local enforcement, brake manufactures, other carriers, and engage the driver. Get “everyone” involved, and create your own “message”.

Along with the knowledge we gain, we need to put it to use. If we learn but fail to use the knowledge, what real value is it? Sometimes in our profession we see someone who has gained great knowledge in a specific area or has a skill few others possess. This person does not share, but locks away this knowledge or skill with the thought that it is job security and they think they become untouchable. This is one of the worst attitudes and actions (or lack of action) there could be. We each took an oath to protect public safety. Is keeping others from learning and being more proficient at their jobs protecting public safety? No it is not. This is not the forum of COHMED. COHMED is about sharing. Helping those around

us be the best that they can be. After attending COHMED it should be your desire to share the training with each member of your department that could benefit from the training. Don’t lock it away. Share and train.

When I get asked a question I don’t just give the answer. Together we go through the regulations and search out the answer. This schools the one with the question on using the regulation, and helps me become more proficient with the regulations. I don’t try to share or teach all of the regulations at once. No one can understand them all in one day. It’s like eating an elephant, one bite at a time.

Our lives as CVSA/HazMat inspectors are ever changing. We need to keep current and be the best we can be. We

need to have a life time of learning and sharing. COHMED helps with this desire to learn and share in our jobs. Take the opportunity to attend COHMED. The experiences and the people you meet will be worth it.

Sgt. Brad Clayton of the Utah Highway Patrol began his law enforcement career in 1982. After working 14 years on patrol across the Bonneville Salt Flats he transferred to the commercial vehicle bureau in 1996.

Currently he supervises a crew of CVSA inspectors/troopers covering an area of Utah approximately 80 miles wide and 200 miles long including the Salt Lake City area. He is also the State of Utah hazardous materials transportation coordinator and represents Region IV in the COHMED leadership.

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REGIONAL NEWS

New Mexico Takes Proactive Approach to Ensuring Passenger Carrier Safety

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By Capt. Chris Mayrant, New Mexico Department of Public Safety

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REGION I Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, US Virgin Islands, and Vermont.

REGION II Alabama, American Samoa, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

REGION III Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

REGION IV Alaska, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Mexico, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

REGION V Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and Yukon.

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New Mexico Motor Transportation Police (NMMTP) conducted motor coach safety operations during FMCSA’s Passenger Carrier Strike Force which took place from September 23 - October 7, 2011. During this time, NMMTP officers conducted passenger vehicle inspections at carrier facilities and at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta as tour buses disembarked passengers for the event.

During the operation, 48 passenger buses were inspected.

Although New Mexico experiences a comparatively low passenger carrier crash rate, NMMTP is keenly aware of the importance of passenger carrier safety. In relation to recent high profile passenger bus crash events, we realize the importance of focusing more attention on passenger carrier safety and have taken a proactive approach to ensure our safety mission is carried out. NMMTP has doubled compliance reviews on pas-

senger carriers to include tour companies, rafting outfitters, and school transportation that are not exempt from the FMCSR’s.

MTP Sgt. David Abeita and Patrolman Carlos Perea recently joined FMCSA, the National Park Service and the Colorado State Patrol during an operation at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. The operation was a success and we have been invited to participating in future joint operations.

The mission of the NMMTP is “To promote safety on New Mexico highways by providing law enforcement traffic services to the motoring public, to ensure the safe and legal operation of commercial motor vehicles and to prevent the introduction of illicit contraband into New Mexico while facilitating trade.”

NMMTP is committed to continued fulfillment of our mission and to the safety of all who use our highways.

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Fort Worth, Texas Dedicates Efforts to Brake Safety Week

By Officer Robert Mills, Fort Worth (TX) Police Department, Commercial Vehicle Enforcement

During Brake Safety Week, the Fort Worth, Arlington and Mansfield Texas police departments teamed up for a week of inspection details in all three cities.

Approximately 15 officers spent one full day in each city inspecting commercial vehicles and utilizing the time to educate industry personnel about brake safety. As usual, the officers’ learn from industry safety professionals also. During this week, safety leaders and mechanics from different trucking companies were invited to attend and not only learn but share their experiences and knowledge with enforcement personnel. We understand that it takes both industry and enforcement working together to reach our goal of safer roadways. During this week, officers conducted 108 Level I inspections. 24 of these vehicles were taken out of service for brake violations. We feel

that this ratio is still too high and hope that through our education efforts, we can reduce this out of service rate.

Officers also handed out hundreds of brake and safety belt brochures to industry drivers. The City of Arlington also sent their prosecutors and Judges to one of the details so they may better under-

stand what exactly the inspectors do on a daily basis. Our cities take pride in working with each other to make our entire metroplex a safer place to work, visit and live. All three departments, which are CVSA members, will continue to work together on a monthly basis and participate in all CVSA safety campaigns.

Maryland State Police Target Commercial Trucks, Buses During “Operation Tailgate” The Maryland State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division recently conducted an intense commercial vehicle enforcement campaign designated as “Operation Tailgate”. The campaign targeted commercial trucks and buses traveling through Interstate 495 in Prince George’s County Maryland. Interstate 495 is one of the identified commercial vehicle high crash corridors in Maryland.

Throughout the night troopers, inspectors, and K-9 units from the State Police, in conjunction with inspectors from the Maryland Department of Environment, Montgomery County Police, and Calvert County Sheriff ’s Office scrutinized the commercial vehi-

cle traffic. Commercial vehicles were directed off of the Capital Beltway to Arena Drive where they were met at a makeshift inspection and weighing site at FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskins. Trucks were then selected for weighing and inspection.

In addition to the FedEx Field inspection area, State Police deployed numerous troopers patrolling the beltway for trucks failing to exit on to Arena Drive as directed by signs. The patrols also conducted enforcement activities on commercial vehicles speeding or other unsafe behavior.

As a result 351 commercial vehicles were inspected. Of those, 35 vehicles were

placed out-of-service due to serious equipment violations. Another 25 drivers were placed out-of-service of which 20 drivers were shut down because either they had a false logbook or were driving/working beyond the hours permitted by federal regulation. The other four drivers did not have the proper commercial driver’s license and one bus driver was placed out-of-service for being medically unqualified to operate a commercial vehicle.

Besides the 108 citations and 128 warnings that were issued, two drivers were arrested for having outstanding warrants while the passenger of a commercial truck was arrested for possession of marijuana.

