Act now to meet 2013 Air Pollution Deadlines!

New California Air Resources Board (CARB) rules affect privately-owned diesel trucks and are phased in annually.

Trucks over 26,000 lbs. G.V.W.R.

All diesel trucks 2000-2004 model year engines must be retrofitted with CARB-verified filters by January 1, 2013. (No Reporting Required).

Small fleets (1-3 trucks / 14,000 lbs. G.V.W.R.+) can call and report to delay compliance until 2014.

Fleet owneers with four or more trucks can report to take advantage of a phase-in option where 30% of the fleet must have retrofits installed or have original equipment particulate matter filters.

Trucks 14,001-26,000 lbs. G.V.W.R.

Must meet initial compliance requirements by January 1, 2015 (No Reporting Required)

For detailed regulation information, visit www.arb.ca.gov/dieseltruck or call (866) 634-3735.

Motor Carriers: Have You Completed Your Accident Register for 2012?

Have you recorded your accidents during 2012 on a register? If you are a motor carrier operating commercial vehicles that are over 10,000lbs MGVWR, transport hazardous materials in quantities requiring placards, or transport passengers, you will be required to present an accident register during a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) compliance review. Even if your operation experienced no accidents for the year, this register is mandatory.

The FMCSA requires that the following information be included on the accident register:

1. Date of accident
2. City or town, or most near, where the accident occurred and the state where the accident occurred
3. Driver name
4. Number of injuries
5. Number of fatalities.
6. Whether hazardous materials, other than fuel spilled from the fuel tanks of motor vehicle

Registers for a given calendar year should be retained for 3 years and must be accompanied by any accident reports required by local, state, or federal government entities as well as insurance companies. This documentation may be kept electronically, but should be available to print upon an auditor’s request.

The FMCSA recommends that two records be maintained to expedite the compliance review process: one for DOT recordable accidents and another for non-DOT recordable accidents. This allows motor carriers to present only the required accident register to an auditor during a review.

Motor carriers should review the FMCSA’s definition of a commercial vehicle-related accident when compiling their register:

An occurrence involving a commercial motor vehicle (>10,000 lbs MGVWR, HM or Passengers) operating on a highway in interstate or intrastate commerce which results in:

1. A fatality.
2. Bodily injury to a person who, as a result of the injury, immediately receives medical treatment away from the scene of the accident.
3. One or more motor vehicles incurring disabling damage as a result of the accident, requiring the motor vehicle(s) to be transported away from the scene by a tow truck or other motor vehicle.

The term “accident” does not include:

1. An occurrence involving only boarding and alighting from a stationary motor vehicle.
2. An occurrence involving only the loading or unloading of cargo.

Revised FMCSA Rulemaking Agenda

A number of updates to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) mandates were anticipated to take affect in 2012, 2013, and 2014. The FMCSA has now announced that the estimated publication dates for some of these rules have been postponed. The agency’s estimated publication dates are now as follows:

Electronic On-Board Recorders.
Supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking now expected June 28, 2013. Final rule on mandating electronic logging devices most likely will not be published until mid-2014. With an expected two-year phase in, electronic recorders will likely not be required for all carriers operating in interstate commerce until mid 2016.

Carrier Safety Fitness Standards.
A notice of proposed rulemaking to replace the current safety fitness ratings system is now expected November 25, 2013. This rulemaking was withdrawn from review two years ago when issues arose with the agency’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program; CSA scores are expected to form the basis of a carrier’s safety fitness rating under the new rulemaking. The FMCSA has now established a subcommittee of its Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee to review CSA and make recommendations on how to improve the enforcement program.

Unified Registration System.
A final rule to establish a new Unified Registration System to replace four legacy systems in support of FMCSA´s safety and commercial oversight responsibilities is now anticipated for April 25, 2013. It would require motor carriers, brokers, freight forwarders, and others required to register with DOT to comply with a new URS registration and biennial update requirement, disclose the cumulative registration information collected by URS, and provide a crossreference to all regulatory requirements necessary to obtain permanent registration.

CDL Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse.
A proposed rule is now expected to be published on April 2, 2013 to establish an online clearinghouse of information on CDL drivers who have failed a DOT-required drug or alcohol test or refused to submit to testing. The data would be available to carriers seeking to hire drivers.

Diabetes Standard.
A proposed rule to establish driver qualification standards relating to insulin-dependent diabetes is now expected to be published November 6, 2013. These standards would replace the current requirement for a driver with diabetes to obtain a waiver of the qualification requirements in order to drive a CMV.

Entry-Level Driver Training.
The FMCSA has still not set out any deadline for publishing a final rule on minimum training standards for drivers to obtain a new or upgraded CDL. A draft rule has been withdrawn by FMCSA because the agency could not validate the hours and curriculum requirements and therefore could not justify the rule on a cost-benefit basis. The Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee has also been asked to review and provide recommendations on this program. (Information provided by the National Private Truck Council NPTC).

Peterson Trucks Now Offers Used Trucks From the International Used Truck Center in Oakland

On January 8, Peterson Trucks officially entered into a partnership with Navistar International to co-manage the operation of the International Used Truck Center on Hegenberger Court in Oakland, CA. The facility, visible from highway 880 near the Oakland Airport, now serves as PTI’s base of operations for showcasing and selling its used on-highway vehicle inventory.

Peterson Trucks also welcomed Bob Crone to its ranks. Bob worked as a sales rep for the Used Truck Center under Navistar for nearly 30 years, and he will continue working with a staff of PTI employees now that Peterson is responsible for the lot.

Currently, the Used Truck Center is fully stocked with a range of used commercial vehicles.

As an authorized International dealer and Idealease lease, rental, and service provider, PTI’s attainment of an official International Used Truck Center allows the company to offer International’s full suite of services. Peterson pledges to apply its "Customer First" service to the used truck industry.

Peterson Trucks to Host Idealease Safety Seminar

On April 18, 2013 Peterson Trucks, the Bay Area’s authorized International truck dealership, will be hosting “Safety & Compliance Simplified,” an Idealease seminar for fleet owners and managers on compliance with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) mandates.

This one-day seminar is designed to help motor carriers understand and meet FMCSA regulations, manage commercial vehicle safety, train employees on fleet safety, reduce violations and accidents, and limit liability exposure. It is open to all fleet owners and mangers.

This year’s discussion will cover FMCSA driver screening tools, driving qualifications, hours of service (drivers’ daily logs), drug and alcohol testing rules, vehicle maintenance and inspection, accident recordkeeping, and CSA.

Attendees must register in advance at http://goo.gl/QEzsr.

For more information visit www.petersontrucks.com/2013safetyseminar