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ILLINOIS TRUCKING ASSOCIATION CALL ON WASHINGTON
With the Illinois State Legislature off this week, Illinois Trucking Association members from across the state journeyed to Washington, DC to meet with Illinois' US Senators and Congress Members for the association's annual Call On Washington. On Tuesday, ITA members met with staff from the American Trucking Associations at the ATA headquarters in Arlington, VA, including ATA President Bill Graves.
  
  
On Wednesday, ITA members were briefed on federal affairs at the ATA's Capitol Hill office before taking to Capitol Hill to meet with Illinois' lawmakers. ITA members urged officials to support long term funding for highways, to oppose tolling of existing roads, and to provide oversight on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regarding issues such as Hours of Service and CSA.
Wednesday morning, ITA also attended the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee hearing during which FMCSA Administrator Anne Ferro was questioned about the agency's implementation of MAP-21 requirements.
ITA would like to thank all of this year's Call on Washington attendees as well as the American Trucking Associations staff for lending their resources to ITA throughout the week.
REGISTER NOW FOR WEBINAR MARCH 20: SAFETY FOR THE NON-SAFETY PROFESSIONAL
The ITA Safety Maintenance Council has partnered with HNI Truck Group to offer a webinar to ITA-members on Thursday, March 20 from 2-3 PM. Chad Tisonik, President of HNI Truck Group will cover the ways you can work to improve safety and compliance at your organization with topics such as: how safety impact the success of your company, things every safety program should include, and documentation required related to safety and compliance. For more information or to register, go to http://hni.com/ITA. Registration is limited, so sign up today.
FMCSA UNVEILS ELECTRONIC LOGGING DEVICE MANDATE
On Thursday, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced a proposal to require interstate commercial truck and bus companies to use Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) in their vehicles to improve compliance with the safety rules that govern the number of hours a driver can work. The proposed rulemaking would significantly reduce the paperwork burden associated with hours-of-service recordkeeping for interstate truck and bus drivers - the largest in the federal government following tax-related filings - and improve the quality of logbook data.
The proposed rule will ultimately reduce hours-of-service violations by making it more difficult for drivers to misrepresent their time on logbooks and avoid detection by FMCSA and law enforcement personnel. Analysis shows it will also help reduce crashes by fatigued drivers and prevent approximately 20 fatalities and 434 injuries each year for an annual safety benefit of $394.8 million.
"By implementing Electronic Logging Devices, we will advance our mission to increase safety and prevent fatigued drivers from getting behind the wheel," said Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Anne S. Ferro. "With broad support from safety advocates, carriers and members of Congress, we are committed to achieving this important step in the commercial bus and truck industries."
The Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which was sent to the Federal Register to publish on March 12, supersedes a prior 2011 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking related to electronic on-board recorders. It includes provisions to:
Respect driver privacy by ensuring that ELD records continue to reside with the motor carriers and drivers. Electronic logs will continue to only be made available to FMCSA personnel or law enforcement during roadside inspections, compliance reviews and post-crash investigations.
Protect drivers from harassment through an explicit prohibition on harassment by a motor carrier owner towards a driver using information from an ELD. It will also establish a procedure for filing a harassment complaint and creates a maximum civil penalty of up to $11,000 for a motor carrier that engages in harassment of a driver that leads to an hours-of-service violation or the driver operating a vehicle when they are so fatigued or ill it compromises safety. The proposal will also ensure that drivers continue to have access to their own records and require ELDs to include a mute function to protect against disruptions during sleeper berth periods.
Increase efficiency for law enforcement personnel and inspectors who review driver logbooks by making it more difficult for a driver to cheat when submitting their records of duty status and ensuring the electronic logs can be displayed and reviewed electronically, or printed, with potential violations flagged.
In developing the updated proposal, FMCSA relied on input from its Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee, feedback from two public listening sessions and comments filed during an extended period following the 2011 proposed rule. The proposal also incorporates the mandates included in the most recent transportation bill, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) Act, and other statutes.
For more information on the Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Electronic Logging Devices, see: www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/administration/rulemakings/rule-programs/rule_making_details.aspx?ruleid=475.
ITA FLEET SAFETY AWARDS: ENTER NOW
The Illinois Trucking Association is seeking nominations for the 2014 ITA Fleet Safety Awards, presented by Great West Casualty Company. This year, fleet safety award winners will be recognized at an awards luncheon on May 15 during the ITA Safety Maintenance Conference.
Click here to download the entry form. Nominations must be received by April 16.
ITA SAFETY MAINTENANCE CONFERENCE MAY 14-15
The Illinois Trucking Association is pleased to announce the 2014 Safety & Maintenance Conference will be held May 14 & 15 at the iHotel & Conference Center in Champaign, IL. The conference will be a valuable educational and networking opportunity for anyone that is involved with safety or with maintenance at your trucking company. Click on any of the links below for more information or to register.
ITA would also like the thank JJ Keller & Associates for signing on this week as a Gold-Level Sponsor for the Safety Maintenance Conference.
Schedule of Events
Registration Form
Sponsorship Form
Exhibitor Form | 