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Fourth Quarter 2011

Washington State Reopens Scale Site with a 98-hour Commercial Vehicle Safety Emphasis

By Sgt. David Bangart, Washington State Patrol, Commercial Vehicle

www.cvsa.org

REGIONAL RAP

ROBIN ABEL RECOGNIZED FOR WASHINGTON STATE “SECURE YOUR LOAD” ENFORCEMENT CAMPAIGN

Division, Tacoma

After being closed for over 12 weeks for maintenance and equipment upgrades the Washington State Patrol (WSP) reopened their Nisqually scale site on Interstate 5 in Dupont Washington. In conjunction with the unannounced opening WSP commercial vehicle officers and troopers conducted a 98-hour around-the-clock commercial motor vehicle safety emphasis focusing attention on driver’s hours of service (HOS) violations. The heavily traveled Interstate corridor is a vital arterial connecting many cities and shipping ports up and down the west coast and Canada.

Armed with some of the latest technology and real time data, from sources such as Washington State Department of Transportation (DOT) automatic license plate readers and images, weighing information provided by Oregon DOT, and FMCSA quarry central records, officers and troopers were able to verify HOS logs kept and presented by drivers during the inspection process. The high 70% out of service rate for HOS violations tells the story, it was obvious CMV drivers were taken by surprise with the scale opening. Many of the drivers were caught pushing and exceeding the limits of their HOS, in addition to the discovery of several falsified log books earning drivers a serious CSA violation, expensive ticket, and 10 hours in their sleeper birth. In all 290 drivers were inspected and 139 HOS violations discovered.

HOS violations included (62) 11/14 hour rule, (30) falsified logs, and (6) no/not current record of duty status.

In support of the FMCSA and CVSA the Washington State Patrol continues efforts aggressively enforcing CMV rules and regulations to make Washington roadways the safest in the nation.

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The Metropolitan King County Council recently recognized and thanked Renton resident Robin Abel for her years of volunteer work to promote awareness and enforcement of “secure your load” regulations on vehicles.

Abel is the mother of Maria Federici, who was severely injured seven years ago when an unsecured piece of furniture fell off a truck on the freeway and went through her windshield. Since then, Abel has become a leading advocate for roadway safety and strengthening traffic laws requiring secured loads.

According to a Seattle Times article about the accident and its aftermath, Federici was driving home to Renton from her late night job at a Kirkland bar when parts of entertainment center came loose from a rental truck and came through her window, striking her in the face.

Federici required months of rehabilitation, facial reconstruction, and lost her eyesight as a result of the crash, the driver of the truck received a $1,000 citation for littering, failure to secure a load, driving without insurance and driving with a suspended license, according to news reports at the time.

Since then, Abel has become a leading advocate for roadway safety and strengthening traffic laws requiring secured loads. With her persistence, the state Legislature passed “Maria’s Law,” making it a crime to carry an unsecured load.

Recently, Robin worked with the Washington State Patrol on a statewide “Secure Your Load” campaign and patrols in May. In conjunction with the patrol, she also worked with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) on promoting the use of highway reader boards to send out the message.

“I have been inspired by Maria’s courageous recovery, and by Robin’s untiring and persistent work to strengthen laws and enforcement for securing loads on vehicles,” said Councilmember Lambert. “Thanks to her vigilance, King County’s garbage transfer stations now are posted with reminder signs to all drivers to secure their loads. We all are safer on our roads and freeways because of Robin’s dedication to this cause.”

WSDOT Regional Administrator Lorena Eng also provided details about the state’s recent “secure your load” campaign. “In addition to being a hazard to drivers, unsecured loads pose a safety problem to maintenance crews and law enforcement, who must remove the debris while under live traffic,” said Lorena Eng. She also noted the cost of debris removal from state highways, which amounted to $4 million in 2010.

The recognition thanks Robin Abel “for her inspiring personal dedication to improving safety on roadways in King County and across the state,” and urges all agencies, businesses, and residents to take extra precautions to “secure your load.”

“Robin Abel (holding recognition) with members of the Metropolitan “Secure your load as if King County Council, Washington State Troopers Capt. Darrin everyone you love is driving Grondel (back row center) and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement in the car behind you,” Abel Officer Bill Balcom (back row right) and WSDOT Regional Administrator Lorena Eng (front row right). advised.

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AAMVA/IRP/FMCSA DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY FOR COMMERCIAL VEHICLES The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJ MVC) would like to acknowledge its appreciation of Supervisor Joseph Spinelli of the NJ MVC Division of Inspection Services - Bus Unit for his recent acceptance of the AAMVA/IRP/FMCSA Distinguished Service Award for Highway Safety for Commercial Vehicles. Supervisor Spinelli has been with the MVC Commercial Bus Unit since March 1998 and routinely goes beyond his daily job responsibilities in order to ensure that New Jersey's roadways are safe.

Each year, Supervisor Spinelli performs roughly 600 New Jerseymandated inspections of commercial buses. He became federallycertified to conduct commercial bus inspections for the US Department of Highway Safety Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) in 1999 and to date, has performed over 850 MCSAP inspections of commercial buses. By the end of this year, Supervisor Spinelli will have performed over 8,000 inspections on commercial buses.

Supervisor Spinelli exceeded expectations by assuming oversight responsibilities as the NJMVC's MCSAP Coordinator in 2008 after the retirement of the previous coordinator. Even more to his credit, Supervisor Spinelli assumed additional duties by volunteering to serve as a representative and liaison for the NJ MVC Commercial Bus Inspection's participation in the Comprehensive Safety Analysis (CSA) program and CVSA.

On numerous occasions, Supervisor Spinelli has been invited and has participated as a speaker to present detailed information at the CVSA Bus Safety Summits and other various passenger committees as well as to partner law enforcement agencies and associate members of the CVSA. As a testament to Supervisor Spinelli's professionalism and dedication to highway safety, the Motor Carrier Safety Administration/ Motor Carrier Management Information System has increased New Jersey's rating from “poor” as of January 2008, to an improved overall rating of “good” in January 2009. Through the exceptional continued efforts of Supervisor Spinelli, New Jersey has maintained the same “good” rating through January 2011 with the goal of stepping it up a notch to “very good” through January 2012.

While it is apparent that Supervisor Spinelli is an expert in the Commercial Bus industry, the real reason for receiving this distinguished service award is his selfless and incomparable contributions to the Commercial Bus program. Additionally, his technical input and expertise are and have been crucial to the continued success of NJ's Commercial Bus Inspection program. The NJ MVC is honored to have him as part of its family and is proud of his recent acceptance of the AAMVA/IRP/FMCSA Distinguished Service Award for Highway Safety for Commercial Vehicles.

