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SOLUTION SESSIONS: PROBLEM SOLVE THE DRIVER SHORTAGE--TOGETHER
STREAMLINED PROCESS FOR DRIVERS WITH CONTROLLED DIABETES
REGISTER FOR EXPO BY FRIDAY TO SAVE AT EARLY BIRD RATES
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Solution Sessions: Problem solve the driver shortage together
Attendees will work together, guided by presenter Chris Goebel, to find solutions to the driver shortage and identify where the next pool of drivers will be coming from. This session will be a deep dive into a compelling topic that will shape the future of the industry. Be there to learn and share in the problem solving.
Solution Sessions are designed by and for motorcoach operators to provide relevant, professional education that incorporates actionable ideas you can take back to your business. The 2019 EXPO schedule features nearly 30 Solution Sessions that apply to all aspects of your business, covering finance, safety, operations, employment and hiring, technology, and cyber threats. You can't afford to miss out!
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Are you coming to UMA's 2019 Motorcoach EXPO?
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LOCATION
Fort Lauderdale, FL
DATE AND TIME
01/06/19
1:00pm -
01/10/19
5:00pm
Experience The Future of the Motorcoach Industry! Educate. Celebrate. Innovate. EXPO. Get the best rate when you sign up by Friday, 9/21.
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Maryland Motorcoach Association Crab Feast & Travel Talk is a seasonal hit
At left, members of the Maryland Motorcoach Association gathered at the Kentmorr Restaurant in Stevensville, MD for their annual Crab Feast and Travel Talk. UMA's Stacy Tetschner and Ken Presley attended the event, which was held last week. Everyone celebrated the end of a great crabbing season on the Chesapeake Bay.
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FMCSA streamlines processes for diabetic drivers
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) today announced a final rule revising federal regulations permitting individuals with a stable insulin regimen and properly controlled insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (ITDM) to be qualified to operate commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce.
Previously, individuals with ITDM were prohibited from driving CMVs in interstate commerce unless they obtained an exemption from FMCSA. The action removes major administrative and financial burdens for this population of CMV operators while maintaining a high level of safety.
The rule enables a certified medical examiner (ME) to grant an individual with ITDM a Medical Examiner’s Certificate, MCSA-5876, for up to 12 months. To do so, the treating clinician – the healthcare professional who manages, and prescribes insulin for, the treatment of the individual’s diabetes – provides the ITDM Assessment Form, MCSA-5870, to the certified ME indicating that the individual maintains a stable insulin regimen and proper control of his or her diabetes. The certified ME is then responsible for determining if the individual meets FMCSA’s physical qualification standards and can operate CMVs in interstate commerce.
“This final action delivers economic savings to affected drivers and our agency and streamlines processes by eliminating unnecessary regulatory burdens and redundancy,” said FMCSA Administrator Raymond P. Martinez. “It’s a win-win for all parties involved.”
The final rule will eliminate the exemption program that currently requires individuals with ITDM to incur recurring costs to renew and maintain their exemptions. FMCSA estimates this will save the nearly 5,000 individuals with ITDM that currently have exemptions more than $5 million per year more than what they would endure under the exemption program. The final rule will also save new ITDM exemption applicants and their associated motor carriers approximately $215,000 annually in opportunity and compliance costs related with the exemption program’s waiting period.
As an agency, FMCSA will save more than $1 million per year over the next three years in costs associated with administering the diabetes exemption program.
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NTSB to determine probable cause of March 2017 Concan, TX crash
Washington- DC - The National Transportation Safety Board is scheduled to meet Oct. 16, 2018, to determine the probable cause of the fatal March 29, 2017, collision involving a pick-up truck and a minibus near Concan, Texas.
Thirteen members of the First Baptist Church in New Braunfels were killed in the crash including the church minibus driver. Preliminary evidence indicates that all the occupants on the church bus were wearing their available restraints. The driver and front seat passenger were restrained with a lap/shoulder belt and a supplemental air bag system. The driver of the pick-up truck, 20-year-old Jack Young, pleaded guilty to 13 counts of intoxication manslaughter and one count of intoxication assault.
He also provided a statement during an NTSB interview that he was checking his phone for a text when the accident occurred.
