FMCSA concerned about truck and bus drivers’ use of GPS navigation systems

Why is FMCSA concerned about truck and bus drivers’ use of GPS navigation systems?

FMCSA believes the information concerning commercial vehicles crashing into bridges suggests that some drivers may have used electronic navigation systems intended for passenger car drivers rather than truck and bus drivers. The Agency is working with its State partners and industry to make sure professional truck and bus drivers recognize the importance of using navigation systems intended for commercial vehicles. These navigation systems provide truck and bus drivers with important route restrictions, such as low bridge overpasses.

What tips is FMCSA providing for the safe use of GPS navigation systems?

• Select an electronic navigation system intended for use by truck and bus drivers
• Before drivers begin their trip, they should type in all relevant information about their vehicles so the system can provide the appropriate route
• Follow the route recommended by the navigation system, but ALWAYS obey traffic signs and advisories (such as low bridge overpasses, axle weight limits, detour signs, variable message signs, etc.)
• Do not engage in distracted driving! Avoid typing or entering addresses or information into the navigation system while driving
• If your navigation system does not provide automatic updates of the maps, be sure to obtain updates to ensure you are following the most current route planning information

FMCSA GPS Visor Card

Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety

Saving Lives

One of the initiatives the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is undertaking to save lives on the Nation's highways is to intensify our focus on highway-rail grade crossing safety. FMCSAhas launched a nationwide educational campaign to remind commercial motor vehicle drivers of the precautions they must take at highway-rail grade crossings.

Highway-Rail Grade Crossings

A highway-rail grade crossing is an intersection where a roadway crosses railroad tracks at the same level or grade. Such crossings may be encountered on both public and private roads. There are more than 250,000 such crossings in the U.S.

Although the highway safety picture has improved considerably over the last decade, people are killed every year and more than are injured at grade crossings. Of the more than highway-rail grade crossing incidents annually, around 500 involve trucks or tractor-trailers. This translates to an average of about 10 per week. Although collisions involving buses at grade crossings are infrequent, results of such incidents can be tragic.

Safety Information

This Web site provides a compendium of highway-rail grade crossing safety information for drivers, motor carriers, and users of commercial motor vehicles. It is a "one stop shop" for readers who want to learn more about the critical importance of rail grade crossing safety.

And, remember: When you see tracks, "Always Xpect a Train"!

Emergency Numbers

• Railroad Emergency Phone Numbers

Safety Guidance

• Railroad Crossing Safety for Professional Drivers Video
  
  • English version
  • Spanish version
• OLI e-learning Initiative 
• Grade Crossing Safety: Responsible Agencies
• 7 Steps for Safety Brochure 
• Low-Clearance Rigs and Permitted Loads

Regulatory Information

• FMCSA Regulations
• Grade Crossing Safety: Safe Clearance

Learn More

• Educational Resources - Railroads and Associations
• Operation Lifesaver

No Texting Rule Fact Sheet

 No_Texting_Rule_Fact_Sheet.pdf

Overview and Background

FMCSA has published new rules that restrict texting and the use of hand-held mobile phones by truck and bus drivers while operating a commercial motor vehicle (CMV).

Research commissioned by FMCSA shows the odds of being involved in a safety-critical event (e.g., crash, near-crash, unintentional lane deviation) are 23.2 times greater for CMV drivers who text while driving than for those who do not. Texting drivers took their eyes off the forward roadway for an average of 4.6 seconds. At 55 mph, this equates to a driver traveling 371 feet, or the approximate length of a football field (including the end zones)—without looking at the roadway!

What exactly is “Texting”?

Texting means manually entering text into, or reading text from, an electronic device.

Texting includes (but is not limited to), short message services, e-mailing, instant messaging, a command or request to access a Web page, pressing more than a single button to initiate or terminate a call using a mobile telephone, or engaging in any other form of electronic text retrieval or entry, for present or future communication.

What does this rule mean to you?

Fines and Penalties - Texting while driving can result in driver disqualification. Penalties can be up to $2,750 for drivers and up to $11,000 for employers who allow or require drivers to use a hand-held communications device for texting while driving.

Disqualification - Multiple convictions for texting while driving a CMV can result in a driver disqualification by FMCSA. Multiple violations of State law prohibiting texting while driving a CMV that requires a CDL is a serious traffic violation that could result in a CDL driver being disqualified for up to 120 days. 

What are the risks? - Texting is risky because it causes the driver to take his/her eyes off the roadway. Dispatching devices that are part of a fleet management system can be used for other purposes, but texting on a dispatching device is indistinguishable from texting on another text-capable device, and is therefore prohibited.

Impact on Safety Measurement System (SMS) Results - Violations negatively impact SMS results, and they carry the maximum severity weight.

Compliance

Simply do not type or read a text message while driving a CMV!

No Call, No Text, No Ticket!