SOUTH DAKOTA HIGHWAY PATROL, SD TRUCKING ASSOCIATION RECOGNIZE MOST IMPROVED TRUCKING COMPANY

The South Dakota Highway Patrol and the SD Trucking Association have partnered together to recognize the most improved trucking company in South Dakota using information gathered from CSA data.

Representatives from the trucking association and highway patrol analyzed information provided by the FMSCA reflecting the change in scores since the implementation of CSA. Changes in individual BASIC scores were compared as well as the overall change in the combined BASIC categories. MCT Transportation LLC of Sioux Falls, SD was presented the newly formed award at the annual meeting of the South Dakota Trucking Association. This award was presented by representatives of The South Dakota Highway Patrol to MCT Transportation LLC for their hard work and dedication to improving highway safety. MCT Transportation LLC significantly improved scores in four of the seven BASIC categories.

A total of 100 points of total improvement across the seven categories was the result of focused effort by MCT to improve their safety measurement system. MCT Transportation LLC’s improve-

ment was through its own initiative and the reduction in score was achieved without intervention.

Myron L. Rau, President of the South Dakota Trucking Association, said, “When approached about the concept of this award and its selection criteria, I was elated. The title, Partnership in Safety Award, speaks for itself; it is and will be a coveted award presented in a partnership between law enforcement and the trucking industry.”

In attendance at the awards luncheon was FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro and Dave Osiecki, American Trucking Association Vice President of Policy and Regulatory Affairs. Administrator Ferro remarked that it was a wonderful use of the data provided by the safety management system.

The award is the first of the planned annual award to be given every year to the most improved trucking company based on CSA’s safety management system data. The award is intended to reflect the cooperative effort between enforcement and industry to reduce highway traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities.

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Fourth Quarter 2011

www.cvsa.org

18-Wheels & BUSted Brian Ursino, American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, Director of Law Enforcement

Nine out of ten fatal crashes involving trucks and buses are the result of driver error, and nearly half of those deaths are caused by the commercial vehicle driver.

More people die on rural roads and in work zones than anywhere else. These tragedies are preventable. And traffic enforcement is a key component in the overall solution to reducing these traffic fatality and injury crashes.

Too often, law enforcement officers who have not received specialized commercial vehicle enforcement training such as that provided through the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) are reluctant to stop commercial trucks and buses.

To address this issue, the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) sought and received funding from FMCSA to convene the Rural Road/Work Zone Safety Working Group. In addition to staff from AAMVA and FMCSA, the working group is comprised of representatives from the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the National Sheriffs Association, and the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance.

The purpose of the working group is to encourage, through training, the use of non-MCSAP personnel for commercial vehicle and driver enforcement helping to maximize the resources of FMCSA and its State partners by increasing the opportunity to have contact with more carriers and drivers. The ultimate goal of the increased contact is to achieve greater reduction in large truck and bus crashes, injuries and fatalities.

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To achieve this end, the working group decided the best deliverable would be a roll-call type training video for nonMCSAP law enforcement personnel.

The video educates police administrators down through the line officer about the scope of the truck and bus crash problem and why stopping commercial trucks and buses that commit crash causing traffic violations is so critical to improving traffic safety. The video also points out the benefits this traffic enforcement emphasis has to improving public safety and preventing terrorism.

Commercial vehicles are often used in the furtherance of criminal enterprises that can be interdicted after legitimate traffic stops have been made.

The video also provides officer safety tips so officers can stop trucks and buses in a way that is safe for the truck and bus drivers and the officers themselves. But the underlying theme throughout is to just treat trucks and buses like big cars. Officers don’t need to be trained on how to read a log book or other documentation unique to commercial vehicles, or to inspect equipment. All they need to ask for is the driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance, just like they would ask of any car driver.

Getting the “ordinary” officer engaged in stopping trucks and buses that commit traffic violations will serve as a force multiplier to officers whose primary mission is commercial vehicle enforcement.

In addition to the training video itself, the DVD includes a resource section that includes valuable information such as: • Commercial Motor Vehicle Awareness Program (CVSA, FMCSA & IACP) • Commercial Drivers’ Licenses: A Prosecutors Guide to the Basics of Commercial Motor Vehicle Licensing and Violations (National District Attorneys Association) The DVD was realeased in September 2011. A copy is being mailed to the Chief Law Enforcement Official of every State, County and Local law enforcement agency in the United States. Additional copies can be obtained by contacting Brian Ursino, AAMVA Director of Law Enforcement at bursino@aamva.org.

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Mining the CSA Data: A Requisite for Carrier Performance Improvement

By Gerald Krisa, CVSA, Associate Advisory Committee Chair, R&L Carriers Inc., Vice-President of Safety

After almost a year since the inception of Compliance Safety Accountability (CSA), motor carriers are becoming better acquainted with the methodology, metrics, and their responsibility for continuous compliance improvement. One outcome of CSA has been the enhancement of everyone’s focus on regulatory compliance and the various indices that are designed to draw attention to areas that require greater attention.

Critical skills for leaders in safety, operations management, and maintenance include the ability to examine, validate, dissect, and evaluate potential alternative strategies of corrective action within the organization. The latter is accomplished in conjunction with an understanding of how improvement arrives via the algorithm.

Whether a motor carrier or motor coach organization subscribes to an external resource for data analysis, downloading the data monthly is compulsory.

To facilitate the analysis of a carrier’s data after downloading it into an excel format,

the two primary worksheets entitled, inspections and crashes require some minor adjustments to the column headings. A suggestion is to ensure that every column is named uniquely, meaning that License State and License Number require to be renamed as there are two of each. Excel’s pivot table function does not work with duplicate column names, and hence, one recommendation would be to change the column titles to CDL License State, CDL License Number, CMV License State, and CMV License Number. Two final adjustments in the Inspections worksheet that should be performed include the removal of the line above the columns, and ensure that the last column entitled BASIC forms part of the new column headers.

By clicking on Insert, then Pivot Table, you are ready to begin to dissect the data and draw relevant conclusions. If you experience any error messages in your use of pivot tables, there are numerous tutorials from MicroSoft in addition to suggestions posted on YouTube.

By grouping your date data into years and months, use your pivot table to examine what time weighted severity points will be dropping off in the next cycle, and compare it with your daily Compass data to set internal company goals and predict your ongoing performance. If you create a VLOOKUP with the list of driver red flag violations, you can quickly identify drivers in that category using the Code column, and begin your own internal awareness and interventions with affected staff.

A September 29, 2011 Government Accountability Office (GAO-11-858) report indicates a strong recommendation for the full implementation of rankings and ratings of drivers. As more comprehensive data becomes available, carriers will inevitably rely on the performance information of drivers in the recruitment and selection process, despite the excess demand for labor and driver shortage.