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AMBEST booth at EXPO will feature prize for drivers
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Sorry, this contest is for drivers only! AMBEST provides an opportunity for drivers to win a Harley Davidson motorcycle just for swiping their AMBUCKS card when visiting an AMBEST location. The motorcycle will be on display at the 2019 UMA Motorcoach EXPO in Fort Lauderdale, FL, January 6-10, in AMBEST's booth on the show floor. AMBEST will be in booth 1616.
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Interested in AMBUCKS? UMA members have a high-value exclusive membership program with AMBEST which allows operators to save between $.20 and $.25 per gallon of diesel fuel. To get started, or for more information, contact Sylvia Jackson at
sjackson@ambest.com or call 434-594-4810.
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CVSA seeks nominations for Driver of Excellence Award
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As the leading organization managing commercial motor vehicle safety, enforcement and regulatory compliance throughout North America, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) created the International Driver Excellence Award (IDEA) to recognize the exceptional careers of professional commercial motor vehicle drivers and their commitment to public safety.
The deadline to submit a nomination form is December 14.
The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance
(CVSA) is now accepting nominations for the 2019 International Driver Excellence Award. IDEA is open to large truck and motorcoach drivers in Canada, Mexico and the United States, and the nominees do not have to be a member of or affiliated with CVSA to apply. This award is open to the entire commercial motor carrier industry.
Now in its fifth year, IDEA recognizes individuals who go above and beyond the performance of their duties as a commercial motor vehicle driver through exemplary achievement of safe operation and compliance carried out with evident distinction for an extended period of time.
To be eligible, the nominee must have:
- At least 25 cumulative years of crash-free driving in a commercial motor vehicle with a clean driving record for the past three years
- No felony convictions
- No safety-related driving suspensions in the past three years
- No driver violations in the past three years, excluding form and manner violations
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Register for the 2018 UMA Safety Management Seminar
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Who: Risk Management and Safety Management Professionals
When: December 5-6
Where: NTSB Training Center, Ashburn, VA
Member Fee: $295
Non-Member Fee: $465
Registration is open for the 2018 UMA Safety Management Seminar and potential attendees are urged to
sign up early as this event has limited space and sells out early each year.
This event is for anyone who manages safety and compliance for motorcoach fleet operations. Sessions will focus on the industry's most pressing needs and provide take-away information that attendees can put into practice ASAP. The seminar also includes updates and forecasts from all major regulatory agency staff.
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Mark your calendars for UMA's
Regional Meetings on ELDs
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Bus & Motorcoach News
is mailed twice monthly to all UMA members. In addition, it's available online 24/7 at
www.busandmotorcoachnews.com
and by email, on a schedule you choose! Invite everyone on your staff to stay informed about the industry by signing up for email updates from
Bus & Motorcoach News
.
Sign up here.
You can choose daily or weekly updates! Below is a sampling of what's in our latest digital and print editions.
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Fun Facts: Buses in popular culture
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The crew of the movie Speed actually did jump a bus 109 feet—just not onto California’s 105 freeway with passengers on board. A special ramp was built, and the bus started accelerating a mile back. Going 65 mph, the bus wheels reached a height of 20 feet from the ground, higher than the camera crew expected, which explains why the top of the bus goes out of the frame in the movie’s shot. (They opted against a Take 2.) And, if you’re short a driver, know that Sandra Bullock learned to drive a bus for her role—and easily passed the driving course.
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Indianapolis’s Paul Stender shares the motto, “Jets are hot, drugs are not,” by practicing what he preaches.
Many heard of his 2014 creation—a school bus fitted with a Phantom fighter jet engine to create the “world’s fastest bus” capable of reaching 367 mph as it shoots 80-foot flames. Unfortunately, the engine takes up so much room, there’s space left for only three passengers.
If this isn’t impressive enough, consider he’s built 30 fiery creations including a jet-fired beer truck and a port-o-john.
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The original school bus was fired very differently. Today’s yellow bus was first introduced to society in 1662 as a horse-drawn vehicle in Paris, and it operated for about 15 years before shutting down due to costs. In 1812, a horse-drawn bus made its second appearance. The children’s favorite seat was on the roof.
