WESTERN TRUCK SCHOOL salutes our Veterans, both past and present.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 12, 2011

Contact

Brett Scott, Business Development Manager
CareersinGear.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Direct: (757) 351-8156

Mike Vogel, Director Virtual Events
DriverJobs.com
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Ph: (708) 358-0361

CHICAGO - For the first time, CareersinGear.com and DriverJobs.com are collaborating to provide a unique, first-to-market online virtual career fair for the transportation industry that will take place on Wednesday, June 1, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. CST. This unique event will be sponsored in part by the Midnight Trucking Radio Network.

Attracting both employers seeking top drivers and transportation professionals looking for jobs with the best companies, this event offers the ultimate in convenience, cost-effectiveness, and live interaction. The participants don’t have to go anywhere; they just need a computer and a connection to the internet to attend; thus saving the considerable time, money and effort required in attending a traditional career fair.

Best of all, attendees will be able to do everything they would do at a traditional job fair, including interviews via live chat and video chat, so employers and candidates can communicate in real time on the Internet. Candidates can also upload and submit their work histories and/or resumes online for employers to review.

Candidates will be able to enter the virtual exhibit hall and visit exhibitor booths where they can learn more about the participating employers, watch videos, download documents, apply to specific job postings and chat live in group and private chats. The event will also feature an auditorium with on-demand presentations and a networking lounge where all of the attendees and exhibitors can interact in a vibrant group chat and access a social media interface.

"By combining the strengths and capabilities of CareersinGear.com and DriverJobs.com, we're providing an unprecedented way to reach our industry on both sides of the equation," said Brett Scott, Business Development Manager at CareersinGear.com. "We're looking forward to seeing how drivers and businesses respond to being able to easily and conveniently connect through this virtual medium."

DriverJobs.com National Sales Manager Tony Orr knows that the event will be a landmark in the recruitment of transportation professionals. “This is a new and innovative way to reach drivers while they’re in their trucks, and to communicate with employers while they’re in their workspaces. It gives both groups more freedom to accomplish their goals,” he stated.

Sponsorship opportunities for the online employer booths run from $1,500 for a standard booth, to $3,000 for a premium booth, and $6,000 for an event sponsor booth.

Employers and transportation professionals can learn more and register today at TruckingVirtualCareerFair.com

About DriverJobs.com
DriverJobs.com is a niche online resource for jobs that move you. The site offers applicants a place to find relevant jobs that fit their needs and specialties, as well as access to advice, tips and industry news that will help advance their careers. DriverJobs.com is also a reliable resource for companies to find qualified talent across the truck driving industry.

About CareersinGear.com
CareersinGear.com, a division of Dominion Enterprises, specializes in recruitment solutions for the trucking industry. Its clients offer a variety of diesel mechanic employment listings and truck driving jobs for over-the-road and owner-operator positions. CareersinGear.com drives truck driving staffing needs.

CVTA is pleased to be able to announce that the "Rookie of the Year" Contest created by Randall Reilly Publishing is up and running. The first "Rookie of the Year" will be recognized at the Great American Truck Show in Dallas, TX in August. CVTA helped Randall-Reilly in the development of this contest because the Association believes that the contest is a great way to not only recognize new drivers and attract attention to the truck driving occupation and build excitement about it.

The grand prize will include $10,000 cash as well as merchandise provided by sponsors. Semi finalists will also be recognized. Nominations may be submitted by schools, employers, trainers and individuals.

As its contribution, the Truckload Carriers' Association has agreed to host the application website. The website is: www.TruckLoad.org. When you land on the website, scroll to "Contests and Awards." The Rookie of the Year contest is the second one listed.

We encourage all members to nominate individuals that have been outstanding students or employees. 

With the launch of the CSA Safety Measurement System (SMS) in December 2010, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) continues to receive questions from drivers. Below is a slightly updated reprint of an earlier What’s New entry separating fact from fiction regarding CSA and drivers.

FMCSA is committed to providing all stakeholders with factual and timely information on CSA. As part of this commitment, it is important that commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers are aware of how CSA affects them.

Drivers, we have heard and appreciate your questions on issues ranging from the Driver Safety Measurement System (DSMS) to the Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP). Here are the FACTS:

What is the DSMS?