ATRI 2011 Critical Issues in the Trucking Industry Identifies Challenges Economic concerns and proposed changes to Hours-of-Service (HOS) regulations top a list of issues identified by industry, according to the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI). The report presents findings of the 2011 annual survey and analysis, and further compares the results from previous years’ survey findings as an indicator of changing priorities in the trucking industry.

“While still the number one issue, the share of respondents ranking this as their number one issue has dropped each year since reaching 51.6 percent in 2009. While this ostensibly speaks to a gradual improvement in the economy, there continues to be a high degree of uncertainty in how certain issues will unfold,” states the report.

“Freight volume trends have been mixed in 2011 with less-thantruckload and tank experiencing increasing volumes and truckload and dry van volumes declining slightly mid-year. Despite high levels of uncertainty, economic forecasters at ATA still predict positive eco-

nomic growth over the next few quarters, albeit at a less than optimal pace.”

As industry awaits a final rule from FMCSA following proposed changes issued in December 2010, Hours-of-Service ranked number two on the list. “The proposed changes - potentially decreasing driving and on-duty times and extending the restart provision - are deemed significant and problematic by the industry, which explains the increased level of concern,” according to the study. Suggested strategies to address HOS concerns include publicizing the trucking industry’s safety record operating under the current HOS; Supporting studies that generate scientific evidence on the safety impacts of existing and proposed HOS rules; and, Conducting research on new methods to address driver fatigue.

For more information on ATRI’s study, go to www.atri-online.org.

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Fourth Quarter 2011

www.cvsa.org

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT

Con-way Freight Partners with CVSA to Improve Safety

Con-way Freight, the largest subsidiary of Con-way Inc., recently partnered with CVSA to sponsor the International Safety Team. The alliance between the two organizations was a natural fit since Con-way Freight’s number one core value, Safety, aligns with CVSA’s safety mission. Working alongside each other and collaboration to promote mutual interests in highway safety is a key step toward advancing safety awareness among general motorists as well as commercial truck drivers in the LTL industry.

Bob Petrancosta, Vice President of Safety for Con-way Freight remarked that “As a company with 15,000 driver sales representatives, we strive to make safety the priority and the focus of every aspect of our employees’ workday. As we continuously improve our company’s safety programs we are also complementing CVSA’s mission of promoting commercial motor vehicle safety. Con-way Freight actively partners with industry leaders to help promote a safer work environment and safer drivers.” Conway continues to sponsor the North American Inspectors Competition’s Grand Championship Award.

“For the first time in 2011, we are sponsoring the International Safety Team program as one of the ways to show our support for CVSA. The members of this prestigious team will be instrumental in promoting safety best practices and awareness within the

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trucking industry as well as furthering the message of safe driving in communities throughout North America.”

Petrancosta said it was important to sponsor CVSA’s International Safety Team because Con-way shares the same commitment to improving highway safety and increasing understanding of effective safe driving practices among the public sector.

The program is similar to the American Trucking Association’s America’s Road Team initiative, which Con-way has been instrumental in supporting. “The International Safety Team can fulfill the same important role as Road Team Captains as ambassadors for the industry and a valuable resource for education and awareness of the trucking industry’s message of safety and professionalism,” said Petrancosta. “It is a perfect partnership. As drivers become safer, so do the roads we and our families drive on.”

Con-way Inc. (NYSE:CNW) is a

$5.0 billion freight transportation and logistics services company headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich. Con-way delivers industry-leading services through its primary operating companies of Con-way Freight, Con-way Truckload and Menlo Worldwide. These operating units provide high-performance, day-definite less-than-truckload (LTL), full truckload and multimodal freight transportation, as well as logistics, warehousing and supply chain management services. Conway also operates Road Systems Inc., a trailer refurbishing and manufacturing company which supplies trailing equipment to the company’s trucking fleets.

Con-way Inc. and its subsidiaries operate from more than 500 locations across North America and in 20 countries. For more information about Con-way, visit www.con-way.com.

James Burg Trucking Co. Facilitates Testing and Technology Tour

On August 19, 2011, a tour of the world headquarters of Meritor-Wabco in Troy, MI was facilitated by Jim Burg, President of James Burg Trucking Co. for FMCSA and Michigan State Police Motor Carrier Enforcement personnel. Heavy duty truck on-board safety systems were presented, specifically; disc and drum brakes, roll and electronic stability systems, and forward looking collision mitigation system with active foundation brake application (On-Guard). Following a tour of the testing and technology center, attendees were allowed to ride in a truck equipped with the On-Guard technology for a first-hand experience of current collision mitigation technology. (By increasing reaction time of 1 second, 90% of all rear striking accidents could be prevented or, at least, mitigated.)

Pictured from left to right are: Jim Burg, JBTC President Dave Walters, Meritor District Manager, Pat Muinch, FMCSA Michigan Division Administrator, Capt. Harold Love, Michigan State Police, Traffic Safety Division, Lt. Charles Black, Michigan State Police, Traffic Safety Division, James Taylor, Meritor Director, NE region, Todd Swales, Meritor-Wabco Training Manager, Sgt. Kevin Hogan, Michigan State Police, Traffic Safety Division and Mathew Fabry, FMCSA Federal Program Manager.

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New CVSA Associate and Local Enforcement Members

Alaska Teamster-Employer Service Training Trust Center for Transportation Safety Collision Specialists, Inc.

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Why We Do What We Do

CVSA is introducing a new feature in Guardian, Why We Do What We Do, a photo gallery of out-of-service violations found roadside. We encourage all members to send us your photos with a description of the out-of-service violation and thank Alberta Transportation for sharing this idea with us!

Crosshair Consultants of New York, LLC ECA-SSI Simulator Systems International Farruggio's Express, Inc. Fusion Sleep/Sleep4Safety Inter-Rail Transport, Ltd. Knight Transportation, Inc. Lehigh Hanson Materials, Ltd. Linde North America, Inc.

Loose load found by Transport Officer Kayla Myra.

Brake caged with vice grips found by Transport Officer Rob Sapinsky.

Major wheel problems found on long combination vehicle by Transport Officer Dan Beaudry.

Crack in air pot found by Sgt. Garfield Scharfenberg.

Loose load from Transport Officer James Trombley.

Missing slack adjuster for air brake from Transport Officer Joseph Cote.

