initiative, now in its third year. Since its nationwide rollout in December 2010, industry groups have identified a number of challenges within CSA. Two of the most significant areas of concern surrounding CSA are the lack of crash accountability in CSA scoring and the inability of CSA scores to accurately predict carrier safety performance. ATRI released research in 2012 found that only three out of five publicly available Behavior Analysis Safety Improvement Category (BASIC) scores were positively correlated with crash rates. The impacts on motor carriers whose safety performance is being evaluated based on BASIC scores with no relationship to crash risk is a problem that must be addressed. Combined, HOS and CSA are


exacerbating an already significant driver shortage. Add to that the increased freight demand resulting from the economic rebound over the past few years and it’s no surprise that finding qualified drivers is once again near the top of the list of industry concerns. And though it no longer places first among industry stakeholders, the state of the nation’s economy continues to be a top issue in the annual survey, placing 4th in the 2013 list of critical industry issues. Rounding out the top five issues in the


annual survey is the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate. In 2011, FMCSA was forced to vacate a proposed ELD rule due to a court decision regarding concerns over driver harassment. FMCSA is expected to release a


supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) in the next several months that will address ELD performance standards, requirements for the use of ELDs, requirements related to HOS supporting documents, and assurances that ELD mandates will not result in driver harassment. Depending on the nature of the proposed rule, this issue may see a higher level of concern in the future years’ surveys. Issues #6-10 in the 2013 annual survey are


Value you can’t get anywhere else. 2014 FLORIDA TRUCKING ASSOCIATION CALENDAR OF TRAINING + EVENTS


Events and training you want. J ANUA R Y


Winter 2014 FTA Meeting Sheraton Tampa East Hotel


Tampa-Area “No Zone” Blitz Jan. 22 :: 7 am – 4 pm


Mary Lou Rajchel Farewell Dinner Jan. 22 :: 6:30 – 9 pm


Florida Road Team Selection Panels Jan. 23 :: 7 am – 4 pm


Florida Road Team Selection Dinner Jan. 23 :: 6:30 pm


Technology Training Session Jan. 24 :: 8 – 12 pm


Florida Vehicle Inspection Jan. 24 :: 7 – 11 am (I-4 Tampa)


MA R CH FTA SuperTech 2014 Mar. 19 Mid-Florida Technical Center, Orlando Annual skills competition for main- tenance technicians; qualifier for national SuperTech competition


Tallahassee-Area “No Zone” Blitz Mar. 26 :: 7 am – 4 pm


Trucking Day at the Capitol Mar. 27 :: 7 am – 3 pm Florida State Capitol, Tallahassee


A P R I L


Florida Vehicle Inspection Apr. 10 :: 7 – 11 am Yulee/Jacksonville, I-95 S Safety, management and technician members are encouraged to join us!


Council Meetings + Training Apr. 11 :: 8 am – 12 pm J-Tech, Jacksonville


MA Y


Herman Fauss Scholarship Golf Tournament May 21 Bloomingdale Golfer’s Club, Valrico


2014 Florida Truck Driving Championship May 22–24 Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel


2013 FTA Safety Management Awards Ceremony May 24 Part of the TDC banquet; Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel


JUNE


Roadcheck Inspections Jun. 3–5 Cooperative event with Florida Highway Patrol; FDOT scales statewide


Technology Training Jun. 5 :: 8 am – 12 pm Mid-Florida Tech, Orlando


JUL Y


2014 FTA Annual Membership Conference Jul. 31 – Aug. 2 Ritz-Carlton Orlando Grande Lakes Includes Board of Directors meeting and Annual Meeting of the Membership


S E P T EMB E R


National Truck Driver Appreciation Week Sep. 14–20


Brake Safety Inspections Sep. 7–13 Cooperative event with Florida Highway Patrol; FDOT scales statewide


OC TOB E R


Gainesville-Area “No Zone” Blitz Oct. 22 :: 7 am – 4 pm Gainesville


2014 FTA Educational Institute Oct. 23 :: 9 am – 1 pm J-Tech, Jacksonville This one-day conference offers information for all levels of company staff—safety, maintenance, management, legal and accounting.


all critical and impact motor carriers on a day- to-day basis and the inter-connectivity of the issues is unmistakable. With the recent changes to the HOS rules, Truck Parking (#6 on the survey) has become even more of a challenge for drivers as they look for safe places to park for their mandated 30-minute rest break. Solutions for improving Driver Retention (#7) become increasingly difficult in today’s environment with the impacts on drivers from CSA and the HOS changes. Issues #8 and #9 (Fuel Prices and


Infrastructure/Congestion, respectively) impact your bottom line and without meaningful and significant infrastructure investment, congestion will worsen and fuel costs as a percentage of the industry’s overall operating expenses will continue to climb. In ATRI’s 2013 update to the Operational Costs of Trucking research, fuel and oil was the single highest motor carrier cost center, even more costly than driver wages and benefits combined. The #10 issue in the 2013 annual survey,


Driver Health and Wellness, must become a priority for motor carriers and drivers alike if the industry is going to keep the professional men and women now employed in the industry and attract new entrants. In addition to obvious lifestyle benefits, an improvement in driver health may also have positive implications for industry safety as research has found a positive correlation between driver health and driver safety. The Top Industry Issues Survey provides


All events are discounted for FTA members; many are free. Learn more at www.fltrucking.org!


an important indicator of where the industry’s attention is focused and which issues may rise to prominence in the near future. It’s an important tool for providing direction to industry groups at the state and national levels in terms of the issues and strategies that motor carriers believe will have the most impact on


12 Florida Truck News Q1 WINTER 2014


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