The SMS assesses a carrier’s safety performance based on its roadside violations and crashes. The DSMS is a tool within the SMS used by enforcement staff only. Its primary purpose is to help enforcement staff assess driver safety as part of motor carrier investigations. The DSMS does this by identifying which of a motor carrier’s drivers to examine during that carrier’s compliance review.  This enforcement tool uses a subset of violations to evaluate an individual driver’s safety performance across employers. Appendix A in the SMS Methodology Report shows the violations used in the DSMS.

Who can see the DSMS?

Only enforcement staff have access to the DSMS for use during motor carrier safety investigations. Neither drivers nor employing motor carriers have access to the DSMS. While some third party vendors are developing and marketing CSA driver scorecards, these companies do not have access to full driver violation histories in FMCSA databases. FMCSA has not and will not validate any vendors’ scorecards or data.

What is the Pre-Employment Screening Program (PSP) and how does it impact CSA?

PSP is a new, voluntary FMCSA program mandated by Congress that is designed to assist the motor carrier industry in assessing individual drivers’ safety performance as part of the hiring process. PSP is a completely separate program from CSA. Additionally, PSP contains 3 years of inspection reports and 5 years of crash reports; however,  it does not provide a rating, score, or formal assessment of any kind. Drivers are encouraged to obtain and review their PSP report before applying for new jobs and request a review of any potentially inaccurate data through FMCSA’s DataQs program. While the PSP is not part of CSA, the safety data accessible through PSP is the same data that the DSMS and enforcement staff use during motor carrier investigations. For more information about PSP, visit FMCSA’s PSP Website at psp.fmcsa.dot.gov. For more information about DataQs, visit dataqs.fmcsa.dot.gov.

Will FMCSA use CSA to remove CMV drivers from their jobs?

NO CSA does not give FMCSA new authority to remove drivers from their jobs and DSMS information is not publicly shared in the way that motor carrier safety data is today. Other important facts related to driver employment are outlined below.

• Carriers will not inherit any of a newly hired driver’s past violations. Only those inspections and crashes that a driver is involved in while operating under a carrier’s authority can be applied to a carrier’s SMS data.
• Similar to the previous system, SafeStat, tickets or warnings that drivers receive while operating their personal vehicles do not count in the new SMS.
• Neither FMCSA nor CSA restricts drivers based on BMI, weight, or neck size.
• Drivers should review current and potential motor carrier employers’ SMS data which is located at http://ai.fmcsa.dot.gov/sms. Drivers and carriers with strong safety histories stand to benefit from the new compliance and enforcement program.

Can FMCSA use CSA to revoke a driver’s commercial driver’s license (CDL)?

NOCSA does not give FMCSA the authority to revoke a CDL. Only state agencies responsible for issuing CDLs have the authority to suspend or revoke them.

The CDL Program is completely separate from CSA. FMCSA has developed and issued standards for the testing and licensing of CDL holders. These standards require states to issue CDLs only after the driver has passed knowledge and skills tests related to the type of vehicle the driver expects to operate.

The data kept by a state (i.e. tickets, citations, written warnings, convictions) and the data that are kept by the Federal government and used in the DSMS (i.e. violations from roadside inspections and crash reports) are separate.  Drivers can review their state data by requesting their Motor Vehicle Record (MVR). Drivers may review the data kept by the Federal government through the PSP program referenced above and may request a review of the Federal data through FMCSA’s DataQs system (dataqs.fmcsa.dot.gov/login.asp).

How does CSA affect a motor carriers’ employment of CMV drivers?

Under CSA, FMCSA continues to hold motor carriers responsible for the safety performance of the drivers they employ. This is a longstanding FMCSA position and is not unique to CSA. All inspections and crashes that a driver receives while under the authority of a carrier will remain part of the carrier’s SMS data for two years unless overturned through the DataQs system, even if the carrier terminates the driver.

FMCSA’s CSA website is the official resource for information about this new safety program. We encourage drivers and all stakeholders to visit the CSA Website http://csa.fmcsa.dot.gov and sign up to receive regular updates by email at csa.fmcsa.dot.gov/stay_connected.aspx.
Know the facts, be prepared.

Thank You,
CSA Web Team
USDOT/Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

This professional truck driver was formerly known as Tony Blake. He is a graduate of Yale University, and is a full time driver now.