Melton Truck Lines, Inc. Mt. Lebanon Police Department NIC Technologies North Richland Hills Police Department NPL PAM Transport Precision Strip Transport, Inc. Rand McNally Savage Logistics, LLC Shamrock Materials Shell Canada, Ltd. Superior Bulk Logistics, Inc. Telerac, Inc. The Utility Line Clearance Coalition Tideport Distributing, Inc. Truck Service, Inc. Tyron Developments, Ltd. United Petroleum Transport (UPT)

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Second Quarter 2011

www.cvsa.org

CVSA Executive Committee, Committee & Program Chairs PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

SECRETARY/TREASURER

Maj. David Palmer Texas Department of Public Safety

Lt. Thomas Kelly Maine State Police

Maj. Mark Savage Colorado State Patrol

REGION PRESIDENTS

REGION VICE PRESIDENTS (Non-Voting)

PAST PRESIDENTS

Region I Sgt. Raymond Weiss New York State Police

Region I Sgt. Daniel Cusumano Rhode Island State Police

Region II Capt. Douglas Shackelford North Carolina State Highway Patrol

Region II Vacant

Capt. Steve Dowling, California Highway Patrol Francis (Buzzy) France, Maryland State Police Darren E. Christle, Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation

Region III Alan Martin Public Utilities Commission of Ohio

Region III Maj. Lance Evans Iowa Department of Transportation

Region IV Lt. Bruce Pollei Utah Highway Patrol

Region IV Capt. Chris Mayrant New Mexico Department of Public Safety

Region V Reg Wightman Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation

Region V Pierre Pratte Contrôle Routier Québec

LOCAL PRESIDENT

LOCAL VICE PRESIDENT

ASSOCIATE NON-VOTING MEMBER

Robert Mills Fort Worth Police Department

Sgt. James Slykhuis York Regional Police

Gerald Krisa, MBA, Chair Associate Advisory Committee, R+L Carriers, Inc.

GOVERNMENT NON-VOTING MEMBERS

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

PROGRAM CHAIRS

Associate Advisory Gerald Krisa, MBA Committee R+L Carriers, Inc. Driver-Traffic Enforcement Lt. Thomas Fitzgerald Committee Massachusetts State Police Hazardous Materials Sgt. Thomas Fuller Committee New York State Police Information Systems Capt. William ( Jake) Elovirta Committee Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles Passenger Carrier Lt. Donald Bridge, Jr. Committee Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles Program Initiatives Sgt. William (Don) Rhodes Committee South Carolina State Transport Police Size and Weight Capt. Jay Thompson Committee Arkansas Highway Police Training Committee Sgt. Rocco Domenico Colorado State Patrol Vehicle Committee Kerri Wirachowsky Ontario Ministry of Transportation

Level VI Inspection

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William (Bill) Quade, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) William (Bill) Arrington, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Doug MacEwen, Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators (CCMTA), CRA Chair Mauricio Hinojosa, Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes (SCT) Adolfo Spinola, Secretarìa de Seguridad Publica, Policìa Federal Preventiva

COHMED International Safety Team Saved by the Belt Operation Safe Driver

Carlisle Smith Public Utilites Commission of Ohio Capt. William (Bill) Reese Idaho State Police Capt. Bill Dofflemyer Maryland State Police Sgt. David Medeiros Rhode Island State Police Capt. Jack Hegarty Arizona Department of Public Safety

Operation Airbrake John Meed Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure Roadcheck

North American Inspectors Championship (NAIC)

Lt. Mike Junkin Alabama Depatrment of Public Safety

Paul Tamburelli Checkmark Vehicle Safety Services, Inc.

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Level VI Classes Scheduled for 2011/12

Under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. DOE, CVSA has scheduled Level VI classes for 2012 to certify inspectors to conduct Level VI inspections on all transuranic waste and Highway Route Controlled Quantities (HRCQ) of radioactive materials. CVSA provides Level VI training to inspectors who meet the prerequisite of being Level VI I and HazMat certified. The following are the classes scheduled: ■ Little Rock, AR–December 5-8 ■ Phoenix, AZ–February 15-16

Level VI “Train the Trainer” Course ■ New Braintree, MA–March 19-23 ■ Springfield, IL–June 18-21 ■ Scranton, PA–October 1-4 ■ Sacramento, CA–October 15-18 ■ Austin, TX–November 5-8

Any state interested hosting a class or needs inspectors trained is asked to contact Larry D. Stern, Director, Level VI Program, at larrys@cvsa.org or 301-830-6147.

RAD Inspection News is made possible under a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy.

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Blue Ribbon Commission Recommends New Strategy in Report The Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) on American’s Nuclear Future released its draft report to the Secretary of Energy on July 29, meeting the deadline set by President Obama when he established the BRC on January 29, 2010.

The 192-page report summarizes the BRC’s findings and recommendations for a new strategy for managing the nation’s highly radioactive waste.

Describing the current policy as “troubled for decades and…now all but completely broken down,” the BRC cited a litany of costs and “damages” that have resulted from the current approach in terms of public confidence, ratepayer and taxpayer expenditures, state-federal relations, and the standing of the U.S. on the international stage. “A new strategy is needed,” said the BRC. “Not just to address these damages and costs but because this generation has a fundamental ethical obligation to avoid burdening future generations with the entire task of finding a safe permanent solution for managing hazardous nuclear materials they had no part in creating.”

The new strategy outlined in the report includes seven “key” elements: • A new, consent-based approach to citing future nuclear waste management facilities.

• A new organization dedicated solely to implementing the waste management program and empowered with the authority and resources to succeed.

• Access to the funds nuclear utility ratepayers are providing for the purpose of nuclear waste management.

• Prompt efforts to develop one or more geologic disposal facilities.

• Prompt efforts to develop one or more consolidated interim storage facilities.

• Support for continued U.S. innovation in nuclear energy technology and for workforce development.

• Active U.S. leadership in international efforts to address safety, waste management, non-proliferation, and security concerns.

The BRC took no position on whether Yucca Mountain was a suitable site, nor did the members propose any sites to be considered for future disposal or storage facilities.

On the subject of transportation, the report recommended that “planning and coordination for the transport of spent fuel and high-level waste…should commence at the very start of a project to develop consolidated storage capacity.” The BRC observed that “DOE has a well-established practice of working with state and regional groups and other organizations to coordinate and provide technical assistance for transportation.” The commission suggested that future activities “build upon these proven approaches.”

Public comments on the report were accepted through October 31.

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Familiar WIPP Driver Guides Historic New TRUPACT-III Shipment to Carlsbad Repository

A brand-new shipping package arrived at the DOE’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) during the early evening hours of August 25, by an all-too familiar face behind the wheel.

