Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/678459
12 COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | MAY 2016 JOURNAL NEWS • Roadcheck, set for June 7-9, will empha- size tire safety this year, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance announced. Inspectors will measure tire tread depth, check tire pressure, check to make sure no items are lodged between dual tires and examine the overall condition of the tires to ensure no deep cuts or bulges exist in the sidewalls. During the inspection blitz, officials primarily will conduct full 37-step Level I inspections, which are the most thorough. • Medical examiners performing physical exams on truck drivers now are required to use the revised versions of the Medical Examination Report Form and the Medical Examiner's Certificate Form. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration pub- lished a Final Rule in April 2015 designed to facilitate the electronic transmission of MEC information from the agency's National Registry to the State Driver's License Agencies, which also required the use of the revised forms. The rule went into effect in December, but FMCSA granted a 120-day grace period for implementation of the new forms. • The Oregon Department of Transportation was granted a two-year exemption by FMCSA to extend the 180- day timeline for commercial learner's per- mits to one year without requiring the CLP holder to retake the general and endorse- ment knowledge tests. ODOT requested the exemption in November because it felt the six-month requirement placed an unnecessary workload on Department of Motor Vehicle field offices as well as "undue hardship" on drivers to go to a DMV office and pay for a renewal. • The Missouri Department of Revenue petitioned FMCSA for an exemption to extend the time period from 90 days to a year for military or former military mem- bers who drove commercial vehicles while in service to waive the CDL skills test. The Missouri DOR says the 90-day timeframe is too short for many qualified veter- ans to use when reentering civilian life. Comments can be made at Regulations. gov by searching Docket No. FMCSA-2016- 0118. • ABF Freight System (CCJ Top 250, No. 15) instituted a $5.92 surcharge for each ship- ment going to or from California to offset the state's higher operating costs and stricter regulations, which include tighter emissions standards, meal and rest break rules and independent contractor classifi- cation status. The less-than-truckload com- pany's California Compliance Surcharge does not apply to shipments moving under Volume Price, TimeKeeper Price, TurnKey Price or U-Pack quotes. • The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration adopted regula- tory amendments applicable to the safe reverse-logistics shipment of certain hazardous materials from a retail outlet back to a distribution or reclamation facility by highway transportation. The Final Rule revises the Hazardous Materials Regulations to include a definition of reverse logistics and provide appropriate provisions for hazardous materials, and expands a previously existing exception for return shipments of used automobile bat- teries from multiple shippers on a single transport vehicle between a retail facility and a recycling center. Untitled-3 1 2/4/16 8:23 AM INBRIEF 5/16