New! Easy CDL Hazardous Materials Endorsement Review

If you've got an iPhone, iTouch or iPad, check out our latest app:  BUMPER TO BUMPER ® Easy CDL Hazardous Materials Endorsement Review. Our first app was so well received (it got four and five stars from users), we decided to do another. We heard that applicants for the Haz Mat Endorsement are especially nervous about that written test.  The Easy CDL Haz Mat app is a great test prep aid. Nine "lectures" cover the information that endorsement applicants must know and the audio feature makes reading more enjoyable. Over 200 multiple-choice test questions give the student lots of practice. There's even a bonus Glossary of haz mat terms.

Look for the Easy CDL Haz Mat app and our first app, BUMPERTOBUMPER® Easy CDL, in the iTunes store or go to Study By App on the Internet. We'd love to hear your reactions (one reviewer called our first app "awesome"). You can also leave your comments right on the iTunes Easy CDL pages. And yes, we plan to do a third app before the year is out.

Final Rule on the Commercial Driver Learner's Permit

A final rule has been issued on the Commercial Drivers Learner's Permit. It will have impacts on schools, third-party and bilingual testing as well as license applicants. John attended a Webinar with AAMVA's Kevin Lewis and wrote up a great summary. See it on our blog.

Like Us on Facebook

Mike Byrnes & Assoc., Inc. now has its own Facebook page. We invite you to Like us on Facebook.

Check out the Latest "How to..."

We've been writing short "how to" pieces for publication on various Web sites. They're falling into two categories, Driving Skills and How to Get a CDL. Our latest "How to Get a CDL" story is "Tips for Passing Your CDL." Other CDL-related stories are "How to Get a Commercial Driver's License in Mississippi" and "How to Get a CDL in Nebraska."

Our "skill" how-tos are "How to Back Up a Trailer Safely," "How to Hook Up Tractor-Trailer Doubles," "How to Climb into a Truck Cab," .. . "How to Test Trailer Air Brakes for Leaks," "How to Adjust Fifth Wheel Trailer Height" and "How to Hook Up a Tractor Protection Valve."

Check 'em out. Just click on the links to view the stories. You can easily email them, share them and even print them out using the buttons at the top right of the Web pages.

If you have any questions or would like more information about any of the above, don't hesitate to call us at 361-749-4007 or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Check our Web site www.bumper2bumpertruckbook.com, or our blog at www.cdlbookblog.com. Just go to the Free Stuff page on our blog and click on the orange-and-white RSS Feed logo to subscribe. You can leave comments or suggestions there, too. And, follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/redwritertx for updates.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“EASY CDL HAZARDOUS MATERIALS ENDORSEMENT REVIEW” APP DEBUTS

PORT ARANSAS, Texas – Easy CDL Hazardous Materials Endorsement Review, an app for the iPhone, has just debuted in the Apple iTunes App Store. The Hazardous Materials Endorsement Review follows on the heels of BUMPER TO BUMPER© Easy CDL, the first iPhone app developed by Mike Byrnes and Associates, Inc., publishers of BUMPER TO BUMPER®, The Complete Guide to Tractor-Trailer Operations and other commercial motor vehicle driver training materials, and produced by StudyByApp, LLC, an educational software development company that develops apps for the iPhone, iTouch and iPad. Easy CDL Hazardous Materials Endorsement Review sells for $2.99 and can be obtained via the Study By App Web site at www.studybyapp.com or from the iTunes store at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/easy-cdl-hazardous-materials/id436098704?mt=8.

Easy CDL Hazardous Materials Review’s nine units recap all the topics that applicants must study to get a Hazardous Materials Endorsement on their Commercial Driver's License Test. It offers over 200 practice multiple-choice test questions and includes a bonus Glossary. The answers to the test questions are included in the app as are explanations as to why those answers are correct. According to the reviewers who gave BUMPER TO BUMPER© Easy CDL four and five stars, the audio "lecture" that accompanies each of the units makes prepping for the CDL tests more enjoyable.

DOT Safety Regulation Update Fast-Fax™
Week of May 9, 2011
Foley Services Your Single Source for DOT Compliance

Agency will only consider comments on four driver fatigue-related documents it recently added to the public docket.

After last week’s issue of Fast-Fax was put to bed, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced that it was reopening the comment period on its hours-of-service proposal. According to a notice published in the May 9th issue of the Federal Register, the comment deadline is June 8, 2011.