Long-time WIPP driver Randy Anderson made history, again, when he guided the new TRUPACT-III on its maiden voyage from the Savannah River Site (SRS), located near Aiken, S.C., to the underground repository for defensegenerated transuranic (TRU) waste near Carlsbad, NM. “The trip was uneventful,” said Anderson at the conclusion of the 1,534 mile trip from SRS to WIPP. “There were no mechanical problems and no safety issues. Everything went according to plan, and the trailer pulls nice.”

Anderson’s participation in monumental WIPP shipments reads a lot like the key history of the entire WIPP project.

He was one of two drivers who brought

the first shipment of TRU waste from Los Alamos National Laboratory to Carlsbad in 1999. A month later, he was one of the drivers who brought the first interstate shipment to WIPP. He was also behind the wheel when the first shipment of waste arrived from the Hanford Site in Washington State, and he also drove the final shipment of TRU waste out of Rocky Flats. Finally, he helped drive then the first shipment of remote-handled TRU waste arrived at WIPP in 2007.

Most recently, Anderson shared firstshipment TRUPACT-III driving duties with Henry Leyva. Both men work for CAST Specialty Transportation, which holds one of the two transportation contracts with WIPP. The box-shaped TRUPACT-III is a Nuclear Regulatory Commissionapproved Type B package used to transport TRU waste in a Standard Large Box2 (SLB2) by highway trucks. The TRU-

CAST truck drivers Randy Anderson (left) and Henry Leyva stand in front of the new TRUPACT-III shipping package Aug. 25, 2011, at a CVSA inspection station near Loving, NM. It’s another historical moment for Anderson, who also drove the first shipment of transuranic (TRU) waste to WIPP in 1999 and the first remote handled TRU shipment there in 2007.

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PACT-III, allows SRS, and potentially other sites, to ship large items of contracthandled (CH) TRU waste that will not fit in current packages. WIPP will eventually have a total of six TRUPACT-IIIs. “With the TRUPACT-III, instead of having to break large waste items down and risk unnecessary exposure to workers, we’re able to package larger terms and get them disposed of safely,” said CBFO Interim Manager Ed Ziemianski. He said funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was key to the TRUPACT-III’s success. The design and manufacturing of the TRUPACT-III was completed with $12 million in funding from the Recovery Act. The first TRUPACT-III shipment rolled into New Mexico’s CVSA inspection near the Southeastern New Mexico town of Loving. There, two Motor Transportation Police performed an extensive CVSA Level VI inspection on the vehicle and the package to ensure that nothing was amiss.

“We have the best drivers on the road in the country,” said Carlsbad Field Office (CBFO) National TRU Program Director J.R. Stroble. “We’re proud of that, and they’re proud to drive the trucks. The reputation they’ve developed over the years makes it easy to go out to the public and sell the idea of moving radioactive waste across the highway.

When WIPP trucks are on the road, the public is confident these are the safest trucks are on the road, with the highest level of training and commitment from the drivers.”

Leyva said the TRUPACT-III’s first shipment felt a lot like all of the other shipments he’s made over the past nine years. “It was kind of exciting at first, but once you started the trip, everything fell

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into place and was basically the same thing,” he said.

The two drivers rotated during the trip to WIPP, with the alternate resting in a sleeper in the back of the vehicle.

Whoever was driving chose the music. “I like 70s. He likes old, old country,” Leyva said about their preferences. The drivers also have favorite spots along the route. Leyva said he always looks forward to the catfish served in Forrest County, Miss.

The CVSA Level VI inspection lasted 45 minutes. After that, with Anderson behind the wheel, the TRUPACT-III made the final leg of its journey to WIPP. There, after another mechanical, security and radiological inspection, the package was removed from the trailer.

Their parts concluded, Anderson and Leyva then drove back to CAST’s Carlsbad yard, where the two men spent the better part of an hour washing their vehicle. Both men then had a couple of days off before their next road trip.

Anderson grew up in Wisconsin and has been driving professionally since 1967. He moved to New Mexico in the 1990s on a recommendation from his brother, who suggested WIPP. Because WIPP was experiencing some legal delays at the time, Anderson worked for another company for two years before joining CAST in 1996 as one of the company’s first drivers.

A couple of years into his tenure at WIPP, Anderson won first place in the tanker division of New Mexico’s truck rodeo, a competition which includes an inspection, interview, written segment and driving course, and he went on to compete in nationals.

“Randy Anderson is the kind of driver I wish I could clone, said CAST Specialty

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Transportation Operations Manager Gaylon Fuller. “I have known Randy, who is a top notch employee that is dependable and trustworthy, since 1998 when I was a Motor Transportation Inspector and have had the privilege of working with him as regulator and now as his supervisor.”

WIPP’s drivers must pass an extensive driving and background check before they can even be considered for employment. After that, there are a

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number of extensive road tests. They receive about 200 hours of training, including lessons in emergency management and communications.

Anderson said he plans to drive for WIPP for another eight years. “I’ll be 70 then, so maybe I’ll go part time,” he said.

“I like the people and the great safety program, and I just really like to drive.”

Contractor Changes at the Idaho National Lab

By Capt. Bill Reese, Idaho State Police

Six days per week Idaho State Police Commercial Vehicle Safety and Hazardous Materials Specialists travel to the Idaho National Lab (INL) and complete inspections on Transuranic (TRU) Waste shipments leaving the INL for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) in New Mexico. These shipments originate at the Advanced Waste Mixed Treatment Project (AMWTP) at the INL. Effective October 1, a new contractor, Idaho Treatment Group (ITG), is taking over the shipping contract at AMWTP from Bechtel BWXT Idaho, LLC. With this new transition we are losing a familiar face at the AMWTP. Karlan Richards was the shipping manager for Bechtel BWXT Idaho, LLC. She has worked at AMWTP for the last ten years.

During most of those years she served as the shipping manager. Under Karlan’s leadership we developed an excellent working relationship and together we moved thousands of truckloads of legacy TRU Waste, safely from the INL. In 1991 she accepted the assignment to Idaho’s Commercial Vehicle Safety program and served as one of the primary officers assigned to inspect shipments leaving the INL. As she rose through the ranks, over the past 20 years, one of the most important things she discovered was the need for good working relationships. Karlan’s efforts were a key ingredient to the success Idaho has enjoyed with the shipping department at the INL and AMWTP. Karlan fostered that relationship throughout the decade she spent at the INL. Karlan has accepted a position with Bechtel Corporate at the Los Alamos National Lab in New Mexico. The troopers and staff here in Idaho will miss Karlan, but wish her well in her new adventure. We look forward to continuing the good working relationship we have enjoyed with ITG. It will be critical to our success.

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Gamma Processing Industry – Cobalt-60

By Barbara Englehart, Nordion, Inc.