Updated: Thursday, March 13, 2014

Reference: FMCSA website

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Releases New Study Outlining Opportunities for Returning Veterans

Experienced military truck and bus drivers will more easily be able to
obtain civilian commercial driver‘s licenses under proposed FMCSA regulatory changes

WASHINGTON -- A new study released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) recommended a series of regulatory changes to further ease the transition of military personnel and veterans into much-needed civilian jobs driving commercial motor vehicles. In releasing the study, FMCSA also announced plans to implement the changes as soon as possible.

"Our military men and women make tremendous sacrifices in service to our nation, and helping veterans transition to the civilian workforce when they come home is just one way to show our gratitude," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "Today's report builds on the work FMCSA has already accomplished on behalf of our veterans and outlines opportunities to help even more qualify for jobs based on the skills and training they receive in the armed forces."

The study, which was directed by Congress in the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21 Century Act (MAP-21) one year ago, analyzed training, testing and licensing similarities and differences between military and civilian commercial driver's license (CDL) requirements. A number of federal and state regulatory changes were identified that would not adversely impact safety but would allow returning U.S. military personnel possessing extensive training and experience operating trucks, buses and other heavy equipment to more easily and conveniently receive a state-issued CDL.

The opportunities outlined in the report require formal rulemaking action, which FMCSA will initiate this year. The proposed changes include:

• Extending the period of time, from 90 days to one year, in which an active duty and recently separated veterans can take advantage of a Military Skills Test Waiver. The waiver, which FMCSA first implemented in 2011, allows states to waive CDL skills tests for service members with two years of safe driving experience with similar vehicles. Today, 46 states and Washington, D.C. offer the waiver, which has already provided almost 2,000 military personnel a quicker pathway to a job;
• Updating federal regulations to allow over 60,000 service members trained and employed in the operation of heavy vehicles, many of which are nearly identical to civilian commercial motor vehicles, to immediately qualify for a CDL while still on active duty; and
• Allowing a service member who is stationed in one state, but licensed in another, to obtain a CDL before being discharged.

"The demand for truck drivers will continue to rise in the coming years, so we are taking action to remove the obstacles that prevent military veterans from finding employment in the industry," said Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator Anne S. Ferro. "The men and women who serve in uniform commit their lives to protecting our country -- in many cases by operating heavy vehicles -- and there are no better credentials for becoming a safe truck or bus driver."

FMCSA will continue to explore other ways to ease the transition from military occupations to jobs requiring CDLs, including waiving the requirements for pre-employment drug testing for recently discharged military personnel based on their recent participation in random drug testing programs run by the military.

In August, FMCSA announced almost $1 million in grants to six colleges to help increase enrollment in commercial motor vehicle training programs, making it easier for veterans and their spouses to obtain CDLs and find transportation jobs. These grants are in addition to similar funding awards made by FMCSA two years ago.

The agency also granted a petition from Virginia in May to allow their military bases to be certified as third-party testers of military personnel for CDL knowledge and skills tests. New Mexico and Wisconsin are preparing to follow suit.

From 2010 to 2020, the need for heavy-vehicle drivers is expected to grow by more than 17 percent -- faster than the national average for other occupations. Jobs as city, tour and school bus drivers, as well as light truck or delivery services drivers, are expected to continue growing at the national average.

A copy of the study is available here.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Collaborates with Transport Canada and Others to Launch Interactive Driver Fatigue Management Tool

New Resources Geared to Help Bus and Truck Drivers
Prevent Fatigue-Related Crashes

WASHINGTON - Anne S. Ferro, Administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, today announced the launch of the North American Fatigue Management Program (NAFMP), a website that provides training and education on commercial bus and truck driver fatigue management.

“We can help save lives and prevent crashes on our roads by providing drivers and companies with educational tools, like those contained in the North American Fatigue Management Program website,” said Administrator Ferro. “This is another supportive resource truck and bus drivers can utilize in addition to complying with our hours-of-service rules.”

"The launch of the program is very good news," said Minister Raitt. "The collaborative work that has been done with partners will assist motor carriers and drivers in managing fatigue, and promote safety by reducing fatigue-related crashes."

The NAFMP is a voluntary, interactive web-based educational and training program developed to provide commercial truck and bus drivers and carriers with an awareness of the factors contributing to fatigue and its impact on performance and safety. It provides:

• Information on how to develop a corporate culture that facilitates reduced driver fatigue;
• Fatigue management education for drivers, drivers’ families, carrier executives and managers, shippers/receivers and dispatchers;
• Information on sleep disorders, screening and treatment;
• Driver and trip scheduling information; and,
• Information on Fatigue Management Technologies.

The program was developed by multiple partners, including the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Transport Canada, Alberta Employment and Immigration, Alberta Transportation, Alberta Worker’s Compensation Board, Alberta Motor Transport Association, Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail du Québec, Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec, and the American Transportation Research Institute.

The NAFMP fatigue management tool does not replace or override the FMCSA or TC’s regulations on hours-of-service. FMCSA and TC-regulated commercial motor carriers and drivers continue to have a duty to know and comply with the respective FMCSA or TC hours-of-service regulations.

For more information on the North American Fatigue Management Program, please visit www.nafmp.org. Additional educational tools for commercial drivers are available on FMCSA's website at www.fmcsa.dot.gov.