Four Studies Added to Docket

In the notice, FMCSA explained that it would only consider comments on four documents it just added to the public docket. Following is a brief summary of each of the four studies FMCSA is soliciting public comments on:

(1) The Impact of Driving, Non-Driving Work, and Rest Breaks on Driving Performance in Commercial Motor Vehicle Operations, a May 2011 report prepared by Virginia Tech Transportation Institute’s Center for Truck and Bus Safety and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The researchers assessed activities performed by CMV drivers during the 14-hour workday and investigated the relationship between safety-critical events (SCEs), driving hours, work hours and breaks.

(2) Hours of Service and Driver Fatigue-Driver Characteristics Research, a May 2011 report prepared by Penn State University’s Larson Transportation Institution and sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Researchers compared carrier-supplied driver logs for periods of one to two weeks before a crash to a random sample of non-crash-involved drivers from the same company, terminal and month. The data showed a “consistent increase in crash odds as driving time increases” and that breaks reduced crash odds.

(3) Analysis of the Relationship Between Operator Cumulative Driving Hours and Involvement in Preventable Collisions, a paper originally submitted to the Transportation Research Board in November 2010. The study examines the influence of bus operator driving hours on the occurrence of preventable collisions. The researchers used several analytical methods and employed data from incident reports and operator schedules. They concluded that on average bus drivers involved in preventable collisions drive more than six hours more than the general bus driver population.

(4) Potential Causes Of Driver Fatigue: A Study On Transit Bus Operators In Florida, another paper submitted to the Transportation Research Board in November 2010. The researchers employed questionnaire surveys, incident data archived by transit agencies and bus driver schedules to determine the relationship between crash involvement and operator schedules. Their study revealed that individuals working split schedules are more susceptible to fatigue than those working straight schedules.

How to Comment

The quickest and easiest way to submit a comment is by visiting the Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov. Insert ‘‘FMCSA-2004-19608’’ in the ‘‘Keyword’’ box, and click ‘‘Search.’’ Select “Hours of Service of Drivers” in the results menu to open the Docket Folder. When the new screen appears, click on ‘‘Submit a Comment’’ in the upper right corner. To request links to the full reports or information on other methods to submit your comments, please send an email request to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

A Review of FMCSA’s Proposed Changes

FMCSA’s hours-of-service proposal includes some hotly contested changes to the current regulatory requirements. Here are some of the highlights:

• FMCSA proposed to retain the 34-hour restart provision that allows drivers to restart the clock on their weekly 60 or 70 hours by taking at least 34 hours off-duty. The hitch: The restart period must include two consecutive off-duty periods from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. Also, drivers would be allowed only one restart per seven-day period.
• The proposal called for a 14- hour workday that includes at least a one-hour break. As a result, drivers will have a maximum of 13 hours to complete all on-duty work-related activities.
• The agency said it was leaning towards adopting a 10-hour limit on daily driving time, but solicited comments on whether drivers should be limited to 10 or 11 hours.
• The proposal also includes the option of extending a driver’s daily shift to 16 hours twice a week to accommodate loading and unloading issues.

How to Learn More

To access Foley’s free Hours-of-Service 2011 training, visit our online store at http://www.foleyservices.com/store. Hours-of-Service 2011 is listed as the first product in the Best Sellers category. In order to view the training, you will need to add the item to the shopping cart and follow the instructions to complete the transaction. There is absolutely no charge for viewing this training, and you will not be required to enter credit card information.

If you have any questions about the training or the proposed changes, please call a Foley compliance specialist at 1-800-253-5506, ext. 0869.

NY Congressman Reintroduces ‘Jason’s Law’. This week Congressman Paul Tonko (D-NY) reintroduced “Jason’s Law,” a bill aimed at increasing safe truck parking facilities across the country. The bill would allocate $120 million over the next six years for safety improvements to rest areas and truck stops across the country.

Like most safety initiatives, “Jason’s Law” was born out of tragedy. The effort is named after Jason Rivenburg, a trucker from Schoharie County, NY, who was murdered two years ago in South Carolina. Rivenburg parked at an abandoned gas station because he couldn’t find safe parking near the facility where he was scheduled to deliver his load the next morning. Since his tragic death, Rivenburg’s family has made several trips to Washington, D.C., to advocate for “Jason’s Law.”

Representative Erik Paulsen (R-MN) has signed on as a co-sponsor of “Jason’s Law.”

Editor: Roxanne Swidrak, Vice President, Operations • 1-800-253-5506 • www.FoleyServices.com • Vol. 111, No. 686 • © Foley Carrier Services, LLC. 2011