The Gamma Industry Processing Alliance (GIPA) has been asked by the CVSA to provide an article on the Gamma Processing Industry operations and shipments. As an industry, it is our objective that this article will provide the reader with some valuable insights into Cobalt-60 sources, how they are manufactured, and the importance of Cobalt-60 sources in commerce and the necessity of being able to deliver this product to the end user in a safe, secure and economical manner.

There are two primary global suppliers of Cobalt-60 sources; Nordion Inc. based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; and, Reviss Services (UK) Ltd. based in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, UK. Both companies supply the world with Cobalt-60 used in the prevention and treatment of disease. Approximately 5060 shipments transit into or through the U.S. on an annual basis.

What are Cobalt-60 sources?

Cobalt-60 sources are in the form of metallic capsules that contain radioactive material (Cobalt-60) which emit ionizing radiation energy in the form of gamma radiation. This energy is harnessed commercially to eliminate pathogens and microbes and to modify and enhance the physical properties of a wide range of polymeric materials.

Cobalt-60 starts as inactive Cobalt-59 cylinders (one inch long and 1/4 inches in diameter) which are welded into Zircaloy capsules. These capsules are assembled into reactor targets and installed in power reactors to be exposed to, and absorb neutrons. Once the targets achieve the desired Cobalt-60 specific activity (curies/gram), they are then removed, disassembled and shipped to one of the Cobalt-60 suppliers for double encapsulation into two concentric welded stainless steel tubes (17-1/2 inches long and 3/8 inch in diameter).

These double encapsulated sources are then shipped to the more than 200 worldwide production irradiator facilities.

Cobalt-60 is a solid metal. It is nonfissionable, non-soluble, non-dispersible and non-flammable. The half-life for Cobalt-60 is approximately 5-1/4 years.

Cobalt-60 sources can be shipped in large quantities in specially designed and licensed Type B (U) lead and steel containers that meet international and national regulatory standards. The Cobalt-60 sources themselves are also designed to international standards and licensed by national regulators.

Why are Cobalt-60 sources important in commerce?

Cobalt-60 sources are used to sterilize by radiation, approximately 45% of all

The gamma processing industry created an alliance to advocate the development of responsible regulations that enhance the safe and secure management of Cobalt-60 sources

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single-use medical supplies in the world. An estimated 80% of all surgical gloves are sterilized with Cobalt60. Many products are optimally sterilized with Cobalt-60 gamma radiation versus other available technologies.

Certain products can only be sterilized with Cobalt-60. Examples are biological materials such as tissue for transplant, plasma, serum; plus alcohol swabs, sealed medical devices used for blood collection, endoscopic procedures, and catheterization.

Cobalt-60 also is required for the sterilization by radiation of lab ware necessary for drug development and delivery as well as being relied upon to enhance food safety and preservation. Further, Cobalt-60 in teletherapy devices is used in the treatment of cancer, with approximately 45,000 cancer treatments/day conducted in more than 50 countries around the world. There is an ongoing increase in sterilization demand for Health and Human Services due to an aging population, greater access to health care in developing countries and increased risk of contamination of foodstuffs with disease causing bacteria which requires additional Cobalt-60. For the manufacture of medical products, sterilization is a critical manufacturing operation. Sterilization facilities operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week in order to optimize their utilization of Cobalt60. Sterilization capacity is based on projected product needs and isotope decay (approximately 1% per month).

Operators of large scale irradiation facilities maintain only the optimal amount of Cobalt-60 in their irradiators required for the volume of business they are conducting. They purchase their replenishment supply based on demand.

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Why is timely delivery of Cobalt-60 sources important?

Since most medical device companies practice Just-In-Time ( JIT) manufacturing, inventories in the order of just 30-40 days of supply are common. Low inventories help control healthcare costs.

Disruption of the supply of Cobalt-60 will result in backorders of sterile singleuse medical devices translating into a potential negative impact on patient care and treatment.

Cobalt-60 is relied upon to enhance food safety and preparation. It is used by fruit-producing nations to control export of crop-destroying insects and by food producers to eliminate microbes from food packaging. Cobalt-60 is used to eliminate pathogens and extend shelflife of many foods.

With a limited number of Cobalt-60 suppliers, the supply chain for Cobalt-60 is critical to maintain. The U.S. is both a major user of Cobalt-60 and exporter of sterile product. Approximately 50% of the world’s sterile single-use medical devices are supplied from the U.S. In addition, the U.S. is a major transshipment point for Cobalt-60 to the rest of the world - therefore efficient cross border carriage is critical. The supply chain is highly regulated with enhanced safety and security throughout.

The packages used to transport Cobalt-60 are Type B (U) Packages which are large in both size and weight and are capable of holding large quantities of the radioisotope. These packages are shipped to U.S. sterilization facilities and to ports for export to overseas destinations. These transports are by road and ocean.

One might ask, how can we be assured these products and shipments are

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safe and secure? There are several controls in place to ensure safety and security during transport.

1. Engineering controls dictate the source and container design.

The packages are designed to contain large quantities of radioactive material and must meet the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regulations for Accident Conditions of Transport. The performance standards set by the IAEA regulations for Type B (U)-96 packages have been accepted and implemented in national legislation of the IAEA member states. Both the sources and containers are tested to ensure there is NO loss of radioactive material following the testing. The packages are licensed by the competent authority of country of manufacture as well as other

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competent authorities. Upson completion of the Type B (U) test, a Safety Analysis Report (SAR) is prepared which shows the results of the tests and analysis needed to ensure compliance with the regulations. In addition, the SAR includes a containment analysis, heat transfer and insulation calculations, the radiation and shielding assessment, the stress analysis of tie downs and lifting attachments as well as the handling procedures. Upon review and acceptance of the SAR, the competent authority of the country of manufacture will issue the package design approval certificate which indicates the package meets the requirements of the IAEA as well as those of the country of manufacture. In order to obtain approval in other countries, the SAR and the package design certificate are

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submitted to the competent authority of that country for review and acceptance. In the U.S., it is the US DOT and the USNRC that would provide this service resulting in the issuance of a corresponding certificate by the USDOT. The IAEA transport regulations are recognized and implemented throughout the world, through modal regulations (air, marine, and road).

The Cobalt-60 containers that Nordion and Reviss use have been licensed for use in the U.S. by the appropriate national authorities.

