Special Edition V.48 (July 2020)
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FMCSA to Analyze Safety Practices for Small Delivery Trucks, Vans
Transport Topics
Federal trucking regulators are seeking information on the safety operations of small commercial trucks and vans making deliveries for online retailers and grocery stores that seem to be increasing in number in recent months, but staying mostly under the regulatory radar.
An advisory committee of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on July 13 spent several hours discussing the somewhat overlooked small truck sector that has for the most part remained a bit of a mystery when it comes to collecting data on fatal and injury crashes and the sector’s best safety practices.
“A number of companies are now using small vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating less than 10,000 pounds to deliver goods, and there appears to be a gap in safety oversight of both drivers and vehicles,” FMCSA said in tasking the agency’s Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee to open discussions on the vehicles. “The impact of these changes on commercial motor vehicle safety is unclear. As the industry changes, more carriers are going to these less-than-10,000-pound vehicles for the last mile of delivery.”
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ATA’s top economist: Second shutdown is worst economic scenario
FleetOwner
Bob Costello, chief economist and senior vice president of the American Trucking Associations (ATA), has seen a lot in his 25 years of forecasting, and one thing he keeps repeating is that no matter how bad the economic numbers look, we didn't get here because of economic conditions.
"I've said, since day one of this [pandemic], this was not an economic crisis,” he explained. “This was a health crisis that morphed into an economic crisis. Therefore, in order to get the economy truly back to where it was, you have to have some sort of health solution. I'm not a doctor, I don't know what that [solution] is. It might be a vaccine, but it's probably a multitude effect, and it could be as simple as people just deciding they're going to start wearing masks everywhere. That may be 80% of it. In order for us to get back to where we were, there has to be some sort of health solution."
What concerns Costello most economically?
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Americans' New Eating Habits in Pandemic Force Changes Along Food Supply Chain
Bloomberg News
Americans have rapidly changed the ways they buy, cook and eat food in just four months, leaving everyone from farmers to restaurants unable to match their pivot.
U.S. consumers, whose previous food preferences were stable enough that farmers could often make reliable planting decisions years in advance, have shifted their habits at a torrential pace during the coronavirus pandemic. That includes cooking more at home, buying more organic food, purchasing in bulk, forgoing brand-name treats and eating smaller meals due to fewer trips to restaurants with their often oversized portions.
Even one of those changes by itself could throw a wrench in the global food supply chain. Add all five together, and some suppliers are finding they can’t adapt fast enough to keep pace with all the changing consumer demands. Farmers like Jack Vessey, a lettuce grower in California, have been forced to destroy crops after restaurant demand dried up, while Oreo-maker Mondelez International Inc. is cutting its product offerings by 25% to simplify logistics.
“The entire food supply chain has been put on its head,” said Kevin Kenny, chief operating officer at Decernis, an expert in global food safety and supply chains. “Nobody can really do a post-mortem because we are still in the middle of it.”
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Live Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse Webinar Scheduled
In response to frequent and numerous questions about various components of the new Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse, MMTA has scheduled a live webinar to help inform our members. This webinar will guide participants through the basics of the Clearinghouse, the sometimes confusing registration process and it will answer many of the most frequently asked questions MMTA has been getting over the past months.
MMTA’s Training Coordinator, Randy DeVault will be the presenter for this live webinar via Zoom. Participants will not need video or a microphone (you will need speakers for your computer to hear Randy) and will be able to submit questions live during Randy’s presentation. Given this is our first live webinar, we hope the process is smooth so that we can offer other remote learning opportunities in the future.
When: July 23, 2020 @ 9am
Cost: $25/person (MMTA members) or $50/person (non-members)
TO REGISTER ONLINE, CLICK HERE. Once registered, participants will receive an email with the details to connect to the webinar and a link to add it to your calendar.
Please let us know if you have ideas to make this resource better.
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Additional TIA Basic Commercial Tire Service Seminar Scheduled
Due to popular demand and the importance of the information delivered, the MMTA has scheduled an additional Tire Industry Association (TIA) Basic Commercial Tire Service seminar for August 11th at the MMTA.
The Basic CTS Program (200 Level) is presented by Maine Commercial Tire and focuses on OSHA compliance training for new hires and experienced technicians using an in-house program without certification. This is an 8-hour video/workbook training program where the instructor uses the TIA’s Instructor Guide to lead the class through the videos and Student Workbooks that use lesson plans and module quizzes.
August 11, 2020
8:00am- 4:00pm
Lunch will be on your own
$140 for members
$180 for non-members
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AAA Hosts Virtual Town Hall on the Dangers of Drowsy Driving
AAA
In our sleep-deprived society, the dangers of driving tired are often overlooked — yet drowsy driving is a potent killer on our roadways. Learn more about this pressing problem and ways to prevent it.
Moderators:
Mary Maguire, AAA Northeast
Dan Goodman, AAA Northern New England
Panelists:
Judith Owens, MD - Pediatric Sleep Expert, Boston Childrens' Hospital
Jennifer Pearce - Drowsy Driving Prevention Advocate
Sgt. Corey Rateau - Arlington (MA) Police Department
Daniel Sullivan - MassDOT, Director of Policy
Brian Tefft - AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
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We will keep MMTA members posted as new information comes in. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to email
Tim,
Randy or
Brian if you have questions.
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THANK YOU MMTA ANNUAL SPONSORS
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Maine Motor Transport Association
P.O. Box 857
Augusta, ME 04332-0857
ph: (207)623-4128
fax: (207)623-4096
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