Your GAWDA Connection | June 15, 2018
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FEATURED NEWS
Registration Opens for Annual Convention in Seattle

GAWDA opened attendee registration for the 2018 Annual Convention this week. The fall conference is scheduled from Sunday, Sept. 9 through Wednesday Sept. 12, a time of year when the weather in the “Emerald City” is typically beautiful, and on clear days, majestic Mount Rainier is in sight.

The schedule is structured for business on the front end of each day and recreation time on the back – or at least, free afternoons with time for sightseeing. The theme for the event is, “GAWDA in the Great Northwest.”

Registration for Contact Booth Program spaces at the Annual Convention begins soon, too. Contact Bruce Ellenbogen at GAWDA HQ (bellenbogen@gawda.org) for information.

Click here for a look at the full schedule and to obtain hotel information for the AC event.
SAFETY AND COMPLIANCE
FMCSA Releases Guidance on Personal Conveyance 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released new guidance documents on June 7 to provide additional explanatory detail of the “personal conveyance” exception in the driver hours of service regulations.  83 Fed. Reg. 26377

The personal conveyance guidance allows a driver to record time operating a commercial motor vehicle for personal conveyance (i.e., for personal use or reasons) as off-duty when the driver is relieved from work and all responsibility for performing work by the motor carrier, even when the CMV is laden. 

The FMCSA added that motor carriers can establish personal conveyance limitations either within the scope of, or more restrictive than, this guidance, such as banning use of a CMV for personal conveyance purposes, imposing a distance limitation on personal conveyance, or prohibiting personal conveyance while the CMV is laden.

Companies should establish their own policies on when and for how long a driver may use this personal conveyance exception so that drivers are not operating vehicles while fatigued, even if they are within the hours of service limitations. 

Examples of appropriate uses of a CMV while off-duty for personal conveyance include, but are not limited to:

  1. Time spent traveling from a driver's en route lodging (such as a motel or truck stop) to restaurants and entertainment facilities.
  2. Commuting between the driver's terminal and his or her residence, between trailer drop lots and the driver's residence, and between work sites and his or her residence.
  3. Time spent traveling to a nearby, reasonable, safe location to obtain required rest after loading or unloading. The resting location must be the first such location reasonably available.
  4. Moving a CMV at the request of a safety official during the driver's off-duty time.
  5. Time spent transporting personal property while off-duty.
  6. Authorized use of a CMV to travel home after working at an offsite location.

Examples of uses of a CMV that would not qualify as personal conveyance include, but are not limited to, the following:

  1. The movement of a CMV in order to enhance the operational readiness of a motor carrier. For example, bypassing available resting locations in order to get closer to the next loading or unloading point or other scheduled motor carrier destination.
  2. After delivering a towed unit, and the towing unit no longer meets the definition of a CMV, the driver returns to the point of origin under the direction of the motor carrier to pick up another towed unit.
  3. Continuation of a CMV trip in interstate commerce in order to fulfill a business purpose, including bobtailing or operating with an empty trailer in order to retrieve another load or repositioning a CMV (tractor or trailer) at the direction of the motor carrier.
  4. Time spent transporting a CMV to a facility to have vehicle maintenance performed.
  5. After being placed out of service for exceeding the maximum periods permitted under part 395, time spent driving to a location to obtain required rest, unless so directed by an enforcement officer at the scene.
  6. Time spent traveling to a motor carrier's terminal after loading or unloading from a shipper or a receiver.
NEWS FROM GAWDA
Plan Ahead for GAWDA National Meetings

If you’ve always wanted to attend a GAWDA national meeting, or you’re a regular attendee and you like to get those dates on your calendar, here’s the upcoming schedule.
2018 Annual Convention
Sunday, Sept 9 –
Wednesday, Sept. 12
Sheraton Seattle
Seattle, Wash.
2019 Spring Management Conference
Saturday, May 4 –
Monday, May 6
Hyatt Regency Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minn.

2019 Annual Convention
Saturday, Sept. 28 – Tuesday, Oct. 1 
Marriott Marquis
Washington, D.C.
INDUSTRY NEWS
IWDC Reports Record Convention Attendance

The Independent Welding Distributors Cooperative is reporting record attendance at its annual convention in May.

The Indianapolis event drew 121 member companies and 111 vendor partners, with a total of more than 560 participants, the IWDC announced.

The theme, "Together We Grow," provided the backdrop throughout. A new "Focus on Gases" day delivered informative gas application and growth segment content. Member-vendor relationships were strengthened during numerous networking events. IWDC's traditional Vendor Show Specials brought significant savings to members and multi-millions in sales to participating vendors, the organization reports.

"As a result of our continued member-vendor relationships, we are happy to report that May 2018 is new record as IWDC member companies' spend through their co-op was $24.9 million," stated Frank Kasnick, CEO of IWDC. Added Keith Werkley, IWDC director of sales and vendor management, "We thank our vendor partners for their support and we look forward to raising the bar higher." 
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS
New Supplier Member:

Norland Calibration Gases & Equipment/Division of Norco
898 W. Gowen Road
Boise, Id. 83713
800-657-6672   
FAX 208-331-3038

Robert Gerry, vice president – industrial
robertg@norco-inc.com

Keith Partch, product manager 
keithp@norco-inc.com

Norland Calibration Gases & Equipment is a manufacturer of calibration standards that are used in industries such as pharmaceuticals, natural gas, medical diagnostics and air quality monitoring. Norlab specializes in industrial hygiene and EPA protocols.
MEMBER NEWS & NEW PRODUCTS
Member News

  • Weiler Abrasives Group Partners with Workshops for Warriors
  • Hiab USA Inc. Names VP/Sales and Services, North America
  • In Memoriam: Rodney S. Belden
New Products

  • voestalpine Böhler Welding Launces Protection Line