2. Administrative Controls and Regulatory Compliance • US DOT FMCSA – The primary mission is to prevent commercial vehicle-related fatalities and injuries. The Administration’s activities contribute to ensuring safety in motor carrier operations through various programs and enforcement of these programs. Two such programs are the FMCSA’s Regulations and the Hazardous Materials Regulations. FMCSA develops, maintains, and enforces Federal regulations that promote carrier safety, requirements for commercial vehicle drivers, carriers, vehicles and vehicle equipment. FMCSA also enforces Hazardous Material Regulations which are created to ensure the safe and secure transportation of hazardous materials.

These rules address the classification, proper packaging, employee training, hazard communication and operational requirements for hazardous materials.

With respect to Class 7 materials (Cobalt-60) FMCSA is concerned with route population density, emergency response capabilities, exposure and other risk factors, selection of the most direct route unless an alternate route is safer, the effects on commerce in that the route shall not create an unreasonable burden on interstate or intrastate commerce as well as concern with any transportation delays which may cause or be the

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result of a safety issue.

• USNRC has issued Safeguards which are applicable to shipments of certain quantities of radioactive material.

The safeguards have a requirement for pre-shipment notification which is communicated to only those that have a need to know, monitoring prior to, during and post shipment, team drivers, multi-modal communication capability, GPS real time tracking, as well as planned stops in secure areas where vehicle and shipment are never left unattended.

• CVSA Inspections • State additional inspections and escorts as well as designated routes • Import and Export Controls Customs Programs such as C-TPAT, PIP, FAST in addition to other administrative controls such as licensing of the supplier, customer, carriers, sources and containers also exist and help to ensure a safe and secure transport process.

Suppliers have to be licensed to possess, transfer, use, process, import, manage and store the substances that are required for, associated with or arise from the operation of the facility.

Customers have to be licensed to process, transfer, use, import, manage and store the substances they are purchasing for use in their facility. Carriers have to be trained and licensed to trans-

port Class 7 materials. Sources and containers have to be licensed for possession, use and transport.

Denial of shipment due to carrier policy and/or port infrastructure, lack of safe havens along state designated routes, lack of reciprocity between States with respect to Level VI inspections and legislated State escort fees are the major hurdles that the industry faces. These all have an impact on the quality and cost of healthcare worldwide. More specific discussion on issues experienced in the transport of Cobalt-60 into, through and from the U.S. may be the focus of future articles in Guardian.

The gamma processing industry created an alliance to advocate the development of responsible regulations that enhance the safe and secure management of Cobalt-60 sources and related irradiation processing facilities. The alliance, known as GIPA (Gamma Industry Processing Alliance), is made up of 15 companies from the medical device manufacturers industry, Cobalt-60 source manufacturers and one industrial processing company. GIPA acts as a representative to regulatory bodies, such as the USNRC, on behalf of the major gamma processing facilities in the U.S. IPA is also affiliated with the International Irradiation Association (IIA).

GIPA’s mission is to ensure that gamma irradiation remains a safe, secure and vital processing technology for the sterilization of healthcare products, for the enhancement of food safety, as well as other agricultural and industrial applications. See www.gipalliance.net The International Irradiation Association is an official non-governmental organization (NGO) working in close cooperation with key regulators and decision makers around the world. The iiA serves as a global hub for the collection and dissemination of information and educational material about all significant scientific, regulatory, legislative and business critical developments pertaining to the industrial irradiation industry. See www.iiaglobal.org

2011 CVSA SPONSORS DIAMOND

PLATINUM

A & R Transport, Inc. CheckMark Vehicle Safety Services, Inc. International Road Dynamics, Inc. James Burg Trucking Company

J.J. Keller & Associates, Inc. RSC Equipment Rental U-Haul International

GOLD Applus+ Technologies Arizona Trucking Association Austin Powder Company Continental Corporation DEKRA America, Inc. Great West Casualty Company Groendyke Transport, Inc. HELP, Inc. May Trucking Company

Mercer Transportation Company R+L Carriers, Inc. Schlumberger Technology Corporation Specialized Carriers & Rigging Association STEMCO TML Information Services, Inc. Tyson Foods, Inc. Vehicle Inspection Systems, Inc.

SILVER ABF Freight System, Inc. AMBEST, Inc. Cambridge Systematics, Inc. Chesapeake Energy Corporation Coach USA Code Corporation Compliance Safety Systems, LLC DATTCO, Inc.

DiSilva Companies Greyhound Canada Transportation Corporation Greyhound Lines, Inc. Intermodal Association of North America JB Hunt Transport, Inc. Landstar Transportation Logistics National Truck Tank Carriers, Inc. New York State Motor Truck Association

Ohio Trucking Association Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. Prevost SYSCO Corporation Tennessee Steel Haulers, Inc. United Motorcoach Association Wal-Mart Transportation, LLC YRC Worldwide, Inc.

BRONZE Academy Express, LLC Ace Doran Hauling & Rigging, Inc. Boyle Transportation Brown Line, LLC ContainerPort Group, Inc. Daecher Consulting Group, Inc. Dibble Trucking, Inc. East Penn Mfg. Co., Inc.

Greatwide Truckload Management Hoffman Transportation, LLC H.R. Ewell, Inc. Illinois Portable Truck Inspection, Inc. Intercomp Company James A. Turner, Inc. Lynden, Inc.

Mid-West Truckers Association Mr. Safety-Check Systems, Inc. New Jersey Motor Truck Association Pitt Ohio Express, LLC RegScan, Inc. The Besl Transfer Co. Warren Transport, Inc. Zonar Systems

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS NORTH AMERICAN CARGO SECUREMENT HARMONIZATION PUBLIC FORUM November 29, 2011 Montreal, QC, Canada 2012 COHMED CONFERENCE January 30 – February 3, 2012 Newport Beach, CA BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETING January 31, 2012 Newport Beach, CA EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING February 1, 2012 Newport Beach, CA 7TH ANNUAL FMCSA MCSAP LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE April 23, 2012 Bellevue, WA NORTH AMERICAN CARGO SECUREMENT HARMONIZATION PUBLIC FORUM April 23, 2012 Bellevue, WA 2012 CVSA WORKSHOP April 24 – 26, 2012 Bellevue, WA

CVSA Workshop Apr. 24–26, 2012 Bellevue, WA

NAIC Aug. 6–11, 2012 Minneapolis, MN

CVSA Annual Conference & Exhibition Sep. 24–27, 2012 Portland, ME

COHMED Conference Jan. 30–Feb. 3, 2012 Newport Beach, CA

ROADCHECK 2012 June 5 – 7, 2012 NAIC 2012 August 6 – 11, 2012 Minneapolis, MN CVSA ANNUAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION September 24 – 27, 2012 Portland, ME

Visit CVSA.org for more information about all of our upcoming events.