The Commercial Vehicle Pass System

What is the Commercial Vehicle Pass System?

Keeping freight moving during major transportation disruptions is essential to supporting the economy and jobs, and to ensure that the public’s needs are met. Therefore, the Washington DOT is introducing the new Commercial Vehicle (CV) Pass System intended to support freight moved by authorizing emergency, essential, and other goods delivery throughout affected areas during a highway disruption of two to seven days. This will become an important service that is available during this year’s expected La Nina winter.

When will the CV Pass System Be Active?

Washington State will activate the CV Pass System when major freight highways are closed or severely restricted, and a limited-capacity detour is available nearby. CV passes, also referred to as Detour Passes, will be issued based on the highway detour’s capacity and the priority of goods carried, as determined by the State Emergency Operation Center. Category A goods are defined as Emergency Supplies; Category B goods are defined as Essential Supplies and include food, water, and perishable goods; Category C goods are defined as all other goods and are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Detour Passes will not be used until the Washington State DOT has determined the detour route to be safe, potentially on the second or third day after the highway closure.

Need More Info?

Shippers and trucking companies can request and receive CV Passes online at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/CommercialVehicle/detourpass.htm.

For more assistance in obtaining more information regarding winter driving conditions and the CV Pass System, please feel free to contact UWC toll free at 1.877.273.7400!!

Are You Ready For La Nina??!!

* Image source: www.farmersalmanac.com. Accessed on Oct. 14, 2010

Weather forecasters are predicting a La Niña winter this year, and have suggested it is building into the strongest one since 1955. La Niña will bring weather conditions such as increased rainfall, snow, and colder temperatures. Storms are expected to grow more severe in winter months as the La Niña climate phenomenon strengthens.

In particular, drivers in the Pacific Northwest are being warned to be prepared for the potential heavy flooding this year, with November predicted to be the wettest month. Drivers are also being warned that the mountain passes are predicted to have severe conditions this winter.

As with any other year, drivers need to be prepared for winter travel!! Starting soon, drivers must be sure to carry chains, check road conditions and weather reports before travelling. It is also critical to drive for conditions. Delays due to flooding, ice, snow, and general winter conditions should be anticipated and it is critical to keep UWC updated should these circumstances arise.

Remember, take it slow in ice and snow.. and know before you go!

Do you have any tips to share for preparation for winter driving?? If you do, we encourage you to leave a comment!!!

Operation Safe Driver Week is Coming Up!

Alert: October 17-23 is Operation Safe Driver Week!!

The mission of Operation Safe Driver week throughout North America is to improve commercial and non-commercial driver behaviour and performance through effective enforcement, education and awareness strategies.

Why? Improving highway safety for commercial vehicle operations starts with the driver. Highway crashes related to large trucks account for 12% of total crashes with fatalities. Focusing more attention on commercial and non-commercial operators will save lives.

The objectives of the program are as follows:

• Increase commercial vehicle traffic enforcement activity.
• Increase safety belt enforcement activity.
• Increase driver regulatory compliance.
• Increase driver roadside inspections.
• Implement commercial driver educational and awareness programs to the motor carrier population.
• Increase the non-commercial vehicle traffic enforcement activity.
• Increase the awareness to the motoring public about safe operations around commercial motor vehicles.

The strategies that will be used are:

• Selective Traffic Enforcement Program: High crash corridors with high CMV traffic and concentration on moving violations, driver infractions and aggressive behaviors on ALL drivers.
• Remove unsafe and fatigued commercial drivers from the highways.
• Take enforcement action against commercial drivers who fail to buckle up.
• Focus on unique and innovative approaches such as TACT, project ADVANCE, Smooth Operator
• Implement commercial driver-focused enforcement and education strategies which are based on performance data.
• Educate commercial vehicle drivers and others about the importance of safe driving and of proper driver techniques.
• Raise awareness of the motoring public about the hazards of operating around commercial vehicles and of proper steps they can take to enhance safe operations.
• Educate government, industry and the public about the important role roadside enforcement plays in saving lives on North America's highways and helping to provide a safe and secure place to travel.

So, remember to mark your calendars, be safe, and be aware!!!!

CSA 2010 - Dispelling Myths

In this week's blog post, we look at the CSA 2010 information titled CSA 2010: Just the Facts. We have picked out 5 that we find to be interesting and informative, and they are listed below:

1. All inspections and crashes that a commercial motor vehicle driver receives while under the authority of a carrier will remain part of the carrier's Safety Measurement System data for two years unless overturned through the DataQs system, even if the carrier terminates the driver.

2. Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010 (CSA 2010) has not changed any of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations. There is one rule that FMCSA is trying to change as part of CSA 2010. The carrier safety rating process that determine whether FMCSA will deem a carrier Unfit is currently in rule making to potentially change to a new process call Safety Fitness Determination.

3. The data kept by a State (for example, tickets, written warnings, convictions) and the data that is kept in the Safety Measurement System (SMS) (for example, violations from roadside inspection and crash reports) are separate. This data must be assessed and, if necessary, corrected under separate processes. All data in the SMS can be verified in the DataQs system.

4. Carriers who are considering hiring drivers can review "Driver Profiles" if the drivers have authorized the release of their information. These profiles are compiled from the FMCSA's Driver Information Resource (DIR) and will be available to carriers through FMCSA's new Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP). Drivers can view their own profiles. PSP is only available as a pre-screening tool and not for use in evaluating current drivers. PSP was mandated by Congress and is not a part of CSA 2010.

5. Similar to today's SafeStat, tickets or warnings that commercial vehicle drivers receive while operating their personal vehicles do not count in the new Safety Measurement System.

Stay tuned for more facts, or visit the CSA 2010 site directly to view them all!!

http://csa2010.fmcsa.dot.gov/whats_new.aspx

If you have any comments or suggestions regarding the CSA 2010 and carrier/driver preparedness, feel free to share!!!!

References:

CSA 2010: Just the Facts. U.S. Department of Transportation. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. HTTP://CSA2010.FMCSA.DOT.GOV. July 2010.

National Truck Driver Appreciation Week!!

The United States is currently celebrating National Truck Driver Appreciation Week! The event is an annual occurrence, and will end this year on September 25th.

The American Trucking Association reports that there are more than 3.4 million professional truck drivers throughout the United States, who drive more than 431 billion miles per year!

UWC recognizes that the dedication and success of our drivers is directly related to our company's success, and we want to take this time to honor all our drivers (Canadian, American, and Mexican!!) for their hard work and commitment in taking on what is undoubtedly one of North America's most demanding and important jobs.

UWC would like to take this time to thank our drivers for their continued commitment that allows us to provide safe, secure, and on time deliveries of the goods we transport!!!