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Subscribe FREE
to receive email updates of Bus & Motorcoach News and choose weekly or daily email delivery of the leading source of industry news.
Click here.
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Nominations open for UMA Board of Directors
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October 1, 2018, is the deadline to submit nominations for four open seats on the UMA Board of Directors. This year there will be one seat available in Region 1, two seats available in Region 2 and one seat available in Region 3.
For a comprehensive breakdown of states included in each region, please visit the UMA website at
www.uma.org
. Each year up to two seats in each region may become available as terms of service for existing Directors expire. Candidates nominated for the Board must represent an active UMA-member company in good standing with the association.
Written letters of nomination must state the candidate’s name, company affiliation and home-base location. Nomination letters also must be postmarked, emailed or faxed before October 1, 2018.
CONTACT: If you have questions or wish to submit a letter of nomination (for yourself or another UMA member), please contact UMA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner at
stetschner@uma.org
.
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Bump-canceling bunks promise smooth bus rides
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Wired.com
| by Aarian Marshall and Jack Stewart |
Two writers for Wired magazine hopped aboard a "moving hotel" run by Cabin to test out just how comfy it could be to spend the night on an eight-hour bus trip in a specially designed bunk aboard a 45-foot bus. The vehicle can hold 23 passengers, each with their own specially designed bunk. Since July of last year Cabin has transported 10,000 passengers who opted for the 8 hour road trip over a flight that takes just over an hour. Read about their experience.
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2019 Motorcoach EXPO:
The future of the motorcoach industry!
INNOVATE - EDUCATE - CELEBRATE
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Motorcoach Industry Calendar
SEPTEMBER 2018
OCTOBER 2018
- 1 UMA Deadline for BOD Nominations https://conta.cc/2BxxRfT
- 10 GNJMA Golf and Meet and Mingle http://www.gnjma.com/
- 11 GNJMA Group Leader Appreciation Day & Marketplace (10 a.m. - 1 p.m.), Bally's Casino, Atlantic City, NJ http://www.gnjma.com/
- 11 GNJMA Allied Supplier Mini-Marketplace (12 noon), Bally's Atlantic City http://www.gnjma.com/
- 11 GNJMA Fall Annual Association Member Meeting & Luncheon, (1 p.m.), Bally's Casino, Atlantic City http://www.gnjma.com/
- 15-17 Northwest Motorcoach Association 19th Annual Roadeo & Convention, Northern Quest Resort and Casino, Spokane, WA http://nwmotorcoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Save-The-Date-2018.pdf
- 20-23 California Bus Association 45th Annual Convention
- 21-23 Bus Association of New York, 2018 Annual Meeting and Marketplace, The Otesaga Resort Hotel, Cooperstown, NY http://www.banybus.org/marketplace/
- 28-30 Asian American Motorcoach Association Meeting, Resorts Casino, Atlantic City, NJ www.asianamericanma.org
NOVEMBER 2018
DECEMBER 2018
- 5-6 UMA Safety Management Seminar, NTSB Training Center, Ashburn, VA, Hotel TBA - save the date! www.uma.org/safety
JANUARY 2019
FEBRUARY 2019
MARCH 2019
- 11 GNJMA Sponsor Appreciation Dinner, Emeril's Chophouse, Sands Casino Resort, Bethlehem, PA http://www.gnjma.com/
- 12 GNJMA Spring Association Member Meeting & Motorcoach Professional Awards Luncheon, Sands Casino Resort, Bethlehem, PA http://www.gnjma.com/
AUGUST 2019
- 6-9 IMG Strategic Alliance Meeting, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
- 14-18 NAMO Annual Conference & Marketplace - Springfield, MO http://www.namo-coaches.org/
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YOU ARE UMA
Remember, as a UMA member you have the power of discounts on the best products and services, access to relevant education, targeted professional resources, and colleagues all over the map. Remember to consult your member directory when you need help on the road, access to more vehicles to meet demand, or services out of your area. We are UMA! Want to find other members to do business with? Use the
online directory.
Reach the UMA staff by calling (703) 838-2929 or by email at
info@uma.org. We love to hear from our members!
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